Animal Names for Boys

Anno is an extreme rarity: a simple, familiar-sounding name with deep history that is completely unknown in the US and rare in its native Germany. Anno is the name of a saint also known as Hanno, a 10th century archbishop of Cologne also known as Hanno of Worms.

Authentically spelled İlkin, this would be an unusual (to English speakers) pick for a firstborn boy.

Huracan is the supreme Mayan god whose name inspired the hurricane. If Storm and Sky can make names, why not Huracan?

Dougie is one of those names that spotlights the huge gulf that can exist between US and UK naming trends. In England and Wales, Dougie is a trendy nickname-name, ranking all the way up at Number 315. In the US, on the other hand, Dougie was used for a grand total of zero baby boys last year. Same thing for short form Doug. Only the father name Douglas ranks in the US Top 1000.

The Swiss city of Basel was first Basilia, thought to have been dubbed in honor of the Roman castle of the same name. The castle's name would have derived from Basilius, a Roman personal name from which the name Basil also originated.

The vowel ending tilts this sharply toward the feminine, and at this point Havana still has some political implications as well.

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Aryobarzanes or Aryo Barzan, meaning "exalting the Aryans", is the name of a Persian hero who fought against Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Name from legend that might be an interesting Jason alternative.

Addai is derived from Thaddai, the original Aramaic form of Thaddeus. We prefer this derivative to Thad, which is twice as common.

This name of a California desert town, used by Deborah Falconer and Robert Downey, Jr. for their son, makes a much livelier and more individual – not to mention more masculine – improvisation on the themes of India and Indiana.

Blessed and Blessing are two new entrants in the word name and virtue name categories, gaining popularity for both boys and girls.

Best remembered as one of the boys in "Old Yeller" and the title of a late 1990s HBO sitcom, "Arliss," featuring sports agent Arliss Michaels. Also sometimes heard as a girl's name and a surname (as in early film star George Arliss).

Flip is a cute, attitude-filled nickname for the very proper Philip and variations. A perfect choice if you're looking for a buttoned-up proper name with an informal short form.

Davion has only ranked in the US Top 1000 since the early 1990s, and its alternate spelling Davian is a more recent entry, first entering the charts in 2004. Their apparent connection to more common names Dave and Damian presumably provided the avenue for their success; however, both names are trending downward with no expected resurgence in the coming years.

In German, the word eisen means "iron." It was adapted as a surname for Ashkenazi Jews — many of which were ornamental and had no ties to one's family history. Metals such as gold (Gold), silver (Zilver or Silver), copper (Kupfer or Copper), and iron (Eisen) were common elements in ornamental surnames. Eisen was also seen as a habitational surname for someone from Eisenstadt, Austria.

A vintage choice in Japan that is not currently fashionable for babies.

The name of the first English king, who ruled in the 10th century AD.