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Out of your boy names, River is my favorite. Out of the girl names, Willow is my favorite, but I also really like Dahlia. I likely wouldn't use either one as a first name for a child, but I do love the names!

Willow, unique? River, unique?

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Really, none of these are unique except maybe Maxelise, and some like Willow and River, are very popular.

Don't like them

I like Camden, River, Dahlia, Willow, Aubriana, and Aubriella.

I like Maxelise, Dahlia, Willow & Aubriana

Unusual, yes; unique, thank goodness, no. Unique names tend to be toe-curlingly awful. Basically, names that appear in blue, like Dahlia, Willow and all your boy names, are popular enough to be listed on this site. Most of yours are inoffensive: the only ones I find really unfortunate are Maxelise and Pepper. Ivy Anne could have happened in the 1920s, along with Mary Anne, Sarah Anne etc; I've heard of a South African schoolgirl in, I think, the 1960s whose name was Annemarie-Anne. Now, that really is unique.

Dahlia, Willow, River, Keanu are inoffensive & even trendy. Willow specifically is popular it is not unique.

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Maxelise makes me question my faith in humanity & want to walk INTO a river. No offense but oooof.

This message was edited 12/23/2021, 5:57 AM

It can be difficult to tell how rare a name is. Most names tend to have regional popularity, so for most people, not knowing an actual baby with the name is considered “unique” enough. That’s why boards like this and websites like the social security site which keeps track of baby names are so useful. I think you’ll find that if you go onto ssa.gov that many of your favourites are trendier than you think. That doesn’t mean you should stop liking them, it just means it’s a little odd to refer to them as “unique”.

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Some of them might be more rare themselves, but be part of a larger trend that affects the way we think about their rarity. Aubriella for example brings to mind a few years ago when Aubrey, Audrey, and names ending in -ella were everywhere.

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I also love the name Dahlia, btw.

This message was edited 12/23/2021, 11:41 AM

The only ones I would call unique in style are Maxelise, Pepper, and Ivyanne.
Maxelise is an instance of something I often really like - a smush! - but I don't happen to really like this one. I think it would be awkward if used as to address someone, with no nickname, although interesting and kinda cool when seen on paper. I hate Pepper, it's a dog name, seems pitiable as a full personal first name (though not as a nick that the person accepts); and I think Ivyanne is really pretty cute, though not my style.

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One of my favorite "unique" smushes is Roseve.
Other "unique" names I like:
Tarn, Wray (m)
Dari
Cyree
Ardra
Wyla
Tirah