Boy Names That Mean Life

The Brits say BARK-lee, but we pronounce it the same as the name of the California college: either way it's quite pretentious and of another era.

Americans may not realize Barclay is the phonetic spelling of the British Berkeley -- though both sound like old-fashioned butler names.

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 different derivation to the Turkish name Levent.

Selig comes from the Yiddish vocabulary word meaning 'happy, fortunate, blessed.' Most of us are more familiar with its Woody Allen variation, Zelig.

Lively Russian choice born by several saints.

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 Chaim would be preferable to Hyman.

This version is a bit more in tune with modern tastes.

Grandparents are sure to link this to disgraced Nixon vice president Spiro Agnew.

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 in the Top 50, the related Zooey feels more female than ever. But it's distinctively quirky for either sex.

A zippy, lively name that has never been popular, but has never completely disappeared. It is best known for writer and wit Gore Vidal, and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and his many products.

CEO name.

Zealous and noble, an unusual and strong choice -- and if the original is too much of a mouthful, you can always call him Zen.

A unisex Nahuatl name with a strong and stylish sound, but a meaning that some might find off-putting.

For lovers of Pasternak's great doctor, a lively middle name choice, one made by actress Nia Long.

A simple and straightforward choice from northwest Africa.

Stiff surname choice.

Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.

In Slavic cultures, Saint Vitus is called Sveti Vid, making this a saintly appellation.

A male take on the feminine name Zoe, it's hard to give an attractive pronunciation.