Boy Names Lists · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
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.
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…
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…
English
"grower or seller of barley"
A bit too bad-boy (think bars, beer, Harley) for us, as well as being the name of a grain.
Auric is an Ian Fleming anti-hero, better known as Goldfinger. Better to go with James. Or even Bond.
"prince portrait"
Samuel Johnson invented the name Rasselas for the title character of his novel, Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. Rasselas is actually the son of the prince. TV auteur Sally Wainwright recently used the…
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.
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…
"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…
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…
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…
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."
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…
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…
"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…
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…
"hare town"
Used by Emily Brontë in her novel Wuthering Heights , Hareton is a distinctive, rugged and literature-inspired choice. With the sounds of an English place name and the vibes of a last name as a first…
"path to a triangular piece of land"
While Caraway-with-one-R brings to mind nature and herbs, the double R variant is reminiscent of Nick Carraway, the narrator of the classic novel The Great Gatsby . With its trendy surname feel and…
Greek
"sacred name"
A name used in Germany and Holland as a form of Jerome, it's the unlikely moniker of fictional detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch.
Irish
"glutton"
Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…
