20 of the weirdest baby names throughout history

We know baby name inspiration can strike from anywhere, but some parents take a very unique direction.

Name site Nameberry scoured their data to find the names that broke the US Top 1000 for only a single year, resulting in a list of the “quirkiest, strangest and craziest” names ever used.

While a couple of names are the result of a very unfortunate error in record-keeping, most are not. Here then, are 20 of the weirdest baby names that parents have officially named their children throughout history.

1. Almond

We may know an Almond to be a nut, but the parents of six baby boys in 1885 probably named their children this as a variation of the name “Almund”, which in itself is a contraction of “Adalmund”, an Ancient Germanic name meaning “noble protection.”

2. Christop

In 1989, 1082 baby boys were named ‘Christop’ instead of the more usual Christopher. This was due to a glitch in the system where some of the names in the New York database could only be recorded with up to eight characters, resulting in other one-hit wonders like Elizabet, Alexadr, Katherin, and Alexande.

3. Cinnamon

Food-inspired names have long been considered unusual. Apple, the daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the more recent and controversial celebrity baby names to date. In 1969, 202 baby girls were named Cinnamon, which is also thought to inspire two songs of the same name, “Cinnamon” by Derek, in 1968, and Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” in 1969.

4. Dijon

In keeping with the food theme, Dijon was the name given to 132 baby boys in 1991. However, parents were probably not naming their babies after the mustard, but the region in France where the mustard originated from.

5. Edw

Upon a glance of this name, it looks like a typo, but “Edw” is in fact an abbreviation for the name “Edward”, which was commonly found in census records at the time. In 1189, six baby boys had “Edw” put on their birth certificate instead of “Edward”, much like how “Md” is recorded in place of “Muhammed” today.

6. Friend

Six baby boys were named “Friend” in 1880, and while the message is nice, a less on-the-nose modern-day version could be “Buddy”.

7. Man

Other than being a very self-descriptive name, Man is actually a traditional surname in several Asian cultures. And in the US – at least for five boys in 1884 – it was used as a nickname for “Emmanuel”.

8. Nimrod

Although “Nimrod” has its origins in the bible – meaning “hunter” – Bugs Bunny’s moniker for Elmer Fudd has turned it into a word synonymous with “idiot” or “fool” – certainly not the meaning that the parents of five baby boys in the year 1880 intended.

9. Omega

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, so the 10 baby girls given this name in 1893 were most likely the youngest in their family. However, with the recent association of Greek names and a never-ending cycle of COVID variants, parents probably aren’t likely to put this name in their desired baby name list.

10. Spicy

Chilli, anyone? Forget food, the parents of five baby girls in 1883 went straight for the sensation. We’re not sure how well this would work in 2022, but the Spice Girls could serve as inspiration!

And the list goes on…

11. Branch

12. Fronnie

13. Girtha

14. Harm

15. Lovey

16. Moroni

17. Sip

18. Unnamed

19. Wealthy

20. Wing

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