Animal Names for Boys

Colman is best known as the name of the mustard, but is also the name of several Irish saints. The Colman spelling is less widely used than Coleman, which is just outside the Top 1000.

Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, though it tips a bit in the girls' direction in the contemporary US. Given the rise of such popular baby names as Harper and August, plus new word names from Heaven to True, Harvest sounds more possible now than ever.

More of an abbreviation than a short form that can stand on its own.

In the Bible, Gershon is one of Levi’s sons. The name is a variation of Gershom, another Old Testament name that is now primarily used in Orthodox Jewish communities.

Another animated Irish surname, this one with jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of American Jive," Cab Calloway.

Brad in a Brooks Brothers suit.

Sometimes heard as a first name in Scotland, particularly among the Campbell clan.

An undiscovered gem with clunky, buttoned-up appeal and a literary feel thanks to poet Delmore Schwartz.

This name of an ancient Irish saint -- a favorite disciple of Saint Patrick -- could be an option for parents in search of a more distinctive alternative to Brendan or Aidan.

A Top 20 choice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is a handsome variant of Arabic Amin.

Cagney is one of the spunkiest Irish surnames around, and could make a lively and fresher successor to the tired Casey.

A surname name, most popularly associated with actor Heston, has a blue-blooded ring to it. Charlton is also a more unusual pathway to evergreen nickname Charlie.

After Leo, this is one of the most usable names in the zodiac: part ancient, part new-age, part high-tech. In the night sky, the constellation Gemini is present all year round in both hemispheres. It has been associated with twins since ancient times, and its two brightest stars are named Castor and Pollux after the twins of Greek mythology. It also has STEM connections: Project Gemini was a NASA spaceflight program before Apollo.

A handsome Portuguese name derived from the old Germanic saint's name Audamar or Otmar. Especially common in Brazil.

The name of several minor Biblical characters seems streamlined and modern.

Faulkner is an old occupational surname that was used for someone who kept and trained falcons when falconry was a popular sport in medieval Europe. Anyone using it in contemporary America would probably be honoring Southern novelist William Faulkner. While we love the author, Falconer would probably be a slightly easier name to carry on the playground.