Animal Names for Boys

Once a birth order name, now might work as a cool x-ending nickname. But be warned that it sounds very close to an unfortunate slang term.

The Turkish transcription of Furqan, another name for the Quran.

A Persian name with an evocative meaning, Jahan was notably borne by the 17th century Indian emperor, Shah Jahan, who commissioned the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz. Associated with one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Jahan is predominantly used as a masculine name, though is sometimes given to girls too. The popular Turkish and Azerbaijani form is Ci̇han.

Lighter Latin version of Anselm.

Derived from Nebo, the Babylonian god of wisdom. In the Old Testament Abednego is the Babylonian name given to Azariah, one of the three men cast into a furnace but saved by God.

Despite the presidential pedigree, it's still hard to shake the image of the cartoon cat (named after his creator Jim Davis's grandfather). However, there are other Garfields, such as Barbadian cricket player Sir Garfield Sobers, who carries it with gravitas.

Ferenc is well used in Hungary, where it has the intriguing nickname Ferko, it has been associated with the playwright Molnar.

A rarely-used place name (probably because of the last three letters), Essex was the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons and is now a county in England. The singer David Essex used it as his stage surname, and reality TV couple JP and Ashley Rosenbaum used it for their daughter's name, though few have followed suit.

Has the two-syllable sound so popular for boys, though adding an apostrophe -- and turning it into D'Anton -- changes the name entirely.

We can get behind Divine, Saint, and even Messiah. But God? It's too loaded for us to recommend in good faith.

A virtuous and optimistic name whose most famous bearer is the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan.

The name of two Old Testament kings that seems as ripe as you can get for modern use, given the popularity of sound-alike Biblical brethren Jadon and Jacob (and even mythological Jason). Note that different sources give wide-ranging meanings for Jabin, but we think "perceptive" is the most authoritative, not to mention appealing.

Early is a word-turned-name, pleasantly suggesting the start of a bright new day. Of the new word and day names, Early is one of the best.

Irish spelling of Ivor

The Finnish form of Andrew is featured in mythology as Antero Vipunen, a giant in Finland's national legend the Kalevala

Rare surname name deriving from an old German word meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". Ellender is actress Blake Lively's middle name.