Boys’ Names: This week’s newsiest picks, from Barnaby to Jasper to Ned

This week, for her Nameberry 9, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel picks the newsiest names on the boys’ side of the gender divide.

Midway through compiling this week’s list, I realized just how many great boys’ names are out there.

This is a subject of some debate.  Creativity in naming a son was long frowned on, and parents tended to fall back on the most familiar choices.  In 1900, more than 6% of all newborns were named John, while just 5.25% answered to Mary.  #2 name, William, was given to almost 5.3% of boys, but the #2 girl name, Helen, represented just under 2% of new births.  The names change, but the pattern holds.  In 1965, 4.3% of boys were Michael, and 3.3% of girls answered to Lisa.  Generally speaking, more boys receive the most popular names.

Reasons are plentiful, and even the most daring namer of daughters may very well veer towards the classics for a son, leading to sibsets like James, Henry, and Persephone.  But could this be the generation to challenge that pattern?

This week’s nine newsiest baby names all represent a shot of creative energy for Team Blue:

Sonny – The wild man of the celebrity baby naming world, Jason Lee, has welcomed his third child, second with wife Ceren Alkaç.  Firstborn Pilot Inspektor still tops bad baby name lists.  (Though I’m rather fond of Pilot.)  Reaction has been mixed to his daughter’s name, Casper Alice.  Newest arrival is Sonny – no middle name announced.  It’s pretty tame for the Lee family, but still not exactly Jacob.

Brooks Alan – Molly Sims took her time deciding on a name for her son.  Favorites rumored earlier in her pregnancy included Asher and Quinn.  Brooks is part of that ends-in-s cluster, along with Yates and Ames, getting some attention these days.  Brooks feels part-preppy, part-cowboy, with a country western twang courtesy of former Nashville hitmakers Brooks & Dunn.

Ned Alexander – From Hollywood to Australia, Waltzing More than Matilda spotted a birth announcement for Ned, a little brother for Max and Leo.  Mini names for boys split the difference between vintage revivals and friendly, modern choices – a middle way between Alfred and Kai.

Jem Seeger – A second example of the same trend, this time from For Real Baby Names, comes from New York.  Jem is a medieval form of James, and also sometimes Jeremy, as in To Kill a Mockingbird.  Jem is also, of course, an animated, pink-haired 1980s pop star.  But as the cartoon fades, Jem sounds promising for a boy.

Fraser – Speaking of television, legendary TV shrink Frasier Crane put this name on our radar.  Lose an i, and Lou reports that Fraser is quite popular inScotland.

Jasper – Jasper has been on the rise in recent years, and actress Leigh-Allyn Baker says that she favors the name for her son due in September, a little brother for Griffin.  Baker plays the mom on Nickelodeon’s Good Luck Charlie – where her character is about to deliver fictional baby #5, name to be revealed.

Doyle – Legendary namer Joss Whedon once created a half-demon psychic called Doyle.  Unlike some of Whedon’s characters, Doyle hasn’t been a hit – yet.  He’s getting good reviews on Swistle this week, with commenters calling him “not too strange” to match with sisters Catherine and Nora.

Niso – Maringamia spotted this rarity, a spin on Nico with an eastern feel.

Barnaby – Okay, Drew Brees almost certainly won’t be naming his third son Barnaby.  But how do you follow Baylen and Bowen?  The NFL quarterback turned to Twitter for help naming  his second boy Bowen, so it is never too soon to brainstorm modern, surname-inspired B names for baby #3.

What are your favorite boys’ names?  Do you feel pressure to stay more conservative with names for sons?

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