Invented Boy Names

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.

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."

An established surname that fits well with today's trend for the "Ever" sound – and a similar-yet-different alternative to Emerson. Historically, it denoted a descendent of Evert, a form of Everard, meaning "brave boar", or a descendent of Eve or its medieval English diminutive Evot, meaning "life".

While we're definite fans of Zaire -- the former name of the country now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- the "Y" really isn't necessary. This spelling variation debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016.

This trendy-sounding name emerged from the era of Aiden and Jayden and Ryder and Ryker. Many parents may have come to it on their own, but Ryden has ancient roots as a Swedish surname, from the component ryd, meaning "woodland clearing," and the common surname suffix én, a derivative of the Latin enius.

A respelling of Giovanni which makes the Italian pronunciation – three syllables, rather than four – more clear. Jovani and its variant Jovanni were both Top 1000 picks for the first decade and a half of the 20th century. They are particularly popular in the US's Latino community.

We normally think of Cat and Kat as girls names -- nicknames, essentially, for Catherine and Katherine. But actor Katt Williams, Emmy-nominated for his role in Atlanta, presents the intriguing possibility of it working for a boy as well. He was originally born Micah, and so far, U.S. parents haven't shown much love for Katt as a whole name -- but with unique unisex names drawn from nature on the rise, we wouldn't be surprised to see it catch on.

Brixton, a formerly rough but now cool-and-gentrified area of London, is also gaining notice as a baby name, especially for boys. About 20 baby girls were given the name in the US in the most recent year, vs. about 300 baby boys. Its similarity to the trendy Braxton and the x in the middle place help make it appealing to contemporary parents.

A variant form of the Latin clan name Varius. It has been used for a major character in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

The European-sounding name of the husband of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder actually arose as an Anglicisation of an Arabic name: "Way back in the time of the crusades there was a Wilder…and an Arab…saved his life. El Manzoor was his name." Almanzo James Wilder was affectionately called "Manly" by his family.

Gentle but mighty, Oaklen is one of the "Oak" names that are currently on trend. Inspired by the surname Oakland, it entered the UK Top 1000 in 2022.

Sohan is a modern French invention. It may be related to Jean or a variation of the similar name Yohan.

One of the oft-mocked Zappa kid names; it supposedly was a nickname his father had for his wife's pinkie toe.

Has lots of energy, perhaps due to its association with top tap dancer Savion Glover.

Beren is a Noldorin name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy universe. A great hero in the books, Beren is notable for his love story with Luthien — so notable that Beren and Luthien are the names on the gravestone of Tolkien and his wife, Edith.

The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really, again) by rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Kipling invented the name, whose first syllable rhymes with cow.

Two beloved, fashionable names combined to make one: Kai, a simple and serene Hawaiian name meaning "ocean" and Kylo, created for Star Wars character Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. With Kailo, you get the best of both worlds.

Variations and elaborations of Ace have been popping up all over the place — Ayce recently broke the Top 2000.

Popular in the African American community, the De- prefix makes this a choice for sons of Marcuses.

A new-style name based on Kyle and a cousin of Dylan, in spelling if not sound or image. Currently in the US Top 600, it is given to more than 500 boys each year.