Names That Mean Dark

One of the more unusual of the current crop of strong, single-syllable boys' names, evoking the images of both old-fashioned blackboards and modern stepping-stones and countertops.

Originally a nickname for someone who loved to sing or whistle, Merle is sleek but gentle, with a hint of great grandpa about it..

In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Caliban is the name of the deformed son of a witch: not the greatest literary reference for a child. But Caliban does have an appealing international-yet-accessible feel and a rhythmic sound. As long as nobody knows its origin, it might make a great name for a boy or even a girl.

This surname has a modern yet old New England feel, perhaps because of the association with the transcendental teacher and reformer Bronson (born Amos Bronson) Alcott, father of Louisa May. (One-time sitcom star Bronson Pinchot's full name is Bronson Alcott Pinchot.) A more muscular image comes via tough guy Charles Bronson.

Onyx is a fresh and trending gemstone name for boys, currently in the US Top 500, having climbed the charts rapidly since 2018. Now, an increasing number of girls are receiving the name, with a recent count revealing nearly 200 baby girls were called Onyx in 2023.

A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.

Even if it is the Number one surname in the U.S.--with more than 2.5 million bearers--we still think that Smith would make a cool first or middle name, whether or not it has family history.

A much fresher Ty name than Tyler or Tyson.

Pretty name that hit the popularity charts in England in the late 1990s.

Possibility for a dark-haired babe.

Sable is often associated with the Dynsaty soap opera, but it is actually a type of animal historically hunted for its fur. Sable is also used as a word for a warm, rich black color. Both associations carry hints of luxury.

The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.

Pretty French sound, but there might be a lot of "umbrella" cracks.

Although this Old Testament name is soft and delicate, it runs the risk of conjuring up the monstrous Godzilla.

The current wife of Donald Trump, Slovenian model Melania Knauss, brought this pretty version to the fore. Saint Melania was an heiress who freed thousands of enslaved people.

Skadi is an anglicized spelling of Skaði, a Scandinavian goddess associated with winter, skiing, bowhunting and mountains. This mythological choice is enjoying the limelight of names like Odin and Thor: it first appeared in the US charts in 2017 and is given to a few more girls each year.

Also spelled, Piran, this Cornish saint's name is also a village. Perran is thought to be analogous to the Irish name Ciaran.

A life-affirming name of Hebrew origin, currently popular in Israel, Chaya has also risen up the charts in both the US and the UK in recent years. Used as a common name for leafy shrub in Mexico, it shares the same root as Chava, Eve, and Eva.

Popular Spanish name that relates to the patron saint of Mexico. It could conceivably, like Soledad and Consuelo, cross the border into multicultural territory, but the name's decline since the nineties would seem to make that less likely.

Familiar via Harry, but much more worldly.