Boy Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Literary Names for Boys
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Utah
American place name, Ute
"people of the mountains"
This would make a startling but likable choice; poet Dylan Thomas used it for a character in his play "Under Milk Wood."
Vivaldo
Italian
"who dominates the will"
Unusual Italian name for boys that relates both to the vividly stylish Viv names such as Vivienne and Viveca, and to the Italian musician Vivaldi.
Wolf
Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang, German
" traveling wolf"
Wolf is a name with a split personality. It can be seen as one of the fierce animal names, like Fox and Bear and Puma, with a touch of the werewolf, or it can be viewed as a quieter, Wolf Blitzer…
Yancey
Native American
"yankee"
A fancy TV western name that didn't catch on like fellow cowboys Luke and Josh, but definitely has a certain amount of charm. It is also spelled Yancy, as in the 1950s series Yancy Derringer . It was…
Zooey
Literary name
The original Zooey, hero of J.D. Salinger's Franny & Zooey , was male, but nowadays the name is more closely associated with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel. With Zoe at number 31 for girls and Zoey…
Cullen
Irish
"holly tree"
Cullen is an appealing Irish surname name that upped its cool factor considerably when it became the Twilight family name of Edward et al. It's considerably less popular than it was at its peak in…
Huckleberry
Word name and literary name
Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…
Edmund
English
"fortunate protector"
The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name. In fact, it's already a fairly…
Pip
English, diminutive of Philip
"lover of horses"
The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.
Sylvander
Variation of Silvanus, combination of Sylvester and Anders
"man of the woods"
Also spelled Silvander, this poetic and woodsy name was used in various works of literature throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Deriving from the Roman and Biblical name Silvanus, Sylvander could…
Dillamond
Literary name
"people's protection; dill protection"
A character in the Wicked novels and musicals, Dr. Dillamond is a Goat, mentor, and professor. It could blend the Old English element mund meaning "protection" with Dil , a Germanic diminutive…
Mungo
Scottish nickname
"my pet"
Mungo is one of the most classic Scottish names but perhaps also among the most difficult names to carry. There is a St. Mungo whose proper name was Kentigern; he is the patron saint of Glasgow. It…
Shasta
Place-name, Sanskrit
"teacher, guide, ruler"
A Californian mountain range, named for the Indigenous American tribe, the Shasta People, Shasta has been predominantly been used for girls in the US. In Sanskrit, however, it is used as both the…
Vivaldi
Italian surname
"life"
Vivaldi is closely linked with the Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, best known for the Four Seasons . His surname is derived from vita , the Latin word for "life."
Romance
English word name
"romance; love story; a medieval story of chivalry"
Romance may initially strike you as too ardent of a name for a baby, but given that Love has been a fast-rising name in recent years — not to mention soundalikes Roman and Romy — Romance is…
Tamlin
Literary diminutive of Tam, Scottish
"twin; son of Thomas"
A gentle name with a playful and spirited air, Tamlin appears in a traditional Anglo-Scottish ballad that tells the story of Tamlin who is abducted by the Queen of Faeries and later rescued by his…
Okonkwo
Igbo
"born on Nkwo day"
Given to boys born on the last of the four Igbo market days ( Nkwo Things Fall Apart , in which Okonkwo is a famous wrestling champion and feared warrior, who opposes the Christian missionaries and…
Ikemefuna
Igbo
"may my strength not be in vain, let my strength not be wasted"
Predominantly used in Nigeria, Ikemefuna is a name of Igbo origin, with a hopeful and determined meaning. It appears in Chinua Achebe's classic novel, Things Fall Apart , borne by an ill-fated boy…
Montague
Literature, French
"pointy hill"
The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo, Montague has a touch of old-fashioned grandeur about it. With clunky-cute nickname Monty and similar sounds to Montgomery, it has been used as a given name…
Amory
German
"industrious"
Amory is the kind of executive-sounding surname name that became popular in the 1990s. Amory Blaine is the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, This Side of Paradise .