Animal Names for Boys

Hannibal

Punic and Assyrian

"grace of Baal, god of fertility and fortune"

These days, it's thought of less as the name of the great general and more as the first name of Lecter the fictional cannibal. Either association is too heavy for a child to bear.

Hanniel

Hanniel is a masculine name with ancient Hebrew origins, appearing in the Bible as the name of a tribal leader. Composed of the elements 'hanan' (grace) and 'el' (God), the name means 'grace of God'…

Hanno

Diminutive of Johan, German variation of John

"God is gracious"

Nicknames ending in o are invariably cute, though this one is a boys' name in its own right. And not just any boy name, but a saint's name no less. Saint Hanno, aka Saint Anno, was an 10th century…

Hanns

Hanns is a Germanic variant of Johannes, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning 'God is gracious.' This spelling variation is most commonly found in German-speaking regions,…

Hannu

Finnish, short form of Johannes

"God is gracious"

A cute Finnish mini-name originating from Johannes.

Hanoch

Hebrew

"vowed, dedicated"

Variant of Enoch with little appeal.

Hanokh

Hanokh is a masculine name of Hebrew origin, representing a traditional transliteration of the biblical name more commonly rendered as Enoch in English translations. In Hebrew, the name means…

Hans

German, Dutch, and Scandinavian, diminutive of Johannes

Though familiar to all via such childhood icons as Hans Brinker, Hans(el) and Gretel, and Hans Christian Andersen, few Americans have chosen this name for their sons because of its intractably Old…

Hansel

German diminutive of Hans

"God is gracious"

Those "Where's Gretel?" jokes will get old pretty fast.

Hansen

Hansen is a masculine name of Scandinavian origin, primarily functioning as a surname meaning 'son of Hans.' Hans itself is a short form of Johannes, the Latin form of John, ultimately derived from…

Hansford

Hansford is a masculine English surname-turned-first name with Germanic origins. It combines elements from 'Hans' (a German variant of John, meaning 'God is gracious') and 'ford' (meaning a river…

Hanson

Scandinavian

"son of Hans"

More familiar and melodic to the American ear than either Hans or Hansen, and some might attach it to the three-brother pop-rock band called Hanson.

Hanss

Hanss is a variant spelling of the name Hans, which originated as a Germanic short form of Johannes (John). The name has roots in medieval Europe, particularly in Germanic-speaking regions including…

Hanssen

Hanssen is a masculine name of Scandinavian and Germanic origin, functioning primarily as a patronymic surname meaning 'son of Hans.' Hans itself is a shortened form of Johannes (John), ultimately…

Hansson

Hansson is primarily a Scandinavian surname meaning 'son of Hans,' rather than a traditional given name. Hans, the root name, is a Germanic short form of Johannes (John), ultimately derived from…

Hanunet

Hanunet is a masculine name with possible Hebrew or ancient Egyptian origins. If derived from Hebrew, it may be connected to the name Hanun (meaning "gracious") with a diminutive suffix.…

Hanzel

Hanzel is a masculine name that represents a variant spelling of Hansel, which originated as a diminutive form of Johannes (John) in German. The name gained widespread recognition through the Grimm…

Hanzo

Japanese

Heard most frequently in 18th century Japan, Hanzo is a rarity in modern culture. Hattori Hanzo was a legendary samurai of the Sengoku Era. A modern day namesake might be Hanzo Shimada, from the…

Happy

English word name

"joyful"

Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to…

Harailt

Harailt is a masculine name of Celtic origin, likely derived from the Old Irish name Harold or Harald. These names stem from the Old Norse Haraldr, meaning "army ruler" or "war leader." The spelling…