Some word names, and especially virtue and flower names, are becoming too predictable. But can anyone think of any strange (and whimsical) word names? What is the strangest or nicest that you have heard?
[name]Peony[/name] - My favorite flower. But I could never get over that “pee” sound.
[name]Ash[/name] - Feels too short for me. And rather than a tree, I think of dust and ashes. Not good.
[name]Marigold[/name] - Would be a great name, but it’s kind of out there for most people. But it could have the accessible nick names [name]Mari[/name] or [name]Goldie[/name].
[name]Tulip[/name] - I actually wouldn’t be surprised if this started popping up. What with names like [name]Daisy[/name] becoming popular and parents wanting to be different.
[name]Basil[/name] - Rathbone!
[name]Aspen[/name] - This toes that line with place names.
[name]Hyacinth[/name] - I can’t think of a good way to shorten this. [name]Cynthia[/name] feels natural but that’s another name altogether.
[name]Acacia[/name] - Sounds similar to a lot of girls names.
Chestnut - [name]Christmas[/name] baby, maybe?
Maple - Only hippies.
[name]Comfort[/name] - I actually think this used to be fairly common, but it’s rare now. I knew a wonderful woman with this name.
Agape - A more creative way to get to love. But I fear it would only be mistaken for A-Gape, which is hideous.
[name]Harmony[/name] - This would be a wonderful name to me.
[name]Charisma[/name] - It has flair, but it’s a bit much. What child could ever live up to it?
[name]Cherish[/name] - I actually think this is sweet.
[name]Earnest[/name] - Whatever happened to [name]Earnest[/name]? Did [name]Oscar[/name] Wilde kill it?
[name]Glory[/name] - This sounds patriotic to me. [name]Ah[/name], I know. “Old [name]Glory[/name]”
Tolerance - Since this is a buzz word nowadays, I’m kind of surprised we haven’t seen many littler Tolerances running around.
[name]Finesse[/name] - You asked for strange and whimsical!
[name]Bliss[/name] - I’ve seen this as a middle, it’s probably a little in-your-face for a first.
Oh, I forgot [name]Blossom[/name]. Which is sweet, but I still have strong associations with that show.
I used to want my name to be [name]Harmony[/name] when I was a teen.
I’m not as into word names as I used to be, so let me think.
Kite - I remember having this on a list as it sounded close to [name]Kate[/name], so it seemed “normal” to me.
[name]Sun[/name] - I don’t know why this isn’t used more as a name. People sort of like [name]Sunday[/name], and at least some people don’t mind names that end in -son, so I think this is good, but sounds like [name]Son[/name], like naming your daughter [name]Son[/name], or Daughter for that matter. I don’t like “[name]Sunny[/name],” as that seems kind of baby-ish for life, like [name]Baby[/name] or some other nicknames that are even too small for an infant.
[name]Treasure[/name] - um. People sometimes want their children to know how they feel about them, like [name]Precious[/name] or [name]Bliss[/name]. I think [name]Treasure[/name] will start to hate her name about the same time she starts wearing a bra.
Zebra - I hesitate to list this because it’s somewhat of an epithet to inter-racial people so may not suit everyone. However, it’s also a neat animal, and apparently what they slang call football referees, due to their uniform of black and white stripes. Also a kind of butterfly. I love the way British people say it, rhymes with [name]Debra[/name]. I think the letter Z makes it awesome.
[name]Ring[/name] - I think this is a real name somewhere. [name]Ring[/name] [name]Lardner[/name] is the only one I can think of. Wikipedia says his name was Ringgold and he shortened it. He was named after his cousin had the name, which was the surname of his father’s friend.
Vidalia - I am only sort of joking. A name on yesterday’s blog was [name]Fidelia[/name], which I think is cute, but immediately thought it too much reminds me of Vidalia - as in a kind of onion, named for where it’s grown, Vidalia, [name]Georgia[/name]. http://www.vidaliaonion.org/commercial/
[name]Vidal[/name] and [name]Vitaly[/name] are names - this has a great meaning, “of life, vital”, just like [name]Clementine[/name] has a great meaning, “mercy,” and yet some people are hung up on the cute little orange fruit (I think if I liked the name more, the fruit association would be a plus). I think Vidalia has potential as a name, and also for some people, just onions forever. Not sure if this counts as a word name or more like a place name.
