Unique Bohemian Names For Boys and Girls

Bohemian - or Boho - names are a wonderful way to find rare, original and unique names for your baby or characters you are creating.

The Bohemian spirit of 19th Century Paris was all about enjoying the creative freedom to use any word you loved as a name rather than being stuck with the tradition that only special words be allowed for names.

But original names catch on fast. Willow and Harper were unheard of 20 years ago and are now firm favourites.

So how can you find a rare name with that Boho vibe that has not zoomed to the top of the charts? Well, there is a secret sauce behind the Bohemian names we all end up loving; they all tick one of these key boxes :

1. Creative people we admire e.g. poets, musicians
2. Sensory materials e.g. colour, fragrance, fabric
3. Places with a strong identity
4. Forgotten history & roots
5. The natural world

And in this huge guide to unique Boho names for boys and girls, I have taken the most popular Bohemian names and used the secret sauce to find lots of rare or completely original alternatives.

Some of the ideas feel more masculine or feminine but there are also loads of genuinely unisex names with that special Bohemian spirt. I hope they inspire you. Let me know what you love.

Poets & Writers

The names of poets and writers such as Emerson, Blake and Walker are popular choices for unisex names with a boho feel. And recently more writers names have been making it into the top 1,000 names in the USA including :

• Arnold (Matthew Arnold)
• Byron (Lord Byron)
• Ellison (Ralph Ellison)
• Lowell (Robert/Amy Lowell)
• Marlowe (Christopher Marlowe)
• Milton (John Milton)
• Spenser (Edmund Spenser)

But there are also some great options still outside the top 1,000 if you want a more unusual or unique name :

• Ashbery (John Ashbery)
• Brontë (Emily, Charlotte, Anne Brontë)
• Cowper (William Cowper)
• Dryden (John Dryden)
• Millay (Edna St. Vincent Millay)
• Vaughan (Henry Vaughan)
• Wheatley (Phillis Wheatley)
• Whitman (Walt Whitman)
• Yeats (W.B. Yeats pronounced Yates)

Entertainers

Popular Bohemian names have always drawn on entertainers and names from many stars from the 60s, 70s and 80s are still popular for both girls and boys :

• Bowie (David Bowie)
• Everly (The Everly Brothers)
• Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix)
• Jagger (Mick Jagger)
• Lennon (John Lennon)
• Lennox (Annie Lennox)
• Marley (Bob Marley)
• McCartney (Paul McCartney)
• Nash (Graham Nash)
• Presley (Elvis Presley)

But if you want a unique name from a favourite artist go looking in the 90s and early noughties ...

• Albarn (Damon Albarn)
• Carey (Mariah Carey)
• Cobain (Kurt Cobain)
• Dion (Celine Dion)
• Keys (Alicia Keys)
• Lavigne (Avril Lavigne)
• Twain (Shania Twain)
• Welch (Florence Welch)

Or if you prefer more vintage names head back to the 1940s ...

• Astaire (Fred Astaire)
• Crosby (Bing Crosby)
• Garland (Judy Garland)
• Grable (Betty Grable)
• Reynolds (Debbie Reynolds)

Colours & Gemstones

Names taken from colours and gemstones had a Bohemian feel back in the 19th Century and vintage names for girls like Ruby, Jade, Scarlet and Amber have had a big revival but there are more unusual options :

• Beryl (actually a precious stone)
• Coral
• Emerald
• Jewel
• Opal
• Pearl
• Sapphire or its Greek origin Sapphirra.

There are also rapidly rising colour and gemstone names for boys including Jett, Onyx and Grey plus Gray, Grayling, Grayson & Greyson.

And cool unisex names that are rare :

• Auburn
• Copper
• Flint
• Garnet
• Indigo
• Ink
• Navy
• Teal

Fabrics & Metals

With their artistic inspiration, Bohemian names often have connections with all sorts of fabrics and materials that can be used creatively. Sterling (from steel) and Paisley (from the fabric pattern) are examples trending now.

But there are plenty of rare and original ideas you could adapt from fabrics such as ...

• Cashmere
• Chantilly
• Denim
• Georgette - a sheer crepe fabric made fashionable in the early 1900s by designer Georgette de la Plante
• Jersey
• Plaid
• Reshma - Hindi for silk
• Satin
• Satine
• Serica - Latin for silk like
• Seta - Italian for silk
• Silkie
• Tartan
• Toile - beautifully decorated French fabric pronounced Twahl
• Tweed
• Velvet
• Zari - Persian for golden thread

And from metals ...

• Argento - Latin for silver Latin
• Aurelia / Aurelio - Latin for golden
• Bronze
• Ferris - Of iron
• Gold
• Goldie
• Or - French for Gold
• Steel
• Stone
• Tetsu - Japanese for iron
• Trahaearn - Welsh for strong iron

Spice & Herbs

Spices and herbs have always been sources of Bohemian names. Sage and Juniper are popular in the USA and Saffron in the UK but there are great rare alternatives some of which work well as a gender neutral choice :

• Betony
• Clove
• Fennel
• Ginger
• Lovage
• Myrrh
• Sorrel
• Thyme

There are also little sweet feminine options like Tansy if you are after a short cute girls name.

