Nameberry's Favorite Boy Names

German author Michael Ende created the name Atreyu for the protagonist of his 1979 novel The Neverending Story. In the original German translation of the book, the hero was Atréju — Atreyu is the Anglicized variation. Atreyu was orphaned as an infant and raised by his village — his name is said to mean "son of all" in the local language.

This simple, elegant name offers something for many kinds of parents, from writers and history buffs to photographers to Pennsylvania dwellers. Most famous bearers are comedian Penn Jillette and Gossip Girl hottie Penn Badgley, both of whom were given this distinctive name at birth. Long obscure, Penn seems destined for greater usage.

With Liam at the top of the boys' popularity list, parents might discover the still-rare Niam. A name with various origins, Niam can be a Hindi name, deriving from the word niyam meaning "rule" or "law"; an Arabic name - often used on girls - meaning "blessings" or "given by God"; and an Irish name, an form of Niamh.

Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool.

Creative gem perfect for an architect's son, in tribute to modern Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen.

For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.

A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. >p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov." Unfortunately, he spends most of his life in his bathrobe and slippers.

This image of this distinguished Anglo-Scottish surname, drawn from the French place name of the ancient castle of Saint Foi de Montgomery, is rapidly shifting from fusty and formal to cool. And dashing short form Monty (or Monte) nudges it to cute.

This aristocratic, somewhat formal Germanic route to the popular Leo is a royal name: Queen Victoria used it to honor a favorite uncle, King Leopold of Belgium. Though Leopold sounds as if it might be a leonine name, it's not really a relative of such choices as Leon, and Leonard.

Jethro, though the biblical father-in-law of Moses, has suffered for a long time from a Beverly Hillbilly image, but some really adventurous parents might consider updating and urbanizing it and transitioning it into the hip o-ending category.

Perseus is a godly Greek hero (he was a son of Zeus) whose ancient name just might have modern possibilities along with other so-old-they're-new-again names such as Atticus and Orion.

Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve.

A title of the Hindu sun god, made cross-culturally famous by sitar player Ravi Shankar.

Though forever tied to Huck, short for Huckleberry, Finn, this is an undeniably cute short form that may have some life as part of the hipster taste for names like Duke and Bix.

It feels like Finch should be a modern bird name that's as popular as Wren or Lark, but that's not the case - so it's one to consider if you're looking for a nature name that's familiar but rare.

A surprisingly modern word name, only recorded since the 20th century, Solaris is also the title of a 1961 science fiction novel by Polish author Stanisław Lem, which has been adapted for the big screen several times. An unexpected route to cool-guy nickname Sol.

Could Lowen be the next Owen? This Cornish name certainly has the right sounds to be an American hit, and is rising dramatically for both boys and girls.

This short but strong name, commonly heard in Israel, has a lot of crossover potential, and is among the most usable on the minuscule menu of U names.

Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto. One Berry has already used it and we predict others will follow.

Sasha in all its forms -- which include Sacha and Sascha -- is rising in popularity for both boys and girls. Its most prominent current bearer is Sacha Baron Cohen.