Boy names

Atlas is one of those names that was previously thought too powerful for a baby boy, who would have to be strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Now Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek and Roman god and goddess names in the realm of possibility, along with Mars, Zeus and Apollo.

Immortal through its association with the ancient Caesar (it was his clan name), Julius may still lag behind Julian, but is definitely starting to make a comeback, and in fact feels more cutting edge, in line with the current trend for Latin -us endings.

With a cool color meaning and a woodsy, earthy feel, this anglicized spelling of the Irish name Odhrán could rise in popularity thanks to Olympic rugby player, Orrin Bizer. The name did rank in the US Top 1000 in the late 1800s and the early 20th century, but has been out of the charts since the 60s.