Boy Names

Rory

Irish

"red king"

This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is…

Quinlan

Irish

"descendant of Caoinlean, slender "

An Irish last-name-first-name that could make a child feel distinctive, while still having the regular guy nickname of Quinn. Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller spelled their son's name Quinlin.…

Conal

Irish

"strong as a wolf"

If there are too many Connors in your neighborhood, this name is equally authentic and much more unusual. Spelled Conal or Conall, it's a prominent name in Irish history, borne by a number of kings…

Cian

Irish

"ancient"

A handsome Irish name for boys, very popular in that country, but in the US this traditional spelling might cause pronunciation problems. Still, whether Cian or Kian, it's simple and straightforward…

Caelan

Irish

"little slender one"

One of several Anglicized forms of Caolán, this spelling is borrowed from the Old Irish root, cáel . With its stylish -an ending and its cool 'KAY' sound, Caelan entered the Top 500 in England and…

Maclean

Scottish

"servant of Saint John"

Whether you pronounce it Mac-cleen or Mac-clayn, this is one of the crispest and most appealing of the Mac names. The Scottish clan Maclean is one of the oldest of the Highland Scottish clans. Trivia…

Ninian

Scottish and Irish, meaning unknown

Ancient Irish saint's name that's unlikely, because of its similarity to "ninny," to join cousin Finian in popularity.

Thane

Scottish

"clan chieftain"

This early Scottish title -- known to us via Shakespeare's Macbeth -- has recently surfaced as a baby name possibility, familiar sounding through its similarity to names like Zane and Wayne.

Conlan

Irish

"hero"

An undiscovered Irish surname with a cool meaning. It could work as an alternative to Connor and Lachlan.