Animal Names for Boys

Known from the Menotti opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, this is a subdued and gentle name.

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

Forever the hapless cartoon husband of Blondie.

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

Some parents are turning to rivers and other bodies of water in the search for undiscovered place-names, and this has the feel of a Viennese waltz.

The Dutch answer to Gus. Pronounce it like the English word and you have a name that means air.

Elijah is in the US Top 10 and is popular across New Zealand, The Netherlands, and The UK. Spelling variation Alijah however only appears in the US charts, where it has ranked in the Top 1000 since 2001. Given to 700 boys in a recent year, for every one baby Alijah, there are 16 Elijahs.

Try telling the kids it really means "pretty face" and not "burper".

The popular -ley suffix can be credited for this name's use in recent years. We're not loving that it sounds as trendy and of-the-moment as it is.

Feels as if it's missing a syllable.