Nature, Place and Word Names
Mineral & Metal Baby Names for Boys
Across 6 pages
of 6
Coltan
Coltan is a modern masculine name that has gained modest recognition in recent decades. It likely developed as a variation of the more common Colton, which itself originated as an English surname…
Berilo
Spanish, from Greek
"beryl, pale green gemstone"
A Latin name with a lot of tango flair.
Craig
Scottish
"from the rocks"
Craig is a single-syllable baby-boomer name, still common in its native Scotland, but most modern Americans would prefer something like Kyle.
Creighton
English and Scottish
"hilltop town, rocky place"
One instance where a phonetic spelling might be better.
Denarius
Latin
"silver coin"
Diamond
Gem name
Diamond was a big hit for girls in the nineties, ultimately making it into the Top 150. It's a relative rarity today for baby girls and boys, for whom the name also peaked in the nineties.
Cobalt
Color and nature name
Even among the range of blue names on the current baby naming palette -- Blue itself, Azure, Cerulean, Teal, Aqua, Cyan, Indigo -- Cobalt remains the most unusual, not to mention the most masculine.
Ferris
Irish, English
"strong man or ironworker"
It's been four decades decades since Ferris Bueller took his famous day off in the cult classic 1986 teen comedy movie, but we think the time for this name could and should be now! Especially with…
Eben
Hebrew, diminutive of Ebenezer
"stone of help"
Though most parents would shy away from Ebenezer, short form Eben is affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; nothing Scroogish about it. This also makes a fresh new spin on the very…
Ebenezer
Hebrew
"stone of help"
Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then…
Coal
Word name
This recently coined respelling of Cole darkens its image.
Isley
English variation of Eisele, German
"iron"
Isley is used more often for girls, thanks to the similar name Isla, but actor Glenn Howerton chose it for his son, born in 2014. The musical connection via the Isley Brothers puts it in the same…
Farrar
English occupational name
"blacksmith, metalworker"
Farrar has two separate origins: an occupational name meaning "smith", and a Scottish river name, from a Pictish word meaning "to wind". Barely ever recorded as a first name, Farrar is a blank slate…
Fabbro
Italian
"blacksmith"
If you're looking for a really unusual international occupational name, this could be it!
Emzar
Georgian
"cohabitant; gold"
This Georgian name is of unclear meaning, but it may derive from Persian zar "gold".
Cephas
Aramaic
"rock"
The apostle Simon was called Cephas by Jesus because he was to be the rock upon which the Christian church was to be built. In most versions of the New Testament, Cephas is translated into Petros in…
Elixir
Arabic
"medicinal substance; philosopher's stone"
Potentially a cool route to Eli.
Favre
French occupational name
"ironworker"
Surname of a fifteenth-century saint and a twenty-first-century quarterback, Brett Favre.
Cashel
Irish
"castle, stone fort"
Cashel is one of the many appealing Irish names that have not yet emigrated to the US. Cashel was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller for their son. In…
Elidor
Welsh or Hebrew
"steel, or generation of god"
As a Welsh name, Elidor is a modern form of Elidur, an ancient British king name. It was used by British author Alan Garner for the eponymous hero of his children's fantasy novel Elidor (1965). As a…