Animal Names for Boys

There are plenty of French guys named Fabrice, but here, it sounds more like a laundry product.

A surname with more force than most.

Name of a great Indian Mogul king, a Matt Groening cartoon character, and many Indian restaurants.

Hot name best used as a middle, as Paula Patton and Robin Thicke did for their son Julian in 2010.

Noted bearers of this surname include a metaphysical poet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a baseball Hall of Famer, so there's plenty of hero-name inspiration.

This is a big name, both in heritage and sound. On the right child, this could be inspired, but others may shrink from all the connotations. While your preferred nickname for this option might be Col (or Kit if you're connecting it to Christopher Columbus), you may end up with the slightly more cumbersome "Bus" as the short-form.

Occasionally used in the African-American community to honor Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey, known as "Emperor of the Kingdom of Africa," though his first name is more frequently chosen. Another possible namesake is baseball player Steve Garvey. Garvey sounds more modern than Harvey.

The last name of one of the great modern American tennis champs could conceivably be used as a hero name by tennis-loving parents. On second thought, maybe save it for a middle spot.

Angie was an accepted nickname for boys at the same time that Patsy was, meaning, too long ago to be relevant now.

Variations and elaborations of Ace have been popping up all over the place — Ayce recently broke the Top 2000.

In Turkey, Izel is used for baby boys in the Jewish community. As a feminine name, it's a variation of the Yiddish Eidel.

Catcher is rarely used as a baby name, but it fits alongside other occupational surnames such as Thatcher and Hunter. It might be especially appealing to baseball fans.

This name's connection to the Caribbean Cayman Islands gives it a nice resortish feel, while still feeling like an in-tune-with-style boy's name.