Boys

Chase

French

"to hunt"

Chase, with its sleek and ultraprosperous aura, is redolent of the worlds of high finance and international banking. Chase has been well used during the last few decades, seen as a character on 24…

Romeo

Italian

"pilgrim to Rome, Roman"

It wasn't so long ago that Romeo was considered as outre for an American baby as Casanova or Cupid. But that really changed when David and Victoria Beckham chose it for their second son in 2002, a…

Blake

English

"fair-haired, dark"

Blake -- an early unisex option -- dropped out of the Top 100 in 2017 for the first time since 1988, but remains a sophisticated choice. And yes, both conflicting meanings of Blake are accurate. It…

Casey

Irish

"brave in battle"

Casey is a name with a big wide grin, Irish, friendly, and open, and associated with several American folk heroes--Casey Jones, the engine driver of the Cannonball Express who gave his life to save…

Tanner

English occupational name

"leather tanner"

One of the hot two-syllable T names of the nineties (along with Tyler, Trevor, and Taylor), and well represented on soap operas; Tanner is still widely used, but its popularity is declining.

Dustin

Norse

"brave warrior, or Thor's stone"

Dustin's popularity in recent years has probably had more due to its similarity to Justin than to idolization of Dustin Hoffman -- himself named after silent screen cowboy star Dustin Farnum -- who…

Chandler

English from French occupational name

"candle maker"

For a generation, this name will always be linked to 1990s hit TV series Friends . Whether this is a positive or a negative will depend on your fondness for the show, and character Chandler Bing, but…

Skyler

Spelling variation of Schuyler

While Skylar is currently the most popular spelling choice for girls - and the spelling seen most often - the Skyler option is more (statistically) unisex. Given to boy and girls in nearly equal…

Ricky

English diminutive of Richard or Frederick

"dominant ruler; peaceful ruler"

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

Rylie

Variation of Riley

"rye clearing"

An alternative spelling of the popular unisex name, Riley, though this form is used more often on girls in the US.

Brooklyn

Place-name from Dutch

"marshland"

It may be the hippest of hispter neighborhoods, but as a baby name Brooklyn is now on the decline: down from a peak of 120 births for boys in 1999, and over 7000 births for girls in 2011. The most…

Stephan

Variant of Stephen

If you wanted to try to get people to pronounce your son's first name the way Stephen Curry does, this might be a way to do it.

Kolby

Spelling variation of Colby

Just one more name to fall victim to the K trend. This version of the name has appeared in the US Top 1000 since the mid-1980s, having peaked at Number 359 in 2001. It is now steadily declining year…

Lyric

Greek

"of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"

Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it. Currently more popular for girls in the US, it was in the Top 1000 for boys between 2007 and 2020.…