Typically female names for boys

Really offbeat, upbeat multi-cultural name with light sound and meaning. Valo might make a more unique spin on Milo.

While the mythological goddess Venus was female, Venus could be in the running of the new wave of girl names being adopted for boys.

Deriving from an English locational surname meaning "white island", Whitney was in rare but regular use for boys in the US until the early 1960s, when actress Whitney Blake popularized it for girls. It received a further big boost on the girls' side in the 1980s, thanks to singer Whitney Houston. Now falling rapidly down the rankings, it could be time to reclaim this one for the boys, if only as a neat way to cool-guy nickname Whit.

Fresh and surprising on a boy – and how can you not love the cool classic nickname Will?

The girls have dibs on Spring, Summer, and Autumn, leaving this name evocative of snowy landscapes as the one possible seasonal choice for boys. And naturally, it's one of the most obvious names for winter babies.

Wren may not be as time-honored a bird name choice as Robin or even Lark, but it's more fashionable and fresh, with a gentle and earthy vibe.

A common unisex name in Israel, more properly written as Ya'el, Yael rose more than 200 places in 2023 to become one of the fastest-rising boys' names of the year in the US.

While this is an ancient male name, it's too similar to modern girls' choices like Mia and Pia to work for a boy today.

Not to be confused with the identically spelt Greek feminine form, which is pronounced with three syllables, Zosime is the French form of the male name Zosimus. Zosime or Zosimus is a quirky Z starting name with a long history. It has been the name of several early saints and a pope, as well as the Byzantine author of a history of the Roman Empire, published in the sixth century CE.