Animal Names for Boys

Variations and elaborations of Ace have been popping up all over the place — Ayce recently broke the Top 2000.

Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Domhnall Gleeson put this Irish and Scottish name on the international map. Sometimes Anglicized as Donal, its pronunciation is close to Donald without the final d.

Geralt is an antiquated version of the old-fashioned name Gerald, which has been dropping toward the bottom of the US Top 1000 since the early 1940s and finally dropped out in 2021.

Similar in sound to Arlo, Remington, and Arthur, this surname style and place name could make a patriotic choice in the US, with its connections to Arlington National Cemetery. Given to 14 girls and 24 boys in 2023, it is making moves up the charts, albeit small ones.

A rare, gender-neutral take on Darren. As a feminine name, Derin has Turkish roots.

A name with a lot of historical cred — Bayan was the name of two Mongol generals during the Yuan Dynasty and a number of other military rulers.

A name that took on a pronounced country twang via Nashville megastar Garth (born Troyal) Brooks.

Like Norbert and Hubert, feels terminally dated -- in addition to which it's a nut.

A name borne by nine popes and several saints, which carries strong Catholic connotations. British politician Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher in 2017.

Cormorant is definitely one of the most unusual of the newly fashionable animal names, and one of the rare bird names for boys.

This name can have many different meanings depending the kanji used to write it. The Naruto character Asuma Sarutobi writes his name with kanji meaning "tomorrow truth."

Distinctive though somewhat abrupt, most prominently borne by country singer Hoyt Axton.

A bit slight to put directly on the birth certificate, but Dom is a pleasant nickname for a boy or a girl.

This male relative of the Emily family was borne by two Greek saints, one a fourth century martyr who destroyed pagan images and the other a ninth century bishop. Variations include Emilios and Aemilios. The Latin Aemilius, from the ancient family name, may be unrelated.

Italian heritage name. It's sweet and simple, but has fallen almost out of use since its heyday in the 1960s.

Short and curt.

This form, coming from various elements, has started to take off on its own.

This Basque form of the sturdy classic brings a fresh, cool edge to Andrew. It fits in with other -er ending names while also giving the name an international feel.