[name]Horizon[/name] - I’ve never seen this, but I think it would be interesting.
[name]Lute[/name] - like the instrument. [name]May[/name] be too close to “loot,” which is ok if it’s yours, not ok if you are taking advantage of a local crisis and robbing from stores. I guess I got this from yesterday’s blog also - [name]Lutie[/name].
I guess that means I’m running out of ideas. I wrote down a list of words I liked once, see if I can find that notebook and come up with something better.
i met two today::
Harvest and Sunflower (nn [name]Sunni[/name])
they weren’t related or anything… i meet a lot of people in my job… but i kind of liked both…
[name]Remember[/name] is a favourite, but I also love [name]Peony[/name] like someone suggested…
Colours, not like [name]Blue[/name] or [name]Red[/name], but [name]Cerulean[/name], [name]Vermilion[/name] and [name]Viridian[/name] are cool…
‘Virtues’ like [name]Noble[/name], [name]Marvel[/name], [name]Loyal[/name], [name]Royal[/name] and proper virtues [name]Bravery[/name], [name]Silence[/name], [name]Valor[/name] and so on are also really nice and unexpected 
Also, a lot of occupational names that aren’t necessarily occupations in a traditional sense like [name]Whistler[/name], Searcher, [name]Traveller[/name] and [name]Paladin[/name] come to mind, as well as [name]Painter[/name], [name]Author[/name], Artist and such…
[name]Baker[/name], [name]Tolliver[/name], [name]Weaver[/name] and [name]Thatcher[/name] are also unusual…
Musical instruments are cool; I’m personally a fan of [name]Cello[/name], but [name]Viola[/name], [name]Piano[/name], [name]Guitar[/name], the infamous [name]Banjo[/name], Harmonica, [name]Drum[/name] and [name]Lute[/name] like someone mentioned are also acceptable.
[name]Domino[/name] is a nice one.
[name]Friend[/name] is also lovely.
A lot of bird names are lovely, [name]Eagle[/name], [name]Falcon[/name], [name]Heron[/name], [name]Crow[/name], [name]Crane[/name], Magpie and [name]Starling[/name] for example… Magpie is particularly whimsical
Here’s some more:
Shelter, [name]Grove[/name], [name]Cove[/name], [name]Land[/name], [name]Field[/name], [name]Art[/name], [name]Auburn[/name], [name]Bear[/name], [name]Birch[/name], [name]Booker[/name], Chaos, [name]Clove[/name], [name]Cobalt[/name], [name]Concord[/name], [name]Cordovan[/name], Coriander, [name]Crane[/name], [name]Dune[/name], [name]Elm[/name], Favour, [name]Fox[/name], [name]Frost[/name], [name]Gardener[/name], [name]Garland[/name], [name]Gray[/name], Harbour, [name]Anchor[/name], [name]Light[/name], [name]Lock[/name], [name]March[/name], [name]Marsh[/name], [name]Mercer[/name], [name]Mercury[/name], [name]Miller[/name], [name]Moss[/name], [name]Noon[/name], [name]North[/name], [name]Oak[/name], [name]Othello[/name], [name]Peace[/name], [name]Prosper[/name], [name]Quest[/name], [name]Quill[/name], [name]Quiller[/name], [name]Reason[/name], [name]Reef[/name], Rook, [name]Rune[/name], [name]Sailor[/name], [name]Sayer[/name], Shelter, [name]Shepherd[/name], [name]Storm[/name], [name]Teal[/name], [name]Thorn[/name], [name]Vine[/name], [name]West[/name], [name]Wolf[/name].
That was most of the ones on my boy list, I don’t have time to go through the girls right now…
I [name]LOVE[/name] word names!!! XD
[name]How[/name] about…
[name]Haven[/name]
[name]Autumn[/name]
[name]Rhapsody[/name]
[name]Symphony[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]
[name]Melody[/name]
[name]Fable[/name]
[name]Story[/name]
[name]Honey[/name]
Dusk
[name]Leaf[/name]
I’ve heard 2 girls named Kricket.
