Baby Mahoney-Meyers

Thanks to its dashing British image and c-initialed two-syllable sound, Colin/Collin has enjoyed a long run of popularity.

This appealing name of a mythical king of Tara whose reign brough prosperity to his kingdom is strongly associated with actor Sean. The Irish form is Conaire.

Donnelly is among the more appealing Irish surname names, less well used than Donovan. Related options include the place name Donegal and the mythological god name Donegan.

One of the first of the appealing Irish surnames to take off in this country, this boys’ name has long outgrown its "Mellow Yellow" association, which came via the single from a sixties singer-songwriter named Donovan.

This lilting Irish saint's name shone in neon lights on Broadway for the classical 1947 musical "Finian's Rainbow," later made into a film starring Fred Astaire as Finian McLonergan, and there was also a character on "General Hospital" named Finian O'Toole. With the growing popularity of Finn and Finlay/Finley--and boys' names ending in 'an'--Finian, which can also be spelled Finnian, seems like a sure-fire winner.

If you like the Finn names and love James Joyce, Finnegan is extremely winning. Will & Grace 's Eric McCormack chose the Finnigan spelling for his son. And of course Finnegan gains you access to the great short form Finn.

Hurley is a possibility as a unisex surname-name ending with the "lee" sound. It is perhaps most associated with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, and is much rarer than Harley, because the "ur" sound is currently out of fashion (and the word "hurl" may put some off).

Keelan is the Anglicized, phonetic form of the more traditionally-spelled Caelan, also in use. While this name is said by many sources to be unisex, in practice in modern Ireland it is only given to boys. An interesting, accessible choice largely unknown in the US.

Energetic name that's keen to please.

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.

This is one of several similar sounding Gaelic surname names that would make perfectly acceptable choices--others are Kennan, Keenan and Kenyon. Another possible meaning is "descendant of the fair ones," referring to the Norse invaders.

A friendly Irish and Persian name chosen by Geena Davis for one of her twin boys, whose father is Iranian.

Although this surname name is closely related to the more common Irish name Kieran, Kiernan is also a well used family name, tied to thirty-three ancient chieftains. It has on a few occasions been used for girls.

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name.

First used for Norse invaders, this name, along with the similar Lachlan, is an attractive, worldly, and unusual choice — despite connections to the Nevada gambling resort.

Liam is the top boys' name in the US, holding the Number 1 spot for the past five years and also ranking as one of the most popular boys' names around the western world.

An X-ending surname less common than the Jolie-Pitt-inspired Maddox. Grandparents might still associate it with the old TV crime show. 

This is an old Irish name associated with such heroes as the seventeenth century chieftain, scholar and poet Manus O'Donnell. In this country, though, parents would not find Manus as pleasing or impressive as Magnus.

This jaunty Celtic surname -- the most common family name in both Ireland and the US -- is totally viable as a first. The arguably most famous Murphy is TV's Murphy Brown, and indeed the name is twice as common for baby girls as for baby boys today. But still, it's solidly gender neutral and works equally well for all sexes.