Abraxas is a sci-fi-sounding name with earthly possibilities, but some playground challenges. 
 Abraxas has a long and convoluted history, dating back to ancient Egyptian mythology and the Gnostics who worshiped him as the Supreme Being. The name Abraxas was carved on antique gemstones that were used as charms.
 Abraxas lives on in modern pop culture, as the name of the musical group Santana's second album, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as Draco's grandfather, on several TV series and video games, and as a cosmic entity in Marvel Comics.
 Trivia note: Abracadabra was based on Abraxas.
 One of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby names</a> with powerful vibes!

Abraxas

Alexander has been in a Top 25 boys' name in the US for 30 years now. But namers are still attracted to its imposing historic pedigree.
 Alexander is derived from the Greek name Aléxandros, composed of the elements aléxein, meaning "to defend," and aner, meaning "man." 
 
According to Greek legend, the first Alexander was Paris, who was given the nickname Alexander by the shepherds whose flocks he defended against robbers. He was followed by Alexander the Great, aka Alexander III, who conquered much of Asia.
 
A royal name in Scotland, Alexander is still highly popular there. In Gaelic, the name became Alasdair; in Spain, Alejandro; and in Italy, Alessandro.
 
The noble Alexander has led to the popularity of many spinoffs, such as Alex, Zander, Xan and Zan, along with female versions such as Alexandra, Alexis, and the unfortunate Alexa.
 Among the many notable Alexanders in history, standouts are Hamilton, Graham Bell, Fleming, Pope and Haig.
 Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber's Alexander is known as Sasha.

Alexander

Alexandria turns classic Alexandra into a more distinctive place-name, in both Egypt and Virginia, while also giving it a touchy of frilliness. The name peaked in the 90s when it entered the US Top 100 for the first time, but has since been on decline.
 
Given to around 750 babies in a recent year, it is about half as popular as Alexandra. Many in the US at least may now associate it with the American Democratic politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).

Alexandria

Arnoux

Lady Aurex is a character in L. Frank Baum's Glinda of Oz, a sequel to The Wizard of Oz.

Aurex

Axe, spelled like this, is used for a handful of baby boys in the US each year. You can see it as one of the new weapon names, along with Dagger and Beretta, or as an abbreviation of the very popular Axel.

An x makes any name cooler, so that Baxter has a bit more pizzazz than the original Baker. Baxter had some currency as a first name a century ago--it was on the popularity lists sporadically from 1880 till the 1920s, peaking at Number 515 in 1886-- which means it's just about due for a comeback. And we can see Bax as a worthy follow-up to Max and Jax.
 Singer Ian Dury named his now-grown son Baxter, and Dr. Baxter Stockman was a scientist in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" series. 
 Fun feminist fact: as an occupational name, Baxter was actually the word for a female baker. It's only used for boys now, but could legitimatelt be a unisex name.

Baxter

Beatrix has a solid history of its own apart from Beatrice, with that final x adding a playful, animated note to the name's imposing history and stately vibe.
 
In the earliest sources it is recorded as Viatrix, meaning "voyager". Possibly the spelling was deliberately changed to resemble the Latin word beatus, "blessed" and now both meanings are part of Beatrix's rich history.
 
It has been largely associated with Beatrix (born Helen) Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit, and with Beatrix who was Queen of The Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013.
 Actress Jodie Sweetin has a daughter called Beatrix, and designer Kate Spade chose it for her daughter Frances's middle name. The main character in Quentin Tarantino's movie Kill Bill was Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman. 
 
With cute nicknames Bea and Trixie, Beatrix is most popular in the UK, where it ranks in the Top 200. On the rise since 2001, its accelerated popularity in the 2010s could have been influenced by the character Beatrix 'Trixie' Franklin from the popular period drama, Call the Midwife.
 
Across the pond in the US, it appeared briefly in the Top 1000 in 2019, but it has been trending downwards since then. Given to around 160 girls each year, it could be an unexpected but familiar choice in the States.

Beatrix

J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella and Beatrix to make a convivial and original name. The down side: the Harry Potter character Bellatrix, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is a character so evil she's called a Death Eater, killing one beloved character and being murdered by another. And the name Bellatrix is so closely associated with that character that it might be challenging to sidestep the association.

Bellatrix

Bijoux

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.

