Best Unique Boy Names: Under 50 Births

Isabel, Theodore, and Isadora are back: could it now be time for a more widespread revival of Isidore? Yet to see any big moves up the charts, Isidore was given to more than 30 boys in a recent year: twice the number it was given to a decade ago.

Oisin is one of the most popular Irish baby names in its native land, though largely unknown in the US. The original Oisin was the mythological son of Finn McCool and Sadb, the goddess who was changed into a deer. A legendary war hero and poet, Oisin had a name that is also reminiscent in sound of the ocean. Pronounced correctly, this name has an attractive sheen.

Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish nickname. That character, by the way, has the full name of Bartholomew JoJo Simpson, and creator Matt Groening came up with Bart as an--uh oh--anagram for brat. Two old alternate nicknames are Barty and Tolly.

Fresh and surprising on a boy – and how can you not love the cool classic nickname Will?

Perrin has been in long use as a surname, derived from Peter, and is now used quietly as a first name. It may rise higher now that it's a character name in the popular TV adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy novel series The Wheel of Time. Twenty-six baby boys were named Perrin in the US last year, along with six baby girls.

Willoughby is an energetic last-name-first route to the popular short form Will, livelier than any of the two-syllable options. It could be picked up by parents attracted to the Willow sound for girls.

Saxon is unusual word name that nevertheless feels right on trend, with that sharp X in the middle and that two-syllable-ending-in-n pattern. Reminiscent of Roman but not yet so popular, Saxon is one to watch out for.

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 it also has musical cred via Lorenz Hart, of the classic Rodgers & Hart songwriting duo and a literary tie to playwright Moss Hart.

Smooth and sleek one-syllable name, sometimes suggested for Sagittarius boys.

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.

More often used in Britain than here, where most names ending in ville fall into the unthinkable class, this might make an exception via fans of the musical Neville Brothers.

Could Hal be the Jack, Max, or Gus of the future? It just might happen in the new nickname environment. Hank Azaria put it on his son's birth certificate.

Sounds like a Lewis variant, but in actual fact the surname-turned-first-name Lewin derives from the Old English name Leofwine, meaning "dear friend".

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 for boys. Remember that old song, 'Little sir echo, how do you do?'

Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example.

This evocative name of one of the Three Wise Men of the Orient, also spelled Balthasar, may finally be ready for prime time. Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar were the Magi who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus, though their names were not mentioned in the Bible.

Tobias-related name that makes an attractive and modern-sounding form of the biblical original. It was recently chosen by Karolina Kurkova for her son.

Ike, once the quirky one-person nickname of President Dwight Eisenhower, has morphed into a cool kid nickname of the early 21st century.

Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone.

Highly unusual as a baby name for either gender, Yarrow is an herb that grows wild and has long been used for its medicinal property. It's named for the mythical Achilles, who was said to carry yarrow into battle.