25 Bizarre First Names That Are Totally Real

Every now and then, we hear about people who have names that are only best described as bizarre. Some of those names are so odd that you can’t even believe they’re real, but trust us, they definitely are. If you thought Frank Zappa’s kids found themselves in an interesting name situation — Moon Unit and Dweezil — check out the other names on this list.

25. Cricket

Busy Philipps, a well-known actress, and her husband Marc Silverstein named their second daughter Cricket. After they named their first daughter Birdie, maybe we should’ve seen that coming. But still, we never would have guessed that they’d pick the name of an insect. 

24. Awesome

This name was originally registered in Scotland. Maybe the parents are hoping the kid will grow up to fulfill his or her namesake?

23. Denim

This one would actually have a nice sound to it if it weren’t for the meaning attached to the word. Denim will, of course, always refer to the material that jeans are made of. None of this bothered Toni Braxton when she named her son this, though. 

22. Huckleberry

Bear Grylls, British adventurer famous for “Man vs. Wild,” named his son Huckleberry. His first son is named Marmaduke. 

21. Fanta

In 2017, there were 24 girls with this name. Other popular brands that ended up first names include Tesla, Evian, and Maybelline.

20. Halo

This name is given more often to girls, but many boys have it as well. Perhaps it’s not so different than the slightly more conventional “Heaven,” “Trinity,” “Angel,” and more. 

19. Pharaoh

In 2017, 145 boys had this name. It’s a creative way to name your child something “kingly.”

18. Moroccan 

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon named their son this. He also has a twin sister named Monroe. 

17. Puma

The singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, who has a common name but spelled in a unique way, named her daughter Puma. Maybe she wanted to bestow her child with a strong and fierce name. At least it wasn’t Cougar. 

16. Darth

Although this name might remind you of the famous character from Star Wars, it was actually a given name far before the movies ever came out — in the 1920s! Though still nowhere near popular, at least ten girls had this name back then. 

15. Sunday

Country star Keith Urban and celebrity wife Nicole Kidman named their daughter Sunday. We already had the name Wednesday (made popular by The Addams Family), so why not other days of the week? Funny enough, Mike Myers also has a daughter named Sunday. 

14. Lemon

Can you believe that at least 25 girls had this as a first name in 2017? It seems an odd choice if you’re going to pick a food. 

13. Envy

This name is especially strange, as you wouldn’t expect parents to use a word known as one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

12. Apple

Another fruit name like Lemon, Gwyneth Paltrow, famously named her daughter this in 2004. Though, it’s kind of cute if you think about it. 

11. Audio

American Actress Shannyn Sossamon gave her son this name. Even odder: his middle name is Science. 

10. Java

While this has a cool sound, the word “java” will probably always be reminiscent of coffee. Josh Holloway named his daughter this.

9. Eureka

Perhaps the parents of these children wanted to feel like they had created an astounding science experiment. 

8. Capone

We’re not sure who would want to name their child after a famous gangster who had about 400 people murdered, but evidently, there are some out there. 

7. Calcifer

This sounds like a cross between “Lucifer” and “Calcium.” 

6. Zorawar

We don’t even know where to start with this one. 

5. Moo

Yep… that’s right. Like the sound a cow makes. And it’s totally real. 

4. Beowulf

This is a name from mythology, but it is just so odd that anyone would pick this for their child. 

3. Moon Unit

Frank Zappa, a famous music artist, gave this name to his daughter in 1967. It made headlines because it was so bizarre. Moon Unit is now an actress. 

2. ABCDE

Yep, you read that correctly. Can you believe there were over 300 girls with this name in the 1990s? The pronunciation is usually “ab-si-dee.”

And finally, last but not least, the most bizarre of them all:

1. X Æ A-12

This name, given to Elon Musk and his partner Grimes’ baby born in May, is so insanely bizarre it’s impossible even to know how to pronounce it without some guidance. Looking more like a name for a high-tech futuristic robot, the pronunciation is supposed to be “ex-ash-ay-twelve.”