Arden, the name of the magical forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It, is a stylish A name with a strong, straightforward image. Another reason to love Arden: its similarity to "ardent." Arden is solidly unisex, with the current gender distribution running about 49 percent girls and 51 percent boys.

Arden is a gender-neutral name that's sleek and stylish but always seems to bob just below the surface of popularity, despite ticking all the boxes with its fashionable two-syllable, N-ending shape and its awesome nature-inspired meanings. In recent US statistics, 51 percent of the babies named Arden were boys to 59 percent girls.

An operatic Italian option via South Pacific star Pinza, one of several Italian names currently hot in France. Ezio is the Italian form of the Greek name Aetius.

Adler is a German-Jewish surname that is beginning to be used occasionally as a first and is among the stylish new German names for boys. Among the distinguished bearers of Adler as a last name are Freud colleague Alfred Adler, actress and influential acting teacher Stella Adler and Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler.

Strange as it may now seem, the venerable St. Arnold was a Greek by birth, a musician who became a member of the court of Charlemagne. The name is said to have been introduced into Britain by the Normans in the form Arnaud.

Another astral name, this one relating to one of the largest and brightest stars in the heavens, is popular in Scandinavia and Spain, where it ranks among the Top 50 girls' names. Although still very rare in the US, we think it has serious potential to follow the likes of Luna and Lyra up the charts.

Anne, usually seen as a girls' name, is also attested as a boys' name - for example, Anne de Montmorency, who was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France. It is also a Frisian male name deriving from the element arn "eagle", as in Dutch author Anne de Vries.

This striking name has a lot going for it: it's a self-confident Spanish surname, it identifies one of the most brilliant stars in the sky, and it has a musical reference to singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega.

An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation.

A sweet, simple name with roots in several cultures. In Lithuanian, Aras is a poetic bird name, while in Persian, Turkish, and Kurdish it is both a word meaning "equal", and the name of a river that flows through Turkey, Armenia, Iran and Azerbaijan. Additionally, it relates to the German word Ara meaning "macaw".

Works better as a full name than Arnie does as a nickname.

Subtract the last two letters of Arnold, and you're left with a much more modern-sounding name. Arno is also the name of the main river in Florence, upon which sits the famed Ponte Vecchio. The Italian river name means "flowing water".

Another winning and relaxed but energetic o-ending Latin name, sometimes associated with designer Paco Rabanne.

An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation.

French given and surname.

Unusual but accessible multi-cultural choice.

A common name in Iceland, from the same origins as Arnold et al.

This common German-Jewish surname is a fast riser among boys but lately has been picked up by parents of girls as well. Notable figures with the surname include designer Jonathan Adler, Freud contemporary Alfred Adler, and decorator Frances Adler Elkins and her brother, architect David Adler.

Common Roman name mentioned in the Bible that has a crisply attractive sound.

This Arabic name is rare in English-speaking countries, but with its accessible pronunciation and majestic bird meaning, it's worth consideration.