The "Why Not?" section of The Baby Name Wizard book lists seldom-heard names with a fashionable sound and style. The names cover a lot of style ground, from sweet antiques to sleek, modern names. Few, though, stray too far from the fashion mainstream. If I had listed a name like, say, Dragon under "Why Not?," plenty of you would have said, "Um, we know 'why not.' Because it's a flippin' dragon."
But for some parents, a flippin' dragon may be just the thing. What if you're looking for a name with a bold style that reaches out and grabs you, preferably with talons? What if your neighbors' kids all have popular names like Ryker, Maximus and Cash, and you're looking for something a little more unusual? Where do you look -- and how far can you go without crossing the line?
For adventurous parents, for video game creators and for anyone looking for an uncommon name that stays just on the right side of the cool/crazy divide, here are 30 names that say "Why Not?" with a punch.
Boys
Bond
Dodge
Dragon
Edge
Falcon
Hawk
Hendrix
Lucan
Paladin
Ramses
Slade
Steele
Summit
Thor
Wolfgang
Girls
Artemis
Briar
Cypress
Ever
Halo
Hero
Honor
Io
Juno
Lark
Silver
Topaz
Vega
Viva
Winter