Calixta

Calixto is known in Spain as the name of three popes, one of whom was the martyr, Callixtus I, regarded as a saint. Calixto has a lot of energy and futuristic spirit, thanks in part to the attention-grabbing 'x.' He is the main character in the Spanish classic, Fernando de Rojas's Tragicomedy of Calixto and Melibea.

Calixto

The appealingly energetic Dax, with its trendy X-ending, re-entered the Top 1000 in 2007. Its somewhat sci-fi vibe emanates from his appearance as a fictional being in the Star Trek universe, seen on the TV show "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." The Power Rangers character Dax Lo was the Blue Ranger.
 In real life, actor Dax Shepard hosts the popular podcast Armchair Expert and played the TV character of Crosby Braverman on "Parenthood." His parents named him for the protagonist of the best-selling Harold Robbins novel, The Adventurers-- Dax Xenos.
 Dax is also a French community famous as a spa.
 Dax is unlikely to become popular in Australia, sounding too much like the word dacks, which means boys' underwear.

Daxter feels like a blend between Dexter and Baxter. If you like it better than either of those, then go for it.

Daxter

Swashbuckling name worthy of a hero in a romance novel. Deveraux or Devereaux is drawn from the River Eure in France. Mick Jagger has a son named Deveraux.

Deveraux

The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism. 

Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter Haven, the witty Cary Grant character in The Philadelphia Story; Dexter Green, the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald story "Winter Dreams"; great jazz tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the boy-genius protagonist of cartoon Dexter's Laboratory; and the most recent TV series Dexter based on the books by Jeff Lindsay, whose lead happens to be a genial but sociopathic serial killer.
 Dexter was chosen by hip musical couple Diana Krall and Elvis Costello for one of their twin boys, and by singer Charlotte Church.
 Dex is an equally appealing nickname, now sometimes used on its own.

Dexter

Dextra

A sassy, spunky, punchy kind of name, Dixie can also be considered a place name, one that has become problematic because of its association with the antebellum South. The Dixie Chicks recently dropped Dixie from their band name because of its association with slavery and white privilege.


The name originated from the ten-dollar bills used in French-speaking New Orleans, which came to be called dixies, or else from the Mason-Dixon line. Dixie, which had been as high as Number 167 in the late 1930s, jumped back onto the popularity list in 2007 and has been on and off the bottom of the Top 1000, though we expect the negative associations to take it out of consideration as a baby name.

 Dixie Carter was a TV actress best known for playing Julia Sugarbaker in the sitcom Designing Women. Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill and model Lily Aldridge named their daughter Dixie Pearl in 2012. Dixie D'Amelio, older sister of dancer Charli, is a newly-minted Tik-Tok star.

Dixie

A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than Dick; it would be right at home alongside Dax and Jax.
 But you don't need us to point out the considerable downside of this name. Besides being a sexual slang term, dick is also the most common epithet describing someone who's a jerk or a meanie (trying to avoid other unsavory words here). And Dix sounds exactly like dicks, which makes it not the least bit easier a name to carry these days than Dick.

Dixon

Elexia

Elixevetta is part Elizabeth and part Alexandra, and thoroughly confusing.

Elixevetta

Eryx has a sci-fi sound and deep roots. In Greek mythology, Eryx was the son of Poseidon and Aphrodite and a king in Sicily. He was a great boxer, but was eventually beaten by Heracles. He probably got his name from Mount Eryx in Sicily, now known as Erice.

Never used before 2005, this could be a mythological gem to watch - and an alternative way to honor an Eric.

Eryx

Evreux

In the 21st century, Exa is best known as the given name of Grimes and Elon Musk's daughter Y, a sibling for X Æ A-XII. The celebrity parents were inspired by the supercomputer terms exaFLOPS, which is the "ability for a supercomputer to perform 1 quintillion floating-point operations per second." 
 
Historically, Exa was used as a phonetic variation of the biblical name Achsah, Caleb's daughter in the Old Testament. Exa was primarily used by Christians, and made the popularity charts a handful of times in the late 19th century. Exie is the short form.

Exechio

Felix is one of those ancient but nontraditional names for boys that have come into favor over the past few decades, a favorite of parents who want a masculine name with history and heft that breaks ranks with the standard Franks and Freds. Felix is also an international darling, ranking in the Top 100 in several European and English-speaking countries.

Felix was originally a Roman surname but was adopted as a nickname by the ancient Roman Sulla, who believed that he was especially blessed with luck by the gods. It is the name of four popes and sixty-seven saints; in the Bible, Felix is a Roman procurator of Judea.
 
