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

A really unusual choice that could be used to honor Grandpa Will.

A strong and handsome Indian boy name with a fitting meaning.

Charming Dickensian route to Nick.

Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent.

This Romani name may derive from the Yiddish name Zindel, which is itself a name derived from Alexander.

A Hollywood agent created the name Tab Hunter and poof. -- the former Arthur Gelien became a fifties teen idol. We don't advise trying this at home.

Variant of Eskil, from the Old Norse name Asketill.

Drover, an ancient occupational surname, is right in step with today's styles and would make a distinctive choice. Drover and brothers are fresh updates of such now-widely-used names as Carter and Cooper.

Manx variant of the Norse name Asketill.

A new entry is the fashionable new occupational name category -- and a jolly job it must be -- with the added attraction of relating to the great early 20th century American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler, of "Whistler's Mother" fame.

An interesting Canadian province and city name that has some literary history as the name of a character in Dickens's Bleak House; could make a distinctive choice for parents with northern roots.

This lively, springy, rarely used surname name has an interesting history. For the English, German, Dutch and Ashkenazic Jews it was a nickname for a lively person or traveling entertainer, deriving from the words springen/springhen/shpringen, and in English it's also a topographical name for someone living near the source of a stream. An unusual option if you're seeking an out-of-the-ordinary 'er'-ending name. Though for some it might bring to mind Jerry Springer, or a Spaniel.

Attractive Sanskrit boy name given to 22 American baby boys one recent year.

Tornado is a tempestuous weather name for parents who like to live dangerously. The best-known Tornado is a female tennis player whose sister is named Hurricane, but this wild name is decidedly gender-neutral.

Heard more often as a surname in Italy, its meaning has also been linked to the dolphin--which would make a cool nursery motif.