There's nothing worse than picking out a baby name specifically because you can't think of anyone who has it, and then realizing that it has suddenly jumped to the number one spot of the year thanks to some pop culture fad. This ended up being the case with my son (THANKS, TWILIGHT!).
Needless to say, you might be looking for some inspiration outside of the mainstream. Might I suggest these 80s names from some of our favourite TV shows?
(Meaning: God is my oath)
If one could pick a TV celebrity to have as a mom, I would be all over Elyse Keaton of Family Ties. Elyse was a free-spirited Baby Boomer, and not only was she the badass mom who wasn't afraid to punch out a teacher who was being an ass, she was a surprisingly thoughtful and human person, too.
Elyse clocks in on Babycenter at #586 in popularity for girls names, although the alternate spelling Elise is a slightly more popular #172.
(Meaning: Town of sanctuary)
If you're looking for a boy's name that NOBODY will have, Templeton is where it's at (it currently ranks somewhere at #12,273 in popularity for boy names). Templeton was the suave ladies-and-con-man second-in-command of the A-Team, also going by the handle "The Face." Supposedly it was cause he was good at disguises, but Dirk Benedict, his actor, was easy on the eyes too.
But cheesy 80s action show aside, Templeton is a great name. The name has all the steadfast safety built into it of Peter (the rock) and it screams high class elegance to boot.
(Meaning: stream)
If you're looking for the woman who represented the "all that and a bag of chips" ideal for me growing up, that would be Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation. She was super smart, authoritative, and - in a world that increasingly seems to value the fleeting beauty of the barely-adult - was proof that an older woman could be stunningly gorgeous and feminine without being revealing in a way that 20 somethings would never be. I'm so glad they've got it again on Netflix for me to popcorn fest on.
Okay, so Gates McFadden (ALSO a very cool and unusual name ranking at #15,050 for girls) gets the credit as the actress for being hot. But whether she goes by Beverly or Gates, she is still the total package woman. The only part of her role in TNG that was a complete act was her profession as a doctor, in my opinion.
Beverly the name is #1,564 on Babycenter in popularity for girls' names.
(Meaning: Son of William)
Cool and unusual boys names are hard to come by. There's tons of Davids, Josephs, Peters, and Pauls out there. Even William is pretty common. Willis? Not so common. Indeed, it's a #6,884 in popularity on names for boys. In all the time since I've seen Diff'rent Strokes on TV, I've yet to come across a real-life Willis. And let's face it, it's a great name. It rolls off the tongue. Sounds tough in a Bruce Willis kind of way.
If I had a do-over, knowing what I do now, I would have totally campaigned for the name Willis for my son. Yeah, I know my husband's name is not William. BUT. Not only would I rest assured that nobody in his class would have his name, it is a CRYING SHAME to think about the number of times in the 8 years of his existence I could have used the phrase "WHACHU TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS?" legitimately as a troll parent.
Like, pretty much for every Pokémon and video game explanation. Ever.
(Meaning: God of war)
Can we just give a shout out to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for blessing the geeky girl with the unusual and badass name? Although that's exactly where my appreciation for the character that is Irma Langinstein ends. No doubt the show's creators thought that Irma was an appropriately dorky-sounding name for a clumsy intellectual who is hopeless with boys, but you cannot think Irma sounds "dorky" when you know it means God of War.
No, it just makes you think Irma Langinstein was biding her time until she laid waste to her enemies because they severely misjudged her.
Irma clocks in at #4,969 on Babycenter in popularity for girls' names.
(Short for Frederick - Meaning: Peace)
You want to meet a man who lives up to the meaning of his name? That's this dude, right here. Did you cry why he died? I cried. You cried, unless you're an unfeeling monster. This dude right here, he was right up there with Gene Roddenbury for an awesome display of acceptance and activism that was so subtly branded, most people didn't even realize they were having it drilled into their skulls. In fact, it should be absolutely no surprise whatsoever that the peaceful Mister Rogers started a Canadian creation.
It's a crying shame that today's youth don't have their own Mister Fred Rogers to grow up with. Certainly, the name deserves to rank better than #1,103 on the list for boys.
(Meaning: Unfortunate)
We can see why a name that means "unfortunate" might make the superstitious a little wary. But if you can step beyond the meaning, you have to admit Mallory of Family Ties had a pretty cool sounding name (in addition to one of the cooler TV moms to grace the screen). And unfortunate or not, at #737 on the list of girls' names in popularity, it doesn't appear that the meaning has put too many people off. It may be unusual enough that your daughter will be the only Mallory in her class, but it's certainly not exceptionally so.
(Meaning: From the cornered hill)
If ever there was a children's TV show that might have driven me to some pitchfork action, it would have been learning that Sesame Street gave Gordon (among other) the pink slip. Gordon was a character who was specifically designed to represent a father figure for black youth without a strong male presence at home, hopefully helping to break the cycle of poverty. What they found instead, decades later, was he was a great male role model and father figure for young people of all races, social statures, and gender. Gordon was a pretty amazing character, easily the equal in power of Mister Rogers, and at #1,638 in baby name popularity is a great, unusual name to choose in homage.
(Meaning: Sea warrior)
Gotta hand it to the 80s. They knew how to give female characters some steel in name. And while I worshipped Beverly Crusher as a kid, I probably definitely grew up to be more like Murphy Brown in temperment. There was no sea to be had in Murphy Brown's office, but that didn't stop her from living up to that warrior part. And at #1,564 in popularity, it'd definitely be an uncommon - but strong - name for your little girl.
(Meaning: Eagle power)
If I say the name Arnold, the first thing that pops into mind is probably Arnold Schwarzenegger. I've SORT of broken the rule about character names, but to be perfectly honest, I can't remember a single one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character names without looking it up except for "Jack" in Last Action Hero. Regardless of who he is playing, he is Arnie. Everything else is just generic BS labeling that doesn't matter.
There's worse things I can think of than giving your son a name after one of the biggst action heroes of the 80s - and a pretty accomplished Governer of California to boot. At #1,809, it definitely meets the uncommon name criteria. Plus, having a kid with a name that means Eagle power would be almost so awesome I'd have a nerdgasm.
Anne is one of those people who usually speaks to others in memes, pop culture references, and SAT words. On those occasions she can be understood at all, she likes to entertain others with a sense of humour usually described by friends as “hilarious—once you get to know her.”
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