Animal Names for Boys

Electrifying Japanese name.

Prissy, no matter how you spell it.

Hippie name with a sweet meaning. While theoretically gender-neutral, Harmony was given to nearly 1400 baby girls last year....and zero boys.

Efe is derived from the Greek word éfivos, meaning "adolescent."

A classic Irish "top-o'-the-mornin' surname with a lot of rhythm and pizzazz.

Variation of Derek.

Chin is a common surname among those with Chinese or Korean heritage. It is related to the Chinese family names Chen, Jin, Qian, and Qin, and the Korean surname Jin.

Fielding isn't an occupational name, exactly, though it does relate to someone who works in or lives in a Field. Although there have been a handful of people, real and fictional, with the first name Fielding, the most famous Fielding is eighteenth century writer Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones.

A popular choice in Finland, where it ranks among the Top 50 boy names.

With Brooklyn, Trenton, and Camden on the rise, Harlem is one to watch out for. It has lingered down the lower end of the US Top 1000 since 2018 but has been trending upwards. It's already been picked by one celebrity, and it certainly has a stronger historical and cultural identity -- and it could work as an alternative to Harvey or Harley.

Ahmet is known outside its native land largely thanks to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The original crazy celebrity baby namer Frank Zappa named one of his sons Ahmet, after the influential music executive. Ahmad is a variation of Muhammad.

The name of the protagonist of a trio of novels by French author Alexandre Dumas, most notably The Three Musketeers. D’Artagnan is an aspiring musketeer who travels to Paris in search of fortune and adventure. The character is based on real-life musketeer Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan. Artagnan is a small village in southwest France.

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.

Cheerful and distinctive.

This was a popular name in early Ireland, borne by both saints and kings. In Celtic mythology, Fiacra was the name of one of the three children of the sea god Lir, who was changed into a swan by his stepmother Aoife. Saint Fiachra of Meaux, a 7th century Irish hermit who settled in France, is a patron saint of travelers and of gardeners because of his skill in growing vegetables in his garden. The name is still well used in Ireland; Fiacre is the French spelling, Feary is an Anglicized form.

Trivia tidbit: Hotel Saint-Fiacre in Paris was named after him, and taxis operating outside it came to be called fiacres, a name later given to cabs in general.

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.

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

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.