Animal Names for Boys

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

Gianni, the Italian form of Johnny, has gotten popular in the US, and there's a good chance Giannis will be next, thanks to rising star basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is Greek. It makes an original spin on John or Jonas - though, it should be noted that the traditional Greek pronunciation would be YAH-nees. Other spelling variations are Iannis and Yanis - the latter perhaps being popular in France and on the rise in the UK.

Grafton is the name of dozens of towns, mostly in England, Canada and Australia, and has occasionally been used as a boys' name, with the surprisingly fun and quirky nickname Graf.

Boreas was the Greek god of the north wind, deriving from the same root as the Latin name of the Northern Lights, aurora borealis.

Elroi can be considered a variation of Leroy, which uses the Spanish "El" instead of the French "Le", and the Roi spelling over the Roy option, either to make the pronunciation clearer, to mirror French Eloi, or just to be different. In this case, the name would mean "the king".

Cygnus is a northern constellation of the Milky Way, derived from the Latin word for "swan".

Rhythmic, strong, and buoyant.

Cameron is starting to fall slightly since its peak in the early 2000s, but is still comfortably in the Top 100. The Camryn spelling has historically been more popular on the girls' side, though it did rank briefly for boys in the late 2000s.

Over 50 baby boys were named Alpha last year, along with eight baby girls. Expect a lifetime of "alpha male" jokes, which could prove daunting or confidence-building for your own little Alpha.

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.

Evans is an historic Welsh patronymic surname, derived from Evan, which is a form of John. With Evan's popularity in the U.S. and the U.K. -- it's a Top 50 names -- the stylish s-ending version may also be on the rise.