Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 16 pages
of 16
Greek
"earth"
Geo is of ancient origin but cutting-edge modern sound. It is starting to rise in popularity, partly for its cool science vibe, and partly as a soundalike for popular Italian diminutive Gio. Geo is…
English
"the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer"
Zenith is an uplifting if quirky word name, meaning the top or the peak. Eight boys received the name in one recent year, only a third of those who were called Nadir -- the low point!
Word name
At one time, Moon might have felt like a celebrity-only option, memorably chosen by Frank Zappa for his daughter Moon Unit. Now, with Sunny, Goldie, Wren, Star, Storm, Ocean, Onyx, and Scout in the…
Latin
"godfather"
Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its…
Latin, Irish, or Old Norse
"one; lamb; happy"
In an epic poem, the personification of truth, beauty, and unity; this ancient name is popular in several European countries but less common in the US. The Oona spelling is slightly more popular but…
English word name
"wave"
Wave made, well, waves when it was revealed to be the name of Cardi B and Offset's son. Evocative of crashing waves at the beach, large surfing barrels, and tumultuous and stormy seas, Wave is a name…
" a metallic chemical element with atomic number 47"
Among the first wave of word names used in the hippie era, it actually is a legitimate girl's name with a lot of luster.
English word name, Greek, Latin
"the smallest particle of an element; to cut"
"gold colored"
Like Silver, Golden is a shimmering, metallic color name, similar enough to the likes of Arden, Eden, and Gwendolyn that it might not over dazzle. It could work as an unexpected route to the vintage…
Latin from Greek
"burning"
Yes, it's the name of the brightest star in the sky, but can't you just hear people saying, "Are you serious?" Singer Erykah Badu used it as a middle name for son Seven.
"spear"
A family of lawyers might be interested in this surname as a tribute to famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow.
"one who stutters"
Despite its modern sound, Blaise has plenty of history as a given name (for boys), from a Christian martyr to Arthurian legends. Today Blaise feels like the cool and edgy Blaze with a French accent.
Scottish and English
"hall or woodland clearing"
The Halley version of this popular name family hit the Top 1000 only once, in 1986, inspired by Halley's Comet, named for astronomer Edmund Halley. Today, Halley is still used -- it was given to 50…
French; English
"of the Passover; Easter"
The French-accented Pascal was historically used for sons born at Easter, and can make an interesting choice for a boy with Gallic roots arriving around that holiday. Pascal has a number of notable…
"son of Robin"
This can be a cool and unusual way to honor your family Robert, conjuring up memories of Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson , as well as narrative poet Robinson Jeffers, born John Robinson,…
Persian
"bringer of treasure"
The ancient boys' name Jasper is popular internationally in a range of forms, including Casper and Gaspard, and now Jasper is beginning to be used for girls in the US.
German
"dweller on burnt land"
Less commercial-sounding than Brand.
"of Vinci"
A rare hero name that debuted in 2005, DaVinci clearly honors Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian Renaissance painter, scientist, architect, and more. His surname specifies that he was from Vinci, a town…
"last"
Omega is an unusual name used now equally for boys and girls, though the a ending is conventionally feminine. More popular boys' names, like Omega, end in the a sound these days: Joshua, Noah, Micah.
"inhospitable place"
Huxley is an increasingly popular surname-name for baby boys in the US and now is beginning to be used for girls as well. The -ley suffix, usually denoting a place, is common in names for both…
