Invented Boy Names

A creative spelling variation of Drew. Draya Michelle And Orlando Scandrick used it for their son in 2016.

A modern creation — likely a hybrid of James and the on-trend -iah suffix.

While Oakley is remarkable even in terms of girl-boy distribution, the Oaklee spelling variation is used much more often on girls.

A recently-created Slovene name with no etymological roots. Naj debuted in the Slovenian Top 100 in 2019, when it was given to 23 baby boys. However, based on the use of Naja in Slovenia as a diminutive of Anastazija or Natalija as well as a stand alone name, Naj (and similar Nai) might have come about in a similar way, from Nikolaj or Nikolai, for example.

Daryl plus Harold equals this mid-century smoosh name.

An attractive twist on an Arabic classic, with further twists being Zamari, Jamari, and Jamarion. It was a popular choice from the 70s onwards in the US but has fallen out of favor in recent years, replaced by Jamir.

Draymond Green, the defensive superstar for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, introduced his name to the lexicon. This of it as Raymond plus. Twelve baby boys were given this name in one recent year.

Leonato is one of the main characters in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing -- the noble governor of Messina on whose property most of the play takes place. His daughter Hero and niece Beatrice are the two main female romantic leads in the play. His character is ambiguous; he starts out friendly and amiable, but he reacts very harshly to rumors that his daughter has lost her "honor" before marriage. Still, this could be an unusual and striking way to get to the extremely popular Leo.

A seldom used name invented by J.R.R. Tolkien for Lord of the Rings, this boys' name makes good use of the 'Gal' prefix and 'Dor' suffix to craft an appealing and unique alternative to Theodore.

Braelyn just barely qualifies as a unisex name, being used for girls over 89 percent of the time.

Is it a form of Zayden? Zyden? We're not quite sure. NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. chose this sleek, practically vowelless name for his son, born in 2022.

No longer a forbidden choice, Messiah has risen up the US popularity charts in recent years, and as a result, some parents have been seeking alternative spelling options. Masiah is one such choice, though it may also link more closely with the Arabic word for Christ, almasih. Given to around 80 boys each year, it is considerably less popular than Messiah, which was chosen for 1909 boys in 2023.

Could be an interesting alternative to London, now that that one is firmly on the girl's side.

Londo Mollari is a character from the TV show Babylon 5.

Why use one x when you can use two?