Animal Names for Boys

Donal is, yes, just Donald with the final d cut off, but that somehow gives it a jauntier, fresher feel. Donal Logue is a Canadian actor and Donal Skehan is an Irish cookbook author.

Astrological name retains a hippielike Age of Aquarius feel.

A cross-cultural possibility, but a bit heavy and somber.

An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse.

The name of a fire demon in the Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle is given to a dozen or two babies in recent years.

Sometimes used as the masculine form of Irene / Eirene, Irenaeus is a name seen in the Early Christian church (for example, Saint Irenaeus who is considered to be one of the Church fathers). Other forms of this name are Irenaus and Eireneus.

As wooden as its second syllable.

Dagur, one of the top boys' names in Iceland, is the personification of day. His mother is Nott, or night, and together they are thought to ride in a chariot around the earth every 24 hours.

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 evocative word name conjures up royalty, drawbridges, and medieval chain mail knights. The word castle was derived from the Latin castellum, meaning "fortified place." Castle was first recorded on the charts all the way back in 1916, when it was given to five baby boys. After the better part of a century, Castle reappeared in 1998 and has been trending upwards ever since.

There are many more appealing Irish surnames than Foley, and certainly more positive meanings. If Foley is a genuine family name, this would be all right in the middle.

Mythological name with a fabulous meaning. Sure it's weighty, but so is Aphrodite; Andy is an easy nickname choice to make this name more wearable in the classroom.

In Cool Names, we cite this as an "Artist Name," for twentieth-century abstract painter Grace Hartigan, though for you it may just be an upbeat Irish surname.

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.

Gennady is derived from an early saint's name (Gennadius) and shares the same Greek root word as the English word generous. It is a familiar if still uncommon boys' name in Russia. If you're looking for unique boy names you might want to put this one on your list.

Member of a newly chic name genre. Bonus: its relationship to author William Faulkner.

Inspired by the rise of the African place name, Jaire is a recently new creation. The original form derives from a Congo term meaning "the river that swallows all rivers", and is currently a Top 500 choice in the US.