Animal Names for Boys

Name bestowed on Choctaw men after a hunting achievement.

The meaning is endearing, but it also feels uncomfortably like a short form for Caroline. Its artistic reference is British sculptor Anthony Caro.

Abelard brings to mind Peter/Pierre Abelard, the great twelfth century Breton scholastic philosopher and theologian, who was equally celebrated for his tragic love affair with Heloise--one of the world's most famous love stories.

This Roman family — whose most famous bearer was Emperor Hadrian, of wall fame — possibly derives from Greek helios, meaning sun.

This unusual spelling was introduced via the hot young star of Gossip Girl, Chace (born Christopher Chace) Crawford, and experienced some mass interest, though it has fallen down the charts since it peaked in 2009. Think of it as a combination of cool-guy names Chase and Ace.

Like so many names starting with Dar- (e.g. Darcy, Darius, and Darbey) this name feels so suave and aristocratic. British musician Darnell Bristol went by nickname Dee.

This British surname has a somewhat aristocratic air, which ties in to its association with the early American boxing champ "Gentleman Jim" Corbett. CORBIN, which has the same meaning, is slightly more user friendly.

Almond may seem like a hippy modern name, but its use for American boys goes right back to the mid-nineteenth century. In these cases, it was either a variation of Almund, meaning "noble strength," or the surname Aleman, meaning "German."

Bence has been the most popular boy name in Hungary for over a decade — it’s held the top spot since 2003, the year Hungary began releasing its baby name data. Bence is the Hungarian translation of Vincent and is also occasionally used as a nickname for Benedek.

Dieter is a classic German name that got lots of satiric exposure via Mike Myers on "Saturday Night Live" a few years back. If mispronounced, it could conceivably be read as someone on a diet.

Popular Dutch name Gijs, which rhymes with nice, originated as a short form of Gijsbert, which itself is a Dutch and Germanic form of Gilbert. Though in the Top 100 in The Netherlands, we don't see this emigrating beyond Amsterdam and environs.

A two-syllable surname feel puts this name of an important English saint in the running -- though it could sound like a confused cross between Duncan and Dustin.

This name, with its great meaning, has seen a notable rise for boys since the mid-2010s. It debuted on the US charts for girls in 2021.

A rare and appealing surname name, ultimately derived from the Norman female name Aveline, one root of Ava.

Though it sounds like a modern invention, Champ actually has a long history as a first name. It hit the Top 1000 several times just before and after the turn of the 20th Century.

Corran is an anglicization of Corraidhín, meaning "little spear", or its patronymic Ó Corraidhín. It feels familiar, thanks to the popularity of similar names like Callum, Callan and Corey, but is actually very rare outside Scotland.

Flavius is an ancient Roman family name associated with a dynasty of emperors. It has an appealingly flavorful first syllable, and is the name of a stylist in the Hunger Games series.

Softer, milder, and sans chipmunk references, Alwin is a likable alternative to Alvin. Win makes a nice nickname.