998+ Unique, Rare, and Uncommon Boy Names (with Meanings and Origins)

In Roman mythology, Caelus was the god of the sky prior to Jupiter. It's one of the few names that's virtually one-of-a-kind yet fits in with current stylish choices such as Caius and Callum (neither of which Caelus is etymologically related to).

Amaris is unisex name with a Musketeer-esque feel to it: gentle and poetic, but cool and adventurous too. A variation of the Biblical name Amariah, it is given to three times as many girls than boys, though this gap has been narrowing in recent years.

Bayou? No, but it sounds the same, and since both the Indonesian name and the English word have appealing nature meanings, this is a perfect choice for the family that wants to bridge cultures.

Aleph came into the spotlight when chosen by Israel-born Natalie Portman for her son. Alef is a more common spelling of these related Hebrew baby names.

Avni is derived from Avniel, a Hebrew first and surname with a strong meaning. It is also a separate masculine Albanian name meaning "helper." The nickname Avni has a fresh, gender-neutral feel, although it has separate origins for girls and boys. The feminine version of this name is Sanskrit and means "earth."

Garner is an unncommon word and surname with some prospect of garnering popularity, especially now that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have given it to son Samuel as his middle name, and Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have used it as the middle name of second daughter Haven. Garner is also Cash Warren's middle name. Gardner or Gardener is another, similar though unrelated possibility.

This alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound and can always be shortened to Xan.

This Mediterranean island name would be a plausible choice for parents with a Greek or Turkish heritage.

This ancient royal Scottish name had a brief vogue in midcentury America, but it would be far from a fresh choice for a baby boy now.

Didier is kind of a Desiree for boy--a lively, confident name that's widely used in France and has definite possibilities here. It's the name of an early French saint.

Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names.

A handsome alternative to Adrian or Dorian, derived from the Latin word aurum "gold".

Similar to Andrew, but with a refreshingly different origin and meaning.

The final -e takes this from a daring word name to a literary honor name, for the inimitable Irish author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, infamous for his wit and flamboyance.

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".

This sleek Italian name was raised from the dead by Mexican Mozart in the Jungle star Gael Garcia Bernal, who chose it for his son (he also has a daughter named Libertad). For athletic inspiration, Lazaro Alvarez, boxing for Cuba, is the three-time world champion lightweight boxer. Lazarus and root name Eleazar are both also destined for comebacks.

Three Stooges name (he's the one who wasn't Moe or Curly).

As both Oliver and Olivia grow in popularity throughout the English-speaking world, parents may seek variations that are the same-but-different and Olivian is one such choice. Attractive and easy to understand, yet some confuse it with Olivia.

This buoyant name has the same bouncy rhythm as Rafferty and Barnaby, but is virtually unused. It has plenty of literary cred, too: characters in The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native have all borne the name.

A fresh, green, rising nature name for girls that would make a cool possibility for a baby boy as well. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys a handful of times since naming records began.