What a lot of lovely names! I’m really becoming rather charmed by word names, and I’ve loved [name]Aria[/name] for a while. Dearest, your list was especially brilliant!
Interestingly, my husband and I went to see a play a couple of days ago, and the playwrite’s name was … [name]Winsome[/name]!
My husband and I have given the two children whom we are adopting unobvious word names - [name]Ambrosia[/name] nn [name]Rosie[/name] (the food of the gods and of course a beautiful flower) and [name]Jasper[/name] (a gemstone). I really adore that we can find things which are actually their names, so to speak; we have been decorating [name]Rosie[/name]'s room, for example, and her curtains and bedspread both have roses on!
Thanks! I’ve been collecting for a while… I recently revised my list though, so I have removed some of the girls names I had listed but I’ll list the ones I have… [name]Winsome[/name] is my favourite though!!! I love it! 
It’s a long list though, some less whimsical than others:
[name]Afternoon[/name]
[name]Blithe[/name] (I prefer this spelling…)
[name]Blue[/name]
[name]Briar[/name]
[name]Bryony[/name]
[name]Bell[/name]
[name]China[/name]
[name]Clover[/name]
[name]Cloud[/name]
[name]Delta[/name] (lovely)
[name]Doe[/name]
[name]Dove[/name]
[name]Dream[/name]
[name]Echo[/name]
[name]Evening[/name] (this one is so serene)
[name]Ever[/name]
[name]Fable[/name]
[name]Fawn[/name]
[name]Fern[/name]
[name]Gale[/name]
[name]Glory[/name]
[name]Hero[/name]
[name]India[/name]
Kite
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Lotus[/name]
Loveday (definitely using this!)
[name]Love[/name]
[name]Magnolia[/name] (love this one)
Maple
[name]Marigold[/name]
Memory
[name]Mercy[/name]
[name]Merle[/name]
[name]Moon[/name]
[name]Morning[/name]
[name]Opal[/name]
[name]Pearl[/name]
[name]Peony[/name]
[name]Plum[/name]
[name]Rain[/name]
[name]River[/name]
[name]Roma[/name]
[name]Snow[/name]
Song
[name]Sonnet[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Starling[/name] (my favourite bird name)
[name]Story[/name]
Sunflower
[name]True[/name]
[name]Unity[/name]
[name]Amity[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Winter[/name]
Wish (this one is so precious!)
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]November[/name]
[name]Wednesday[/name]
[name]Tuesday[/name]
[name]July[/name]
[name]Sunday[/name]
[name]January[/name]
Nouveau
[name]Poet[/name]
[name]Poem[/name]
[name]Mauve[/name]
[name]Lore[/name]
Siren
[name]Honey[/name]
Song
[name]Abbey[/name]
[name]Pepper[/name]
[name]Navy[/name]
[name]Cinnamon[/name]
Camomile (love the sound!)
Caramel
[name]Tide[/name]
Tune
Evensong
[name]Bluebell[/name]
[name]Rhapsody[/name]
[name]Symphony[/name]
[name]Bird[/name]
[name]Andromeda[/name]
[name]Cassiopeia[/name]
[name]Saga[/name]
[name]Day[/name]
[name]Ember[/name]
[name]Glade[/name]
[name]Emerald[/name]
[name]Ivory[/name]
[name]Dawn[/name]
Meridian
[name]Penny[/name] (yes it belongs here XD)
[name]Haze[/name]
[name]Secret[/name]
[name]Berry[/name]
[name]Lane[/name]
[name]Jacaranda[/name] (spunky…)
Honeysuckle
Wonder ([name]Lovely[/name]!)
[name]Season[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
Magpie
[name]Halcyon[/name]
[name]Hyacinth[/name]
[name]Era[/name]
[name]Eon[/name]/Aeon (I love this one!)
[name]December[/name]
Twilight (will probably be more used in the coming years)
[name]Buttercup[/name] (The [name]Princess[/name] [name]Bride[/name]!!)
Whisper
[name]Lyric[/name]
Lullaby
I’m definitely using Loveday too!! That’s a must.
