Animal Names for Boys

Israh which is also spelled Isra is a gender-neutral Muslim name.

The Dutch spelling of Emil, a European classic that awaits resurrection in the US. Emiel is a Top 100 name in Belgium.

Visually similar to Jack and Jacob, but with a refreshing Nordic origin and literally ice-cool meaning.

Diminutive of Welsh Maredudd, the original (masculine) form of Meredith.

Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original Chaim would be preferable to Hyman.

A unisex name from the snowy north.

St Cadoc was an early Welsh churchman, who gave his name to several villages in Wales, and according to his Life knew King Arthur. Less popular than other C__C names like Cormac and Cedric, Cadoc would be an almost unique, but easy-to-pronouce choice.

The K makes this slightly more modern than its more traditional original

General as a name sounds more like a military rank than another word for "widespread". You may find your little General ruling the household.

Chance has risen far on the baby-naming charts, but Hazard has a considerably more dangerous edge. It was the middle name of famed US naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry.

One of the Great Lakes and a city next to it, named after a Native American people. This name swings between being more popular for boys and girls, but is currently rare for both. It could also be short for a, Er- name like Erasmus. Be aware that it sounds like the word "eerie".

Chisholm is a habitational surname — if it's on your family tree, you have ancestors from Chisholme, Scotland, although they were originally of Norman and Saxon descent.

Several animal names, from Fox to Wolf and even to Tiger, ccan work, but Cougar should stay in its cage. Even John Mellencamp has dropped it.

This name has been off the USA Top 1000 list since before 1900, but it has some great musical credentials: consider American blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander and country music legend Pat Alger.

Adonijah was one of King David's sons in the Old Testament; this name (the accent is on the "ni" syllable) is waiting to be rediscovered.

A relatively rare English place and surname, Hallam could make a distinctive but usable boy's name. Hallam was the surname of the beloved Cambridge friend whose death Alfred, Lord Tennyson, mourns in his famous poem In Memoriam. A.H.H. Tennyson's eldest son, whom he named Hallam, became a Governor-General of Australia.

Short form of the Biblical name Abiah or Abijah, meaning "my father is God".