Animal Names for Boys

Andoni is the Basque version of Anthony, no longer a common choice in Spain.

Variation of Cluny best only if you're a major George fan. And even then, better go with George, Georgia, or Georgiana.

Underused Welsh -wyn name with a solid sound and namesake.

This is a both fresher and cooler spin on David.

Aleksej is the Slovene form of Alexios, making it a cognate of Alexis.

Variant of Gbenga

Surname Brantley comes from the Swiss German Brandle. As Brantley has raced up the popularity charts, some parents have opted for this spelling as something just a little bit different. In this iteration, it has been in the US Top 1000 since 2013.

Despite its attractive meaning, this name is very rare in the States: it has only appeared twice in the US charts, in 2006 and 2020. Akam is a genre of Classical Tamil poetry, and the ring name of WWE wrestler Sunny Dhinsa.

Hidalgo is the name of a minor planet, and, on Earth, the Spanish word for a nobleman, but we don't see much crossover potential.

Gandolf and variant Gandulf are legitimate names used in medieval Europe, including by several bishops and dukes. From it comes the name of Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence. However, to most people this will feel like a misspelling of the wizard Gandalf.

A worthy namesake is the martyred saint Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose story was the basis of the Anouilh play "Becket," which became a film starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.