And I used to know a woman named [name]Winsome[/name]. It never seemed odd or out of place to any of us. It just goes to show that if you wear it well, people won’t even bother having an opinion. lol.
I like word names, and several have mad it to my lists:
Girls
[name]Jade[/name]
[name]Ever[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Grace[/name]
[name]Lily[/name]
[name]Sky[/name]
[name]Brindley[/name] (it’s a mountain where I’m from)
[name]Rain[/name]
[name]Calla[/name]
[name]London[/name] (do place names count?)
[name]Moriah[/name] (the church where DH and I were married- Mt. [name]Moriah[/name] in the Bible)
[name]Scarlett[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]Mercy[/name]
[name]Crimson[/name] ([name]Alabama[/name] football fan and alumni- big deal in our state)
[name]Amity[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]
[name]Lyric[/name]
[name]Pearl[/name] (my grandmother’s name)
[name]Aurora[/name]
[name]Ruby[/name] (great-grandmother’s name)
Boys
[name]Chance[/name]
[name]Cash[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Sterling[/name]
[name]Briar[/name]
[name]West[/name]
[name]Roman[/name]
[name]Rider[/name]
[name]Falcon[/name]
[name]Phoenix[/name]
[name]Talon[/name]
[name]Jett[/name]
[name]Truth[/name]
[name]Atlas[/name]
Knightly
[name]Legend[/name]
A friend of mine recently named her son Psalm. On a personal level, I love [name]Remember[/name], [name]True[/name], [name]Honor[/name], [name]Story[/name], [name]Ever[/name], [name]Cadence[/name], [name]Amity[/name], [name]Autumn[/name] and [name]Summer[/name].
Let’s see I love-
[name]Willow[/name]
Whisper
Siren
Reverie
[name]Ekko[/name]
[name]Silence[/name] (I love arthurian legends)
[name]Lark[/name]
Aerie
[name]Stone[/name]
[name]Star[/name]
and every flower name there is, I use to want all girls with flower names, but then I thought wow, everyone would think I was a hippie.
[name]Poesy[/name] (older word for poetry)
[name]Poet[/name]
[name]Hero[/name]
[name]Echo[/name]
Mallow - adore this flower and I think it’s a fun name
[name]Marigold[/name]
[name]Primrose[/name]
[name]Altair[/name]
[name]Vega[/name]
[name]Birdie[/name]
[name]Avis[/name]
[name]Halcyon[/name]
Elaenia - also a bird
[name]Rhea[/name]
[name]Sora[/name]
[name]Lyre[/name]
Iora
Demesne - sounds nice, meaning peculiar
Eloquence - love the word
Lissome
Limerence
Gentian - I actually really like this one for a boy
[name]Bay[/name] - like the flower, and… a bay? I think it’s cute.
[name]Heron[/name]
Maleo
[name]Argus[/name]
Prion
Osprey
I absolutely adore Reverie and I love botanical names as well.
@ Dearest I [name]LOVE[/name] Aeon/[name]Eon[/name]. I’ve been thinking of using it as a middle name for some of my more common boys names. I can really see it as a first name too seeing how it isn’t far off in sound from [name]Ethan[/name]. Of course this list is far away from my comfort zone.
I’m not sure I’ll be any good with my own whimsical word names but I’ll try. Sorry for repeats.
[name]Eternity[/name]
[name]Wednesday[/name] - I’ve always love this one.
[name]Ever[/name]
Abyss
[name]Dream[/name]
[name]Freedom[/name] - nn [name]Fred[/name]?
[name]Danger[/name]
Ripple - okay not my choice but daughter has a friend at school with this name and she said it’s her real name.
[name]Haze[/name]
[name]Cyan[/name]
Belief
Believe nn [name]Eve[/name]/[name]Evie[/name]
[name]Judge[/name]
[name]Benevolent[/name] nn [name]Benny[/name]/[name]Ben[/name]
[name]Charisma[/name]
Cavalier
Conscience nn [name]Connie[/name]
Crave
[name]Delight[/name]
Dare
Ensign
[name]Admiral[/name]
[name]Marshal[/name]
Far
Genuine nn [name]Gen[/name]
Genius
[name]Gracious[/name] nn [name]Grace[/name]/[name]Gracie[/name]
Grand
[name]Harbor[/name] - I really like this one.
