Animal Names for Boys

Cathan is one Irish boys' name that remains underused and would be an intriguing way to honor an ancestral Catherine. It is related to Cain and, theoretically, the nouveau Cayden.

This popular Indian name is heard in the US. Bollywood actor Akshay Khanna has a son named Arnav.

Energetic nickname name.

In Choctaw culture, new names were given after major life events. This would have been bestowed on a man following a hunting achievement.

Catalan variant of Ferdinand

One of the surname names used more in the last century, à la Milton and Morton.

An interesting and unusual route to Danny, deriving from the name of an Irish goddess known as the "mother of the Irish gods".

A canto is a literary term denoting a long passage in a poem. Dante's Divine Comedy is broken into such cantos. As a name, Canto packs in literary credentials with pithy punch.

Abijah is a truly unusual, truly unisex, truly appealing biblical name. There were several male Abijahs in the Bible, one of them, known as Abijah of Judah, was the fourth king of the House of David, and also a couple of females.

Esmael is an uncommon name with deep cultural roots.

Pronounced klaus, this spelling of the name is associated in this country with the major Pop Art sculptor Swedish-born Claes Oldenburg, known for his colossal public sculptures of everyday objects such as lipsticks and binoculars, and the "Happenings" performance art of the 1960s. Variations include CLAUS, KLAUS, KLAES, and CLAAS.

This Biblical bird name, a variant of Ephron, suddenly feels like it could be usable thanks to actor Zac Efron. However, in reality, few if any parents seem to be using it yet.

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Finesse Mitchell often mocks his own and similar names when portraying the character Starkeisha on the show.