Six Letter Boy Names

In Roman mythology, Caelus was the god of the sky prior to Jupiter. It's one of the few names that's virtually one-of-a-kind yet fits in with current stylish choices such as Caius and Callum (neither of which Caelus is etymologically related to).

There's a football player called Pepper (born Thomas and given the childhood nickname for sprinkling pepper on his cereal) Johnson -- but the name has yet to make waves for boys. Given to around 5 boys each year, the musical link to The Beatle's album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club might appeal to some.

An Anglo-Saxon name that held on in Northumbria years after the Norman Conquest, and gave rise to the surname Oughtred. It's known today from the television series The Last Kingdom, based on Bernard Cornwell's books: Uhtred is our Dane-bashing hero.

Somehow more modern and likable than Morris or Doris.

Variant of the popular Slavic name Bogdan, meaning "given by god".

A musical name that is undeniably cool and, well, rhythmic. Its biggest challenge may be the spelling. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge. Save this one for a middle name.

This is the French form of Lazarus, which recently has been rising from the dead – it's popular on Nameberry, and was used for his son by musician Trent Reznor. Lazare might be familiar to some via the Gare Saint-Lazare train station in Paris.

The name of an ancient Irish saint is in the contemporary Irish Top 50. While it's one of the rare Irish names for boys that hasn't immigrated to the U.S., it may follow brothers Aidan and Declan to our shores. The t is not pronounced.

Jotham is an Old Testament name that today would certainly be the only one in his class, having something of an urban feel via its similarity to the word 'gotham'. In the Bible one Jotham is the sole surviving son of Gideon after the massacre of his brothers, the other is a king of Judah who was an enthusiastic builder. Jotham Riddle is a character in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Pioneers, while Jotham Powell appears in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

In ancient Greece, Aither was one of the primordial deities. Aither is the personification of the upper air. He embodies the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to the normal air breathed by mortals. His name may be the origin of the word ether. He was said to be the source of the Gods' power.

It's easy to love a name that rhymes with "cuddly" and is also attached to the surname Do-Right -- once you ignore the "dud" connection.

Hassan is among the more familiar Arabic choices, and also one with an attractive meaning. It has appeared in the US Top 1000 every year since 1971.

Rarely heard Hayden alternative -- though, mark our words, you'll spend your life correcting everyone's pronunciation and spelling.

Garner is an unncommon word and surname with some prospect of garnering popularity, especially now that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have given it to son Samuel as his middle name, and Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have used it as the middle name of second daughter Haven. Garner is also Cash Warren's middle name. Gardner or Gardener is another, similar though unrelated possibility.

Though slightly haughtier and less accessible than cousin Edmond, Esmond could appeal to some parents seeing a distinguished appellation. It began being used (albeit sparingly) in England in the nineteenth century, possibly influenced by William Makepeace Thackeray's novel The History of Henry Esmond.

As a Welsh name, Elidor is a modern form of Elidur, an ancient British king name. It was used by British author Alan Garner for the eponymous hero of his children's fantasy novel Elidor (1965).

Malachi is one of the surprise Biblical hits of recent years, in the US Top 200, and now spelling variation Malaki is in the Top 1000 too. Both names are pronounced with a long final i, as in "eye," but the Irish variation Malachy is MAL-ah-kee, which Malaki might mimic instead.

Neymar was unheard of before Brazilian football sensation Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior came to fame. It is thought to be a "smoosh" name of Netuno (Neptune) and Mar (Mars).

A rare unisex word/virtue name that is currently given to around 10 babies of each gender per year in the US. It could make for an unexpected route to bright, easygoing nickname Sol (or trendy nickname Ace).

Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is given variously as left-handed, cat, God, and person from Gat. As a first name, it's got a lot of energy and that great literary pedigree.