Felix, energetic and upbeat with a felicitous meaning, has finally transcended its negative associations to Felix The Cat and the persnickety Felix Unger. 
 
The name appears in literature as the central character in George Eliot's novel Felix Holt, the protagonist of Thomas Mann's Confessions of Felix Krull, in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Henry James's The Europeans, Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, and as a member of the Volturi Guard in the Twilight series. In movies Felix has popped up in everything from several James Bond films to Spy Kids and The Hangover.
 
Gillian Anderson and Elizabeth Banks are two modern celebrities who chose Felix for their baby boys. A notable namesake is Felix Frankfurter, a long-term Supreme Court Justice.
 
Popular in the Hispanic community, Felix is also celebrating a surge abroad. Felix has been on the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">U.S. popularity list</a> for as long as records have been kept and is rapidly becoming a Nameberry fave.

Felix

Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files. Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting middle name.
 It was reported that the TV character's first name was not a tribute to the Fox network which aired The X-Files, as often assumed; show creator Chris Carter said he had a childhood friend named Fox. Fox was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2016, perhaps because of the popularity of the X-Files revival.

Spanish for galaxy, this larger-than-life name would make a bold but beautiful choice for girl.

Galaxia

Hendrix is one of those hip rock and roll names, like Lennon, Jagger and Presley, that have been used by fellow celebs and others, to honor the seminal guitarist/singer/songwriter Jimi. And this one has the trendy 'x' ending, as well, helping to propel it up the charts and into the spotlight.

Hendrix

Imperatrix

A distinctive mythological name. likely derived from the Maya elements of ix and chel meaning "lady" and "rainbow" respectively, Ixchel was a Mayan Goddess associated with the moon, pregnancy, medicine, jaguars, the earth, and water. 
 
Currently given to around 30 babies each year in the US, Ixchel featured in several video games in the 2010s, and is a popular beach hotel in Mexico.

Ixchel

Ixidor

Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta.

Jinx

Juneaux

This modern mash up of Kendrick and Hendrix felt almost bound to happen. Perfect for parents wanting something cool and contemporary but also familiar, Kendrix has in fact been quietly used since the 70s. Given to around 110 babies in 2023, the increased popularity of the name is likely owing to rock musician Jimi Hendrix, rapper Kendrick Lamar, and (female) Power Ranger, Kendrix Morgan. 
 
Kendrick derives from the Welsh Cynwrig meaning "champion", the Anglo-Saxon Cyneric, meaning "royal ruler", and the Scottish and Gaelic surname, MacEanraig, meaning "son of Henry", or "son of the home ruler". Hendrix meanwhile comes from Hendrik, a variation of Heinrich and Henry, again meaning "home ruler", so it might make most sense to associate this hybrid name with this meaning in particular.

Kendrix

Lennox is an aristocratic and powerful Scottish surname name made truly special by that final x. The worldwide fame of British boxer--World and Olympic champion--Lennox Claudius Lewis brought the name into the spotlight as a first name, while as a last it's tied to Eurythmics singer Annie L.
 The Thane of Lennox appears in Macbeth, Mary Lennox is in The Secret Garden and there are two Agatha Christie characters with the name.
 Lenox is another accepted spelling.

Lennox

Cool short form of Alexander, fresher than Alex and less trendy than Xander... for now.

Linux

One of the fierce new animal names new to name lists, helped by its strong x-ending.

Lynx

Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in the middle of the Top 1000, and it has risen since.
 It was Maddox who set the precedent for all the boys in the Jolie-Pitt clan to have names ending in 'x'-and helped fuel the spark for all names X. 
 Maddox is related to the traditional Welsh Madoc (pronounced MAH-dog), meaning 'fortunate'; it belonged to a bearer who, according to legend, colonized North America in the twelfth century.
 Maddox is a character in The Vampire Diaries; spelled Madox, it appeared in Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient.

Maddox

Yes, it's pronounced with a long o sound at the end, just like Margo and Margot.  This spelling was popularized by supermodel, actress, and tragic Hemingway granddaughter Margaux, whose name spelling came courtesy of a bottle of French wine.  (The original spelling of her name was Margot; she changed it when she heard her parents were drinking a bottle of Chateau Margaux the night she was conceived.)

Margo itself is a diminutive of Margaret, which means "pearl" or, in its French version, "daisy."  Margaret or Marguerite would be more stylish variations now.

