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  • Of all the things you need to think about if you're expecting a baby, choosing the right

  • name can cause a surprising amount of stress.

  • Maybe you're thinking of using a traditional name with a long history in your family.

  • Or maybe you want something a bit more original so your little one won't be one of four Emmas

  • or three Williams in their class.

  • If it's rare baby names you're after, here are some you'll completely fall in love with.

  • Lennon

  • The name Lennon has a long history.

  • It was originally an Anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Leannáin, the root of

  • which is the Gaelic word for "lover."

  • Probably best known as the last name of John Lennon, a member of the iconic group The Beatles,

  • Lennon first became a masculine name and then a gender neutral name.

  • This is a wonderful name for your baby, especially if you're a fan of The Beatles and want to

  • pay tribute to the group.

  • Cassandra

  • In Greek mythology, Cassandra is remembered as a Trojan princess.

  • The daughter of Priam and Hecuba, Cassandra had the gift of prophecy and even prophesied

  • the fall of Troy, but no one believed her.

  • This elegant and noble name became very popular during the Middle Ages before falling out

  • of favor.

  • It saw a brief revival at the end of the 20th century, but is not used very much these days,

  • making it the perfect rare baby name for your own little princess.

  • Fabian

  • The name Fabian dates back to the ancient Roman family name Fabius and is known to Catholics

  • as the name of Saint Fabian, who served as pope in the 3rd century.

  • Most popular in Austria, Poland, and Switzerland, the name is much rarer in the English-speaking world.

  • If you want to give your baby a time-honored, but uncommon name, Fabian is a fantastic choice.

  • Callum

  • This Scottish name deserves to have a chance across the pond!

  • Though it's popular in the UK as both a first and last name, the uncommon-in-America name

  • Callum traces its roots back to the Latin name Columba, which means "dove."

  • It's related to the much more widely recognized name of Colin, but it's rare enough in the

  • U.S. to be a unique name choice for your baby boy.

  • Lyra

  • This beautiful name comes from astronomy and is the name of a constellation of stars.

  • Lyra is named after the lyre of the mythological figure Orpheus, who created music so beautiful

  • that he was able to convince the god of the underworld to allow him to bring his deceased

  • wife back to the land of the living.

  • The name was used by Philip Pullman as the name of the protagonist of the fantasy trilogy

  • His Dark Materials.

  • While the series was a critical and commercial success, and was even adapted for film with

  • The Golden Compass, the name Lyra is still rarely used, making it a unique choice.

  • Heath

  • Modern audiences recognize Heath as the name of the late actor Heath Ledger, but probably

  • can't name many more people named Heath, if any.

  • The name Heath started gaining some traction as a given name in the 1960s when it was used

  • as the name of the character Heath Barkley on the show The Big Valley.

  • Despite the popularity of the show, Heath has yet to catch on as a first name and is

  • still quite rare.

  • Maeve

  • This rare name has slowly been climbing the ranks since the late 1990s, but is still far

  • from widely used.

  • Maeve has a long history, coming from Gaelic and meaning "intoxicating."

  • Maeve was the name of a legendary warrior queen in Irish mythology whose adventures

  • are immortalized in the Irish epic The Cattle-Raid of Cooley.

  • What better name could there be for your own little Irish princess?

  • Leighton

  • Gossip Girl fans are already familiar with the name Leighton as it's the name of one

  • of the show's stars, Leighton Meester.

  • What many don't realize, however, is that the name is actually gender neutral.

  • According to baby name statistics, the name is rarely used in the U.S., but when it is,

  • it's more frequently used for girls.

  • That all changes across the pond, however.

  • In England and Wales, Leighton is a name primarily given to baby boys.

  • Antonia

  • Despite its familiarity to Food Network viewers as the name of celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso,

  • Antonia is rarely used as a baby name in the United States.

  • The lovely name is popular in other countries, however, especially in Chile, Romania, and

  • Croatia, where it's ranked in the top 100 names for baby girls.

  • The name has ancient roots, and can be traced back to the Roman family name of Antonius.

  • Variations of the name have been used for centuries, dating back to at least the 1st

  • century B.C. Antonia may not be used often, but it does have a lot of staying power!

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Of all the things you need to think about if you're expecting a baby, choosing the right

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