User-created list
boy next door names
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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…
Ollie
Diminutive of Oliver, Latin
"olive tree"
Ollie is the versatile go-to nickname for the hugely popular Oliver, though the large majority of parents prefer to have the more formal name on the birth certificate. Even in the UK where nickname…
Pascoe
Cornish variation of Pascal
"Easter"
Pascoe was popular in medieval times and is definitely deserving of revival, especially for a child born in the Easter season. Other spellings are Pasco and Pascow.
Ralph
English from German
"wolf-counsel"
Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…
Redmond
Irish variation of Raymond
"wise protector"
We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or…
Rollo
Latin form of Rolf
"wolf"
Rollo is a livelier, roly-poly, o-ending version of Roland. Although it sounds modern, Rollo actually was seen regularly on Latin documents in the Middle Ages, though not heard in everyday speech.…
Sander
Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
"defending men"
Sander is a more conventional form of Zander or Xander, heard frequently on its own in Europe. It is now a Top 20 name in Norway, and is also popular in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Sidney
English from French
"Saint Denis"
A contraction name, Sidney comes from Saint Denis and is related to Dioynsius, the Greek god of fertility and wine, although another theory is that it derived from an Anglo-Saxon place name, meaning…
Tadhg
Irish
"poet"
The name of several ancient kings and princes of Ireland, Tadhg became so common at one point that it was used to represent a kind of Irish Gaelic everyman, or man in the street, as Paddy and Mick…
Talcott
English
"cottage near the lake"
Similar in style or sound to Prescott, Maverick and Beckett, this far rarer name feels formal and strong. Notably borne by socialist Talcott Parsons, nicknames Tal or Otto might soften it a little.…
Vick
Vick is a short, strong masculine name that typically functions as a diminutive of Victor or Vincent, though it has emerged as an independent given name. With Germanic roots relating to 'conqueror'…
Wilbur
English, German
"wild boar"
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…
Wilf
Diminutive of Wilfred
A fairly common nickname in England that has never caught on in America. The rise of acronyms like MILF and DILF probably won't help its prospects going forward.
Wylie
English, Scottish
"from the Wylye River, from the willow clearing; resolute protection"
Wylie is a friendly rodeo name with the unisex vibe of Riley and the cowboy air of Wesley and Wyatt. Also spelled as Wiley, two forms have been out of the US charts since the 1940s and 1970s…
Zooey
Literary name
The original Zooey, hero of J.D. Salinger's Franny & Zooey , was male, but nowadays the name is more closely associated with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel. With Zoe at number 31 for girls and Zoey…
Tag
English word name
"a label attached to something for identification"
Tag is unique word name introduced by the Sweet Home sextuplets. One of the boys is named Tag Bricker. There is also a character named Tag in Elin Hilderbrand's novel turned Netflix Series The…