Boy Dog Names That Start With H

The name of the god of death and the underworld in Greek mythology is definitely a dark and daring choice. The Roman version Pluto is more associated with the used-to-be planet or Mickey Mouse's side-kick dog.

Though the mythological Hero was female, this name might prove too big a responsibility for a little guy to shoulder.

Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.

Unless you're a gin aficionado, we prefer Hendrik. Or better yet, Henrik.

A familiar and usable last name turned first. Or you could look at it as a homophone of the verb howl, which gives it a wilder feel.

The "To Be or Not to Be" jokes, via Shakespeare's tortured prince, will get old by Month Two.

Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the playground.

Biblical name -- he was an ancestor of Abraham's -- rarely used today but registered on the U.S. popularity list at the end of the 19th century. With the rise of other obscure Old Testament names, just might have a shot at revival.

With Brooklyn, Trenton, and Camden on the rise, Harlem can't be far behind -- it's already been picked by one celebrity, and it certainly has a stronger historical and cultural identity.

Chance has risen far on the baby-naming charts, but Hazard has a considerably more dangerous edge. It was the middle name of famed US naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry.

British habitational surname that calls to mind the Connecticut capital

Along with Shem and Japheth, a son of Noah with a name that's almost never used -- for more obvious reasons than those of his brothers.

Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, though it tips a bit in the girls' direction in the contemporary US. Given the rise of such popular baby names as Harper and August, plus new word names from Heaven to True, Harvest sounds more possible now than ever.

A cross-cultural possibility, but a bit heavy and somber.

The charming Hitch played by Will Smith in the eponymous movie put this into the lexicon. Also known as the nickname of director Alfred Hitchcock and writer Christopher Hitchens, who titled his autobiography "Hitch."

Huntley was best known as Brinkley's news partner several decades ago. With the new genre of girls' names that are unusual surnames ending with the lee sound -- think Mosley, Yardley -- Huntley or Huntlea or Huntleigh might rise for girls.

The vowel ending tilts this sharply toward the feminine, and at this point Havana still has some political implications as well.