Boy Names Lists
Boy Names That Mean Life
Across 4 pages
of 4
Durnell
English surname
"grower of darnel"
Darnel, the plant from which this name derives, is an intoxicating plant, which used to be grown to make medicines and poisons.
Eztli
Nahuatl
"blood"
A unisex Nahuatl name with a strong and stylish sound, but a meaning that some might find off-putting.
Fuji
Japanese
"dweller near the river where wisteria grows"
To honor the majestic mountain.
Gaylord
French
"brisk, high-spirited"
Best left on the old southern plantation, sipping his mint julep.
Grover
English
"one who lives near a grove of trees"
Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in…
Hale
English
"someone who lives in a hollow; strong and hearty"
This name projects a sense of well-being, as in "hale and hearty", while also having a nature-adjacent meaning, referring to someone who lives near a hollow, a nook, or a remote area of land. Rhyming…
Hawthorne
English
"lives where hawthorn hedges grow"
The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and nature names , for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more…
Hill
English
"someone who lives by a hill"
Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.
Hugin
Old Norse
"mind, spirit, thought"
"Huggin? As in 'it out'?" It's probably a fatal flaw, even with Old Norse names becoming fashionable. The same evocative root word, though, forms the basis of the more familiar Hugo.
Hy
Diminutive of Hyman, Hebrew
"life"
Hy was once a nickname for Hyman, a Jewish Anglicization of Chaim. Today it has gone extinct, for obvious reasons.
Hyman
Anglicized variation of Chaim
"life"
Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original…
Idir
Berber
"alive"
A simple and straightforward choice from northwest Africa.
Kerr
Scottish
"someone who lived near wet ground"
When actress Deborah Kerr entered the scene, there was a great debate over her name's pronunciation. Car or Ker. Your choice.
Levente
Hungarian
"being"
An extremely popular choice in its native Hungary (at #3 for the past decade), Levente is an ancient Hungarian royal name , in use since at least the 10th century. This name sounds the same but has a…
Lyle
Scottish and English from French
"someone who lives on an island"
Straightforward single-syllable name, though children named Lyle may get tired of hearing "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile". Lyle was at the height of fashion in the 1920s, which makes him due for a comeback…
Macbeth
Scottish
"son of life"
Although appearing as a patronym (nope, it doesn't mean "son of Elizabeth"), Macbeth originated as a given name. It is derived from the Gaelic MacBeatha, describing a religious man. The Shakespearean…
Moe
English, diminutive of Moses
"delivered"
If Gus and Max have made it, why not Moe? Can it be the lingering Three Stooges effect? We think that Moe, like Joe, is one of the friendliest and most open of regular guy nickname names and should…
Nnamdi
Igbo
"my father is alive"
In the Igbo culture of Nigeria, the name Nnamdi is given to baby boys who are thought to be reincarnations of their grandfathers. The name is familiar via Nnamdi Asomugha, a former NFL player married…
Rip
Dutch
"strength, might"
The name of Rip Van Winkle – and Rip (born Elmore) Torn – will probably never be ready for further consumption, if only because of the implications of R. I. P. The only thing that could save it is…
Rush
English
"basket weaver"
Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.