Animal Names for Boys

A very Christmas-y Christmas baby name, that may avoid the Santa image by instead adopting the alternative spelling Klaus.

A simple and appealing multi-cultural form of John.

Hervé was a legendary French saint, patron of the blind, who performed many miracles -- it's a lot more sophisticated than the English Harvey.

Surname name Grayson has become quite popular in recent years, bringing with it Gray, Grey, Greyson, and, yes, Graysen.

The Latin name for the holly tree would make an interesting nature-inspired alternative to Alex.

This marvelously medieval name had a moment in the 1910s and 1920s but has dropped completely off the radar now.

An eider is a sea duck whose feathers make ultra-soft eiderdown.

Surprising relative of the French saints' name Blaise, which is definitely easier on the English ear than vowelsome Italian version. Also spelled BIAGIO.

Fannar is one of the top names for boys in Iceland but is rarely seen anywhere else in the world.

There are lots of grandpa Daves and Davids out there, and Dawes can make an original honor name. It's right in step with the current craze for surname names that end in S: Brooks, Wells, Rhodes etc.

Hasan is a significant Muslim historical figure — he was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of Ali and Fatimah. Shia Muslims consider Hasan a martyr — he died after being poisoned by his wife.

Short but not particularly sweet surname.

That double a invests the old Arthur nickname with fresh life.

Fast-rising boy name thanks to Indian actress Dia Mirza when she used it for her son in 2021. Avyaan is related to Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god of beginnings and good luck. Avyaan entered the US and UK Top 1000 charts in 2021 and has been on the rise in the years since.

Brain is not a name, it's a misspelling of the long-popular Brian. What's really astonishing is not that it made the Top 1000 at all but that it hung on there for 25 years, from 1965 through 1989, Brian's heyday. All we can say is: sad.