Heart/[name]Harte[/name]
Idol
[name]Imagine[/name] nn [name]Maggie[/name], [name]Ginny[/name], [name]Gin[/name] for a boy.
[name]Infinity[/name] nn [name]Fin[/name]
[name]January[/name] nn [name]Jan[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Janey[/name]/[name]Janie[/name]
[name]October[/name] nn [name]Toby[/name]
[name]Knight[/name]
Kindred
[name]Lavender[/name]
[name]Love[/name]
[name]Link[/name]
Magnificent nn [name]Maggie[/name]
Marvelous nn [name]Marv[/name]
Nigh
[name]Pleasant[/name]
Please
Pleasure
[name]Quarry[/name]
Rendezvous nn [name]Ronnie[/name], [name]Ren[/name], [name]Day[/name]
[name]Remember[/name]
Roam
[name]Romance[/name] - an anagram for [name]Cameron[/name].
Right
Ready
Stealth
[name]Serenity[/name]
Serious
[name]True[/name]
Ten
Tonight nn [name]Tony[/name]
Tomorrow nn [name]Tom[/name]/[name]Tommy[/name]
Together nn Getty
[name]Unity[/name]
Union
[name]Valiant[/name]
Wait
Wander
[name]Young[/name]
Zeal
I’m not really much of a word name or whimsical name fan, but there are a few that I like. These might be a bit tame for some of you, but then again, I’m more drawn to classics.
[name]Archer[/name] ([name]Abacus[/name], Ambiance, and [name]Anemone[/name] are bolder favorites.)
[name]Bryony[/name] (Bloom, [name]Blythe[/name], [name]Bandit[/name], and Bless are bolder picks.)
[name]Clianthe[/name] (Cool, Celerity, [name]Clemency[/name], and [name]Cotton[/name] are bolder choices.)
Dusk ([name]Dublin[/name], [name]Dream[/name], [name]Denim[/name], and [name]Delight[/name] are bolder favorites.)
[name]Felicity[/name] ([name]Fawn[/name], [name]Fable[/name], Farrow, [name]Field[/name], and [name]Fleur[/name] are bolder picks.)
[name]January[/name] ([name]Juniper[/name], Julep, [name]Jonquil[/name], and [name]Jessamine[/name] are bolder choices.)
[name]Lux[/name] (Loon, [name]Lysander[/name], and Lender are bolder favorites.)
[name]Magnolia[/name] (Myrrh, Menorah, Mint, and Mild are bolder picks.)
[name]North[/name] (Nestle, [name]Noor[/name], [name]Night[/name], and Nimble are bolder choices.)
I can’t say I’m a particular fan of word names either, but I googled ‘beautiful words’ and came up with a couple of lists of ‘100 most beautiful words in the English language’ Some are familiar or almost familiar names, others wouldn’t be too far out.
Some familiar finds:
[name]Serenity[/name], [name]Ash[/name], [name]Ivory[/name], [name]Ebony[/name], [name]August[/name], [name]Melody[/name], and [name]Felicity[/name]
Some that aren’t off the wall:
[name]Linden[/name], [name]Cadence[/name] (a personal favorite), Mist, [name]Rain[/name],
Some that I could imagine being names:
Eloquence, [name]Epiphany[/name] (especially for an early [name]January[/name] baby), [name]Halcyon[/name], Lissome, Lithe, Mellifluous (with the added advantage of ‘[name]Mellie[/name]’ as a nickname), [name]Clarity[/name], [name]Silence[/name], [name]Cascade[/name], [name]Lyric[/name], [name]Light[/name], [name]Ethereal[/name], [name]Caprice[/name], [name]Cinnamon[/name] and [name]Echo[/name]
And one that didn’t make the lists but belongs–
Whimsy
Well, I know someone named [name]Honor[/name], and I think it’s pretty. From what other people suggested, I think I am really beggining to like word names! [name]Painter[/name],Artist,[name]Wilder[/name] etc.
[name]EDIT[/name]: [name]King[/name]/[name]Kingston[/name] for a boy although [name]King[/name] is more of a word.