Scents & Fragrance

Beautiful floral fragrances names such as Violet, Iris and Lily are lovely but super popular as are many other flower names but there are scents with deep symbolic meaning around them that make wonderfully original names :

• Ambrette - a gentle musky fragrance
• Anbar - Persian for ambergris
• Bergamot - citrus bright but sweetly floral
• Boronia - known as the "heavenly" fragrance
• Cereus - vanilla fragrance from the Queen of the Night flower
• Chandan - Hindi for Sandalwood
• Élémi - balsamic-spicy, almost lemony scent
• Karo - from Karo-karounde, a jasmine like fragrance
• Luban - Persian for Frankincense
• Mignonette - soft, sweet, violet like
• Mimosa - soft, sweet floral scent with hint of marzipan
• Néroli - citrussy, green with hints of honey
• Patchouli / Pachoulí - sweet but spicy
• Tiaré - beautiful white flowers from Tahiti with rich scent

Vintage

Bohemian names have always combined new and innovative with the rediscovery of beautiful forgotten words and vintage girls and boys names have been a big trend recently, with the likes of Nora, Silas and August shooting up out of nowhere.

But there are only just trending and rare vintage names to pick for girls :

• Connie
• Edna
• Ida
• Irene
• Mabel
• Mildred
• Myrna
• Norma
• Rita
• Sylvia
• Viola

And for boys ...

• Edmund
• Ernest
• Fergus
• Harold
• Herbert
• Horace
• Howell
• Lewis
• Oswyn
• Percy
• Phineas
• Simeon
• Stanley
• Wilfred

If you really want a rare vintage name that will stay rare it is worth looking further back into old English names as the vintage trend has been so popular. Lovely examples for girls include :

• Afrella
• Anora
• Avella
• Cecily
• Ewynn
• Merewen
• Sibley
• Sidwell
• Winifred

For more inspiration check out these big guides to Vintage Girls Names and Vintage Boys Names.

Beautiful Places

Beautiful cities have been part of the big Bohemian name revival with Sienna, Savannah, Paris and Florence trending in the USA and UK.

They are a lovely trend if you want to tap into your heritage or worldwide names from places you love and there are still gorgeous rare options.

For beautiful cities in the USA as an alternative to Savannah consider :

• Carmel (California)
• Charleston (South Carolina)
• Galena (Illinois)
• Kona (Hawaii)
• Ouray (Colorado)
• Sedona (Arizona)

And for stunning European inspired names you could pick from :

• Annecy (France)
• Assisi (Italy)
• Cassis (France)
• Cortina (Italy)
• Évora (Portugal)
• Girona (Spain)
• Matera (Italy)
• Modena (Italy)
• Ravello (Italy)
• Salona (Croatia)
• Venice (Italy)
• Vienna (Austria)

Many of the European names have a strong feminine vibe but the beautiful French towns of Colmar and Menton are good neutral picks.

Or for names from beautiful cities around the world consider :

• Arica (Chile)
• Ataco (El Salvador)
• Jazira (Sudan)
• Jerico (Colombia)
• Kasama (Zambia)
• Kyoto (Japan)
• Leura (Australia)
• Luang (Laos)
• Merida (Mexico)
• Moorea (French Polynesia)
• Nara (Japan)
• Oruro (Bolivia)

Cool Places

Cool cities and places have also played a huge part in the Bohemian name trend with Hudson, Santiago, Brooklyn and Austin hitting the top 100 and top 1,000 trending choices including :

• Aspen
• Cairo
• Dakota
• Dallas
• Kingston
• London
• Memphis
• Milan / Milana
• Sydney

For rare gender neutral names from cool places in the USA you could pick:

• Ballard (Washington)
• Everett (Washington)
• Macon (Georgia)
• Raleigh (North Carolina)
• Sterling (Virginia)
• Trenton (New Jersey)
• Tucson (Arizona)

Or in Europe cool choices include Bergen and Oslo in Norway for anyone wanting to tap into a Viking vibe or Dublin, Galway and Wexford if you are after a name with Irish origins plus :

• Berlin (Germany)
• Ghent (Belgium)
• Granada (Spain)
• Lisbon (Portugal)
• Madrid (Spain)
• Malmö (Sweden)
• Oxford (United Kingdom)
• Porto (Portugal)
• Riga (Latvia)
• Seville (Spain)
• Turin (Italy)

British Places

With such a strong British heritage lots of British place names have repeatedly been used in the USA as striking first names. The most popular at the moment Lincoln is in the top 100 but there are others in the top 1,000.

