30 cool baby names from around the world

Albin is of Czech origin, meaning 'white' or 'bright'. It's popular with parents in Sweden, who choose it for their sons.

The similar name Albie is actually already quite trendy in England and Wales, ranking 52nd most popular in 2018 .

Amaia is of Spanish or Basque origin, so it's a particularly favoured choice in South America.

It means 'high place', but the Japanese variation Amaya means 'night rain'. Either way, the name has a lovely soft sound for a baby girl.

Ammaarah is derived from Sanskrit, meaning 'forever' and 'immortal'. It's a popular name in South Asia and for Muslim babies.

It could also be spelt Amara, which was given to around 280 babies in 2018.

This fun name can be traced back to two cultures. In Thai, it means 'prosperous'. Ananda Mahidol was the eighth monarch of Siam, which is an area in Bangkok.

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But in Hindi, Ananda is a girls' name that means 'bliss'. Which meaning do you prefer? They're both pretty positive!

Ayana is one of the most multicultural names around, being a popular choice for Asians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and African-Americans.

From its African origin, the name is thought to come from the Somali language, meaning 'beautiful flower' or 'eternal blossom'. But in Sanskrit, Ayana means 'goal' or 'direction. It can be related to Noah in the Bible, too, where it means 'in motion' and some claim it means 'divine spirit' in Hebrew.

Whatever its meaning, it's a positive one for a beautiful baby girl.

A perfect choice for a cute, musical girl is the name Birdie. It's of Sweden, German and English origin, meaning – you guessed it – bird.

The singer Birdy, who's also Bake Off presenter Noel Fielding's partner, chose it as her stage name.

You can probably tell from the sound of it that Brantley is a fairly common choice for parents in the US, but its origins actually lie much closer to home.

In Old High German, 'brant' means 'firebrand', but in Olde English it means 'steep'. Brant is also thought to be derived from 'Brandr', which is an Old Norse nickname meaning 'sword'.

Braxton is another name that stems from Olde English but is now much more popular in the USA.

It's thought to come from a surname, where back in the day your surname gave away what you did for a living, where you lived or whose child you were. It's thought to mean 'Bracc’s settlement' from the Olde English name 'Bracc'.

Caitlin is of Irish origin, meaning 'pure', but the name is also one of the top picks for girls in South Africa.

It started out as the Irish and Welsh form of the more English name, Catherine. Which do you prefer?

Another variation of Catherine is the Italian influenced Catarina, which also means 'pure'. It's a pick for parents in Italy and Portugal, where the jumpy and fun sound of it fits right in with the sunny weather.

Chatura is of Indian origin, meaning 'clever' or 'wise' in Sanskrit. It's a lovely unisex name that belongs to babies mainly of the Hindu faith.

If you're waiting to find out the sex of your baby, this would be a unique name in the bank to have.

This Spanish name means 'little noblewoman' – a cute option for a baby señorita.

It could be shortened to Dami as a nickname, too.

Dayton, meaning 'day town', is another name derived from an English surname but hasn't stuck around here. Instead, it's more common in the US and Canada.

This Turkish name is derived from the Persian name Daria, which means 'sea'. It's considered unisex in Turkey, but because of the light and soft sounds in the name, it's generally used more for girls.

A top-pick for any Latino character in a TV show or film seems to be Diego, which means 'supplanter' from its Spanish origin.

It belongs to a bunch of famous footballers like Diego Godín, Diego Costa, and Diego Maradona.

You can take a guess at where this name comes from ...

Inspired by the country in the Netherlands, Holland is a Dutch place name that can be used for a boy or girl. If you're a lover of tulips or windmills, why not give a nod to the place?

This adorable Arabic name means 'faith' and is a popular go-to for Muslim parents. Drop the 'I' off the end and it becomes another common name, belonging to David Bowie's wife Iman, although her real name was Zara.

Jace is one of those names that started out as a nickname (for Jason) but become popular on its own. It's of Hebrew origin, meaning 'the Lord is salvation'.

There are more babies in England and Wales named Jace at birth than you might've thought – 152 in 2018, for a matter of fact – but it has a very American ring to it.

Judah is a Biblical name that didn't take off here as much as it did in the US. It's of Hebrew origin, meaning 'praised'

Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah in the Old Testament, and a direct ancestor to Jesus. The words 'Jew' and 'Judaism' are derived from his name, so it could be an ideal pick if you follow the same faith.

Spelling the name with a 'C' is more popular from its Spanish origin. It means 'Cattley's flower' or 'a type of orchid'. The name is thought to come from a genus of orchids, Cattleya, which is named after a botanist's surname, Cattley.

It can be shortened to Kat, Kata or Leya for a cute nickname.

This gorgeous Hawaiian girls' name, pronounced 'lay-lah-ni', means 'royal child' or 'a heavenly flower'.

It's delicate sound is just like the beautiful hibiscus flowers you find on the island of Hawaii. Perfect for a soft-faced baby girl.

This is another option if you're looking for some multicultural inspiration. In Greek, Mira means 'abundance', but in Hebrew, it means 'bitter'.

In India, the girls' name means 'a mythical princess', but from Slavic origin, it's known as the short form of Miranda. So, take your pick!

Russia and India are two very different countries, but it turns out Mishka is a name in both.

The Russian version of Michael – Mikhail – is very popular, and Mishka was formed as a nickname for that. The word for bear is 'medved' in the language, so if you said 'what a cute mischka' you'd be talking about a little and funny bear.

Mishka is a girls' name in India, meaning 'gift of love'.

Met any baby Nolan's recently? Only 72 babies in England and Wales were given the name in 2018, but it's actually an Irish name that means 'champion' or 'noble'.

Could your little one bring it back into fashion here?

Looking for a particularly powerful name? Odin was the Norse god of art, culture, wisdom and law ... so only a few talents, then!

The name has seen spikes in popularity in Norway.

Quinn is a unisex name of Irish origin, meaning 'descendant of Conn', 'chief leader' and 'intelligence'.

In 2018, 10 more girls were named Quinn in England and Wales than boys. Which sex do you prefer it for?

Was your son born on a dark and stormy night? Raiden is the English translation of Raijin, who was the god of thunder and lightning in Japanese mythology.

Like a lot of Irish names, the way this is spelt is different to how we'd think to pronounce it.

Roisin is pronounced 'row-sheen', meaning 'little rose'. This could be a great alternative if you like floral names, but want something a bit more rare.

If you're a bit of a Breaking Bad fan, you might remember that Walter's wife was called Skylar, but the name is actually unisex.

Skylar is of Dutch origin, meaning 'scholar', but it's a big hit in the US, having been in the top 100 girls' names there since 2012.

It's generally chosen more for baby girls than for baby boys.

Is your baby due on a Monday, by any chance? Tanisha is an African name, meaning just that – 'born on Monday'.

It's unisex, too, but it's more commonly used for girls because it rhymes with other feminine names like Alicia.