Margaux

This name once seemed a bit grand and pompous for an American baby boy, but a significant number of parents are now preferring it as a substantial platform for the nickname Max, among them Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, who chose it for their twin son.
 Maximilian was a traditional royal name among the Hapsburgs in Austro-Hungary and also in Bavaria. In literature, it appears as the husband of Rebecca in the eponymous novel and also in The Count of Monte Cristo. Maximilian Schell was a highly respected Austrian actor who won a Best Actor Academy Award in 1961.

Maximilian

In Greek mythology, Nyx was a powerful goddess and the embodiment of the night, but when spoken, its negative meaning can't be ignored. 

Unlike Pearl and Ruby and more like Jasper, this gem name works well as a boys name. With its strong final X, it feels similar to Alex, Phoenix, Jax, and Rex, while the shiny black quality of the stone feels reminiscent of Orion. Chosen by musician Iggy Azalea for her son in 2020, it has accelerated up the charts and now sits just outside the Top 300.
 
Derived from Greek, the word onyx means "claw, talon, or nail" due to its mythological creation story, in which it formed when Cupid trimmed Venus's fingernails. As a gemstone, it is said to protect against nightmares and improve concentration, though it can also be associated with bad luck and sadness. 
 
Nevertheless, with its sharp, fresh sounds and its cool, polished feel, Onyx is currently a fashionable choice given to more than 1000 boys - and an increasing number of girls - each year.

Onyx

A cool name, representing the Roman goddess of peace and offering a positive message to bestow upon a child. Pax is one of the most stylish new <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/411/baby-names-that-mean-peace">names that mean peace</a>.

Phoenix is a New Age name symbolizing rebirth and immortality. It's also a place name, a color name, a mythological name, AND an animal name, combining several of today's hottest trends in one appealing package.

The name Phoenix is associated with an immortal bird from Greek and Egyptian mythology, which having lifted for several centuries would catch fire, then rise from its own ashes. This cycle would endlessly repeat, and therefore, Phoenix is tied to fresh starts, rejuvenation and beginning again after loss. Phoenix is also linked to the US city in Arizona, named as such because the area was abandoned when settlers found it, and it was seen as a new city born from the ruins of another. 
Statistically, Phoenix does lean slightly to the boys' side with 1200 boys receiving the name in 2023 compared to 900 girls. Nevertheless, it shares sounds with the familiar Phoebe, Beatrix, and Fiona, as well as Phillip and Felix, and so it doesn't feel out of place on any gender. 
 A celebrity favorite, Scary Spice Mel B, rugby player Mat Rogers, fashion designer John Richmond, and actress Tammin Sursok all chose Phoenix for her daughters.

Phoenix

Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous." 

Polexia

Only if you don't mind hearing yourself saying, "Come quickly, Quixley." 

Quixley

Tied to the hero of the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote, likely to produce a quixotic daydreamer.

Quixote

Now that many dogs are named Max, it's safe to use this sleek, solid, regal name again for your child. And with the charm of its final x, its regal meaning, and its offbeat simplicity, Rex is definitely one to consider.
 Coldplay's Will Champion used it for his twin son, and Natascha McElhone gave her little boy the doubly cool appellation Rex Coltrane, and Niki Taylor — intentionally or not — gave her son the full name of the British My Fair Lady star, Rex Harrison (who was actually christened Reginald). And quite fittingly, Rex is name of a toy T-Rex in Toy Story.
 Other options: the French version Regis or the literal King.

Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat. Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that forms the foundation of many gravies or sauces. Most of today's children with this name, pronounced roo, will actually spell it Rue, for the female character in The Hunger Games.

Roux

The name of the wife of Alexander the Great, more attractive than the better-known Roxanne. Roxana was first used in the English-speaking world in the 1600s and was popularized by Daniel Defoe's novel Roxana, published in 1724. An underused and attractive possibility and perfect if you're searching for <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/316/baby-names-that-mean-new-beginnings?all=1">names that mean new beginnings</a>.

Roxana

An unusual name related to the willow family.

Salix

Saxon is unusual word name that nevertheless feels right on trend, with that sharp X in the middle and that two-syllable-ending-in-n pattern. Reminiscent of Roman but not yet so popular, Saxon is one to watch out for. 
 The word 'Saxon' is used to describe a number of Germanic tribes from the early middle ages, who conquered and settled in England to become the Anglo-Saxons. It is the name of numerous places, in the US, Switzerland, and Germany and it's also a 70s rock band, an alias of the recurring Doctor Who character, The Master, and the title of a series of books by Bernard Cornwall.
 
