8 Letter Boy Names

Valerius is an ancient Roman family name turned first name. While Valerius is more familiar as its derivatives Valerie and Valerian, the rise of Roman names ending in S for boys may inspire a revival of this strong choice.

Ten years ago we would have advised people to steer clear of this name (and maybe choose the similar sounding Walter instead); but with the rise of other Nordic and Eastern European names like Viggo and Casimir, maybe its time to re-thing Valdemar. It's a big name, but with enough penache, it could be pulled off. Valdemar was introduced to Scandinavia in the 12th Century by a Danish king named for his Ukrainian grandfather, and is currently in the Danish Top 20.

More popular in its Layton spelling, Leighton is rising in popularity in the US for both sexes simultaneously, although this spelling remains more popular for girls for now – no doubt helped by actress Leighton Meester. Lleyton – as in Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt – is another, even more complicated, variant spelling.

Shakespeare's Tempest has kept the name Prospero alive.

This form and its German variant Augusten are moving up fast as the preferred long forms of the trendy Gus.

Spurgeon entered the mainstream name lexicon when it was chosen for their son by Ben Seward and wife Jessa Duggar, from the US reality show 19 Kids and Counting starring their large family.

In Greek mythology, Hyperion is one of the twelve Titans: children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). Hyperion presides over heavenly light, and is the father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn).

Proper Bostonian.

This old school German name, more familiar these days as a surname, is a relative of the place name America.

Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms, like Jedidiah and Zebediah.

The grandiose name of a French revolutionary – in full: Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau. Mirabeau likely derives from Latin mirabilis, making it a masculine cousin of Mirabelle.

Name long associated with eloquent Black Panther activist Eldridge Cleaver and jazz great Roy Eldridge.

Traditionally used by the ultrareligious, the French boys' name Baptiste comes from the Greek word meaning "to dip". Baptiste is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in France.

Morrison is one of the more uncommon patronymics; it could be used to honor an ancestral Morris, or one of the well-known surnamed Morrisons: Toni, Jim or Van.

Innocent, the name of thirteen popes, is rarely heard in a secular setting, where its loaded meaning could open the door to ridicule.

Branigan, also spelled Branagan or Brannigan, is an Irish name full of energy and cheer. It was the title of a 1975 John Wayne movie, and Zapp Brannigan is the antihero of the animated sitcom "Futurama." Branigan fans might also want to consider such related Irish names as Brennan and Breccan, Rafferty and Finnegan.

A name most common among middle-aged Japanese men.

Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which, strangely enough, was itself a Top 50 name in the fifties and sixties).

This is a great American name that deserves more attention from parents looking for a name that balances a soft sound with a more traditionally masculine cowboy image.