Animal Names for Boys

Variously spelled Covy and Covey, this is a surname derived from the first name Cobthach. Like cousins Coby and Cody, it has an energetic nickname feel.

A quirky character name from the Netflix series You, twin brother to the equally quirky Love.

If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.

Diago is sure to be confused with the more common Diego, the Spanish form of James.

The double Ts are pronounced with a slight pause between them like in "nighttime."

The meaning of Edern is disputed, with some saying it comes from the Latin name Aeturnus, meaning "eternal" or "immortal." The more plausible etymology is that Edern derives from the Welsh edyrn, meaning "great," "immense," or "wonderful."

Alakai is an Anglicization of Alaka’i, a Hawaiian name meaning "leader" and the name of a swamp and wilderness preserve on the island of Kauaʻi. Its traditional pronunciation would beah-lah-kah-ee, however, some parents as using it as an invented name inspired by Malakai, with the sounds of the much loved Kai at the end.

Once you get past the pronunciation hurdle, a smooth and elegant choice. In French, it's spelt with a circumflex: Benoît.

If Dayton, like Trenton and Camden, is finding favor with parents, it's more because of its popular two-syllable surname feel and -on ending than the industrial city in Ohio.

A Biblical name deriving from the Greek god Apollo. Apollos was a 1st century Alexandrian Jewish Christian and contemporary of Paul the Apostle mentioned several times in the New Testament.

The Brits say BARK-lee, but we pronounce it the same as the name of the California college: either way it's quite pretentious and of another era.

The Welsh form of Justin, borne by a 6th century saint.

The name of a companion of the prophet Muhammad who became the first person to call Muslims to prayer. Bilal is well-used in the US.

Reversed vowels make it seem less fierce.

Herby and aristocratic Basil remains a tough sell, but we’d like to introduce you to Basile, the delightful French version. It retains all of Basil’s charm, but sheds some of the pesto linkage.

This surname-name oozes Southern charm; nevertheless, its most famous bearer was a New Englander, Rhode Island senator Claiborne de Borda Pell, who sponsored education legislation leading to the much beloved Pell scholarship programme. That connection alone instills this name with intellect as well as style.

A Top 30 name in Sweden, derived from Eberhard (strength of a wild boar) or Esben (god bear) – either way, a strong meaning.

This Italian form of Benedict sidesteps the Benedict Arnold association that still clouds the English version.

On the staff of a manor house.