Name with an Asian feel, thanks to a Japanese city and Imari porcelain.

Dalton with a B. The original is better.

Jaxon with a twist.

While we're definite fans of Zaire -- the former name of the country now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- the "Y" really isn't necessary. This spelling variation debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016.

Elijah is in the US Top 10 and is popular across New Zealand, The Netherlands, and The UK. Spelling variation Alijah however only appears in the US charts, where it has ranked in the Top 1000 since 2001. Given to 700 boys in a recent year, for every one baby Alijah, there are 16 Elijahs.

SantiGold was a newly minted name in 2024, chosen by author and journalist Elaine Welteroth for her second son. She explained that she and her husband chose it for its multicultural roots, in that Santi means "peace" in Thai and "saint" in Spanish and Italian. The addition of 'Gold' makes it compound name, symbolic of success, prosperity, and prestige.

One part fantastical literary invention and one part Ancient Greek, Atreyus is a new and rising name for boys. It's could be viewed as a combination of Atreus, an Ancient Greek name, and Atreyu, created by German author Michael Ende for his novel The Neverending Story.

Another of the many -aiden names. Several spellings have charted in the US Top 1000 in recent years, but now most of the -aidens are fading. Braiden is no exception, dropping down the charts each year since its peak at Number 468 in 2010.

An invented name that has its roots in DeAndre or D'Andre, which springs from "the son of Andrew." Feels like half Don or Dion, half Andre or Andrew, but not enough of something unto itself.

Combine the Aiden trend with the ever-cool letter X, and you'll get something like Xayden.

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman invented this name for their son Jonathan's middle. It's a combination of Anne's paternal grandfather's name, Roseline, and Adam's mother's maiden name Banks.

Parents with a penchant for inventing names seem especially enamored of the letter Z, maybe for its counterculture feel and its extra zip.

A modern invented name, taken directly from the French phrase "J'adore", meaning "I love".

This relatively new name appears to have been created by adding the trendy -en suffix to Kyle, or by tweaking the spelling of the more popular and slightly older Kylan.

Trendy spelling of the Cash + Ashton hybrid.

The invented name Xael debuted on the charts for boys in 2010. It is primarily used among Spanish-speaking families.

Rhaegar Targaryen is one of the most glamorous, noble characters in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series... even though he's been dead over a decade when the books begin. The reader first learns about him through Robert and Ned, both enemies, who paint a distorted picture of this striking man.

Once strictly a surname--Chasen's was an old Hollywood hangout--it's now catching on as a first name, both as an elaboration of the popular CHASE, and in following the pattern of popular two-syllable boys' names.

A character name in the Shadow and Bone book series, invented by author Leigh Bardugo. It is intended as a Ravkan form of Malcolm, meaning "disciple of St Columba".

We can't believe we're saying this, but we'd even prefer Arnie or Barney.