New Boy Names

  1. Saint
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "saint"
    • Description:

      Saint as a descriptive word name was first chosen by rocker Pete Wentz for his younger son (baby brother is Bronx), and now Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have catapulted the name into the celebrity stratosphere by choosing it for their baby boy. The couple called their baby "Saint" throughout the pregnancy because his conception had been so difficult. Saint was named in our predictions for the top baby name trends of 2015, on descriptive word names which also include Royal and Noble, King and Rogue. Saint is moving beyond the group of names that are only celebrity baby names and into the general lexicon.
  2. Axl
    • Origin:

      Variation of Axel, Scandinavian version of Absalom
    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"
    • Description:

      Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel deliberately chose the Axl spelling to honor her rock hero.
  3. Thorin
    • Origin:

      Norse and Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "thunder or brave and daring"
    • Description:

      Some sources give Thorin as a variation of the thunder god name Thor, equivalent to Thoren, while others says it comes from the verb að þora, meaning "to dare." This is a dwarf's name that first appeared in the thirteenth century mythology compilation Prose Edda, which, along with the Poetic Edda, represents nearly all of pagan Scandinavian mythology. Tolkien later used the name for character Thorin II Oakenshield of The Hobbit.
  4. Armani
    • Origin:

      Italian surname derived from Herman or Arman, German or Persian
    • Meaning:

      "son of Ermanno; soldier; wish,hope"
    • Description:

      Armani is catching on along with other brand names, and this one is among the most gender-neutral — sitting in the Top 500 for both boys and girls. Its similarity to the likes of rising stars Amari, Arlo, and Amias, along with the more classic Arthur and Giovanni helps it feel more "name-y" than "brand-y".
  5. Pax
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "peaceful"
    • Description:

      Pax, one of the variations of names meaning peace that are newly popular in these less-than-peaceful times, got a lot of publicity when chosen by Brad & Angelina for their Vietnamese-born son. Parents attracted to Pax may also want to consider Paz, the unisex Spanish version, or Paxton, a growing-in-popularity surname choice that shares that magical X-factor.
  6. Bryson
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "son of Brice"
    • Description:

      A surname name that can transition to first -- it entered the Top 1000 in 1980 and is now firmly in the Top 100. Actress NeNe Leakes chose it for her son. R&B singer Bryson Tiller's popularity may have played a part in accelerating Bryson's rise.
  7. Lyric
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
    • Description:

      Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it. Currently more popular for girls in the US, it was in the Top 1000 for boys between 2007 and 2020. Currently given to around 170 boys each year, for every baby boy called Lyric, there are three girls given the name.
  8. Arrow
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      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 brings it further into the realm of possibility. Rising rock star Aja Volkman pulled a gender switch when she named her daughter Arrow Eve.
  9. Bryant
    • Origin:

      Variation of Brian, Irish
    • Meaning:

      "strong, virtuous, and honorable"
    • Description:

      Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.
  10. Denver
    • Origin:

      English or French place-name and surname
    • Meaning:

      "from Anvers"
    • Description:

      Before there was Aspen, Denver was the Colorado city name of choice, and it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after a 14 year absence as a stylish two-syllable boys’ name with its trendy -er ending. Its decade of greatest use was the 1920s, when it reached as high as Number 422.
  11. Dash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
  12. Bentley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "meadow with coarse grass"
    • Description:

      Bentley, a somewhat stuffy British surname, previously associated primarily with an incredibly expensive English car, has had a recent surge in popularity, thanks largely to the reality TV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, with Bentley being the name of the son of breakout star Maci (another new favorite) Bookout.
  13. Kaiser
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "Emperor"
    • Description:

      Kaiser, as in roll and Wilhelm, appeared for the first time on the US Top 1000 in 2017. It fits the two-syllable -er ending style that's all the rage, and it lends itself to the short form Kai. But we hope this Germanic version of what is essentially a title rather than a name doesn't keep rising on the charts.
  14. Kairo
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of place-name Cairo, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "the conqueror"
    • Description:

      Contemporary Kairo fits in with the modern trend of substituting a C for a K initial, and in this case, it works to get you more easily to the cool nickname Kai. In fact, parents in the US and the UK see it as working so well that Kairo took over from Cairo as the preferred spelling of the name back in 2018. Given to nearly 1500 babies each year, Kairo is in the US and UK Top 300.
  15. Castiel
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "my cover is God"
    • Description:

      Castiel, which vaulted into the Top 1000 on the wings of the angel hero of the television show Supernatural, is the name of the Angel of the day Thursday. It may also derive some appeal from the newly-fashionable "Cas" syllable, as in Cassian and Cassius.
  16. Titan
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defender"
    • Description:

      This name comes from Greek mythology, where the Titans were a band of immortal, powerful giants.
  17. Sky
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Description:

      Sky is an ambigender nature name that was first legitimized as the character of Sky Masterson in the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls, played in the film version by Marlon Brando. It's a name we appreciate for its clear, wide-open feel, less hippyish than others like Rainbow and Starlight, and makes an appealing middle name possibility.
  18. Zeppelin
    • Origin:

      German word name from Slavic
    • Meaning:

      "zeppelin; flail"
    • Description:

      In a baby name landscape where word names and names that start with Z are infinitely cool, there are few options for parents who want to combine trends. Zeppelin is one of the best names at the intersection of these two styles, and it's rising alongside the likes of Zen, Zephyr, and Zenith.
  19. Westley
    • Origin:

      Variation of Wesley
    • Meaning:

      "west meadow"
    • Description:

      This variation of Wesley moved into the Top 1000 among boys' names in the US in 2016, perhaps because it makes the name more Western, with the cowboy nickname West., or because parents have taken inspiration from the protagonist of the movie The Princess Bride.
  20. Eros
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "desire, love"
    • Description:

      The name of the Greek winged god of love (usually romantic and sexual love) may seem a lot to live up to, but like other deity names, it's on the rise. In a recent year, it was given to more than 130 boys in the US.

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