Boys names I do rather like.

  1. Rupert
    • Origin:

      German variation of Robert
    • Meaning:

      "bright fame"
    • Description:

      Rupert is a charming-yet-manly name long more popular in Britain (where it's attached to a beloved cartoon bear) than in the U.S. Yet we can see Rupert as a more stylish, modern way to honor an ancestral Robert.
  2. Rust
    • Shepard
      • Origin:

        Occupational name
      • Meaning:

        "sheep hearder"
      • Description:

        A phonetic variation of Shepherd, an occupational surname. Sam Shepard, the actor and playwright, is a notable figure to use this spelling for his last name.
    • Sinclair
      • Origin:

        Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "from the town of St. Clair"
      • Description:

        Could be a novel way for a boy's name to honor an ancestral Claire.
    • Sorrel
      • Origin:

        Botanical name and French
      • Meaning:

        "reddish brown"
      • Description:

        Sorrel is a gentle, amber-hued herbal and autumnal name that's used most often to describe the color of a horse. Sorrell is a variant spelling. Both make excellent names for autumn babies and can be used for either gender.
    • St john
      • Origin:

        English saint's name
      • Description:

        St. JOhn is mainly (but rarely) used by Catholics in England -- there's one in Jane Eyre. This would probably be too cumbersome for most American kids.
    • Ted
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Theodore or Edward
      • Meaning:

        "gift of god; rich guard"
      • Description:

        Like Ed, Eddie and Teddy, Ted is rarely used as an independent name – in the US, at least. In the UK, Eddie ranks just outside the Top 200, Teddy ranks just outside the Top 30, and Ted is a Top 200 pick.

        With Theodore rising, Ted may have new life among parents who don't want to use the short form Theo. And TV's Ted Lasso makes it a quintessential nice guy name.
    • Theodore
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "gift of God"
      • Description:

        As unlikely as it may seem, Theodore is a hot new hit name, vaulting into the Top 10 in 2021 for the first time ever and rising three more points last year to rank at Number 7.
    • Thorne
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "thorn thicket"
      • Description:

        Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorne? The E ending gives it a surnamey spin à la Hawthorne.
    • Vic
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Victor, Latin
      • Meaning:

        "conqueror"
      • Description:

        This short form of classic Victor is popular in its own right in Belgium and the Netherlands.
    • Victor
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "conqueror"
      • Description:

        Victor is one of the earliest Christian names, borne (as Vittorio) by several saints and popes, symbolizing Christ's victory over death. It has been quietly in the Top 200 since 1880, but just recently has taken on a cool edge by fashionable parents in London and seems ripe for a similar reevaluation here too.
    • Willoughby
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "farm near the willows"
      • Description:

        Willoughby is an energetic last-name-first route to the popular short form Will, livelier than any of the two-syllable options. It could be picked up by parents attracted to the Willow sound for girls.
    • Xavian
      • Xavier
        • Origin:

          Basque
        • Meaning:

          "new house"
        • Description:

          Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the name of which was derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning "castle" or "new house."