Boy Names Lists · Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 17 pages
of 17
English rank of nobleman between duke and count
There are ordinary folk named Prince, Earl, and Duke, so why not this rank of nobility as well? Many spellings compete, the most common being Marquis, Marquise, and Marquez. Rapper 50 Cent chose the…
Variation of Boden, English, German
"hill shaped like a bow; floor"
This creative spelling of Boden may be influenced by the popularity of Beau or New Zealand rugby player Beauden Barrett. Either way, we predict it's going to rise in popularity for years to come.
English
"Gilbert's son"
An undiscovered patronymic surname, Gibson blends the cool, rugged feel of names like Bridger, Riggs, and Hudson with the clunky charm of names like Gilbert, Wilbur, and Digby. Associated with the…
Hebrew
"oak tree"
The boys' name Elon is best known today as the name of Elon Musk, eccentric billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX. With Canadian singer Grimes, Elon Musk has a son with an even more unusual name, X…
Xavion is a modern variant of the name Xavier, which derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning "new house." The name gained popularity in the United States during the late 20th and early…
"old friend"
The poetic, soft-spoken Auden has recently started to be considered as a first name option, used for both sexes, appreciated for its pleasing sound as well as its link to the distinguished modern…
Eastern African
"adventurous traveler"
One of the most popular African names for boys, Kymani was in the US Top 1000 list from 2008 until 2016. Spelled Ky-mani, it's the name of Bob Marley's son.
"aristocracy"
A distinctive surname that, despite its meaning, has a cowboy swagger, a la Autry.
Literary invention
"son of all"
German author Michael Ende created the name Atreyu for the protagonist of his 1979 novel The Neverending Story . In the original German translation of the book, the hero was Atréju — Atreyu is the…
"eastern settlement"
Has an upscale aura, perhaps due to the luxury James Bond Aston Martin car.
Norse mythological name
"lock"
Loki is the shape-shifting, gender-bending god of mischief in Norse mythology. Taking several animal forms, from a salmon to a seal to a fly, Loki is alternately friend and foe of the gods.
Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang, German
" traveling wolf"
Wolf is a name with a split personality. It can be seen as one of the fierce animal names, like Fox and Bear and Puma, with a touch of the werewolf, or it can be viewed as a quieter, Wolf Blitzer…
Word name
Journey is one of the hot new spiritual names . Although Journey was given in 2015 to over 1100 baby girls and fewer than 100 baby boys, it's more visible on the celebrity baby scene as a boys' name:…
English, Scottish
"garlic island"
Tough, cool, and rugged, Ramsey is a Scottish and English surname that has plenty of potential as a given name. Similar in style to Murray, Murphy, and Rafferty, it was chosen for around 90 boys and…
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…
Modern invented name
The popular -ley suffix can be credited for this name's use in recent years. We're not loving that it sounds as trendy and of-the-moment as it is.
Irish
"redhead"
Rogan makes a great, roguish alternative for the more popular Logan, Ronan and Rowan.
Egyptian, Latin
"ruler"
Kaiser, Rex, Kingsley, and Prince have become increasingly popular in recent years and Pharaoh is one of the more unexpected members of this regal family of names. Used as the title of ancient…
Latin
"peaceful"
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.…
English word name
We've got Saint, we've got King, we've got Prince Duke Bishop Deacon and Messiah. So why not Sir? While some might find it slightly pretentious, at least 80 parents chose it for their babies in…
