Yesterday we had old school names, comforting and familiar. Today we have those names from our own era that are hard to pin down. They aren’t always included in baby name books. When you search for them, Google insists you must mean some other name. Baby name sites say the name might be Irish … then again, perhaps it’s Hawaiian. It might be a cross between these two names – or three completely different names. Often the answer just seems to be “modern”. But when you show them side by side, they sometimes show a remarkable similarity.
Wave of the future or flash in the pan? Only time can tell.
GIRLS
Acelyn
Adrielle
Ahrna
Ameeka
Amilea
Amoi
Arley
Arnika
Ataaliyah
Avalina
Brylee
Calleigh
Cartia
Daja
Donnicha
D’Chaeylyn
Heckayla
Helayla
Ilandea
Ileeyah
Indeaka
Indica
Jacey
Jaileigh
Jakayla
Jayneesha
Jazlyn
Jezaya
Jettika
Kaylee
Kiani
Kianna
Kristabella
Laahlee
La’Teesha
Lujayn
Makeely
Mirrah
Nimella
Oceanna
Rhianna
Santaysha
Serannah
Sevilo
Shahkeia
Shakiylah
Shandara
Sharleah
Shiola
Suvannah
Tahnee
Twyla
Uvoncka
Zailee
Zarayah
BOYS
Alyrik
Baiden
Baylin
Danyon
Deondre
Desean
Djakai
Dujah
Havarley
Jahvius
Jaren
Jahsean
Jermaine
Jettah
Juhsean
Kaivin
Kalden
Kayle
Kaylis
Kaysen
Keandre
Keontei
Khoder
Khotori
Kyan
Laiken
Lakey
Lebron
Maxx
Raice
Tarkyn
Taye
Ti
Trey
Tynuka
Zaikeb
Zarley
Zayden
Waltzing More Than Matilda 
Actually, Arley is an older British name in the same vein as Bradley or Ashley. “Ley” means meadow or field, and the “ar” refers to hares, or rabbits. I know a 28 year old male Arley, I think it is a great name.
Over at Much Ado About Naming, the blogger spotted a an elderly lady named Arley … I think you might have misunderstood what I meant by “modern”. Anything in the 20th century is modern. If it is a variant of the name Harley, as you say, (I don’t think anyone is really sure), then that makes it a “modern” name – being unable to really tell the origins, and being derived from another source.
There is nothing to suggest that modern names can’t be great! 🙂
Oh, I”m sorry if I sounded like I was insulting the modern names, I wasn’t meaning that! What I was trying to say is that it seems to me like Arley didn’t fit with the rest of the names listed here, since it does appear in the US Top 1,000 in the 1890s through the 1930s. If modern names are 20th century, there probably needs to be some new term for many of the other supermodern names that are in this list, that seem to have been coined or adapted in the last five years rather than the last 110.
Arley, Trey and Twyla ARE very new names here.
They all look weird
The only one I like out of the girls is Avalina. I like the way it looks and sounds. I think that, that is what is missing out of names like these. They sound pretty enough, but they don’t look appealing.
None of the boys appeal to me. They all look off for some reason.