Best Unique Boy Names: Under 50 Births

Orrin

Variation of Odhrán, Irish

"little pale green one"

With a cool color meaning and a woodsy, earthy feel, this anglicized spelling of the Irish name Odhrán could rise in popularity thanks to Olympic rugby player, Orrin Bizer. The name did rank in the…

Hart

English

"stag"

Hart could be the hero of a romantic novel, but on the other hand, it's short, straightforward, and strong sounding. The most famous bearer of the name was tragic poet Hart (born Harold) Crane, but…

Bram

Dutch variation of Abraham, Hebrew

"father of multitudes"

Bram has an unusual measure of character and charm for a one-syllable name; it started as a hipper-than-Abe diminutive of the biblical Abraham, but is also an independent Irish and Dutch name, made…

Oakes

English

"near the oaks"

One part nature name, one part surname name. Oakes gives you the best of both worlds.

Ike

Diminutive of Isaac, Hebrew

"laughter"

Ike, once the quirky one-person nickname of President Dwight Eisenhower, has morphed into a cool kid nickname of the early 21st century. The rise of Isaac and the stylishness of short down-to-earth…

Mikko

Finnish, from Hebrew

"who is like God?"

Cute Finnish version of Michael.

Florian

Latin

"flowering"

If Flora and Florence have returned full force, then Florian, with its strong Latinate ending and its botanical meaning in one to watch out for. Popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and…

Niles

Scandinavian

"son of Neil"

Perfect name for TV Frasier's effete brother. In the 2020 film Palm Springs , Andy Samberg plays a character with the updated spelling Nyles.

Willis

Diminutive of William, German

"resolute protection"

A common surname that was popular as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th century, Willis dropped off the US Top 1000 back in the early 90s, just as alternative William diminutive, Liam,…

Golden

Word name

Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, that may lean too dazzling for some, but more grounded for others, thanks to its similarity of Alden, Auden, Elden and Gordon. Given to 100 babies in a…

Hadrian

Latin

"from the Adriatic; dark-haired"

Most parents would find this old Roman name pretentious compared to the more accessible Adrian, but some history buffs just might want to commemorate the enlightened emperor.

Murray

Scottish

"settlement by the sea"

Murray, you may be surprised to discover, is a Scottish surname name --that of an ancient noble clan--with a sea-swept meaning, and just could be in the next wave of reevaluated grandpa names.…

Hershel

Hebrew

"deer"

Gentle meaning and bona fide Hebrew history, but feels old-mannish, like Herman and Menashe.

Penn

English

"enclosure"

This simple, elegant name offers something for many kinds of parents, from writers and history buffs to photographers to Pennsylvania dwellers. Most famous bearers are comedian Penn Jillette and…

Surya

Hindi

"sun god"

Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.

Mills

Feels akin to Brooks and Rivers, two other boys' names that double as plural nouns. It's been used as a first name for centuries, including by a two time governor of Virginia.

Baltazar

Spanish, Hebrew, Akkadian

"Baal protects the King"

This variation spelling of Balthasar is most often used in South America. Argentinian football star Joan Figallo recently called his son Baltazar.

Cato

Latin

"all-knowing"

Cato conjures up images of ancient Roman statesmen and southern antebellum retainers; it could have revival potential, with its 'O' ending and the current interest in the names of Greek and Roman…

Echo

Greek mythology name

"echo or sound"

Although this is traditionally seen as a female name, via the classical mythological nymph who pined away for Narcissus until all that remained of her was a disembodied voice — it can also be used…

Nicodemus

Greek

"victory of the people"

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Borne by the person who helps to entomb Jesus following his crucifixion, it has the powerful meaning of…