Animal Names for Boys

A very old name with a fascinating history, Aimar is now most often used as a boys' name in the Basque country. Its status as a Top 100 name in Spain may also be related to the enduring popularity of retired Argentinian soccer superstar Pablo AImar.

The kind of name last found in northern Wisconsin in the 1950s, and even then it was probably a nickname for Delbert.

Emyr is a name that is well-known in Wales, but little heard outside of it. There are several well-known Emyrs, from the famed Welsh novelist and poet Emyr Humphries to footballer Emyr Huws.

Haris is in the top 50 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and makes a good choice for the globetrotting child. It would make for an excellent and not overused Arabic-English crossover choice.

Appropriately used for anime antagonists, not human babies.

Although now almost exclusively feminine in the English-speaking world, Celeste (or Céleste in France) is traditionally a unisex name in Italy and France. It Italy, it was more popular for males until around the middle of the 20th century.

Anglicized spelling of a county in Ireland, sometimes considered a variation of the Breton Kavan or of Kevin. Depending on your viewpoint, may make a fresh Kevin substitute or a choice that will drive you mad explaining that, no, it isn't Kevin.

If you're looking for a pleasing namesake that's more modern than Darrell/Darryl, this would make an excellent choice. Farrell is an Anglicized form of the Irish Fergal, and was well used as a first name into the nineteenth century, before it faded to mostly surname use.

Ashkan, also spelled Ashkahn, is derived from Ashk, the name of an ancient Persian king. The Ashkan or Parthian empire was in what is now central Iran.

Friday became famous as a name via the sidekick character in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, morphing into a generic term for an all-around professional assistant, as in "girl Friday." As a word for the day of the week, Friday is associated with the old English goddess Frigg and the Roman goddess Venus, though the character makes Friday more of a male name.

Darrell and all its variations was a trendy name in the 1950s and 1960s, an update on David and Daniel that began to fall out of favor by the 1970s and fell out of the Top 1000 completely at the turn of this century.

The chic Euro spelling of Henry is rising along with the original form.

Intriguing, when seen as a water name a la River and Ocean, but too close to cultural appropriate if used as a reference to the Creek tribe of Native Americans. Another downside is its resemblance to creak, as in creaky bones or floorboards, and to unappealing words like creep and creak.

Name long associated with eloquent Black Panther activist Eldridge Cleaver and jazz great Roy Eldridge.

A fresh, green, rising nature name for girls that would make a cool possibility for a baby boy as well. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys a handful of times since naming records began.

This name, with its great meaning, has seen a notable rise for boys since the mid-2010s. It debuted on the US charts for girls in 2021.

Though Collins makes the Top 1000 for girls, it sounds strong and handsome for boys too, kind of like the newly-stylish Brooks. The final s updates it from the 80s-ish Colin or the Twilightish Cullen. Might make an innovative honorific for a grandpa Nick.

While it looks like a creative respelling of the ubiquitous Aidan, Aydin has Turkish roots and means "intelligent." While there will most certainly be issues with spelling, those attracted to the Turkish lineage can be assured of a smooth path to assimilation due to the current popularity of soundalike names. The name is spelled with an ı (dotless i) in Turkish.

All names Cas are cool right night, from Cassius to Cassian to Caspian to, yes, Casimir and its Latin form Casimiro. An attractive possibility in this appealing group.

See AMIAS.