Heroes and Prince Charmings

Haden

Haden is a masculine name with English origins, historically functioning as a surname derived from place names meaning 'heather valley' or 'heath hill' in Old English. As a first name, Haden gained…

Keenan

Irish

"ancient"

This name of three ancient saints, one Wayans brother, and an NFL wide receiver makes an energetic choice.

Kellan

Spelling variation of Kellen

"swamp; slender"

Kellan Lutz is the attractive young actor who plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.

Keiran

Spelling variation of Kieran

"little dark one"

While Kieran is the class and most-used male form of this name, some people spell it Keiran in keeping with the female Keira, the version popularized by the gorgeous Ms. Knightley.

Loki

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.

Marius

Latin, from a Roman family name related to Mars, the god of war

Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius…

Maxon

American invented name, literary name, elaboration of Max, Latin

"greatest"

The newly-styled Maxon takes its cue from Jaxon, another elaboration of a classic name on the rise. Maxon is not bad, as invented names go, yet it's hard for us to advocate for Maxon over Maxwell,…

Mordecai

Hebrew

"follower of Marduk"

Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image. Nevertheless, with parents searching for rarer Biblical names that work as…

North

English word name

"cardinal direction of north"

A lot of attention was drawn to this name when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their baby daughter, making it instantly unisex. North is a word name that's long been used,…

Paxon

Paxon is a masculine name of Latin derivation, built on the root 'pax' meaning 'peace.' It can be interpreted as 'peaceful one' or 'bringer of peace.' With its strong, modern sound and meaningful…

Perseus

Greek

"to destroy"

Perseus is an up-and-coming name with a plenty going for it, so it's no wonder it's almost tripled in usage since the 2010s. Given to nearly 170 boys in the US in a recent year, Perseus ticks the…

Prentice

English

"apprentice"

Long-used surname name that's up for promotion to greater popularity.

Sailor

Occupational word name

A word name that has sailed onto birth certificates of both genders, especially since Liv Tyler used it for her son. For boys, Saylor and Sailor are used about equally, but were together given to…

Stellan

Swedish, meaning unknown, possibly "calm"

"calm"

Stellan is a strong, attractive, Scandinavian possible up-and-comer, known through actor Stellan Skarsgard, and his namesake, the son of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Its trendy 'an' ending and…