Down the Rabbit Hole Names

Pino

Italian, diminutive of names such as Giuseppino

There are many more substantial Italian choices.

Brawley

English

"meadow at the slope of the hill"

A rowdy name nobody ever heard of, till Nick Nolte gave it to his son.

Barra

Irish

"fair head"

Diminutive of Finbar

Jaxtyn

Modern invented name

The American appetite for new names ending in the letters "yn" knows no bounds. This one, a close relative of popular Jaxson, was among the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017.

Delmore

French

"of the sea"

An undiscovered gem with clunky, buttoned-up appeal and a literary feel thanks to poet Delmore Schwartz.

Ikaros

Ikaros is a masculine name derived from Greek mythology, an alternate spelling of Icarus, the figure who flew too close to the sun with wings made by his father Daedalus. This rare name carries…

Quinto

Spanish variation of Quintin

"fifth"

Quint or Quinton played to a Latin rhythm.

Sanya

Diminutive of Aleksandr, Russian from Greek

An alternative to Sasha, another common Russian nickname for Aleksander.

Xylon

Greek

"the forest"

Sounds like the name of a new synthetic fabric.

Beacan

Irish

"tiny one"

An attractive ancient Irish saint's name that conjures up a beacon of light, this Irish name for boys is well-used in Ireland but rarely heard in the US.

Vladislav

Slavic

"glorious rule"

In Eastern Europe, more fashionable these days than Vladimir.

Dinis

Dinis is a masculine Portuguese name derived from the Greek name Dionysius, which was associated with Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, fertility, and theater. In Portugal, the name gained…

Drummond

Scottish

"ridge"

At one time associated with the fictional detective Bulldog Drummond, this formal surname name does boast the cute nickname Drum.

Yore

Yore is an uncommon masculine name with multiple potential origins. It may derive from Old English 'geara' meaning 'of old' or 'long ago', connecting to the phrase 'days of yore' which refers to…

Micajah

Hebrew

"who is like God?"

Also written as Michaiah, this name is used for several Biblical characters both male and female. Makes a fresh and distinctive twist on Michael, Michelle, or Micaela. Antiquated yet modern-sounding…

Mulligan

Irish

"descendent of the bald-headed"

Less appealing than some other Irish surnames, such as Malone and Sullivan, unless used as a tribute to jazz musician Gerry. There could be some Mulligan stew teasing.

Quennel

French, Nahuatl

"dweller at the little oak tree; what is to be done, what remedy"

A multicultural option, visually similar to Quinn or Quentin and similar in sound to Kenneth, Cal, and Kelvin. As a French name, it relates to someone who lives near oak trees, while as a Nahuatl…

Granite

Nature name

There's a whole quarry of rocky names parents are now considering: Slate, Flint, etc. , but this one is particularly hard-edged and problematic.

Landyn

Spelling variation of Landon

This creative spelling variation of Landon is widely used but still lags far behind the original.

Rekker

Variation of Wrecker

"a person or thing that wrecks or damages something"

Rekker comes to us thanks to actor Cam Gigandet, who gave his son this phonetic spelling of badass word name Wrecker. Use at your own peril.