Animal Names for Boys

Following in the footsteps of popular brother Brady, Grady is another lively, ebullient Irish surname name. The O'Gradys (originally O Gradaugh) were an ancient clan that produced an impressive number of bishops.

Perhaps the most remarkable O'Grady descendant is Muhammad Ali, whose mother's maiden name was Grady.

This evocative short name is suddenly chic — it was recently chosen by Jennifer Lawrence for her baby boy. JLaw's son's name honors Cy Twombly, the influential mid-century American artist. Born Edwin Parker Twombly Jr., both Cy Twombly and his father shared a nickname after baseball player Cy Young (himself born Denton True Young).

Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have sons called Harper.

A lean and lanky Irish cowboy name with great nickname potential to boot (Cass or Sid are both options). This is one of the great under-rated American names!

The appealingly energetic Dax, with its trendy X-ending, re-entered the Top 1000 in 2007. Its somewhat sci-fi vibe emanates from his appearance as a fictional being in the Star Trek universe, seen on the TV show "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." The Power Rangers character Dax Lo was the Blue Ranger.

Though this name is rooted in Greek mythology, it just entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, but as one of the year's fastest-rising names.

With Azariah and Azriel in the Top 1000, and Ezra, Josiah, and Isaiah in the Top 100, it makes sense that this lesser known Hebrew choice is being quietly revived in the US. Most likely deriving from Uzziah or Azaziah, Azaiah was given to around 170 babies in 2023.

Stately Gaius (pronounced GUY-us) was in the name of many ancient Romans, including Julius Caesar. Little-used before the year 2000, it now feels like a fresh possibility in the revival of Latin boys' names like Atticus and Cassius. Caius and derivatives like Caio come from the same root, and in ancient Roman times Caius was probably pronounced as Gaius. You could also see Gaius as a male version of the earth-goddess name Gaia.

The recent ascent of this English surname is due to two things: the megapopular Ash beginning and TV/movie hottie Ashton Kutcher. The name peaked at Number 76 in 2004, a year after Ashton Kutcher's (both Christopher Ashton) hit TV show Punk'd made its debut.

Nicknamed Jace, this name belongs to a Prince of the Targaryen dynasty in the Game of Thrones universe.

Ajax was the strong and courageous Greek hero featured in Homer's "Iliad," known as Ajax the Great. But it's also the name of a foaming cleanser, and if you find that reference too strong, you might try the shortened Jax instead.

Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India, is particularly striking for both girls and boys. Although most people don't think of it like this, Indigo might also be considered among the most stylish Greek baby names in use today. Some cultural references: The Indigo Girls are a folk duo, 'Mood Indigo' is a classic Duke Ellington jazz composition, and there is a 1970's New Age theory that Indigo children possess special, sometimes supernatural abilities. Indigo is the name of a character in the Ntozake Shange novel Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and was used for his daughter by Lou Diamond Phillips.

Brock is a rock solid name, with a touch of preppy sophistication. It ranked solidly in the 200s-300s from 1975 until 2014, but has since tumbled a bit.

Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns.

An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.

Dustin's popularity in recent years has probably had more due to its similarity to Justin than to idolization of Dustin Hoffman -- himself named after silent screen cowboy star Dustin Farnum -- who certainly was the one to put it on the name map. In recent years, golfer Dustin Johnson has brought fresh renown to the name. Dustin is a character in Netflix hit Stranger Things. After decades in the spotlight, Dustin feels like a classic rather than an upstart. It peaked in the Top 50s in the 1980s.

Ignacio, like Horacio, makes its gray-bearded English equivalent name sound positively dashing. While the Ig- beginning summons up such associations as ignoble and ignorant, the era for Ignacio and Ignatius and Iggy may be nigh.

For a single-syllable Latino surname, this new popular kid on the block packs a lot of energy and charm and is one of the most stylish Spanish names for boys in general use today. Victoria and David Beckham named their third son Cruz, following Brooklyn and Romeo, and it was also picked up on by tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for his son. Other parents may prize its Christian associations.

Similar to the floral name Aster, this spelling derives separately from Old Provençal astur "hawk") and from the Icelandic name elements as ("god") and þor ("thunder").

Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in Shakespeare's The Tempest centuries ago.