Boy Names That End in -er

Wheeler is one of the most energetic of the newly stylish occupational names, all those 'e's giving it a friendly, freewheeling sound.

Though some forward-looking parents are now choosing wood-related names like Oak, Pine, and Ash, this generic option would be even more avant garde.

New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.

As a given name, Kemper is a rare gender-neutral choice, given to fewer than 50 American babies at last count. It's much more familiar as a surname, as in that of Ellie Kemper, an actor from The Office and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

The fashionable occupational last name category gets some French flair with this, Tennessee Williams's middle name.

If you want a nature name with surname style that speaks to your love of basketball, we suggest Laker.

See KEIR.

Fervent fans of The Catcher in the Rye might want to consider this as a literary tribute. More mainstream alternative: Holden.

This Basque name is quite popular in Spain, where it has long been in the Top 100 names. This is likely due to its pleasant meaning; the sound, dignified in Spanish and Basque, may not fare so well in English-speaking countries.

More common -- when it was common -- with the Meyer spelling.

A German surname name deriving from the same root as English Ryder. Traditionally, it was the name of the second lowest hereditary rank of the nobility, roughly equivalent to English Baronet. Notable associations are British actor Paul Ritter and a popular European chocolate brand.

Luxury baby name associated with Jacques Cartier's eponymous jewelry company.

Prospective parents tend to respond more to the softer American pronunciation than the harsher German one, and even more to the Scandinavian version (see GUNNAR).

This upbeat, friendly surname name has appeared on television's Battlestar Galactica a handful of cartoons, and on a literary note, a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Sports fans might think of Boomer Esiason, the NFL quarterback turned color commentator. He's not the only athlete to answer to the upbeat nickname.

Although this month name was used only for girls in a recent year, there's no reason it can't work for both genders. For a holiday baby, more original than Noel and more universal than Christmas.

Darth Vader, as in the Star Wars villain, is said to mean "dark father"

Reaver sure sounds like an occupational surname, thanks to its -er ending and similarity to names like Reeve, but it is actually a name invented by science fiction writers.

The first documentation of the use of Reaver was in 1988, as the name of a team of cyborgs in a Marvel comic book. More recently, Reaver was used in the TV show Firefly as the name of a group of cannibalistic humans.