By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 755 pages
of 755
Place-name
"home on a forested dune"
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…
Modern invention, from Cawston or Casey
"calf town; brave in battle"
One of many spelling variations of Cason, Caysen, Kasen, and so on, Kaycen made its debut in the US charts in 2025 when it was one of the fastest rising choices for boys. Climbing 241 places, it may…
Spelling variation of Matthew
There was a time in the early twentieth century when Matthew and Mathew were closer together in terms of popularity; today, Matthew is America's clear preference. Mathew is also the standard Welsh…
English or Latin
"queen's manor; fifth"
Quinton is among several attractive Q-beginning, n-ending two-syllable names for boys , that also includes Quentin (the most popular iteration) and Quenton. They only suffer from their similarity and…
Diminutive or Scottish form of Alexander, Greek
"defending men"
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…
Arabic variation of Aslan, Turkish
"lion"
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…
Diminutive of Tobias, Greek, Hebrew
"God is Good"
Sweet and spirited, kindly and handsome, posh and approachable, Toby is a versatile nickname, popular in the UK as a stand-alone choice, but familiar in the Netherlands and New Zealand too. In the…
Spelling variation of Amir
Spelling variant Ameer is much less popular than the original. An Amir is a ruler in the Arab world.
English
"barn for cows"
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…
Slavic, Turkish, Russian, Arabic
"give peace; iron; heart, mind, conscience"
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…
"faithful, loyal"
Loyal is one of the few virtue names suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history. Loyal was a mid-list name at the…
Scandinavian variation of Andrew
"strong and manly, masculine"
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…
French
"courteous, polite"
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…
Hebrew
"fruitful, fertile, productive"
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…
Portuguese form of Israel, or invented name, Hebrew
"he who struggles with God; God is salvation"
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…
Japanese
"young thunder"
The name Jiraiya was created in 1806 for yomi-hon — a type of book from the Edo Period — called Jiraiya Monogatari. The character was revived later in the century for a folk tale series Jiraiya…
Scandinavian
"army ruler"
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,…
"pilgrim; one who holds a palm"
Palmer is a name that derives from the fact that pilgrims often carried palms, thus the double meaning. It's a fresher sounding twist other surname style names, such as Spencer, Carter, Porter and…
French and English
"ruler or king of the land"
St. Landry was a seventh century bishop of Paris, founder of the city's first hospital, though in the US, it may be better connected with legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, an association…
"might of God"
An obscure Old Testament name used by parents of 75 boys in 2016, Oziel could be a distinctive route to fashionable nickname Oz.
