Cool Boys Names

Bennett

English medieval form of Benedict, Latin

"blessed"

Bennett is Ben with a bow tie, kind of a cross between Benjamin and Beckett. It's been trending up on the popularity charts in recent years, and its choice by The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 's Jane…

Walker

English occupational name

"cloth-walker"

Walker is both a Waspy surname name—as in the W in George W. Bush—but it also has a gentle ambling quality and a creative connection to such greats as writer Walker Percy and photographer Walker…

Archer

English

"bowman"

Archer is an Anglo-Saxon surname that feels more modern than most because of its on-target occupational and Hunger Games associations. And it's a nice way to bypass the clunky Archibald to get to the…

Declan

Irish

"man of prayer, good man"

Declan is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Deaglán, popularized in the 90s and 2000s following its appearance in the movie The Jackal . Also featured in the 2010 movie Leap Year , along with the…

Finn

Irish, Scandinavian, Norse

"fair, white; from Finland"

Finn is a name with enormous energy and charm, that of the greatest hero of Irish mythology, Finn MacCool (aka Fionn mac Cuumhaill), an intrepid warrior with mystical supernatural powers, noted as…

Maddox

Welsh

"son of Madoc"

Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in…

Ellis

English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or Welsh

"my God is Yahweh; benevolent"

Ellis is a former Old Man Name turned gender-neutral choice for the 21st century. It's one of the less used names in the currently popular El-family, unless you're in the UK, where it's a Top 100…

Walter

German

"army ruler"

Walter was seen as a noble name in the Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott era, but it then spent decades in baby name limbo. Now quite a few independent-minded parents are looking at it as a…

Sullivan

Irish surname

"black-eyed one"

Sullivan is a jaunty Celtic three-syllable name, with a real twinkle in its eye. It was immortalized in the 1930s classic film Sullivan's Travels and was chosen for one of Patrick Dempsey's twin…

Sterling

English

"of the highest quality"

A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets, though it could easily be seen as a virtue-adjacent choice, like Merit, Chosen, or Hero. It has been…

Wilder

Surname or word name

"wild, untamed, uncontrolled"

Rugged, outdoorsy, and full of energy, Wilder entered the US Top 1000 back in 2015. Part bad boy, part Western, part preppy, and part nature-loving, Wilder is given to nearly 800 babies each year.…

Odin

Variation of Óðinn, Old Norse

"god of frenzy; poetic fury"

Odin is the name of the supreme Norse god of art, culture, wisdom, and law — who was handsome, charming, and eloquent into the bargain. The name projects a good measure of strength and power and has…

Leonidas

Greek

"lion"

Leonidas is an ancient name that has started rising again along with centuries-old names such as Augustus and Cato. The original Leonidas was the most famous of Sparta's warriors, sacrificing his…

Lochlan

Spelling variation of Lachlan

Lochlan and Lachlan are running neck and neck and both rising into the Top 1000. Which spelling you use is purely a matter of taste.

Wallace

Scottish

"foreigner, stranger"

Wallace is so square could almost be ripe for a turnaround, especially with the hipness imparted by the British Claymation series Wallace & Gromit . And Wally makes an adorable Leave it to Beaver…

Finnick

Literary invention

Finnick has risen to prominence as a first name via The Hunger Games , in which Finnick Odair was a winner of the games. A wearable literary creation, Finnick was given to 136 boys in the US in a…

Phineas

English, Egyptian

"the Nubian, the bronze-colored one"

Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The…

Calder

English

"rocky water"

A cool, rugged sounding name, Calder is connected to an ancient Scottish clan, an English village, and a Scottish River, along with the sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile (as in,…

Morris

English variation of Maurice

"dark-skinned"

Morris is as quiet and comfortable as a Morris chair, and has the same vintage feel. Once a Top 100 name in the early 1900s, Morris fell completely off the roster in 1995, probably due to lingering…

Linus

Greek

"flax"

Can Linus lose its metaphorical security blanket and move from the Peanuts page onto the birth certificate? We think it has enough charm and other positive elements going for it for the answer to be…