Animal Names for Boys

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

Rugged and straightforward brand-new name, though you might not like the idea of branding your son.

A cute diminutive of Jack, already technically a nickname for John, famously borne by Hong Kong actor, director and martial artist Jackie Chan.

Classic Finnish name also found in neighboring Estonia.

Great middle name choice for music lovers or those with Scottish roots, also spelled Fyfe.

Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for revival.

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

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

Despite being one of the rare boy names that mean life, Chaim barely survived early Jewish immigration, being watered down to Hyman and Hymie. Today, the original seems like the most promising form of the name, familiar thanks to bestselling author Chaim Potok.

Atharv is one of the names of Lord Ganesh of the Hindu religion, and of the eldest son of Brahma.

Amin is a simple but strong name with a solid meaning. It was borne by the sixth Abbasid caliph, a ruler of the Abbasid Muslim Empire in the 9th century, a descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

The raven was a holy bird in Norse mythology, giving this choice some resonance beyond other Bart variations.

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.

Long popular in Ireland and England, Ciarán is the name of Ireland's first-born saint and twenty-five other saints. While this is the authentic Irish spelling, it is more familiar in the US in the Anglicized Kieran spelling.

There are 15 times as many baby boys named Brett than Bret, but this sleeker version is used and has some merits, namely, being sleeker.

Bas is a fashionable name in its own right in the Netherlands, where it's been in the Top 10. Used throughout Europe, it may have a future here as a straightforward-but-charming nickname name. Baz is another, similar and more appealing possibility.