Animal Names for Boys

The strong sounds in this energetic Hawaiian name mirror its meaning.

From Caeredin, the Welsh name for the Scottish capital, Edinburgh... although many people would see it simply as an alternative spelling of Aiden.

Forever to be known as "Gavin-with-a-Y."

While typically used for girls, former US senator Blanche Bruce — the first ever Black man to preside over the senate — makes this name feel useable (and meaningful) on a boy as well.

One of the most distinguished names in literature could become a hero name in a family of poetry-lovers -- or be seen as a trendy new occupational name.

As a first name, Basquiat is used as in honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the neoexpressionist whose art touched on themes of race, wealth disparity, and humanism.

This name of a saint from Galway whose monastery became a center of learning, is an undiscovered Gaelic gem.

Variant transcription of Andrei

Memorable as the Waspy Robert Redford character who captivated the young Barbra Streisand in the film classic "The Way We Were": Hubbell Gardiner.

Derived from the Old Norse elements holmr "island" and geirr "spear". This is a widespread name in Scandinavia, and belonged to a legendary Danish hero, Holger Danske (Ogier the Dane). According to legend, Holger Danske was a fearsome warrior under Charlemagne, who never died but sleeps in the cellar of Kronborg Castle at Elsinore, ready to rise again if Denmark is ever in danger.

Childish Gambino is the musical alter-ego of writer/producer Donald Glover, creator of the television show Atlanta. Glover got the name Childish Gambino from an online name generator.

Cosmopolitan European form of the Greek name Aristides, as worn by an ancient statesman and an early saint.

Humberto lifts this ancient name out of the gross association to fictional pedophile Humbert Humbert, investing it with a good measure of Latin charm. It helps that the pronunciation is significantly different, much closer to the Italian Umberto than to the flat-footed original.

Guadalupe is a river in Spain, the name of which is derived from the Arabic phrase Wad-al-lubb, meaning "hidden river." Alternatively, it may come from a combination of the Arabic word wadi, meaning "valley" or "river," and the Latin lupus, "wolf."