Six Letter Boy Names

The rabaab is an Afghan-Indian instrument that was popular in medieval times. Also known as the rabāb, it is a type of fiddle with a narrow neck.

Colson was made familiar by author Colson Whitehead, who helped popularize the K variation as well. Both Colson and Kolson rapidly ascended the charts in 2017, the year following the release of Whitehead's celebrated book The Underground Railroad.

Colvin is an English surname with a distinguished history; the Colvins were one of the leading colonial families of early British India, and Shawn Colvin is a popular American singer. We suspect, however, that most of the 18 parents who used Colvin as a boys' name in 2016 were thinking of it as a less popular alternative to other "Col-" names, like Colin and Colton.

One of the less common members of the currently popular craftsmen's guild, Becker once had a self-named sitcom, and is also associated with Wimbleton tennis legend Boris Becker.

An Irish surname — the Anglicized form of O’Duibhgeannáin — that would make a one-of-a-kind first name, unless you count the character in Wes Anderson's first film, Bottle Rocket. For fans of the auteur, perhaps Dignan is a better name for a pet — it may be extra appropriate to use the nickname Diggy.

Most parents would choose the more contemporary Simon.

A rarely used member of the Ken- family, Kenelm has a rugged, surname-style feel. Borne by a 9th century martyr and a member of the Mercian royal family, it could make an intriguing namesake for a Kenneth, a Kendra, or a Kendrick.

A perfectly fine Anglo surname, though we'd prefer Keaton. Oscar-winning writer-director George Seaton (Miracle on 34th Street, The Country Girl) was actually born George Stenius. 

Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the playground.

Tyrell is kind of part Tyrone or Tyler, part Terrell, but less than the sum of those parts.

A form of the Biblical classic, in Greek, the first syllable is emphasized, whereas in Armenian, the second is stressed. Notable bearers are Greek tennis player Petros Tsitsipas and footballer Petros Mantalos, while historically, Petros Bereketis and Petros Byzantios were Greek-Ottoman musicians.

Donati is a distinguished Italian surname that can easily work as a first. The last name Donati is a patronymic from an ancestral Donato or may be a plural of Donato.

Unlikely to catch on in the Anglophone world, where parent name Ludwig still conjures up images of Beethoven. But Ludvig actually ranks among the top boy names in Norway and Sweden, while German form Ludwig ranks among the Top 100 boy names in Germany and Ludovico is cool in Italty.

This play on Hayden is likely influenced by the popularity of the Aiden names. It has appeared in the US Top 1000 for eight of the past twelve years.