Antagonists

Tate

English from Norse

"cheerful"

A strong single-syllable surname with a joyful meaning, Tate is finding a place on more and more birth certificates. Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton named her second son Tate Lee. Tate also has a…

Riley

English, Irish

"rye clearing; courageous"

Riley — one of the most popular unisex names — is trendier now for girls though for boys it's a classic, ALWAYS ranking in the US Top 1000. In fact, after a decade of softening, Riley has recently…

Ares

Greek

"ruin, bane"

Rooted in Greek mythology, Ares entered the US Top 1000 in 2013, when it was one of the year's fastest rising names. Similar in style to Atticus, Atlas, and Ari, it has continued to climb up the…

Dante

Latin diminutive of Durant

"enduring"

Though closely associated with the great medieval Florentine poet Dante Alighieri -- who's so famous most people skip the last name -- it's not as much of a one-man name as you might think. Heck,…

Paxton

Latin and English

"peace town"

Paxton stands out from a lot of other two-syllable surname names for two reasons: the dynamic letter X in the middle, and its admirable peace association, providing the great nickname Pax. One well…

Reese

Spelling variation of Rhys

An Anglicized spelling of the Welsh Rhys, this traditional boys' name got a big boost for girls in the early 2000s, thanks to the high-profile Ms. Witherspoon (who was actually born Laura Jeanne…

Madden

Irish

"little dog"

Madden is an Irish surname relative of Madigan rising through the charts thanks to its trendy two-syllable, -en ending sound along with its appeal to Madden Football video game-playing dads. John…

Heath

English

"the heathland dweller"

Rugged and outdoorsy, Heath was an obscure choice until the 1960s when it was used in the television series, The Big Valley for character Heath Barkley. It peaked in the 70s when it reached the US…

Blaise

French

"to lisp, stammer"

As modern as it sounds, Blaise is an ancient Christian martyr name. In Arthurian legend, Blaise is the name of Merlin the Magician's secretary. Its relation to the word and name Blaze gives it a…

Coen

Dutch diminutive of Coenraad, variation of Cohen, or Australian place name, "bold advisor; priest; thunder"

"bold advisor; priest; thunder"

Like many short forms now popular as full names in the Netherlands, Coen—also spelled Koen—originated as the diminutive of the more old-fashioned Coenraad, the Dutch Conrad. In this case, it would be…

Yuri

Russian variation of George

Common Russian name familiarized here via cosmonaut Yury Gagarin and a character in Dr. Zhivago , but we don't see it ever gaining permanent resident status.

Darell

Darell is a masculine name representing a variation of Darrell, which originated as an English surname derived from Norman-French roots. The name ultimately comes from the Old French 'd'Airelle,'…

Cael

Irish

"slender"

Cael is the name of the angel of the zodiac sign of Cancer and also of a warrior of Irish mythology. Its ascendance to the Top 1000 over the past decade probably has to do with its similarity to Cale…

Brooklyn

Place-name from Dutch

"marshland"

It may be the hippest of hispter neighborhoods, but as a baby name Brooklyn is now on the decline: down from a peak of 120 births for boys in 1999, and over 7000 births for girls in 2011. The most…

Alcide

French version of Heracles

"glory of Hera"

This is the French version of Alcides, birth name of the Greek mythological Heracles (Hercules). You're more likely to recognize it as the name of the hot True Blood werewolf, Alcide Herveaux.

Drystan

Welsh

"sad, tumult"

The Welsh form of Tristan, and the name of a counselor to King Arthur.