Nature/unusual names for boys

Wren

English

"small bird"

Wren may not be as time-honored a bird name choice as Robin or even Lark, but it's more fashionable and fresh, with a gentle and earthy vibe. Given to just a handful of children a decade ago, in 2024…

Winter

Word name

The girls have dibs on Spring, Summer, and Autumn, leaving this name evocative of snowy landscapes as the one possible seasonal choice for boys. And naturally, it's one of the most obvious names for…

Teal

Bird and color name

This name of both a grayish-greenish-blue color and a kind of wild duck can be used for both boys and girls.

Slate

Word name

One of the more unusual of the current crop of strong, single-syllable boys' names, evoking the images of both old-fashioned blackboards and modern stepping-stones and countertops.

Red

Color name

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.

Juniper

English from Latin tree name

"young"

Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the…

Brook

English nature name

"small stream"

Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.

Rock

Word name or diminutive of Rocco

"rock or rest"

Rock definitely has a macho image, if a somewhat caricatured one, ala The Rock. But with the rise of word names and also of tough guy names, Rock feels more plausible than it did a generation ago.

Thorne

English

"thorn thicket"

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorne? The E ending gives it a surnamey spin à la Hawthorne. Thorne Smith (born James Thorne) was a comic fantasy…

Falcon

Bird name

There is a whole new species of bird names open to the baby namer, from the light and feminine Lark to the sleek and powerful Falcon.