• Ashton
• Bristol
• Camden
• Chelsea
• Kingston
• Preston

However, if you want something more standout - which is after all what the Bohemian name vibe is all about - you can go back to vintage favourites from earlier centuries :

• Carlisle
• Charlton
• Chester
• Elgin
• Kent
• Leicester (pronounced Lesster)
• Richmond
• Stafford
• Warwick (pronounced Worrick)

Or some of the more unusual vintage examples you can find in very old records such as :

• Arundel
• Kendal
• Ludlow
• Montrose
• Pembroke
• Stamford
• York

Or for something really rare try some of the British towns that were important at the time of the American revolution :

• Abingdon
• Berwick (pronounced Berrick)
• Brechin
• Dover
• Dundee
• Durham
• Evesham
• Exeter
• Gloucester (pronounced Glosster)
• Grantham (good for Downton fans!)
• Hereford
• Jersey
• Mansfield
• Monmouth
• Newark
• Sudbury
• Taunton

Surnames As First Names

Surnames as first names is another long term trend in names with a Bohemian vibe. Harper, Mason, Madison, Cameron and Kennedy for example, are all big favourites at the moment. But there are plenty of other cool English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh last names that make great unisex choices and are still rare.

Cool Scottish clan names include :

• Adair
• Cochrane
• Fairlie
• Maclennan
• Napier
• Ramsay

Or from Ireland you could choose :

• Devany
• Lenehan
• Mullery
• Rafferty
• Shaughnessy
• Tierney

And from Wales :

• Benyon
• Bethall
• Bevan
• Parry
• Pryce
• Tremaine

Or if you love English last names like super popular Harper, Carter and Cooper but want something rarer you could pick :

• Booker
• Faulkner
• Latimer
• Loriner
• Mercer
• Warrener

And for rare alternatives to top ranking English last names as first names ending in "son" such as Mason and Madison you could choose :

• Elson
• Garson
• Kelson
• Milson
• Rawson
• Tilson

Animals & Birds

Bohemian style names have always embraced animals and birds that capture a freedom of spirit plus strength or beauty. Both Wren and Colt are popular right now and Bear, Fox, Raven and Jay are starting to trend.

Some great alternatives that are still unusual include unisex ideas like ...

• Arling - a Norse name for eagle
• Brock
• Falcon
• Hawk
• Kite
• Lark
• Otter
• Serin
• Siskin
• Swift
• Tern

But nature inspired names do trend fast - so for something rare or unique check out these beautiful old names for animals and birds.

Natural World

The natural world as a whole has been a massive trend in Bohemian vibed names in the last 10 years. So you if want your baby or character's name to stay standout unique you really do need to look for something original.

I have a huge separate guide to incredibly beautiful nature inspired names derived from ancient English and Celtic words. Some of my favourites are :

• Afon - river
• Arla - morning
• Alderley - meadow in alder wood
• Aulderyn - elder wood
• Awel - breeze
• Aymere - ember
• Celyn - holly
• Clough - glen
• Delienn - leaf
• Ebrill - spring
• Ebron - sky
• Eirlys - snow
• Elding - lightning
• Elowen - little elder tree
• Esk - river
• Holen - holly
• Moian - dusk
• Nant - stream
• Serenwyl - sky watcher
• Timian - thyme

Myths & Legends

Old myths and legends have also been a big source of unconventional names with a Boho vibe for both babies and characters. Inspirational options from Celtic, Norse and Anglo-Saxon include :

• Amerveen (AM-ir-veen) legendary bard who sang Ireland into existence.
• Ardynn (AR-thin) a 6th Century Welsh saint known as the winged one.
• Bran (BHRAHN) ruler of Britain in Welsh myth who possessed a magical cauldron of rebirth.
• Corchen (KOR-khen) Ancient Gaelic deity who protected the earth.
• Epona (eh-POH-nah) Celtic protector of horses venerated across ancient Gaul and Britain.
• Njord (NYORD) Ancient deity of calm seas, coastal winds, and safe passage over the water.
• Rune (ROO-nah / ROON) fhe ancient secrets and symbols carved into stone, closely representing Odin's quest for wisdom.
• Taliesin (tal-ee-EH-sin) shape shifting bard who sang an army of trees into battle to rescue a prince.
• Wynn (WIN) Named for the ancient runic letter of joy and harmony.

Or for more ideas check out these guides to :

• Anglo Saxon Girls Names
• Celtic Princess Names
• Viking Boys Names.

Meadow Names

The name Meadow has been a surprising Bohemian hit in the last 10 years but there are actually loads of Boho meadow names such as Paisley, Kinsley, Oakley hiding in the charts. That little ley tag on the end actually means meadow or more precisely in old English meadow clearing in a wood.

So if you love that ley sound you could pick one of these rapid risers :

• Bailey
• Bentley
• Blakeley
• Brantley
• Finley
• Hadley
• Wrenley

Or one of these rare Boho gems that are actually tiny places in England that were once magical meadow clearings amongst the woodland trees ...

• Annesley
• Apsley
• Arley
• Astley
• Audley
• Cressley
• Eardley
• Emsley
• Frinley
• Kemsley
• Headley
• Langley
• Litchley
• Loxley
• Onnley
• Otley
• Radley
• Rosley
• Yardley
• Yateley

And there you go, over 400 rare and unique Bohemian names for baby boys and girls and inspirational characters.