Boy Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Video Game Names for Boys
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About this list
Movie- and TV-character names can be both inspired and inspirational to parents in the twenty-first century, but the new generation of parents-to-be find as much inspiration in video game names. Some of these video game character names, such as Duke and Jax, are more name-worthy than others—can you imagine a baby boy named Kazooie?
Along with Duke and Jax, other video game names for boys in the US Top 1000 include Dante, Fox, Kane, Maximo, Niko, Phoenix, Raiden, and Trevor. Other names from video games worthy of using on your child include Alistair, Ezio, Ridley, and Wolf.
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The names
Dante
Latin diminutive of Durant
"enduring"
Though closely associated with the great medieval Florentine poet Dante Alighieri -- who's so famous most people skip the last name -- it's not as much of a one-man name as you might think. Heck,…
Niko
Finnish form and Croatian and Slovene short form of Nicholas, Greek
"victory of the people"
Popular in Croatia, Spain, New Zealand, and Slovenia, Niko has also been rising up the US popularity charts for boys since the late 2000s. Fresher than Nicholas, spikier than Nico, it currently ranks…
Phoenix
Arizona place-name and Greek
"dark red"
Effortlessly cool with a hint of the mystical, Phoenix rolls a lot of trends into one: it's a place-name and a bird name, it ends in the stylish letter x, it's got in-built nicknames, and it's unisex…
Jax
Modern invented name, English
"God is Gracious"
With its cool -X ending, Jax is an update on the classic nickname Jack, likely inspired by the rise of Jackson. It garnered attention in the US thanks to the game, Mortal Kombat II back in the '90s,…
Raiden
Japanese, English invented name
The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to popular baby names Aiden and Jayden, most people will…
Kane
Celtic
"warrior"
A name of multiple identities: a somewhat soap-operatic single-syllable surname, a homonym for the biblical bad boy Cain, and, when found in Japan and Hawaii, it transforms into the two syllable…
Maximo
Spanish variation of Maximus, Latin
"greatest"
With the ubiquitous Max heard at every playground across the US, international versions have been gaining traction in an attempt to provide a fresh avenue to the highly sought nickname. This Spanish…
Trevor
Welsh
"from the large village"
Trevor, a British standard, took a long time to cross the Atlantic, but finally began its rise here in the 1980s. It is now a thoroughly naturalized citizen, though it still retains a touch of Anglo…
Duke
English rank of nobility
While John Wayne and Duke Ellington are worthy role models, the reason Duke is currently enjoying a revival and returned to the Top 1000 in 2013 as one of the year's fastest-rising boys’ names is…
Alistair
English spelling of Alasdair, Scottish version of Alexander
"defending men"
With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this…
Ash
Diminutive of Asher, English
"ash tree"
Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or…
Cyrax
Invented name
Futuristic variation of Cyrus. Cyrax is a character in the Mortal Kombat video game series.
Dandelion
Flower name, from French
"lion's tooth"
The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.
Crash
Word name
"colliding violently; sudden loud sound"
Crash is a particularly calamitous entry in the badass boys' name category, taking Wilder and Maverick one -- or maybe a dozen -- steps further. But we can think of at least a dozen reasons you…
Arc
English word name
Refers, in literal terms, to a curved line -- as in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famed "arc of justice." Could also be used as a reference to Joan of Arc -- Arc being, there, derived from her father's…
Akuma
Japanese
"devil, demon"
Nice baby name with a devilish meaning.
Cloud
Nature name
Like Sky and Sunshine, this fluffy name from the hippie 1970s has floated back onto the naming radar. It's similarity of Clyde and Claude help to ground it.
Eivor
Swedish, Norwegian
"careful island; island defender; good luck"
Traditionally a feminine name in Scandinavian culture, where these days it's mostly considered a grandmother name. Americans may associate it with Eivor Varinsdottir, a character from Assassain's…
Cave
Word name
We have Cove and Canyon—why not Cave?
Alucard
Popular culture
"Dracula backwards"
While Alucard has the sound of names like Alaric, Arnoud, and Ealdwine, it is in fact literally Dracula spelled backwards. Used in various bits of media over the years, it is perhaps best associated…
