User-created list
By TheGoldenHeart
Across 4 pages
of 4
Greek
"defender"
This name leapt into the female column via vixen Alexis Carrington on 'Dynasty" in the 1980s. It's more popular for girls, but it's still a widely used boys' names and is one of the most popular…
Diminutive of James
"supplanter"
The cool form of James in the 1970s and '80s for both sexes. Still a more stylish short form than Jimmy, though many parents will want to call James by his entire, not-very-long name. In the UK, and…
English occupational name
"tailor"
Taylor was much more popular throughout the 1990s for both genders than it is today. Close to the Top 50 boys' names in the mid-1990s, Taylor recently fell out of the Top 500 for boys and out of the…
English
"pasture, meadow"
A name that has a bit of a shouldn't-I-be-a-middle-name sound, though still in use as a first for both genders. Lee might be a good choice if you want something that sounds at once traditional yet…
French occupational name
"woodsman or woods"
The Forest variation of Forrest, used by actor Whitaker, nudges the meaning more toward the woods and away from the woodsman.
Spanish
"saint, holy"
The Spanish and Portuguese variation of the all-saints name. Santos is a name that has appeared in the US Top 1000 every year except for two: 1913 and 1915.
Irish; Scottish; Hindi
"rowan tree; redhead; ascension"
Simultaneously a name of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, a spelling variation of the popular Rowan and an anglicized form of Irish Ruadhán, Rohan is a cross-cultural choice. As a Hindu name, it is…
English word name
"dragon; or, male duck"
A simple one-syllable name that has been on the popularity list since the mid-1980s, Drake is most associated today with the single-named rapper (born Aubrey). The name peaked at Number 197 in 2010…
Spelling variation of Connor, Irish
"lover of hounds"
Conor's more popular brother name Connor has been in the Top 100 for long enough that both are ready to make way for a new generation of Irish boys' names.
Spelling variation of Alan
"handsome, cheerful"
This extra-L variation of Alan isn't quite as popular in the US as the original. Both spellings remain popular in Ireland and England.
Diminutive or variant of Sebastian, Latin, Greek
"man of Sebastia"
A name that sounds both arty and rough-and-tumble, Bastian can be used as either a short form or a stand-alone variant of elegant Sebastian. Also spelled as Bastien, Bastiaan, and Bastían, it notably…
Celtic
"bounty; loved"
Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…
Cornish
"from the high stronghold"
This old Cornish name took on a whole new identity via Denzel Washington, who has inspired several thousand namesakes. The actor was named after his father, who was named for a Dr. Denzel, who…
Sanskrit
"ray of light"
Though it sounds like a modern invention, Kiran is a traditional Hindu name from India; chosen for her son by actress Kelli Williams. Author Kiran Desai is a woman and this name, which bears a…
Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese variation of Lucius
"light"
About 100 baby boys were named Lucio in the US last year, a number we expect to increase with the growing popularity of all names in the Lu family. It's a family united by sound, with three main…
German
"shining pledge"
Considered ultra debonair in the silent-movie era, Gilbert then went through a nerdy phase, a la Gilbert Gottfried. Now though, like Albert and Alfred and Walter and Frank, it could be in for a style…
"the flooder"
This strong single-syllable boys’ name has been finding favor with parents since the fifties, though it's been slipping in recent years; it fell out of the Top 500 for the first time since 1959 in…
"place of alders"
Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.
"lion-man"
Leander was once an almost unknown name, however, with the popularity of Leo and the rise of Leandro, it now feels like a perfectly accessible alternative to Leon or Alexander. In Greek legend,…
Scottish form of Gaelic Eoghan
"born of the yew tree"
This appealing name has a good chance of catching on due to the popularity of Ewan McGregor, and the trend towards Gaelic names in general. Pronunciation is YOO-un. Ewan has a complex family tree,…
