Strong Yet Unusual Names for Boys

Almonzo

Arabic

"the victorious"

Introduced to the lexicon by the husband of Little House on the Prairie writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, most scholars agree that this unusual name comes from the Arabic El-Mansur.

Amadeo

Italian

"lover of God"

Amadeo and Amedeo are both valid Italian forms of the Roman Amadeus, most famous as the middle name of the composer Mozart as well as the title of a movie about him. Mozart's name was actually the…

Anchor

Word name

"heavy object used to moor a ship; provide with a solid foundation"

Plausible word name, denoting strength and stability, currently given to a small handful of boys in the US each year.

Andreas

Original New Testament Greek variation of Andrew

"strong and manly"

Andreas is a beautiful name, with the patina of an Old Master painting, one that could make a dashing namesake for an Uncle Andrew. In Europe, Andreas is currently in the Top 20 in Norway and is also…

Androcles

Greek

"glorious man"

Mythological name with a fabulous meaning. Sure it's weighty, but so is Aphrodite; Andy is an easy nickname choice to make this name more wearable in the classroom.

Ansel

German

"with divine protection"

Ansel, primarily associated with the great western photographer Ansel Adams, famed for his magnificent photographs of the Yosemite Valley, could make a creative artist-hero choice. For Adams it was a…

Aragon

Spanish place name

Equally strong, dramatic and romantic, this name of an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and a modern Spanish community as well, would give a boy an instant pedigree.

Argento

Latin

"silvery"

A more distinctive alternative to Angelo.

Arjan

Dutch, Punjabi, Albanian

"from Hadria; gaining; golden life"

There's something particularly attractive about names with an interior " j " and Arjan is a prime example. The Punjabi version is pronounced with a conventional j as in jar; the Dutch Arjan, which is…

Arrius

Roman family name

Arrius appears in the fourteenth century writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, but this name is even older. Arrius was a Roman general, and he appears briefly in Starz original series Spartacus . With names…

Auberon

English, French, German

"elf ruler, bright elf; noble bear"

Rarely heard in the US, Auberon has a gentle autumnal feel rare in a male name. A Shakespeare-adjacent choice, Auberon started out as as a pet form of Auberi, the French form of German Alberich.…

Audric

French variation of Aldric, Germanic

"old, wise ruler"

A historic name seeing some modern use among French-speaking parents.

Aurelian

Romanian and English form of Aurelius, Latin

"golden"

While Aurelio, Aurelia, and Aurelius are all on the rise, this historical and Romanian form of the golden name is yet to share in its relatives' success. Given to just 25 boys in a recent year, it…

Autry

French surname

"noble strength"

Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the…

Averill

English

"boar battle"

Averill is an ancient name, most properly spelled Averil, that has a Boston Brahmin air – probably due to the image of statesman Averill Harriman. It's of the rare English surname names that…

Avidor

Avidor is a masculine Hebrew name meaning 'father of a generation' or 'father of abundance,' derived from 'avi' (father) and 'dor' (generation). This distinctive name combines historical Hebrew…

Azarius

Greek form of Azarias or Azariah, Hebrew

"God has helped"

All s-ending names are fashionable right now, and Azarius has a handsome sound. With Azariah confidently in the Top 1000, and variations Azaire and Azair having small moments of their own, Azarius…

Beacon

English word name

"signal light"

A word name with an appealing and illuminating meaning.

Berenger

German

"warrior fighting with a spear"

Last-name-first-name with a romantic but dangerous edge.