By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 127 pages
of 127
French surname
"golden"
Dior was among the fastest-rising names for both girls and boys in the US in the early 2020s, but was the fastest- falling name for boys in the 2023 statistics. Its connection to French luxury…
Short form of Esaias or variation of Esau, Hebrew
"salvation of the Lord; hairy"
An energetic and compact Spanish name, likely derived from Esaias or Esau, it is best associated with actor Esai Morales of American Family and Bad Boys fame. Pronounced as EH-sye in Spanish, it may…
German and Scandinavian variation of Charles
Manly almost to the point of macho.
Arabic
"happy, lucky"
A traditional and important Arabic name — Sai'd bin Zayd was a friend of the prophet Muhammed.
"letters of the alphabet"
These letters begin the 20th chapter of the Quran (surah Ta Ha). A noted bearer is Egyptian writer Taha Hussein, one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian intellectuals, who was nominated for…
"faithful, trustworthy"
Amin is a simple but strong name with a solid meaning. It was borne by the sixth Abbasid caliph, a ruler of the Abbasid Muslim Empire in the 9th century, a descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.…
Diminutive of Edward
"wealthy guardian"
Eddy, recently used by Celine Dion for one of her twin boys, was chosen to honor Eddy Marnay, who produced her first five records. Though less common a nickname for Edward than Eddie, Eddy is used…
Gujarati, Sanskrit
"space, universe, sky"
Succinct but impactful, Vyom is a Gujarati name, ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word for "space,, universe" and "sky". Pronounced vee-yom, the two syllables merge into almost one and the latter…
Roman mythology
"god of war; male; red planet"
Mars is a name with interesting potential, ticking the boxes as a mythological name, a space name, and a single syllable choice ending in -s. For parents wanting something unexpected, Mars could work…
English
"fox"
A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.
Modern invented name or variation of Zayd, Arabic
"increase, growth"
You might think of this as the zesty brother of Cade and Slade. Or Zade might appeal to you as an anglicized spelling of the Arabic Zayd or Zaid, the name of an enslaved man that Muhammad adopted as…
Hebrew
"Jehovah is his God"
The Hebrew version of Joel has a pleasant, almost jolly sound.
English surname and place-name
"edge"
Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.
Issa is a masculine name with multicultural origins. In Arabic culture, it is the name for Jesus (prophet Isa in Islam) and means 'God is salvation.' It also appears in Slavic languages as a…
Spelling variation of word name King
All names connected with royalty have become increasingly popular in recent years, and King variation Kyng is no exception. Some parents may feel that the Kyng spelling makes it more of a name and…
Scottish; Arabic
"river with alder trees; happy"
Naim, also sometimes spelled Naime, is a pleasant choice that may have some confusing pronunciation issues in English-speaking countries (where may will say this name as "name"). But don't let that…
"battle warrior"
Despite all the "hanging," "dangling," and "pregnant" chad jokes of the 2000 election, this saint's name and remnant of the Brad-Tad era didn't get a boost in popularity. But Chad still holds some…
Josh is a friendly, approachable masculine name that originated as a shortened form of Joshua, which comes from Hebrew meaning 'God is salvation.' While Joshua has biblical significance as the…
Medieval short form of Jordan
"flowing down"
Judd is a strong but sensitive short form that can easily stand on its own, the second 'd' giving it a lot more substance, and it would also be a good middle name choice. Two recent actors have given…
Levy is a masculine name with rich multicultural origins. In Hebrew, it derives from the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, signifying "joined" or "attached." The name carries…
