The BEST boys names

Dmitri

Russian from Greek Demetrius

Worldly, artistic and attractive Slavic version of the name of the Greek god of fertility and farming.

Draco

Greek from Latin

"dragon"

For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.

Edmund

English

"fortunate protector"

The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name. In fact, it's already a fairly…

Freddie

Dininutive of Frederick, German

"peaceful ruler"

Just the kind of casual, flippant nickname that upscale Brits are putting on their sons' birth certificates, but few U.S. parents are.

Hadrien

French variation of Hadrian

What life Hadrien and Hadrian enjoy today, they owe to Adrian along with the revival of ancient Roman names in general. Hadrian was a 2nd century Roman emperor famous for his wall.

Indiana

American place-name

"land of the Indians"

This state name emerged in the eighties along with westerners Dakota and Montana, and it's still used occasionally by high-profile parents such as Summer Phoenix and Casey Affleck. Action man Indiana…

Jakob

German, Norwegian, and Slovenian variation of Jacob, Hebrew variation of James

"supplanter"

After cracking the US Top 200 in the early 2000s, fueled by Jacob's rise, this name has been losing steam in recent years. But Jakob is the top form of the name in many other countries, cultures, and…

Jim

English, diminutive of James

"supplanter"

Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.

Mars

Roman mythology

"god of war; male; red planet"

Mars is a name with interesting potential, ticking the boxes as a mythological name, a space name, and a single syllable choice ending in -s. For parents wanting something unexpected, Mars could work…

Skye

Scottish place-name

Referring to the Scottish Isle of Skye, this spelling brings Sky down to earth. Skye is used ten times more often for girls than boys, while the gender split on the Sky spelling is more like three to…

Todd

English

"fox"

A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.

Vaughn

Welsh

"small"

Vaughn, also commonly spelled Vaughan, has been used quietly over the years, reaching a peak of Number 349 in 1949. It is now in the process of rediscovery, being seen as a good Sean alternative or…

Cedric

Celtic

"bounty; loved"

Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…