Animal Names for Boys

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

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.

Though the mythological Hero was female, this name might prove too big a responsibility for a little guy to shoulder.

Islwyn is the name of a mountain in Wales which has a pleasant fluid sound. Islwyn has recently been made more familiar through Runescape.

Edo is a truly pan-European name with a rich history, having origins in German, Dutch, Italian, Georgian, Croatian, and Slovene.

Short and curt.

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

Bruin is the Old English term for bear, taken from the Dutch word meaning brown. Bruin might be a sports fan's choice or an animal name in hiding. As a kind of hybrid of Roone and Bruno, it's definitely got some cool.

Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color barrier by hiring Jackie Robinson for the Dodgers. Like Leaf, Branch makes a nice, not-so-obvious, addition to the tree category.

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.

Alvis, sometimes spelled Alviss, is a dwarf in Norse mythology who claims to know everything and names all the features of the natural world to show off to Thor, whose daughter Alvis wants to marry. But he gets so caught up in showing off his knowledge that the sun comes up and turns him to stone.

Americans may not realize Barclay is the phonetic spelling of the British Berkeley -- though both sound like old-fashioned butler names.

Classic Italian name with celestial vibes.

This surname related to Clement is strongly associated with Major League pitcher Roger Clemens, winner of more Cy Young awards than any other pitcher in baseball history, and has a softer sound than Clement. Some variations are Clemen, Clementio, Clemention, and Clemons.

Inspired by the rise of the African place name, Jaire is a recently new creation. The original form derives from a Congo term meaning "the river that swallows all rivers", and is currently a Top 500 choice in the US.

In Finnish mythology, Ahti (also known as Ahto) was the sea god.

This variation of Aryan has a slightly less racist connotation, making it a bit more acceptable. Arian debuted on the Top 1000 in 2011, but didn't have a sustained rise on the charts. This is likely due to the Aryan connection and the popularity of all things Aria among girls.

New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas brought his Latinate name into the spotlight, and he has an equally unusual middle name--DONQUAIL.

One instance where a phonetic spelling might be better.