The newest crop of baby names to be added toNameberry.comare a modern mix of ancient and contemporary. They include the name of the year's coolest car made famous by an early electrical inventor, a name shared by this season's hottest baseball player and a soldier in David's Biblical army, and a zippy new nickname for a classic Top 10 girls' name.
Boo
Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children, the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo, and the name of the world’s cutest dog. In a more basic way, Boo is a universal term of endearment.
Cleora
Cleora is a now-extinct name (there were no babies named Cleora recorded in the US in 2012) that achieved some standing in the early 20th century thanks to the craze for all things Egypt-related. A range of Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora, made the Top 1000 then as the ancient tombs were opened in Egypt and Theda Bara starred in the 1917 silent film hit Cleopatra. Cleo means glory in Greek and so is a root meaning of all related names. Cleora feels new thanks to its steampunk style.
Este
Este -- think Esme with a t -- comes to us via one of the rocking sisters in the musical group Haim. For long best known as the Esther diminutive used by cosmetics queen Estee Lauder, Este is a slimmed-down version that feels chicer for our star-struck times. While mother name Esther, which means “star,” has Persian origins and impressive Biblical roots, it's a name used in a wide range of cultures.
French
Actor French Stewart introduced this one to the lexicon. French is part word name, part place name, and part surname-name, reminiscent of another recent celebrity name, Moroccan.
Macarius
Macarius is the name of several early saints: St. Macarius of Egypt was known for his wisdom, while St. Macarius of Rome founded an island hermitage in Russia. Macarius is virtually unknown in the US though its Spanish forms Macario and the feminine Macaria are sometimes used. With the revival of many ancient s-ending names, Macarius might rise again, and it does carry the user-friendly nickname Mac.
Novak
Tennis star Novak Djokovic introduced this new first name to the English-speaking world, though it had long been familiar as a surname. The celebrity Novak, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, might be an inspirational role model for a baby Novak. And the name Novak goes well with other stylish names that mean new, including Nova, Neo, and Nouvel.
Rowdy
Rowdy is yet another new entry in the ever-more-popular group of bad boy names. The word Rowdy originated in the US in the early 19th century to denote a rough or lawless person. Rowdy Yates was the protagonist of TV’s Rawhide, played by Clint Eastwood, and Rowdy Gaines is a competitive swimmer. Another new bad boy name on Nameberry: Shooter, chosen by artist Julian Schnabel for his newborn son.
Solstice
Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: six little girls were given the name in the US in 2012. The word solstice is derived from the Old French and Latin term meaning "point at which the sun seems to stand still." There are pagan celebrations around the time of the winter and summer solstices, June 21 and December 21, the longest and shortest days of the year.
Sutter
Sutter is a new entry to the fashionable class of occupational surnames, brought to the fore by the hero of the 2013 indie film "The Spectacular Now." More masculine than Sutton and more distinctive than Sawyer, Sutter might be a good choice for the child of a shoe designer or shoe lover.
Tai
Tai, which rhymes with Kai, is a unisex name with a range of international references. It means the equivalent of "too much" in Chinese but is also used as a Maori name meaning "the tide" and in Romanian means "yours." While it's only ever ranked in the US Top 1000 as a girls' name, during the height of the popularity of Olympic skater Tai Babilonia, Tai makes a simple intriguing modern choice for either gender.
Tesla
Tesla, the surname of Serbian inventor Nikolo Tesla that has more recently been used as the brand name for an electric car, is gaining some use as a first name for girls. Exactly 100 girls were named Tesla in the US last year. You might think of the name as a Tessa/Isla hybrid, though with Tesla the s is not silent. There was also a rock band named Tesla.
Tornado
Sisters Tornado and Hurricane Black are rising tennis stars whose stormy names are sure to inspire parents in search of an original, attention-getting choice. If Tornado and Hurricane work as first names at all, they're equally appropriate for girls and boys.
Yasiel
Yasiel is gaining a following thanks to superstar baseball player Yasiel Puig, a Cuban native who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Biblical Yasiel, which can also be spelled Jasiel, was a warrior in David's army. About 100 baby boys were given the name in both spellings in the US last year, a number that is expected to rise.
Zabelle/Zabel
Zabelle and Zabel are fresh (to us) and ancient forms of Isabel, making zippy variations for modern lovers of that ancient name who feel the original is overexposed. One worthy Isabel – or Zabel – namesake: Isabel Archer, heroine of Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady.
WWE King and Queen of the Ring took place Saturday in Saudi Arabia. There were three championship contests on the six-match card Saturday, but only one title changed hands.
