As parents were finding too many Tylers at the neighborhood playground, they began looking to Tyson as an alternative, no longer concerned with possible connections to Mike Tyson or Tyson chicken.

More often used in Britain than here, where most names ending in ville fall into the unthinkable class, this might make an exception via fans of the musical Neville Brothers.

Carmelo is a well-used Hispanic name associated with Mt. Carmel, home of the prophet Elijah and the location of the convent for the order of Carmelites. Carmelo is also a saint's name and — in modern times — tied to basketball player Carmelo Anthony.

Long an extremely popular name in Spain, Iker (usually pronounced EE-kuhr in the English speaking world) is the rare Basque name that's starting to make it big in the States also, thanks to soccer player Iker Casillas. Indeed, it's been one of the fastest growing boys' names of the decade.

One of those names that most Americans find just too too tea-sippingly British to consider; its meaning has led to occasional use for Capricorn boys.

Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential.

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.

Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics competition. The problem with Rigby may be its similarity to the word "rigid."

Can Ernie shed the rubber ducky association and make its way onto the vintage revivals list? Years ago we may have said no, but celebrity chef Stephanie Izard made a strong case for Ernie when she gave the name to her son in 2016. Princess Eugenie uses Ernie as a nickname for son Ernest, born in 2023 - showing that Ernie could be the next Augie.

Verena is pleasant but old-fashioned. Whether that's the outdated kind of old-fashioned or the so-out-it's-in-again kind is your call.

Alysa is one of several variations of Alice that rose in the US popularity charts starting in the 1960s and continuing in some cases until the first decade of this century. The Alysa form drifted along at the bottom of the Top 1000 girls' names from about 1990 until 2005, when Olympic skating champion Alysa Liu was born.

Ebba, the feminine version of Ebbe (a diminutive of Eberhard or Asbjorn) and also a form of an old English name, is in the Swedish Top 10 but virtually unknown in the US. However, with the rise of Emma, Ella, Ada, and similar simple-yet-traditional names, Ebba may enjoy more widespread popularity.

A strong, powerful choice, ancestor of the modern Superboy Names. Knut is the name of the patron saint of Denmark; Knute Rockne was a legendary Notre Dame football coach. Knute is the middle name of Jessica Simpson's son Ace, in honor of his paternal great-grandfather. Note that pronunciation is two syllables, with the K sounded.

Football great Brett Favre single-handedly kept this name in the limelight, though it continues to sink in popularity.

Relaxed western place-name that still has some masculine punch, but be warned: this whole posse of similarly trendy names, like Sierra and Dakota, will soon ride toward the sunset.

Until recently Ward was, like Wally, a Cleaver name, but today's parents are seeing it as a cooler nickname for Edward than Eddie, and are also beginning to use it on its own.

This is one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah, deemed by Muhammad to be a recommended name for a male child. In this country, it's been primarily associated with boxing immortal Muhammad Ali, known as "the greatest." But Ali is also one of the most popular unisex names for both boys and girls.

West is the most fashionable of what you might call the direction names, with North and East (or Easton and Easter) coming up behind, and South not yet on the map.

Olympic skier Picabo Street was allowed to choose her name at the age of three, and picked it possibly (a) after a nearby Idaho town or (b) because she loved to play peekaboo. No longer a single-person name, it is now worn by a number of satisfied bearers.

A feminine form of Martin, this strong and zestful sounding name is popular in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Italy, where it ranks in the Top 30. Also familiar in Czechia, the UK, Slovakia, and Switzerland, it has never made it big in the US, and fell out of the charts back in the 2000s.

Ultimately associated with Mars, the Roman god of war and with the 3rd century patron saint of Rome, it has also been borne by two notable tennis players, Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis.