Favourites

  1. Caleb
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "dog; whole heart"
    • Description:

      Caleb is an attractive Old Testament name that has been in the US Top 100 for nearly three decades now. Consistently popular but never too popular, Caleb feels more like a classic than a momentary trend.
  2. Callum
    • Origin:

      Scottish form of Columba, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "dove"
    • Description:

      Callum, a charming Scottish name high on the list in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, is rising through the ranks in the US now too. And it comes complete with the easy nickname Cal.
  3. Calvin
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "bald, hairless"
    • Description:

      Calvin is a slightly quirky but cozy name that has a fashion edge thanks to Calvin Klein. It has been steadily on the popularity list since records were kept, never lower than Number 250, peaking in the 1920s, the era of the Calvin (originally John Calvin ) Coolidge presidency.
  4. Cameron
    • Origin:

      Scottish surname
    • Meaning:

      "crooked nose"
    • Description:

      With its friendly, sensitive, and approachable feel, Cameron is a 90’s favorite that remains popular today. It has a pleasing balance of soft and strong sounds, and holds unisex appeal, thanks to Cameron Diaz.
  5. Carlos
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Charles
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      Carlos is the Spanish and Portuguese variation of Charles, which has been used in solid numbers in the US for as long as data has been kept. Carlos has never fallen out of the Top 600, but peaked from the 70s-early 2000s. Today Carlos is still within the Top 200. Notable namesakes include musician Santana, writers Fuentes and Castaneda, and numerous athletes. Carlos Irwin Estevez is the birth name of Charlie Sheen.
  6. Carter
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "transporter of goods by cart"
    • Description:

      Carter has ranked in the Top 100 since the the turn of the millennium, but despite its recent popularity, it's not a trendy new name. In fact, Carter is one of those names that just misses ranking in the US Top 1000 for its entire 140+ year history.
  7. Caspar
    • Origin:

      Persian, variation of Gaspar
    • Meaning:

      "keeper of the treasure"
    • Description:

      After half a century, this otherwise feasible name has at last started to lose its link to the friendly ghost; it certainly didn't scare model Claudia Schiffer, who chose it for her son, as did Atomic Kitten Jenny Frost. Iconoclastic namer Jason Lee switched genders and called his daughter Casper. Also related to the revived Jasper, Caspar seems headed towards the path to a similar resurgence.
  8. Chandler
    • Origin:

      English from French occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "candle maker"
    • Description:

      For a generation, this name will always be linked to 1990s hit TV series Friends. Whether this is a positive or a negative will depend on your fondness for the show, and character Chandler Bing, but this name deserves consideration beyond these connotations: Chandler is a fresh take on the professional surname names.
  9. Charlie
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Charles
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      Charlie derives, of course, from the classic name Charles which, in turn, comes from a German word meaning "free man." Charles became very popular in France during the Middle Ages due to the fame of Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne. Charley is an alternate spelling.
  10. Clay
    • Origin:

      English word name; diminutive of Clayton
    • Description:

      Clay is a rich, earthy one-syllable name with a southern-inflected handsome-rogue image, featured on soap operas and reality TV. Its longer forms are Clayton and Clayborne.
  11. Colby
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "coal town"
    • Description:

      Colby Donaldson on Survivor made this a cool name in the early 2000s
  12. Cole
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "swarthy, coal black"
    • Description:

      Cole -- a short name that embodies a lot of richness and depth -- has long been associated with the great songwriter Cole Porter. It's quite popular in Scotland.
  13. Conan
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "little wolf"
    • Description:

      The fierce image of the Barbarian made a complete turnaround thanks to amiable talk show host O'Brien, making Conan one of the newly desirable Irish choices, a perfect alternative to Conor/Connor.
  14. Connor
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "lover of hounds"
    • Description:

      Connor, the appealing name of an early semi-legendary king of Ulster in Irish mythology, sits firmly in the Top 100 and taken together with its alternate spellings would rank even higher. In its native Ireland the Conor version is one of the highest charting boys’ name.
  15. Cormac
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "charioteer"
    • Description:

      Both offbeat and upbeat, this evocative traditional Irish name that runs through Celtic mythology is known here via award-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (born Charles). The author's adopted name is related to Cormac Mac Airt, one of the great legendary high kings of Ireland.
  16. Crew
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a band or force of armed men"
    • Description:

      Crew is yet another word name that was added to the baby name lexicon when this one was chosen by The Young and the Restless star Joshua Morrow for his son. It debuted on the Top 1000 in 2010. We've also heard spelling variations Cru and Crue.
  17. Dakota
    • Origin:

      Place-name; Sioux
    • Meaning:

      "friendly one"
    • Description:

      An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.
  18. Danny
    • Description:

      A diminutive of Daniel that's been immortalized in odes ranging from 'Danny Boy' to 'Danny's Song.'
  19. Dash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
  20. Day
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "the time of light between one night and the next"
    • Description:

      Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.