Nameberry's Favorite Boy Names

An adorable name with an adorable meaning.

Wylie is a friendly, nonchalant rodeo name with an almost irresistible charm; parents may pick up on its pleasant similarity to the more popular, unisex Riley. Although more masculine, we see Wylie as working as well for boys and girls (Richard Anderson used it for his daughter in 1999). Wylie (or the interchangeable Wiley) can also be an original and authentic way to honor an ancestral William. We don't, however, recommend you spell the name the way Corey Parker did: Wylei. Why lay?

Though most parents would shy away from Ebenezer, short form Eben is affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; nothing Scroogish about it. This also makes a fresh new spin on the very popular Ethan or Evan.

An aromatic, unconventional name.

St. Senan was a famed founder of monasteries, whose ruins can still be seen. Legend has it that before he could found it, he had to banish a great monster. Other versions are Sionan, Sinan, Synan and Sinon. Seanan is also a pet form of Sean.

It was only a matter of time before the Koa-Noah mashup came around. Koah is rising quickly and could be a future member of the Top 1000.

Zuma was entered in the American name lexicon when musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale chose it for their son. Californians will recognize Zuma as the name of a beautiful beach in Malibu, and it's also the surname of a South African president. With the lovely meaning of peace and its place-name associations, Zuma is one of those American names that literally sprang from the earth.

This ancient name makes an intriguing alternative to River.

A common variant of English place name Airton -- possibly even more common than the original. Its best known bearer was Brazilian Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, who died in a racing accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the age of 34.

This unusual Indian name, which refers to one of the names of Lord Vishnu, has been one of the fastest-growing boys' names of the last decade. It first managed to climb into the US Top 1000 in 2014. The nickname Rey Americanizes it.

Best known as the name of Naruto Uzumaki, the main character in the Naruto anime series. It's also a common place name in Japan—the Naruto whirlpools are said to have inspired the name of the manga character.

The Irish boys' name Colum, rarely heard in the U. S., makes an interesting alternative to Colin.

Many baby boys have been named after LA Clippers' basketball player Kawhi Leonard since his 2013 debut. Leonard says his father invented the name because he wanted something that sounded Hawaiian. Kawhi sounds like Kauai, the name of one of the Hawaiian islands.

An evocative word name denoting a rare celestial phenomenon when the sun and moon are aligned so that the moon casts a shadow over the Earth (a solar eclipse), or when the moon is right in front of the sun, showing only a ring of light (a lunar eclipse).

An attractive, surprisingly uncommon variation of Josiah. To give you an idea of how comparatively rare Josias is, there were about 200 baby boys named Josias in the US last year, versus nearly 6000 named Josiah.

This spiritual word name is rising for girls and boys.

A better idea: how about you choose a name that means handsome, like Beau or Hasan or Irvin?