Different Kind of Boys' Names

Quirky Italian baby name that works for any gender.

All the Fitz names are hard to carry, but this one has a wonderful meaning and might be a good middle name choice to honor a brilliant lineage.

The Christian name of the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice— it was his mother's maiden name— is just one of several Fitz names, including Fitzroy, Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, that could be used to honor a dad named William, Roy, Gerald or Patrick.

The Old Norse and modern Norwegian word name Fjord, which refers to a passage in the sea, could work for children of both genders.

Franz is the German equivalent to Francis, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a Franz outside of countries with Germanic origins. In America the name is often associated with celebrated author Franz Kafka, who was born in Prague.

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris both hail from Galway.

See GABRIEL.

An interesting vowel combination lightens up Graham.

If you find Grover too fusty and furry, this is a much cooler-sounding alternative.

An everyday name in France, a charismatic possibility here.

Gray-bearded name heard primarily in Sweden and Germany.

A little further down the road paved by Aidan and Logan.

This name projects a sense of well-being - hale and hearty - is unusual but accessible, with a clear simple sound, and a worthy namesake, Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale, as an added bonus.

Pleasant but uninspired surname name somewhat connected to writers Ellison and Coben. After three decades off the US Top 1000, it reentered in 2013, maybe because it's an unusual example of the trendy class of two-syllable n-ending boys’ names. Kevin Harlan is an NFL, NBA, and college basketball announcer for TV and radio.

This name of an influential Old Testament king of Judah is one that would challenge even the most adventurous biblical name-seeker, but it does have the modernizing short forms Zeke or Kiah.

Like Horace, Horatio is a variation on the Latin Horatius, but its Shakespearean and optimistic Horatio Alger pedigree makes it an attractive up-and-comer, especially with its cool final o. A modern reference is the charismatic TV character Horatio Caine played by David Caruso in CSI: Miami.

Well used by Muslim parents across the world, Ibrahim is the Arabic variation of Abraham. Significant in multiple religions and with an international and well-travelled feel about it, Ibrahim has been in the US Top 1000 since the 1990s, and is currently popular in Azerbaijan, France, the UK, and Turkey.

A name that crosses cultures, Idris was virtually unknown before the emergence of the charismatic Idris Elba, first on The Wire and then depicting Nelson Mandela in the acclaimed film.