Unique names: 140+ rare and uncommon baby names with meanings

Unique names, measured: how rare each name on this page is, which unisex names really go to both, and how the SSA counts

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

1. Step 1Pick your level of rareOutside the top 1,000, or under 5 a year.
2. Step 2Check girls and boysSome unisex names go almost all one way.
3. Step 3Watch the climbersSolenne went from 7 girls to 76 in five years.
4. Step 4Check every spellingReem had 138 girls; Rim had 5.

How rare is rare?

Source: US Social Security Administration, 2025 national file. A name counts in the top 1,000 if it ranks there for girls or for boys.

Unisex names, girls against boys

Source: US Social Security Administration. Larkin, Ridley, Auden, Linden and Jules come closest to an even split.

Rare today, popular tomorrow?

Source: US Social Security Administration. Xolani is a Zulu boy's name, but in the US it now goes mostly to girls. And a rare name can have been common once: Laurie was No. 37 for US girls in 1960, with 10,143 babies, and went to 60 in 2025.

How Social Security counts names

• The search shows the top 1,000. The SSA's online name search covers each year's top 1,000; its downloadable national files list every name given to at least 5 girls or 5 boys (SSA: beyond the top 1,000).
• Each spelling is its own name. Spellings are not combined (SSA background), so a name can look rarer than it is: the Arabic name Reem went to 138 US girls in 2025 and its spelling Rim to 5.
• Accents are dropped. The files use plain letters only, so Torbjörn is counted as Torbjorn.

Three checks before you choose

• Old or new? Vesna has been a given name only since the 20th century, Delyth is a recent Welsh creation, and Nekane, the Basque equivalent of Dolores, was coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints' names (Behind the Name). Real names, just younger than they sound.
• What it means in English. Say the name and every spelling of it aloud. The Arabic name Rim is also an English word, which is why this page uses the more common Reem.
• Day names. Akan families name a child for the day of birth: Kojo, a form of Kwadwo, is a Monday boy (Wikipedia), so choose one only if it fits the birthday.

Sources

• US Social Security Administration: baby names
• US Social Security Administration: beyond the top 1,000 names
• US Social Security Administration: background information
• Behind the Name: Nekane
• Behind the Name: Vesna
• Behind the Name: Delyth
• Wikipedia: Akan names