Bold Boy Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

With word names, almost anything goes. But maybe not Ghost, unless you're naming a white dog.

Love the popular Noah but want to make it more distinctive? You can vary it to Noam, and going all the way to Noaz takes it from distinctive to unique.

Dagger is one of the new badass baby names, a sharp and scary choice that some parents may feel arm their child for battle in a cruel modern world.

Used in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, this strong-sounding name belonged to a hero in Persian legend. Its derivation is unclear, but the consensus seems to be that it relates to the hero’s great size and strength, possibly from Avestan raodha "to grow" and takhma "strong, brave, valiant".

If you like the idea of King and Prince but find them too sophisticated, this might be the name for you.

Word name are as popular as ever—why not add Adventure to the pool?

A new, rising word name for boys that has the advantage of sharing sounds with more common names like Bryson and Braydon. And the disadvantage of getting confused with them.

This is one of the least known or used of the Theo names, quite possibly because of its last syllable. In Samuel Butler's 1903 novel The Way of All Flesh, there is a clergyman character named Theobald Pontifex.

Mingo is a cute nickname of the Spanish version of Dominic. It's not to be confused with Mungo, the name of the patron saint of Glasgow.

Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for revival.

The unique O-ending makes this name memorable, especially for someone with ties to Texas.

Derived from the personal name Adalhard.

Romanticizes Rudolph and distances the name from the red-nosed reindeer. After remaining steadily in the US Top 500 for much of the twentieth century, Rodolfo has been slipping of late.

The name of a monk who is the patron saint of blacksmiths -- not a twentieth-century occupation or baby name.

Donnelly is among the more appealing Irish surname names, less well used than Donovan. Related options include the place name Donegal and the mythological god name Donegan.

Dinand is popular in the Netherlands thanks to a local singing sensation. Dinand is one of many Dutch short forms that come from the middle or end of a name -- think Bas for Sebastian or Hans from Johannes -- rather than from the beginning as is more usual in the U.S. and UK, though we're catching on.

Interesting and energetic international form of Ferdinand.

While still very rare, the name Valiant was given to six baby boys in the US last year. And it's an inspiring choice.

Very common in early Ireland and still in use there today, it was the name of an eighth century high king and also a saint. Not as well known in this country as Fergus, Fergal is currently appearing as a character on the TV series Catastrophe.