Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone.

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.

The great philosopher's name is commonly used in Greek families, and is one that could work for daring, philosophical American ones. With user friendly nicknames such as Ari, Aris, Artie, and Ris, Aristotle is a ambitious choice, associated with morality, ethics, literature, and psychology.

Kato gained a lot of attention during the O. J. Simpson trial via witness Kato Kaelin (born Brian). It is also the name of a fictional character in "The Green Hornet." Spelled Cato, it has a lot more credibility as an ancient name.

Nikola is generally masculine in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Macedonia, while in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and the Czech Republic it is usually feminine.

Nikolas is a sleek and international spelling of this longtime favorite, chosen by parents who might like the Nik or Niko short form.