This name of an early Greek Christian philosopher comes with a wizened, ancient air about it. Still, perhaps the nickname Ari might help it work for a baby to grow into.

A international feeling name of Japanese origin that could be used to refer to a child's place in the family, Kenji has attracted notice in the US as the name of The Food Lab chef, James Kenji López-Alt, know simply as Kenji. It appeared in the latter end of the US Top 1000 in 2023.

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.

As Harrison is to Harry, Garrison is to Gary: both of the longer versions sound more modern and appealing. NPR's Prairie Home Companion's Garrison Keillor was born Gary.

A popular choice in Mexico and a Top 200 name in the US, though usually for girls. Ximena has that stylish X- initial and a sunny feel. Alternative form Jimena is also in the charts and is far more popular in Spain itself.

While the traditionally spelled Madison has been among the most popular names in the 21st century, this version isn't exactly unpopular. Nevertheless, the second d is superfluous.

Climbing the charts for boys, and has just begun to cross over for girls, despite the macho "hud" sound followed by the "son" syllable.

Nelson is a rather stiff and dated surname name that is sometimes used to honor distinguished South African activist Nelson Mandela, as Celine Dion did for one of her twin boys. Other notable associations are with the British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, novelist Nelson Algren and movie operetta star Nelson Eddy. It was also the given name of "Rabbit" Angstrom, protagonist of John Updike's series of novels.

Updates Allison—which everyone will misunderstand it as. But it's definitely a fresh spin on the Ellie names, and a rising surname name choice for girls.

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

Judson remained in the US Top 1000 every year until it dropped off in 1987. In 2014, the named rejoined the list. With Hudson gaining in popularity, Judson—a possible alternative to Justin—could follow its path.

Benaiah is an unusual Biblical choice that can get you to Ben.

Yes, there are baby girls named Benjamin — typically between 10-20 recorded in a given year. These numbers are likely inflated due to data entry error, but you still could encounter a female Benjamin out there.

Made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald Kennedy; still works best as a middle name.

What with the resurgence of W names like Weston and Walter, the prominence of high profile actress Emma and golfer Bubba, and even the attention paid to Watson, the IBM computer on "Jeopardy" (named for IBM's founder, Thomas Watson) this name could be in line for a revival of its own.

When you look at its etymology, Anderson might be a surprising choice for a baby girl: the son ending confers a meaning that's literally masculine, which is then reinforced by Anders ("manly, masculine") giving it the overall meaning "son of the manly, masculine one".

The surname Witten (and variants such as Whitten) is a patronym derived from Witte or Witt, which was a nickname for people with white hair or a pale complexion in Germany and the Netherlands. It makes a very cool (and rare!) name for a son — the stylish nickname Witt seals the deal.

Moshe is the original Hebrew form of Moses, also spelled Mosheh. In the past it was changed to names like Morris, Moe and Maurice.

Author Colson Whitehead put his name on the map, and now variations such as Colsen and Colsyn are shooting up along with it. With its cowboy style, Colsen was one of the fastest rising boy names of 2024, when it was given to 442 boys — more than four times the number of babies who were given it previous year.

Made famous by former child star Macaulay Culkin, one of the more popular Mac names.