By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 127 pages
of 127
Esco is a unique masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a diminutive of names beginning with 'Es-' such as Esmond or Escobar, or derive from place names like Esco, Spain. Another…
Finnish variation of Asketill, Norse
"helmet of God"
Cool Finnish name ripe for import.
Gadi is a masculine name with Hebrew origins, appearing in the Bible as one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name means "my fortune" or "lucky" in Hebrew, derived from the word "gad" meaning good…
English from Old Norse or Dutch and German surname
"masked person; stern, severe"
The Old Norse god Óthinn was also known by the epithet Grímr — translated into Middle English as Grim.
Japanese
"white; chief; soul"
Notably used for characters in Spirited Away and Naruto .
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
Arabic
"journey of the night"
Isra is a gender-neutral Arabic name. The name of a chapter of the Quran, it refers to the Prophet's journey from Mecca to Jerusalem.
Izek is a concise, modern-sounding masculine name with multiple potential origins. It may be a variant of Isaac, which has Hebrew roots meaning 'laughter' or 'he will laugh.' Alternatively, it could…
Izik is a masculine name that represents an alternative spelling of Isaac, which derives from Hebrew and means "he will laugh" or "he will rejoice." The name carries biblical significance as Isaac…
Estonian variation of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
Estonian translation of John, currently ranking in Estonia's Top 20.
"second son"
Also written as Jirō, this is a commonly used Japanese name, sometimes as a standalone and sometimes as a suffix. Often written to mean "second son", other kanji elements may be used to create the…
Jojo is a playful, gender-neutral name often used as a masculine name in its own right or as a nickname for names like Joseph, Jonathan, Jordan, or Johannes. Its repetitive structure gives it a…
Diminutive of Kieran or alternate spelling of Keir, Irish, Scottish
"little black-haired one; thicket, marsh"
Succinct and snappy, this name is both an alternative form of Keir and a short form of Kieran. It could therefore stem from the Irish ciar meaning "black" or the Scottish Kerr (via Norse kjarr ),…
Variation of Croix, French
"cross"
Variation of Croix.
Kyen is a modern masculine name with a contemporary sound but uncertain etymology. It may be a variant spelling of Kian, which has Irish origins meaning "ancient" or "enduring," or could relate to…
Variation of Leif, Diminutive of Lafayette, Scandinavian, French
"heir, descendant; faith"
In the 18th century, Lafe was the common short form of the French surname name Lafayette. A notable bearer was Lafe McKee, who acted in over 400 films during the first half of the 19th century.…
Diminutive of Leonard
"lion"
Better than Lenny, not as good as Leo, and tightly tied to Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
Latin
"light"
Lito is an onomatopoeia of a name: a name that sounds like what it means. A modern bearer is Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback. Lito might also be a short form of such names as Carlito…
English word name
"a fastening (as for a door) operated by a key or a combination"
Interestingly, Locke is a gender-neutral name used only for boys, while word name Lock is so rare it was given to fewer than five children of either gender in the US last year.
Chinese and Vietnamese
"dragon"
An Asian name that may be thought of as an English word name, for better or worse.
