If I had 25 of each gender...

Jaiden

Hebrew variation of Jadon, modern invention

Jaiden could be a variation of the Hebrew name Jadon, meaning "thankful", however, it may also be a modern invention, taking inspiration from Hayden and Aiden and combining it with the popular J-…

Quincy

French

"estate of the fifth son"

Quirky in the way that all Q names are quirky, Quincy was once a buttoned-up, patrician New England name, an image countered in recent years by the talented and ultracool musician Quincy Jones…

Dexter

Latin

"dyer, right-handed"

The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism. Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter…

Alfie

Diminutive of Alfred, English

"wise counselor"

Alfie is a Top 20 name throughout the British Isles, where retro nickname names are mega-popular, but it hasn't really been picked up in the US yet, given to around 70 boys in a recent year.…

Huckleberry

Word name and literary name

Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…

Misha

Russian, diminutive of Mikhail

Brought into the American consciousness as the nickname of ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov, it more recently took on a unisex air via TV and screen actress Mischa Barton. Could become the next Sasha.

Alexei

Russian, Greek

"defending men"

Alexei could well join the legion of Alex names popular in the US. There are countless opportunities to liven up Alexander, and Alexei (or Alexey) is one of the most straightforward and appealing.

Todd

English

"fox"

A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.

Jaguar

Animal name

Grrrr.

Clement

Latin

"mild, merciful"

Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather." Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from St.…

Brooklyn

Place-name from Dutch

"marshland"

It may be the hippest of hispter neighborhoods, but as a baby name Brooklyn is now on the decline: down from a peak of 120 births for boys in 1999, and over 7000 births for girls in 2011. The most…

Ned

English, diminutive of Edward

"wealthy guardian"

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance. Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben…

Dash

Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown

Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises. Dash can stand on its own—as is evidenced by its entry into the US Top 1000…

Chad

English

"battle warrior"

Despite all the "hanging," "dangling," and "pregnant" chad jokes of the 2000 election, this saint's name and remnant of the Brad-Tad era didn't get a boost in popularity. But Chad still holds some…