Boy Names Lists · Name Image · Cool Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
Word name
Words are not always easy to translate into baby names , but the implications of being straight and swift lend this one great potential as a name. It also has the popular o -sound ending, which…
Hebrew
"brilliance"
Also a synonym for the Hebrew month of Iyar, which usuually falls in May, would work and play well with others like Zev and Lev.
When actress Shannyn Sossamon dubbed her newborn Audio Science, it sent out some definite shock waves. We don't recommend Audio or Video for even the most intrepid baby namer.
German
"brave friend"
One "bald" name we can get behind, thanks to pioneering African-American author James Baldwin – though the name is now also associated with the Baldwin brothers, particularly Alec.
Phoenician
"Baal protects the King"
This evocative name of one of the Three Wise Men of the Orient, also spelled Balthasar, may finally be ready for prime time. Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar were the Magi who brought gifts of gold,…
"string instrument"
When Australian actress Rachel Griffiths chose this highly unusual name for her son, many assumed it was a bizarre invention, but noted Australian poet and writer of Waltzing Matilda , Banjo…
English variation of Barnabas, Aramaic
"son of consolation"
Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it…
Aramaic
"son of the furrow"
Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish…
One of the new crop of boys' names that manage to be unconventional and macho at the same time — though Blade verges on the threatening.
English
"scribe"
Booker would make for a very cool name, for writers, reformers, R & B fans and those wanting to pay tribute to Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington, born into enslavement, became a dominant…
Dutch
"gatekeeper"
This upbeat, friendly surname name has appeared on television's Battlestar Galactica a handful of cartoons, and on a literary note, a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick . Sports fans might…
Scottish
"blond, yellow"
Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn put this name in play as a first name, but David Bowie (born with the considerably less marketable moniker of David Robert Jones) gave it charisma. He changed his…
English word name
One of the aggressive new boys' names, ala Tracker and Heller, that have become fashionable among parents who are courting trouble.
Male variation of Calixta or Latin
"chalice"
Calix is once-obscure name that is starting to see some use in the US, where 62 baby boys were named Calix in 2024. An indirect influence is the actress Calista Flockhart, who introduced Americans to…
Italian, English, Greek
"order, beauty, universe"
With a touch of celestial power, a hint of clunky charm, and the totally cool -o ending, Cosmo may well be finally shaking itself free of both the Seinfeld association (which made it a punchline of a…
This cute-as-a-button name conjures playful lion and bear cubs rolling around in long grass. If cute baby names are what you're after, Cub should be on your list.
Dagger is one of the new badass baby names , a sharp and scary choice that some parents may feel arm their child for battle in a cruel modern world.
"exposure to injury, pain, harm, or loss"
Prime example of the aggressive word names that are an off-the-grid branch of the new macho names. Makes Cannon, Maverick, and Ranger feel almost soft and sensitive by comparison.
Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown
Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises. Dash can stand on its own—as is evidenced by its entry into the US Top 1000…
Russian from Greek Demetrius
Worldly, artistic and attractive Slavic version of the name of the Greek god of fertility and farming.