Elon Musk has a son named Saxon; Saxon Gregory-Hunt is an Australian weightlifting champion; Saxon Sydney-Turner was a member of the Bloomsbury group; and Saxon Sheffield and Saxon Kent are recent social media influencers.
 
With its slightly musical sounds, its outdoorsy but upper crust vibe, its similarities to Roman, Soren, Paxton, and Sebastian, it is no wonder that Saxon was a fast rising choice in the UK in 2022.

Saxon

Texana

After Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the new cowboy on the block.  Old-school Western nickname: Tex.

Texas

Theroux

A sassy, spunky name for the bold parent who doesn't remember Mrs. Ed Norton on The Honeymooners or who's into the nicknames-as-given-names trend sweeping the UK and returning to the US.
 Trixie is a standard nickname for Beatrix - another rising choice - and has been used by TV Presenter Emma Willis and Busted member Matt Willis for their daughter. 
Other namesakes include Trixie Mattel, the stage name of a popular drag queen and Trixie Belden, the thirteen-year-old heroine of an eponymous series in which she is a girl detective. Several children's shows have also featured Trixies, including Lazytown and My Little Pony. 
 
Trixie entered the UK Top 1000 in 2022, when 36 girls were given the name - with parents possibly drawing inspiration from Trixie Franklin, from the successful and well-loved TV drama Call the Midwife.

Trixie

Xande

Xandie

X marks the spot in names these days, usually at the middles or ends of names, but here is one that puts it squarely up front.
 This extravagant name, which, like many Greek names beginning with X, is pronounced as if it were a Z in English, is derived from the Greek word for the color yellow. A Homeric epithet of Demeter, Xanthe would be a striking choice for a blonde-haired baby girl, thanks to its "golden" meaning.

Xanthe

Famous as the long-suffering wife of the philosopher Socrates.

Xanthippe

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

Xanthos

Xarles

Xavian

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." 
 
Many Americans pronounce the initial X, as in ex-ZAY-vee-er, but it's equally accepted to pronounce the name ZAY-vee-er, closer to the French pronunciation.
 
Today's parents are beginning to reassess Xavier, and it's as popular now as it's ever been.
Xavier is one of the only X names most people know and use, often as a middle name following Francis, as in Saint Francis Xavier.
 
Xavier was chosen for their sons by Donnie Wahlberg and Tilda Swinton—as well as for the middle name of Larenz Tate's son Miles and Kim Fields' Quincy. 
 
The Spanish classic Javier, pronounced HAH-vee-ay, has come into greater prominence via Oscar-winning Javier Bardem.
 
Trivia note: the X-men comics introduced the kree8if spelling Xzavier.

Xavier

Xaviera is one of the most intriguing and rarest female forms of a male name. Only a handful of baby girls are named Xaviera in the US each year, compared with nearly 3500 baby boys named Xavier.
 
Why? Xaviera Hollander, the infamous Happy Hooker who penned the1972 bestseller, gave the name a distinctly naughty association, but at this point maybe only to grandma.

Xaviera

Still projects the potent allure of television's warrior princess. 

Xena

Xenaida

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye." 
 
Sometimes spelled Ksenia to reflect the traditional Greek pronunciation (kseh-NEE-uh), Xenia is also pronounced ZEEN-ee-ah or SHEN-yah.

Xenia

As long as nobody connects it with xenophobia -- the fear of strangers and the unknown. 

Xenobia

One of the more accessible X names, though Xeno or Zeno might sound more modern. 

Xenos

The two X's may be a challenge for even the most intrepid baby namer. Xerxes was the name of two early kings of Persia and the Handel opera Serse or Xerxes is loosely based on Xerxes I.

Xerxes

The J spelling -- both are pronounced as if they started with H -- is more common, but the X has more flair. 

Ximenes

This name of the capital of an ancient Egyptian dynasty makes Lois X-rated. 

Xois

Sounds like the name of a new synthetic fabric. 

Xylon

Yamilex

Yanixia

Name of the imaginary Queen of Ix created by L. Frank Baum for one of his Oz books.

Zixi

Zxavian

ScarlettRobin's list "Exciting X Names" of 80 great name ideas: Abraxas - Zxavian!