A collection notable of names that appeared for the very first time last year

American baby names never stand still. Last year, 661 girls’ names from Aani to Zynnia made their debuts in the US name stats, meaning they were given to five or more girls for the first time ever. Meet some of the intriguing and remarkable names that have joined our naming culture.

Fantasy Characters

Raphtalia: A demi-human with raccoon and tanuki ancestry in the anime The Rising of the Shield Hero.
Tsireya: One of the blue Na’vi aliens in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Amren: A powerful Fae in the book series A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Aemma, Alicent: Two queens in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

Botanical Names

Salix: The botanical genus of willow trees.
Calliandra: A genus of flowering plants that includes “powder puffs.”
Calluna: A botanical name for types of heather (as is the more familiar name Erica).

Names in the News

Chrisean: In 2023 rapper/reality tv star Chrisean Rock gave birth to a son whom she named Chrisean Jr.
Anggy: Anggy Diaz was a young woman tragically murdered by her new husband.
Aryna: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka reached the #1 world ranking in 2023.
Hari: Transgender actress Hari Nef made headlines as one of the Barbies in the Barbie movie.

Word Names, Straight Up

Energy
Excellence
Whiskey
Viper
Kindness
Native
Dune
Hades
Laker
Peridot
Wild
Wood
Embrace
Poetic
Roulette

Word Names, Customized

Phorever
Kurrency
Zepplynn
Loveleigh
Khemistri
Aunysti
Luxuri
Klever
Kreed
Reignbow

Global Names

Hanami: The Japanese term for enjoying the transient beauty of cherry blossom season.
Millaray: A popular Chilean name, from the Mapuche for “golden flower.”
Ishareddy: One of 11 new Indian compound names for boys and girls ending with the element Reddy.
Mafer: A Spanish diminutive, a contraction of María Fernanda.
Croía: Modern Irish name based on croí, “heart.”
Itotiani: From a Nahuatl word for “dancer.”
Solomiia: Ukrainian form of Salome.
Haumea: Hawaiian goddess of fertility and childbirth.
Zabibu: Swahili for “grape.”
Adalett: Alternate spelling of Turkish for “justice.” The Turkish tv crime drama #adaleTT premiered in May 2023.

…and So Much More

Aleinad: Daniela backwards.
Amhara: The Amhara people are one of the major ethnic groups of Ethiopia.
Jophiel: An angel of some Christian and Jewish traditions, Jophiel was traditionally depicted as male but is treated as female in some modern renderings, apparently because of the angel’s association with beauty.
Hatton, Hatten: New formal names from which to derive the popular nickname Hattie (traditionally from Harriet).
Blume: Part of the trend toward new flower names and an homage to writer Judy Blume.
Marycollins: Typically written as Mary Collins, a new/old Southern name that brings the modern favorite Collins into the classic form of double names like Mary Grace.
Freydis: An Old Norse name, Freydís was featured as a character in the tv series Vikings.
Ellawynn: Transforms the fast-rising Cornish name Elowen into a compound name.
Bethesda: A place name in Maryland and in the Bible, and the name of a video game publisher.

Read More: Meet 63 of America’s Brand-New Boy Names