Animal Names for Boys

A less-popular spelling of on-the-rise Cason.

A literary surname that's short, to the point, and very rare. It combines several origins: Scandinavian meaning "high ground", Scottish meaning "stranger", and English meaning "wild boar" (hello, secret animal name!).

This upbeat, friendly surname name has appeared on television's Battlestar Galactica a handful of cartoons, and on a literary note, a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Sports fans might think of Boomer Esiason, the NFL quarterback turned color commentator. He's not the only athlete to answer to the upbeat nickname.

Although this month name was used only for girls in a recent year, there's no reason it can't work for both genders. For a holiday baby, more original than Noel and more universal than Christmas.

Strong and unusual Nordic name that would make a cool addition to the N-ending boy name trend.

One of the few Czech names that seems accessible here.

András is the form of Andrew used in Hungary, where it is a Top 50 boy name.

A strong and striking Turkish option with an evocative meaning.

Brace yourself? You're going to hear that one a lot if you choose this word name for your baby son, as a handful of parents in the US did in a recent year. One reason for this word is being used as a name: It rhymes with the popular Jace.

Little-used name borne by several biblical figures including a king. It would make an unexpected way to get the nickname Eli - or Kim.

As a form of the popular Arabic name, Hamid, Ahmad could be seen as a contraction for one of the 99 names for Allah, al-Ḥamīd, however, it might also be a variation of Muhammad as they share the same roots. Either way, the name has many variants of its own, the Urdu Ahmed, the Kazakh Akhmet, and West African Amadou.

One of several similar Hebrew names, this example has an agreeable meaning. Pronounced ah-DEEV.

A natural successor to the trend for royalty-related names, and (in a spiritual sense) for meaningful New Christian names. While the English word is pretty rare as a name, many names worldwide share this meaning, including Stephen, Kayla, Taj, Atara, Adebayo, Omolade, and the now-less-than-popular name Corona.

Form of Ivar most common in Estonia.

Even if you're hoping for a fiery child, this seems like playing with fire. One celebrity--Steve Vai--was bold enough to use it for his son.