Animal Names for Boys

An old French surname derived from baille, meaning "fortification" – the same root as the English word bailey. The surname was borne by an aristocratic English family descended from French nobility.

One of the more wearable fantasy names, the original Garion was the lead character in teh Belgariad novels by David Eddings. Since then, a small number of parents have used the name, and it has real potential as an update to Gary.

A word name in the Puritan vein, à la Remember or Experience, which a few daring namers are beginning to consider.

The lead character of the Captain America movies, played by Chris Evans, is occasionally called Cap, short for "captain," but even he has a real name. (Steve Rogers, ICYC)

A lovely soft-yet-strong unisex Swahili name, with a great meaning to boot.

Forever the hapless cartoon husband of Blondie.

Earvin gained NBA fame as the birth name of Magic Johnson. If your name was Earvin, you'd probably change it to Magic too.

A Slavic name notably worn by Stefan Dragutin, a Serbian king from the 1200s AD.

Popular in its native country, also used in Serbia and Macedonia as Borko.

A name with a lot of panache, with ties to the great Spanish Mannerist painter El Greco--though his real name was DOMENICOS.

The name of the visionary second-century BC Indian physician, a definer of diseases and believer in a sound mind and body: a worthy inspiration.

Bowman has a lot of winning ingredients: an occupational surname, a cool "Bo" sound, and an archery-related meaning.