A blog dedicated to legitimate baby names. Chronicalling legitimate first names that have had a history and were not made up.
I am a fictional writer and artist who loves to pull inspiration from the Lives of the Saints, mythology, folklore, the paranormal and religion. I am also interested in writing about the etymology and meaning of names. If you have any questions or names which you would like to see listed, please leave comments or send me an e-mail: cavylovershay@yahoo.com and I will do my research.
This blog is more of a database, it is constantly being updated and added to, so please feel free to check back and please feel free to dig through the archives. I created this site for those looking for unusual yet legitimate names. I also created this site for those who are curious to know the etymological and historical background to some common and traditional names as well.
I will include any name that is legitimate, no matter how bizarre or weird it may sound in certain societies.
What Constitutes a Legitimate Name
At Legitimate Baby Names, a name is considered legitimate if it meets one or more of the following criteria.
1. Documented History
A name has a long, recorded history of use in birth records, inscriptions, literature, or within traditional naming systems.
2. New Names with Acceptance
If a name is recent, it must be accepted in its language of origin or carry clear cultural significance (for example, appearing in national name registries, official baby name lists, or being widely adopted by native speakers).
Newly invented within the language of origin: Coined word-names or place-names can be considered legitimate if they help maintain, revive, or enrich the language — even if they are not yet widely used.
3. Recognition by National Institutions
Names recognized or approved by national language authorities (e.g., the Académie Française, the Latvian State Language Centre, or the Icelandic Naming Committee) are legitimate.
However, official approval is not the final measure of legitimacy. History shows that perfectly legitimate names have sometimes been rejected for unclear reasons, while newly imported trendy names have been accepted.
4. Surnames as Given Names
If originally a surname, a name should have a connection to a saint, religious figure, or be culturally significant — not simply be borrowed at random. Examples: Chantal, Brigham, Xavier, Vianney.
5. Unisex Names
A unisex name must have been consistently recorded as unisex across time and cultures. Many traditions have long used the same names interchangeably for men and women. It can’t just be a random male name that gets turned into a female name or a random female name that gets turned into a male name
6. Revitalization of Minority Languages
Names that help revive or preserve a minority or endangered language are legitimate, even if their usage is rare.
7. Nature and Abstract Concepts
Most names derived from flowers, natural elements, or abstract concepts (e.g., Rose, Lily, Hope, Joy) are legitimate, regardless of the language of origin. Why, because some of the oldest names comes from such sources.
In Summary
A legitimate name is grounded in history, language, or cultural identity. It may be ancient or modern, but it must be rooted in tradition, accepted by its community, or contribute to the preservation of culture and language.
I’m not here to judge people who choose modern coinages. Many parents love them, and they have their place. But I realized there was a niche for those who prefer to avoid such names — whether parents seeking deeper historical roots for their children, or authors wanting names that don’t feel anachronistic in their settings. That’s why this site was born: to provide a resource dedicated to names with history, cultural grounding, and legitimacy.
What Does Not Constitute A Legitimate Name
- Pure Inventions Without Roots
Names created without any linguistic basis, cultural precedent, or historical attestation. These often arise from random sounds, arbitrary letter combinations, or modern fantasy coinages.
Examples: Zyxxon, Breylianna, Kaydence (modern respellings and inventions with no traditional root).
- Random Surnames Without Cultural Significance
Surnames pressed into service as first names with no religious, historical, or cultural anc
- Forced “Unisex” Reassignments
Names that are historically gendered but suddenly marketed as unisex without a record of cross-gender use in their tradition outside of pop-culture. For legitimacy, unisex status must be rooted in long-standing cultural practice, not in a recent trend. Examples: Aubrey and Tristan for girls; Indiana and Nova for boys.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in exploring modern, non-legitimate names — creative coinages, trendy inventions, modern gender-bender names, names invented by pop-culture, all the surname-turned -ley names — I keep a companion site just for that. Please check out Post Modern Baby Names, where I track those styles separately.
