Animal Names for Boys

This cousin to Colton, a very widely used name, never matched its popularity and is now losing ground. One place where Colten does rank highly is on a list of names most popular among Republican voters. More than 80 percent of voters named Colten vote red.

Colten

A Quranic name especially popular in South Asia, it is also used across Europe, from Bosnia to France, from Spain to England. It appears in the Quran as the name of Maryam's (the Virgin Mary) father, and as the father of Moses, making it a counterpart to Hebrew Joachim or a variant of Hebrew Amran. The meaning of Imran isn't listed in the Quran, however, from its Hebrew roots, it could mean "exalted nation", or it could come from the Arabic word eimran meaning "prosperity".
 
Imran entered the US Top 1000 in 2018, dropped out of it by 2019, then reappeared in 2022. As of 2023, it is still on the charts and given to around 240 boys.

Imran

A fanciful way to spell the popular Beau, Beaux is also the plural form of the French adjective. Appealing to those who love Margaux or the letter X in general, it entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2025, when it was given to 236 babies, having been on the rise since the 2010s. 
 
American footballer Beaux Collins is a notable bearer.

Beaux

With Brooklyn, Trenton, and Camden on the rise, Harlem is one to watch out for. It has lingered down the lower end of the US Top 1000 since 2018 but has been trending upwards. It's already been picked by one celebrity, and it certainly has a stronger historical and cultural identity -- and it could work as an alternative to Harvey or Harley.
 The Harlem Renaissance saw this New York neighborhood become a center of Black American art and culture, where works from Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were produced and jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington made their mark. Also known for its theaters, soul food, baseball, and R&B, it is an important place within the Civil Rights movement. Named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, Harlem, as a name, has its origin in Old Dutch. It's meaning can be translated to "home on a forested dune", owing to the original city's location on a sand dune. Rapper The Game named his son Harlem back in 2003, and the name has been given to an increasing number of babies ever since. A unisex choice that leans slightly more to the masculine side, Harlem was given to 220 boys in 2024, meaning 55% of baby Harlems were boys.

Harlem

Gage was part of the craze for one-syllable surnames, with associations to tasty green gage plums and the mathematical gauge. 
 Gage was first noticed as a character in Stephen King's Pet Semetary--though Gage Creed was far from an admirable role model. That book was published in 1983, and the movie came out in 1989, the very year that Gage hit the Top 1000. 
 Gage has spawned a couple of successful spelling variations, so don't be surprised to run into a Gaige or a Gauge.

Gage

Alec, a clipped British short form of Alexander, is less fresh than Alex, but leans more off-beat classic than Xander. Used since at least the 19th-century, Alec became particularly popular in the English-speaking world during the 1990s, possibly following actor Alec Baldwin's appearance in the movies Beetlejuice (1988) and The Hunt for Red October (1990). 
 
Used as both a full name and as a nickname, it has also been notably borne by actor Alec Guinness, writer Alec Waugh, and cricketer Alec Stewart. It's got literary credentials too, appearing in Maurice by E.M Forster, while in fiction more generally it has been used in Twilight, The Shadowhunters, GoldenEye, and Broarchurch.
 
Sharing the same strong meaning as long-form Alexander ("defending men"), Alec has been declining in recent years, possibly because it could easily get misheard as Alex, or because the aforementioned Alec Baldwin was accused (and later cleared) of involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed during filming in 2021. 
 
Ranking at #977 in the US in a recent year, it was chosen by Vice President J.D Vance and his wife Usha for their son, born in 2026. For some, this may spark renewed interest in the name, though others may be further put off.

Alec

Readers will be familiar with Aslan — a historied Turkish name — via C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Azlan is the Arabic variation, rising in popularity among Muslim families and Arabic-speakers. One of the fastest rising names in England and Wales in 2022, Azlan is now in the Top 400 and twice as popular than Aslan. In the US, it's also on the rise, given to 170 boys in 2024, while Aslan was received by 210.

Azlan

Spelling variant Ameer is much less popular than the original. An Amir is a ruler in the Arab world.

Ameer

For centuries, this name had a romantic, windswept image due to its strong connection to the poet Lord Byron, who inspired its use as a first name. It is one of those surprise names that's appeared on the Top 1000 every year since 1880. 
 William Faulkner used Byron for characters in two of his novels--Light in August and The Town' It was seen as a character on Arrested Development (the real name of Buster), is the appellation of several high-scoring athletes, was given to his son by Lost 's Matthew Fox in 2001 and--trivia tidbit bonus--was James Dean's middle name.

Byron

The most common form of Damir is of Slavic origins, deriving from the elements da, meaning "give" or "take," and mir, "peace." It's also seen as a variation of the Turkish name Demir, meaning "iron".
 
Damir is very common in Central Asia and Turkic Russia. In Russia, the name has also been used by Communist parents as an acronym for a phrase meaning "long live the world revolution."
 
A rising choice in the US, it may also be considered an Anglicization of the Arabic Zamir, meaning "heart, mind, conscience", and pronounced as "da-MEER" by Arabic speakers.

