Animal Names for Boys

In Greek mythology, Ganymede was Trojan youth who was so beautiful that he was carried off to be Zeus' cup-bearer, and made immortal. His name may derive from Greek ganymai "to be glad" plus medomai "to think, to plan".

Old World Jewish name that could travel to the New.

Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in.

Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the fashionable Audrey or a fresher version of Austin or Auden.

Some other cowboy surnames from the Golden Age of movie and TV westerns: Boone, Boyd, Cody, Corrigan, Gibson, Hart, Holt, Houston, McCoy and Renaldo.

Both Christian and Cristian rank in the US Top 500 names for boys, and while the classic "Ch" spelling is used more than four times as often, Cristian is still given to more than 1000 boys each year, and is often used in the Hispanic community.

This genial Irish surname feels much more current than Donald.

Haskell has two separate forms of origin, the first being from the Ancient Norse given name Ásketill. The Normans converted Ásketill to Aschetil, then the English transformed Aschetil into Haskell, which was originally only used as a surname. Haskell is also considered a variant of Haskel, a Yiddish given name derived from Ezekiel.

Farrar has two separate origins: an occupational name meaning "smith", and a Scottish river name, from a Pictish word meaning "to wind". Barely ever recorded as a first name, Farrar is a blank slate that fits with the surname style that's popular today.

This name is usually seen as a surname, but could be used as a first in the tradition of Cooper, Sawyer etc.

Russian form of Eli mainly used today by families with Russian Jewish heritage.

A Greek name more familiar in English speaking countries in its feminine form, Anastasia, this masculine version bears further consideration. The traditional nickname is Sakis, as used by notable bearer, Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas, a Greek film and television artist and former pole vaulter.

As a male name, Arven is a variation of the friendly German Arvin. The feminine Arven is the Hungarian form of Arwen, the Tolkien princess in Lord of the Rings.

More of an abbreviation than a short form that can stand on its own.

In the garden of herb names, Rosemary and Basil are perennials and Sage is a new upshoot, but Fennel is a real rarity. The aniseed-tasting plant, used to add flavor to dishes around the world, gets its name from the Latin word feniculum, meaning "little hay".

Last-name-first-name with a romantic but dangerous edge.

Eiro is to Eirik as Eero is to Eric.