Animal Names for Boys

A unisex French name, but you may want to simplify your son's life if you're English speakers by going with Cyril. It's an unusual enough name that it doesn't need further complications of spelling and pronunciation.

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry was a French writer and aviator, most famous for the children's classic novella The Little Prince.

Flann variation that's most familiar as the name of writer Flannery O'Connor. It derives from the Irish surname Ó Flannghaile, meaning "descendant of Flannghal".

A more distinctive alternative to Alejandro.

We'll just be here, waiting, until some celebrity in search of a totally unique baby name stumbles upon Classic. At which point it may become an instant, well, classic.

The surname Berlioz appears across Western Europe, notably connected to French composer Louis-Hector Berlioz. The name may be familiar through the gray-furred kitten in the classic Disney film, Aristocats.

About 40 baby boys were named Artist -- not Picasso, not Art -- in the US in one recent year. But not so odd, when you consider all the occupational names, from Sawyer to Sergeant, stylish today. The name Artist is also starting to register on the girls' side of the ledger, making Artist a name as gender-neutral as the occupation.

A forward-looking word name.

Ewart has long been extinct as a first name, and the prominent placement of "ew" and "wart" probably has something to do with it. Ewart originated as a Norman form of Edward and an occupational surname name. The surname was related to the Middle English word ewehirde, from the Old English components meaning "ewe" and "herdsman."

Coriolanus comes from Corioli, the name of a Volscian city. The Shakespearean play Coriolanus is based on the life of Ancient Roman general Caius Marcius Coriolanus.

Derived from Cornish brano, meaning "crow; raven".

This name from the ancient Gilgamesh Epic would be a challenging choice; Hamish makes a more user-friendly option.

Anže was originally a nickname for Janez, a Slovene form of Johannes, but now ranks in the Slovene Top 20 as an independent name.

Rudyard Kipling created the name Bagheera for the black panther character in his classic collection The Jungle Book. It was derived from the Hindi word bagh, meaning "tiger."

This name's buttoned-up British vibe is what makes it cool - that, and the fact that it was chosen by Anne Bronte as her pseudonym - Acton Bell. That's quite the literary - and may we add feminist - credential for a name. For those with an adventurous edge, Acton is one of the highest peaks in Antarctica.

A unisex Nahuatl name with a strong and stylish sound, but a meaning that some might find off-putting.

Vanishingly rare in its home country nowadays, this French form of Evaristus belongs to several notable historical figures, including poet Évariste Désiré de Forges de Parny and mathematics prodigy Évariste Galois, who died in a duel at the age of just 20.

Asian name with positive meaning.

Alvis, sometimes spelled Alviss, is a dwarf in Norse mythology who claims to know everything and names all the features of the natural world to show off to Thor, whose daughter Alvis wants to marry. But he gets so caught up in showing off his knowledge that the sun comes up and turns him to stone.