8 Letter Boy Names

Zinedine Zidane is France's biggest soccer star, spawning a legion of little Zinedines in that country.

As Harrison is to Harry, Garrison is to Gary: both of the longer versions sound more modern and appealing. NPR's Prairie Home Companion's Garrison Keillor was born Gary.

In geography, a meridian is a line drawn around the curve of the Earth between the North and South Poles. The term comes from Latin meridianus, meaning "pertaining to midday", and the association with midday has led to the word gaining an added figurative meaning of "pinnacle; culmination".

Truly original yet not strange name ripe for the plucking by the adventurous baby namer. Aurelius works too.

Creative choice, evoking the high-kicking can-can girls and other colorful figures in the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.

Sheridan is one surname-name that hasn't come into style for either gender, though it was lightly used for boys around the turn of the 20th century and girls 100 years later. The name does have an attractive sound and an appealing meaning.

This Welsh name presents some pronunciation/spelling challenges but has a lovely sound and meaning. The name has been used in the South Korean multiplayer game Mabinogi for one of the human healer characters.

This rarely used boys name is one of the few gem names for a boy. Obsidian is actually a type of volcanic glass, formed when lava cools very quickly. This ultra-cool name might spark a love of volcanoes and geology in a little boy.

An unexpected route to nicknames Bram or Wells, this English surname derives from a historical hamlet in England, whose exact location has been lost to time. It comes from the Old English word for "bramble bush", giving it a connection to the natural world.

Traditional German names of this ilk have had a difficult time emigrating into the American name pool, mostly because anti-German sentiment during the two world wars of the 20th century drove German names out of fashion. One of Heinrich's nicknames, Harro, might do better.

The version with the e at the end relates to novelist Nathaniel, so that may be the one most parents attracted to this unusual name would choose. Hawthorn nudges it toward the nature category: Hawthorn is a type of hedge.

Even if you're a loyal alumnus, consider something less ultraupright, like Yale or Cal.

Dropping the final "k" of Frederick definitely makes it a more user-friendly classic boys' name. It streamlines it and also hints at Frederic's status as a French variation of the Germanic Frederick. Either way, this is a strong classic to consider if you're not afraid of a little dusty residue.

Thursday is named after the god Thor, itself becoming a popular baby name (who would have thought?). So why not Thursday?

A distinguished English and Irish surname, probably deriving from the Old Gaelic name Fearsithe, meaning "man of peace". It's also possible that the surname derives from a place name now lost to history, in which case the meaning would be "fairy meadow" or "fairy mound", from Gaelic fer "grass" or for "hill, mound" plus sithe "fairies".

This name obviously has the prefix De- that denotes "son of"—in this form it can mean either "son of Angelo" or "from the angel."

This authentic form of the name of an Irish mythological hero with the power to make women fall instantly in love with him would work far better here as the Anglicized Dermot.