Names I Dislike For Boys

Quincy

French

"estate of the fifth son"

Quirky in the way that all Q names are quirky, Quincy was once a buttoned-up, patrician New England name, an image countered in recent years by the talented and ultracool musician Quincy Jones…

Donald

Scottish

"proud chief"

Donald has been used for centuries in Scotland, where the Macdonald clan is one of the most ancient and where there have been six early Scottish kings by that name. Donald was a Top 20 name…

Orson

Latin and English

"bear cub"

In the past, Orson has felt like a one-person moniker, tied to film director Orson Welles, who dropped his given name of George in favor of his more distinctive middle. While the Citizen Kane creator…

Link

Word name or diminutive of Lincoln

"ring, loop, connection; town by the pool"

Perhaps best associated today with the character from The Legend of Zelda game franchise, Link also has ties to the retro crime drama, The Mod Squad , to the presidential surname Lincoln, and of…

Ignatius

Latin

"fiery"

The striking Ignatius is making a truly surprising comeback, sparked by its selection by not one but two celebrities — Cate Blanchett and Julianne Nicholson. With its fiery qualities and magical…

Loch

Scottish Gaelic

"lake"

Loch is a watery word that sounds more like a name because it's one step removed from its English form. Pronounced as "lock," it's also a short form of the variously-spelled Lachlan.

Pike

American animal name

"pike, a fish"

The field of nature names is constantly expanding to include all species of flowers and trees and animals and birds and even fish. In addition to its appeal for anglers, Pike recalls Zebulon Pike,…

Brick

Word name, various origins

This is an Anglicized form of various names; the Irish Gaelic O Bruic; German, Bruck or Breck, meaning "swamp" or "wood"; Yiddish, Brik, "bridge"; and Slovenian, Bric, "dweller from a hilly place."…

Dick

Diminutive of Richard

"dominant ruler"

Dick was a once-common short form of Richard; replaced by Rick or Richie, and finally by the full name itself. Rude meaning -- make that two rude meanings -- pretty much knocks this one out of…

Quarry

Nature name

Has the offbeat quality and macho feel -- like Stone and Flint -- that appeals to increasing numbers of modern parents.

Spruce

Tree name

A handsome, spruced-up post-Bruce tree name.

Salmon

Animal name

"salmon, a fish"

nature names are in, and even fish names like Pike and Salmon are open for consideration.

Hoover

German

"owner of a patch of farmland"

A huve is 40 acres of land, so the occupational name Hoover refers to the farmer who owned and worked it. Hoover also relates to the rock band, the vacuum cleaner, the dam, and former FBI head J.…