25 Unusual Baby Names Parents Actually Gave Girls in 2019

After the Social Security Administration released the official list of the most popular baby names of 2019 just months ago, the agency also shared more comprehensive data showing all the names given to five or more infants born last year. It turns out many parents looked beyond top choices like Olivia and Emma. Instead, literary references, band names, adjectives in the English language, and other unconventional picks were at the top of parents’ minds.

Yes, many parents last year must have read the writing on the wall and somehow knew the chaos that 2020 would bring and named their daughters with reckless abandon. So, what are the weirdest baby names parents picked in 2019? We’re going to take you on a guided tour of the nearly inhumane monikers new parents picked last year. Buckle up because these 25 unusual names for baby girls given last year will take you for an emotional ride!

25. Aloe

Naming daughters after a flowering succulent plant with medicinal uses was apparently fine for several parents in 2019. While we understand the attraction to nature and econames, Aloe misses the mark. We dug deeper to discover if this baby name historically has been used and it has not. The name comes from a Greek word that means “resin.”

24. Mama

“A new mother gave birth to her precious Mama” does not sit well. In fact, it’s deeply unsettling that parents chose the name Mama for their daughters. Do people not understand the natural order of this world?

23. Greenleigh

Greenleigh is an unusual baby name that sounds just like greenly, a word that means “in an immature manner.” We’re not sure why parents wanted to doom their daughters to a life of amateurism, but they most certainly did.

22. Czarina

Aside from sounding completely unhinged, Czarina refers to Russian princesses who enjoyed nobility prior to the twentieth century. Narcissism and grandiosity will haunt the girls with this baby name for the rest of their lives.

21. Nebula

We get that parents are looking to nature and other secular inspirations for baby names these days but Nebula is not clear. It’s a Latin word that means “mist” and gives us the word nebulous. You don’t want a daughter to mature into a cloud of vagueness, do you?

20. Clove

We get “sugar and spice and everything nice” but Clove does not a girl’s name make. We most likely have a character from a young adult dystopian novel to thank for this awful name. Who let the author of The Hunger Games create a monopoly on bad baby names? Katniss, Peeta (shudder), and Haymitch are monikers that don’t belong on babies who will age into adulthood in the real world.

19. Sparkle

Sparkle sounds like a name for the sequel of the ill-fated 2001 film, Glitter starring Mariah Carey. Sparkle will inevitably be a big sister to little Twinkle and it will just continue to go downhill from there.

18. Malibu

Malibu is named for the Ventureño Chumash settlement of Humaliwo, which translates to “The Surf Sounds Loudly.” If this name is allowed, so are Carlsbad, Coronado, and Encinitas. Please do not name your child for the midsize sedan or exclusive beaches.

17. Versailles

Some people think that any old French word will do for a name and they’re wrong. Proof of this is found in the name Versailles. If you dig a little deeper, beyond the name of the French Palace, you’ll discover that Versailles’ etymology comes from a Latin term which means “plowed land.” Not cute.

16. Fairy

Believe it or not, Fairy was a top 1000 baby name in the US until the 1920s. Someone missed the memo that the word has been used as a homophobic slur for decades which is why the name has fallen off the charts. Get a grip, parents.

15. Skylette

Parents who chose the name Skylette for their daughters were clever by half. With popular names Skylar, Skye, Skyla, and simply Sky on the rise, it’s a shame that parents thought they needed to improve on the trend. The abomination that is a combo of Scarlett and Sky deserves to be gone with the wind.

14. Dairy

This name just made us lactose intolerant. A dairy is “a building, room, or establishment for the storage, processing, and distribution of milk and milk products.” Who names a baby for milk?

13. Missouri

Of all the states in our imperfect union, Missouri is not one that screams “name your daughter after me!” Was the goal to nickname her Miss or Mo? We’re so confused and confounded by this choice.

12. Palace

Apparently, any old word that’s associated with fancy digs will do. Versailles, Castle, Mausoleum, Estate, Mansion, Palazzo, and Chateau are all up for grabs!

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11. Contessa

Contessa is an Italian title for a countess. Tessa is a very popular name for girls that would have been just fine. Were these parents just big fans of Ina Garten? Please don’t.

10. Imagine

Some parents forgot to take their own advice and named their daughters Imagine. No, not Imogen. Imagine. Do a letter more brainstorming before landing on a name as obvious and ill-conceived as this one.

9. Canary

Throw that baby right in a coal mine. While this name might be a reference to the Islands, Canary reminds us of the domesticated songbird. What’s next? Parrot, Cockatoo, and Chicken?

8. Starlit

Sigh. We’ve stumbled across another name similar to Skylette that’s meant to sound like Scarlett. It does not work. While this name was most likely intended to connote romance it only makes us think of poor lighting.

7. Arena

Lord, help the children who have been named Arena a year before a plague made stadiums and places of gathering obsolete. Who thought this was an actual name?

6. Rarity

May we be fortunate enough for this name to stay true to form. This name instantly singles out the person who has been cursed with it. Were parents who chose this name after alternatives to virtue names like Felicity and Verity? Did they not know that Verity is a name?

5. Flourish

We’re honestly sad about this unfortunate baby name. To flourish means to “thrive” which is a nice thought, but it’s also a term for a decorative “flair.” As in, an afterthought. What possible nicknames could come from this? Flour? Rish? It’s awful.

4. Willoughby

We’ve meditated on possible motivations for giving this name to a baby girl. We think this appealed to parents because it has the more popular name Willow tucked inside. This is a surname name that does not work and means “willow farm.”

3. Brita

Brita might have Gaelic and Swedish roots as a contracted form of Brighid and Birgit, but to most in the US, the name is going to summon images of the popular drinking water filters of the same name.

2. Cinderella

Cinderella is a French name that means “little ash-girl.” This name should never be used for real people as its a fairytale name that’s been popularized by the Disney film. Who would do this?

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1. Mellow

With the popularity of the name Meadow, some parents thought it would be just fine to name their child Mellow. We’re all for relaxation, but Mellow as a name is a step too far. You wouldn’t name a baby Chill, would you? Please think things through, parents.

There you go! 25 unusual baby names for girls that parents actually gave their daughters in 2019. We urge you to learn from these mistakes and make smart choices! Thinking outside the box is fine, but please stay in touch with the real world.