9 Boys' Names With History That Aren't Registered on Nameberry.

Benton

English surname and place name

"bent grass enclosure"

Benton is an old English surname of a type usually given to local landowners. It is also recorded in early records as Beneton and Bentune. Benton newly returned to the Social Security list in 2011…

Evans

Welsh surname

"the Lord is gracious"

Evans is an historic Welsh patronymic surname, derived from Evan, which is a form of John. With Evan's popularity in the U.S. and the U.K. -- it's a Top 50 names -- the stylish s-ending version may…

Nolen

Nolen is a masculine name with Irish and English origins, typically considered a variant of Nolan, which means 'famous' or 'noble.' This surname-turned-first-name has gained moderate popularity as…

Conley

Anglicization of Conleth, Irish

"chaste fire; constant fire"

Conley has a contemporary surname feel but is actually vintage in its usage. It was used as a masculine given name through the 1940s and peaked in 1905 at Number 709. Ready for revival? Definitely.…

Weldon

Weldon is a masculine name of English origin, derived from an Old English surname meaning 'hill near a spring' or 'well on a hill.' This place-name became a given name and gained modest popularity in…

Eber

Diminutive of Eberhard, German

"brave boar"

Eber is far more approachable than its full forbidding form.

Ballard

Ballard is a masculine name of English origin functioning primarily as a surname before its adoption as a given name. Derived from the Old English 'bal' (ball) and 'heard' (hard), it historically…

Hillard

Hillard is a masculine name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old German elements 'hild' meaning 'battle' and 'hard' meaning 'brave' or 'strong.' This creates a meaning along the lines of 'brave…