Animal Names for Boys

Aether, who might be equated with the word ether, is a primeval Greek god who is light itself. He embodies the brightness between the dome of heaven and the air surrounding the earth.

Freyr is the Norse god of fertility, sunlight, and peace. He features prominently in the Icelandic mythology collections the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, and is considered an ancestor of the Swedish royal family.

A nickname for Isak, the Nordic variation of Isaac.

Pronounced hwee, this common Vietnamese name would be difficult to translate to an English-speaking culture.

A Desi variation that moves the name away from Lucy -- though it's just as dizzy. TV star Jaime Pressly used it for her son.

Donati is a distinguished Italian surname that can easily work as a first. The last name Donati is a patronymic from an ancestral Donato or may be a plural of Donato.

This name of a legendary Welsh prince could serve as a more original alternative to Adam or Aidan, though it does sound a tad chemical.

A meaningful name for a long-awaited child.

Chadwick Boseman, the late charismatic star of Marvel's blockbuster Black Panther, brought this name to the spotlight for the first time. Though we long considered it an overwrought way to get to the nickname Chad, his celebrity gives it new luster, and we wouldn't be surprised to see it grow in popularity going forward.

Ario was derived from the Roman family name Arrius, although it bears closer resemblance to Aria, the Italian name meaning "song."

Less substantial than many other Latin choices.

Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. The character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name or mean a crossing of the river Nahe. Short form Cru was given to nearly 50 boys in a recent year.

Bromley is an English surname-name that's more possible as a first name now than ever before. The -ley suffix has been adopted for many names, and surnames such as Bromley are fashionable.

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.

Fedde, a Top 100 boys' name in The Netherlands, is a Frisian short form for names beginning with Frid, which means "peace." As with many names popular in contemporary Holland, this short form stands on its own.

Originally a nickname for Viking invaders, it gained fresh impetus in the 18th century when James Macpherson made Fingal the central character in his Ossianic poems. An offbeat addition to the Fin- family of names.

This practically unique variation of Clement has appeared on the charts four times: 1917, 1918, 1920, and 1971. Each year, it was only given to five baby boys.

Cornelius is one of the Ancient Roman names that is not quite making a comeback, despite having been a Top 200 name in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Blame Corny, a nickname that is just too joke-worthy.

Aapo has been a common Finnish name for decades and is now declining in popularity.