soft boys

Darcy

English, French, Irish

"from Arcy; dark one"

The ultimate Jane Austen hero name, Darcy makes a handsome, surname style choice. Predominantly used for girls in England and Wales, across the pond in Australia, it is a stylish Top 100 name for…

Day

English word name

"the time of light between one night and the next"

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Delaney

Irish

"dark river"

Cheerful but laidback, surname-style Delaney is derived from the Old Irish name Dubhshláine and has become a familiar choice for girls in recent decades. Nevertheless, it has also been used for boys…

Destry

French

"war horse"

Destry rides again, this time as a Western flavored baby name. Derived from the French surname Destrier, from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "warhorse", this rugged name was popularized by the 1930…

Dream

Word name

Possible middle name inspiration. Has been used as a first by musical couple Sole and Ginuwine, and basketball star Allen Iverson.

Early

Diminutive of Earl, English, or word name

"nobleman, warrior; early"

Early is a word-turned-name, pleasantly suggesting the start of a bright new day. Of the new word and day names, Early is one of the best. Early James is the stage name of singer-songwriter Fredrick…

Ellery

English

"descendant of Hilary"

Ellery is a rhythmic three-syllable boy's name that is familiar and yet rarely used--and just waiting to be discovered. It's long been identified with Ellery Queen--which was both the pen name of two…

Emrys

Welsh, variation of Ambrose

"immortal"

Magical and powerful, but gentle and approachable too, Emrys is a Welsh name which may be worth considering if you're looking for something less common that Dylan, Evan, or Morgan. An offbeat epithet…

Everly

English

"wild boar in woodland clearing"

Evokes 1960s brotherly close harmony. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis named his son Everly Bear, and it is also an explosively popular choice for girls. We predict that all the "Ever" names…

Fable

Word name

Inventive name for the child of a writer.

Gale

Nature name

Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games , it has new force for boys.

Hazen

English, Dutch, German

"gray, black; hare"

Hazen is a variation of the Dutch surname Hasin, which has two separate origins. The first is as a nickname for Haso, a Germanic given name derived from haswa , meaning "gray" or "black." Hasin was…

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…

Keely

Keely as a masculine name represents a less common gender assignment for what is primarily used as a feminine name in modern times. The name has Irish origins, derived from the Gaelic 'Caolaidhe'…

Kit

English, diminutive of Christopher

"bearer of Christ"

Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones , has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor…

Linden

Variation of Lyndon

"linden tree hill"

The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson. A sturdy tree that can live for centuries, Linden was actually quite a popular boys' name from…

Mikko

Finnish, from Hebrew

"who is like God?"

Cute Finnish version of Michael.

Neco

Variation of Nico, Italian diminutive of Nicholas, Greek

"people of victory"

Whether Neco is a spelling variation of the ever-more-popular Nico, pronounced NEE-koh, or an invented name all its own, it is a highly uncommon choice, given to just 5 baby boys in the US in 2021.

Nemo

Greek

"nobody"

One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea , while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name…