Damir

Friendly and rugged at the same time, Anders is a Scandinavian form of the Andrew and Andreas family, used across Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and in the US. Consistently in the American Top 1000 since 2010, a recent year saw it given to around 300 boys.
 
Meaning "strong, manly, masculine", Anders ultimately comes from the Greek andreios and has been used in Sweden since at least the 14th century. Once common among priests and farmers in the medieval period, it went on to become the forth most popular Swedish boy name of all time. 
 
Less popular than the patronymic Anderson in the US, it is likely said as AN-ders or AHN-ders in English. In Swedish, however, it's AN-dush, in Norwegian its AHN-nush, and in Danish, its AHN-us. 
 
Trivia tidbits: The patronymic Andersson is the second most popular surname in Sweden, while in Denmark, Donald Duck is called Anders And.

Anders

Curtis is an attractive if somewhat dated surname name that has been borne by several significant musicians and athletes--think Curtis Mayfield, Curtis James Jackson III--aka 50 Cent, and also director Curtis Hanson. 
 In the USA, Curtis was in the Top 200 for most of the 20th century. We think Curtis, with is clean sound and nice meaning, will survive the all the trends that come and go, and remain in the Top 1000 for many years to come.

Curtis

A variation of the classic Dominic, this is the German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish, Hungarian, and Croatian form. Traditionally chosen for children born on Sundays (owing to its meaning), it re-appeared in the US stats in 2025 after being absent for several years.
 
Familiar in the Netherlands, Australia, England and Wales, Poland, Switzerland, and Czechia, is was the Number One name for boys in Hungary in 2024, with notable bearers including ice hockey player Dominik Hašek, footballer Dominik Szoboszlai, and wrestler Dominik Mysterio.
 
While English speakers might just find the -K spelling cool, it may also indicate that it's not pronounced as DOHM-ih-nihk. Rather, it is pronounced as DAW-mee-nik in German, DO-mi-nik in Czech, DAW-mee-neek in Slovak, daw-MEE-neek in Polish, and DO-mee-neek in Hungarian.

Dominik

Ephraim is an Old Testament name we would place high on the list of neglected Biblical possibilities, solid but not solemn.
 In Genesis, Ephraim is the second son of Joseph, and founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name also appears as characters in Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield, Charles Dickens's novel Little Dorrit, and in works by Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. More recently, Ephraim Black was a character in the Twilight saga, a shape-shifter who was the great-grandfather of Jacob.
 Father and son violinist and actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Sr, simplified the spelling.

Ephraim

Isael, and more particularly its spelling variation Izael, are among the fastest-rising boys' names in the US. It is used as a Portuguese form of Israel, though it may also be a twist on Ismael and Misael too. Another theory is that it comes from the elements yasha and el meaning "God is salvation".

Isael

Since Aurelius was given the supermodel seal of approval by Elle Macpherson, it has joined Augustus as an ancient Roman name that feels usable today. Slightly mystical and magical with a golden hue, Aurelius is grounded by its similarity to other popular options like August, Atlas, and Elias.
 In ancient Roman history, the name is associated with Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, the last of the so-called "Five Good Emperors." He is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. He granted his name en masse to citizens of the empire who didn't have one, making Aurelius a common and default nomen (family name) towards the later years of the empire.
 
Rarely used in the US before the 2000s, Aurelius began to climb in 2010, perhaps because model Elle Macpherson was back on the runway and hosting Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, reminding parents of her son's name. Alternatively, its rise may have more to do with its appearance in the popular series, The Hunger Games. 
 
Aurelius made its debut to the US charts in 2025 when it was given to 230 boys compared to 190 the year prior. In joined its variants Aurelio and Aurelia, both of which also rose up the ranks. 
 
Musician Sean Ono Lennon and model Charlotte Kemp Muhl named their son Aurelius in 2026.

Aurelius

Attractive Scottish and Irish surname name of a seventh-century saint, associated with the illusionist and escape artist David Blaine.

Blaine

The name of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England before the Norman conquest, and a name that's long been associated with a pipe-smoking, bespectacled grandpa or uncle.
 
After years in style limbo, Harold is slowly making a comeback, possibly boosted by cheerful nicknames like Harry and Hal. Filmmaking couple Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have a son named Harold.

Harold

Benito is a masculine name of Spanish and Italian origin, derived from the Latin name 'Benedictus,' meaning 'blessed.' It's essentially the diminutive form of 'Benedicto' in Spanish. The name carries significant historical associations, most notably with Italian political figure Benito Mussolini and Mexican president Benito Juárez. Outside of Spanish and Italian-speaking countries, the name remains relatively uncommon but recognizable. Benito has a warm, friendly sound with its soft consonants and ending with an 'o,' typical of Italian and Spanish masculine names. The name conveys a sense of heritage and tradition while maintaining a certain musicality that makes it appealing across cultures.

Benito

Brennan is a winning Irish surname name, more modern than Brian or Brendan, more unusual than Conor and Aidan. The only possible problem with Brennan: people might think you're saying Brendan.
 Brennan eased onto the very bottom of the popularity list in 1966, and has pretty much remained in the Top 1000 ever since.