Invented Boy Names

Brian meets Riley, this name is more popular for girls. It coincides with the surname Briley, a contracted form of Brierley, which might be an interesting alternative.

Jaquan is a contemporary masculine name that emerged in the United States in the late 20th century. The name appears to combine elements of the popular prefix 'Ja-' (found in names like Jamal and Jabari) with possibly 'Quan,' which may derive from Arabic or other sources meaning 'strength' or 'power.' Another theory suggests influence from the name Juan (Spanish form of John). Jaquan experienced particular popularity in the 1990s, when it entered the U.S. Social Security Administration's top 1000 names list. Its usage patterns show regional variations across different communities in America. The name represents the modern naming trend of creating distinctive combinations that often blend sounds from various linguistic traditions. While fairly uncommon in most regions, Jaquan carries a strong, contemporary sound with a rhythmic quality.

With the trendiness of both X and Z, this spelling has it all. However, there's no real need for the added letter, unless you're looking for extra Scrabble points.

Created by English poet Alexander Pope for a melancholy sprite in the 1712 poem The Rape of the Lock. He likely took the Latin word umbra "shadow". A moon of Uranus is named after the character.

Take modern virtue Brave, add the trendy -n ending, and voilà! A cool new word-meets-surname name which feels bang on trend right now.

Much less popular than more traditional spellings.

Created by the Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki in 1833 for his eponymous romantic hero, Kordian has been in rare use in Poland since. Słowacki based the name on the Latin cor or cordis, meaning "heart", making this an excellent rare choice for a baby born around Valentine's Day.

Most of the names George R.R. Martin created for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books are close variants of existing English names, but this is an exception. Gendry was a minor character in the first few seasons of the show, who became a fan favorite largely on the strength of a meme-worthy photo of his shirtless, muscled torso. He returned to the show for a key plotline in the seventh season.

A meeting of two trends — compound names a la Myking and Alegend and money-related -illion names such as Million and Billion.

The name of a controversial character in Game of Thrones, Stannis Baratheon. He's better liked by book readers -- who see him as the embodiment of rigorous law and order -- than show watchers. In HBO's version of the story, his character was mostly defined by his disastrous loyalty to the red priestess Melisandre.

Xavion is a modern variant of the name Xavier, which derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning "new house." The name gained popularity in the United States during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, showing a distinctive pattern of increased usage beginning in the 1990s. Xavion maintains the strong 'X' sound of Xavier but adds a contemporary ending. The name experienced modest popularity peaks in the early 2000s, particularly in the southern United States. Xavion follows a naming trend of creating variations with distinctive suffixes added to traditional names. The name carries associations with Saint Francis Xavier, a notable 16th-century Spanish missionary, though Xavion itself is a more recent creation without the same historical depth as its root name.

Two Zells of note: conservative southern senator Zell Miller, and video-game character Zell, a hero of "Final Fantasy."

A respelling of Giovanni which makes the Italian pronunciation – three syllables, rather than four – more clear. Jovani and its variant Jovanni were both Top 1000 picks for the first decade and a half of the 20th century. They are particularly popular in the US's Latino community.

One of the most popular African names for boys, Kymani was in the US Top 1000 list from 2008 until 2016. Spelled Ky-mani, it's the name of Bob Marley's son.

Popular enough in the Indian community to have made it onto the US Top 1000 every year from 2001 to 2014 and now again in 2023, possibly inspired by Jamaican activist Leachim Semaj (born Michael James).

A Slovene choice that periodically appears at the bottom of Slovenia's Top 100. It first appeared on the Slovenian charts in 2011, when parents started using Nal for its on-trend sounds. However, Nal has no etymological roots in Slovene.

Is Kaison really a variation of Kason or Kayson or Kaysen, or are they all equal inventions? Think of it as Jason or Mason, Kardashianized. Cason is the more traditional spelling, one that has the better chance of standing the test of time.

Jermajesty is a slightly bizarre name created by Jackson brother Jermaine, making his son a royal version of himself.

Damari is thought to be a variation of the popular trans-cultural name Amari with the Da- prefix. Amari means "eternal" in Hebrew and may mean "strength" in Yoruba, though other sources list the African meaning as unknown.