Anna Banana's List of Boy Names

Atlas

Greek

"bearer of the heavens"

Atlas is one of those names that was previously thought too powerful for a baby boy, who would have to be strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Now Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek…

Ivan

Russian variation of John

"God is gracious"

Though some might find it a bit heavy-booted, Ivan is one of the few Russian boys' names to become fully accepted into the American naming pool. Ivan is, of course, ubiquitous in Russian culture.…

Emory

Spelling variation of Emery, English from German

"industrious"

Less popular than Emery, this name also attributes to Emory University. Both spellings of the name lean more heavily to the girls' side, but this one is not quite as unbalanced. Emory is used about…

Brayson

Modern invented name

Also found as Brason, this is one of an army of Jason sound-alikes, which include Cason, Mason, Kaysen, and so on. Stylish, yes; recommended, no.

Brook

English nature name

"small stream"

Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.

Cayman

Place-name

This name's connection to the Caribbean Cayman Islands gives it a nice resortish feel, while still feeling like an in-tune-with-style boy's name.

Danton

French variation of Dante

Has the two-syllable sound so popular for boys, though adding an apostrophe -- and turning it into D'Anton -- changes the name entirely.

Davit

Armenian and Georgian variation of David, Hebrew

"beloved"

Davit, a form of the biblical classic David, is currently the most popular name for baby boys in Armenia.

Lowell

French

"young wolf"

Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…

Marin

Latin

"of the sea"

Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. Marin is a masculine name in France and Romania, as well as several Slavic countries, including…

Marlowe

Variation of Marlow, English

"driftwood"

While Marlowe (and Marlow and Marlo) are surname names that are not intrinsically or traditionally gendered and so in theory work equally well for boys and girls. About 10 percent of the babies named…

Ridley

English

"cleared wood; reed clearing; channel clearing"

Director Ridley Scott and actress Daisy Ridley made this surname-style name familiar, and with its outdoorsy meaning and rugged yet preppy sound, it could blend in with Oakley, Reid, Riley, and…

Tristen

Variation of Tristan.