Modern Baby Names
- Landry
Origin:
French and EnglishMeaning:
"ruler"Description:
Landry is one rising surname name, often after legendary Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry, that is given to boys and girls. But the y ending does give it a feminine sound (as opposed to the more boyish and more popular Landon). Land is a Landry nickname that might work for boys or girls.
- Mazikeen
Origin:
Invented nameMeaning:
"harmful spirits"Description:
Neil Gaiman invented this name for a character in his comic book Sandman. It can now be seen on the TV show Lucifer.
- Makai
Origin:
Modern variation of Michael, HebrewMeaning:
"Who is like God"Description:
Michael was the Number 1 boys' name for 50 years, so today parents are choosing or inventing modern variations to take its place.
- Poet
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
A recently entered name on the roster, Poet was used for her daughter by Soleil Moon (Punky Brewster) Frye, who obviously appreciates the advantages of an unusual name. This is a possible middle name choice for verse-loving parents who want to skip specifics like Auden or Poe or Keats or Tennyson and go with the generic.
- Cru
Origin:
Spelling variation of Crew or short form of Cruz or CrusoeDescription:
The short, clipped Cru is one of those modern names that's starting to find favor -- it was given to nearly 50 boys last year, while Crew has vaulted onto the Top 1000. One inspiration is undoubtedly the Spanish name Cruz, which came to wider attention via the third son of Victoria and David Beckham. Cru has a handsome sound and a modern feel.
- Raylan
Origin:
Modern invented nameDescription:
Raylan, one of an uncountable number of two syllable, surname-like boys’ names end in n that are in style these days, is inspired by Raylan Givens, the cowboy hat-wearing U.S. Marshall created by writer Elmore Leonard and starring in the television series Justified. The Ray part of the name is of course a traditional choice -- it's usually said to mean "wise" -- but the lan takes it out of Old School Raymond territory. Other variations include Raylen, Raylon, Rayden and so on. The name is also sometimes given to girls, but not nearly as often as it is for boys.
- Nixon
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Nicholas"Description:
A fresher spin on Jaxon, with built-in cool nickname Nix, and a great way to honor an ancestral Nick. But the association with disgraced former president Richard Nixon remains strong, which might explain why this otherwise bang-on-trend surname name has remained under the radar, peaking at #482 in 2017.
- Jrue
Origin:
Modern invented, variation of DrewDescription:
This phonetic spelling of Drew feels particularly distanced from the original classic Andrew. Jrue, along with other phonetic "Jr" names such as Jream, is on the rise in the US — even cracking the Top 1000 in 2022.
- Axl
Origin:
Variation of Axel, Scandinavian version of AbsalomMeaning:
"father of peace"Description:
Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel deliberately chose the Axl spelling to honor her rock hero.
- Maxton
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"greatest"Description:
Maxton is a new member of the ever-expanding Max clan of baby names, hitting the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011. It joins newfangled Maxon and stylish cousin Paxton. Still, we prefer the more classic Maxwell, Maxfield, Maximus, or just plain Max.
- Xen
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"meditation"Description:
Xen and Zen, both pronounced the same way, are two hip new spiritual word names from Buddhist practice. Among the celebrity set, Corey Feldman has a Zen and Tisha Campbell Martin's son is Xen.
- Gibson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"Gilbert's son"Description:
Gibson is an undiscovered patronymic surname, with some appealing nicknames. It also brings to mind the popular brand of guitars.
- Zyair
Origin:
Variation of Zaire, KongoMeaning:
"the river that swallows all rivers"Description:
One of the many new spellings of Zaire that has been climbing the charts lately.
- Major
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"greater; or, a military rank"Description:
This bold choice soared in popularity from 2008 to 2013, and now seems to have plateaued. But watch out—the character Major Major Major Major in the classic absurdist novel Catch-22 had a terrible time.
- Zhuri
Origin:
Variation of Zuri, African, KiswahiliMeaning:
"good, beautiful"Description:
One of the fastest-rising names currently, thanks to LeBron James' daughter Zhuri. This spelling entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022, following in the footsteps of red-hot Zuri.
- Trace
Origin:
Diminutive of TracyDescription:
Undoubtedly inspired by country singer Trace Adkins, it has dropped in recent years.
- Kyson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Kyle"Description:
An update of Tyson for parents who prefer the Ky nickname to Ty. It was the middle name of a character on Heroes.
- Wesson
Origin:
Variation of Weston, EnglishMeaning:
"from the western town"Description:
This weapon name, linked to arms manufacturer Smith and Wesson, entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
- Sunshine
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.
- Kalani
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"the heavens"Description:
Kalani is a rhythmic name that can be used for either gender though feels more feminine in the contemporary culture. It only just entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.