Croc Names

Simeon

Hebrew

"he [God] has heard"

Could Simeon be the next Gideon? Parents seeking a less simple form of Simon might consider this biblical appellation that was chosen by Wynton Marsalis for his son. Simon is actually the Greek…

Vernon

English

"place of alders"

Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.

Tyrone

Irish

"land of Owen"

Immigrated into American pop culture in the person of 1940s superstar Tyrone Power, Jr. It has been on a steady decline since the 1970s.

Virgil

Latin

"staff bearer"

The name of the greatest Roman poet and an early Irish saint who believed the earth was round, Virgil is heard most notably today as the name of designer Virgil Abloh of Off-White. The first century…

Wilbur

English, German

"wild boar"

Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…

Gordan

Gordan is a masculine name primarily of Slavic and Scottish origins, representing a variant spelling of Gordon. The Scottish origin traces back to a place name meaning 'spacious fort,' while the…

Gordie

Gordie is a masculine diminutive of Gordon, a name with Scottish origins derived from a place name meaning 'great hill' or 'spacious fort.' Gordie gained particular recognition in North America…

Ernest

English from German

"serious, resolute"

Ernest is one of those sober, so-far-out-they're-beginning-to-be-reconsidered Great Uncle names. Ernest recently received a big style boost when Britain's Princess Eugenie chose it for her second…

Seymour

English

"marshy land near the sea"

Out playing shuffleboard at his condo and not expected back for several generations -- unless it morphs into a girls' name, a la Sydney.

Murray

Scottish

"settlement by the sea"

Murray, you may be surprised to discover, is a Scottish surname name --that of an ancient noble clan--with a sea-swept meaning, and just could be in the next wave of reevaluated grandpa names.…

Ross

English and Scottish

"upland, peninsula"

Like Friends , Ross is off the air and into syndication as a baby name, having plummeted from its zenith in the late 80s to fall off the US Top 1000 in 2013. Today, Ross is more likely to be a dad…

Morris

English variation of Maurice

"dark-skinned"

Morris is as quiet and comfortable as a Morris chair, and has the same vintage feel. Once a Top 100 name in the early 1900s, Morris fell completely off the roster in 1995, probably due to lingering…

Boyd

Scottish

"blond"

Has a bit of a hayseed image, and that oy sound is tough to work with.

Wilfred

English

"desires peace"

Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative…

Daryl

Variation of Darrell, French

"dear one, beloved"

Darrell and all its variations was a trendy name in the 1950s and 1960s, an update on David and Daniel that began to fall out of favor by the 1970s and fell out of the Top 1000 completely at the turn…