Invented Boy Names

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.

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

The name of a crucial character on inventive FX series Legion not found in the Marvel comics on which the show is based, a so-called "memory artist" who can help others recall past events with uncanny detail. The name probably stems from Ptolemy, the ancient Alexandrian polymath.

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

Even less popular than the rarely-used Deangelo. This spelling is likely helped by singer-songwriter and record producer D'Angelo.

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.

Name invented for a spirit fox character on the Disney Channel TV show Sofia the First.

See TADEN.

The word "bricks," name-ified. Rapper Pusha T used this as the middle name for his son, Nigel.

Spelling variation of Ryland

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.

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman invented this name for their son Jonathan's middle. It's a combination of Anne's paternal grandfather's name, Roseline, and Adam's mother's maiden name Banks.

@jhayco is the social media handle of rapper Jhay Cortez, which itself was given to 17 baby boys in 2022.

A character name in the Shadow and Bone book series, invented by author Leigh Bardugo. It is intended as a Ravkan form of Malcolm, meaning "disciple of St Columba".

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.