Unusual baby names of 2019

This year's most popular girls' and boys' names are out and it seems Australian parents are holding firm to their favourites, with names such as Oliver, Noah, Amelia and Charlotte continuing to dominate the top positions.

But go beyond the top 100 and that’s where the fun really starts! Some parents are determined to find something a little bit more special for their offspring, and come up with some brilliantly innovative names and spellings. These quirky baby name choices are enough to inspire anyone looking for something more unconventional.

Our favourite unusual baby names of 2019

All of the following names were chosen by at least one family in 2019, but none made it into the top 100. From fresh takes on popular trends, to brand new names and alternate spellings, right through to names unearthed from deep within the vintage vaults, there’s something for everyone. Here's our pick of the quirkiest names that will make your baby stand out in a crowd.

Top 50 unusual baby names for girls

Top 50 unusual baby names for boys

Top 15 unusual unisex baby names

Unusual trends

Parents, start your engines! Lexus and Kea roared into this year's baby girls' name register, while Ayrton (Senna), Diesel, Ford, Rexton and Royce raced in for boys. The militaristic names Army and Legion marched in for boys, while Navy sailed in for both sexes.

Much more spiritual additions included Hailo, Halcyon, Harmony, Heaven, Soul, Zen and Zerenity. And sparkly monikers for girls included Amethyst, Diamond and Emerald.

Some parents raided the library for their inspiration, borrowing classic character and author names, such as Dorian, Dartanian (D'Artagnan), Edgar, Gulliver, Hyde, Phinneaus, Pollyanna, Rhett, Rumi, Sawyer, Soren, Tennyson, Watson and Wilde. A few books proved popular with parents of both boys and girls, if the appearance of Charlotte and Wilbur, and Jem and Scout are anything to go by.

Adventurous parents drew on history's great sea-goers and explorers, including Furneaux, Horatio and Tasman. We even spotted the trio of Edmund (Hillary), Everest and Tenzin (Norgay) in the lists.

Indigenous names featured too, including Iluka and Mundarra appearing in the boys' list, and Ty'illuka and Jindalee in the girls'.

Continuing last year's culinary interest, Basil, Bay, Caique, Crostini, Gingko, Guinness, Milq, Mint and Rye appeared on this year's tasty menu. We also saw some new calendar entries, with boys named July and Monday, and a girl named Weddnesdae.

New tricks

Many of this year's unusual and unique names were new takes on well-established trends. Weather-loving parents, for example, were torn between summer and winter, with Snow, Sol and Sunnybella for girls, and Hale, Hayze, Light, Shine and Snowy for boys.

Places continued to inspire, with Adelaide, Bright, Airlie, Arnhem, Elwood, Hallam, Huon, Parkes and Tamar on tour for Australia. Further afield we saw Alabama, Chad, Denver, Eretriah, Harlem, Java, Jericho, Lexington, Louisiana, Persian, Rio, Santiago, Tennessee, Texas and Tiajuana. European locales included Amalfi, Bexley, Hyde, Milan, Rahleigh, Redding, Tuscany, Venicé and York. Gaia, Geo and Terra took the place-name trend to a higher level.

Parents love borrowing a surname for their little one's first name and a new crop of surnames entered the charts this year to keep this trend interesting. Most appeared in the boys' list (although many will later tread the well-worn path to unisex name): Beckham, Brennan, Carson, Gilmore, Granger, Morrison, Paxton, Quade and Thatcher.

But a few took a shortcut straight to the girls' list, including Bexley, Leighton, Hennessy and Rooney. Irish and Scottish surnames remained favourite fodder, with this year's registrations featuring Macgregor, Mcgee, Mcinnes, Mclawson and Mclean.

As usual, we've seen creative spellings of favourite names, including I'lah, Scarlott, Evahlee and Skigh. Some parents couldn't resist the urge to substitute a y into the mix, with Addisyn, Aydin, Huntyr, Matylda, Sofiyya, Vyronika, Wyllow and even Rayven making an appearance.

Others chose to concoct their own variation of a name by adding, deleting or changing a letter of another name, giving us Haisley, Neah, Nariah, Rexi, Tylie, Zailey, Zerenity, Zevaeh, Zienna and Zoannah for girls, and Baiden, Kaiben, Kyden, Maxon, Rawk, Zendrix, Zryan, Zyle and Zylor for boys.

Looking for more name inspiration?

• Discover the top 100 baby boys’ names of 2019.
• Check out the top 100 baby girls' names of 2019.
• Find international inspiration with our top baby names around the world in 2019.