Animal Names for Boys

The Old French name of the Frankish king Charles the Great (742-814), which surprisingly remained in the Top 500 in France until the mid-20th century.

With place names extending their range, this is an unmapped possibility, though a bit stiff. Baltimore, Maryland was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore. Baltimore is ultimately derived from the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "town of the big house."

Delmer is kind of a smoosh of two dated names, Delmar and Elmer, that does not improve on either. While Elmer is making a return as a Geek Chic name, Delmar was given to only 14 baby boys last year while Delmer is extinct.

Bates is a fresh version of Bartholomew, and feels more wearable than Bart. Bates could be considered a patriotic choice for American parents - Katharine Lee Bates was an author and professor best known for penning the words to "America the Beautiful".

Hrisihikesh (the first H is silent) is another name for Lord Vishnu. Musician Hrishikesh Hirway is the creator of the popular podcast Song Exploder. The internationally-friendly short form is Hrishi, pronounced like Rishi.

Musical, with a buoyant beat.

This name was borne by Ashoka the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of India, and inspired the Star Wars character name Ahsoka.

Eaton's similarity to Eton gives it an upscale Old School feel, though in the U.S. a name that sound like eatin' could have teasin' potential. Eaton could also sound like the much-more-familiar Ethan with a tough-guy accent.

William is a stylish classic right now, and while translating many classic names into Italian makes them instantly cooler and more attractive, this is one exception: Guglielmo presents pronunciation problems for the English speaker, suggesting the less-than-cool word "googley" followed by the even-less-cool-than-that Elmo.

Rising Muslim boy name.

Ewart has long been extinct as a first name, and the prominent placement of "ew" and "wart" probably has something to do with it. Ewart originated as a Norman form of Edward and an occupational surname name. The surname was related to the Middle English word ewehirde, from the Old English components meaning "ewe" and "herdsman."

Diwali is best known as the Hindu festival of lights, but as a baby name, it has Cherokee origins.

A handsome Icelandic nature name also used in very small numbers in Sweden and Denmark.

This Late Roman name is little-used in modern times, though the feminine forms Feline and Felina are popular in Europe. While some relate it to the happy-go-lucky Felix, it actually has a cat-like meaning. St. Felinus is a legendary third-century martyr.

Blewett is related to the Middle English words bluet, referring to a blue woolen cloth, and bleuet, meaning "cornflower." Its use as a surname was likely influenced by Blewett's status as a nickname for people with blue eyes, as well as those who often wore blue clothing.