Boy Names Lists · Nameberry Favorites
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 20 pages
of 20
Latin
"evening star"
While this is usually thought of as a girls' name because of the Bond Girl connection, its sound is masculine and there's no reason it couldn't work for boys.
Celtic
"gold"
An unusual name for a child with golden hair. Auron is a Welsh female name with the same meaning.
Phoenician
"Baal protects the King"
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,…
English word name
"an obscuring of light when one celestial body passes over another"
An evocative word name denoting a rare celestial phenomenon when the sun and moon are aligned so that the moon casts a shadow over the Earth (a solar eclipse), or when the moon is right in front of…
Japanese
"aware of emptiness"
Goku is the name of the protagonist of the popular "Dragon Ball" manga series, which was turned into a live action film. The character of Goku is reportedly based on Sun Wukong, the hero of the…
Scottish, Irish
"marsh, thicket; fort; dark, black"
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a punch, but also has a endearing quality about it thanks to its similarity to the word care . Sometimes used as a short form of the more popular Kieran, it…
English
"peacock"
An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…
"good, respectful"
A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character.
Hebrew
"God is just"
Adlai is an Old Testament name long associated with 1950's liberal presidential candidate Stevenson, who was named after his grandfather, who was Grover Cleveland's vice president in the nineteenth…
Greek
"from the east, rising sun"
Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more…
English variation of Barnabas, Aramaic
"son of consolation"
Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it…
"exposure to injury, pain, harm, or loss"
Prime example of the aggressive word names that are an off-the-grid branch of the new macho names. Makes Cannon, Maverick, and Ranger feel almost soft and sensitive by comparison.
American variation of Machiavelli, Italian
"bad nail; king of light"
Makaveli was an alias of Tupac Shakur — his posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory , was released under the pseudonym. The album was released in 1996, following his death, and the…
"farm near the willows; willow town"
Energetic Willoughby is a familiar last name, but, as yet, makes for a unique choice in the first spot. An unexpected way to get to popular short forms Will and Billy, Willoughby could make an…
Welsh
"sun born"
Said to be the name of the most learned man in ancient Wales, in this country it would be open to mispronunciation, making it rhyme with Julien.
Occupational name
With the rise of such working names as Gardener, Miller, and Bailey, someone out there might want to dub their child a Wizard — though we're not sure this exactly classifies as an occupation.
Diminutive of Jonathan
"gift of Jehovah"
Jaunty, to say the least, Jonty might be an option if Johnny feels too old school. It has been noticed most often on the playing fields, as in U.K. rugby player Jonty Parkin (born Jonathan) and South…
Greek mythology name
"the darkness of the night"
Name of the legendary ancient Greek poet and musician — whose music was so beautiful it made trees dance and rivers stop to listen — would provide a child with a challenging but indelible identity.
Grisha is a masculine name of Russian origin, functioning as a diminutive or nickname for Grigori, the Russian form of Gregory. The name Gregory derives from Greek 'gregorios,' meaning 'watchful' or…
Botanical name and French
"reddish brown"
Sorrel is a gentle, amber-hued herbal and autumnal name that's used most often to describe the color of a horse. Sorrell is a variant spelling. Both make excellent names for autumn babies and can be…
