User-created list
By classifiedcosmos · Updated May 2026
Across 15 pages
of 15
Latin
"rival"
Derived from the Latin word aemulus , Emil is a name with international appeal. Concise and sturdy but with the gentle Em sound, Emil is popular across Europe, from Azerbaijan to Finland, from…
Russian variation of Jacob
"supplanter"
What a difference a couple of letters make: Old World version of most popular name never quite made it out of the shtetl.
German, Russian, and Scandinavian variation of Anthony, Latin
"from Antium"
Cultured and cultivated in an old-style, Old World way, Anton is popular across Europe. It may be associated with the classic Russian playwright Anton Chekhov and also with ballroom dancer Anton Du…
Polish, Slovene, Estonian, Norwegian, and Danish form Alexander, Greek
"defending man"
An international variation of classic Alexander, this form has slightly softer sounds, yet feels just as strong. Popular in Poland, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia, but familiar in the UK too,…
French variation of Maximus
"greatest"
Although often connected to the men's magazine title, Maxim is a chic and powerful name for a little boy. It's proving moderately popular too, having been in the Top 1000 in the US since the year…
Spanish and Russian variation of Herman, German
"warrior"
German might seem like an unlikely occupant of the Top 1000 list, unless you realize that it's a Spanish name, with the accent on the second syllable. It's been on the U.S. list since 1973.
Arabic
"happy, lucky"
A traditional and important Arabic name — Sai'd bin Zayd was a friend of the prophet Muhammed.
"baby bustard"
You may well wonder what a "bustard" is, given the odd meaning of this widely-used Arabic name. It's a large bird. Usman is widely used throughout Muslim communities worldwide, particularly in South…
Roman mythology
"god of war; male; red planet"
Mars is a name with interesting potential, ticking the boxes as a mythological name, a space name, and a single syllable choice ending in -s. For parents wanting something unexpected, Mars could work…
English
"noble friend"
Elvin had his peak in the 1920s — which was when jazz musician Elvin Jones was born — but parents are still using it for over 100 boys a year. That's less than Kelvin, but more than Delvin.
Serbian from the Greek Nikolaos
"Victory of the people"
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. As a…
French from Greek
"god of Nysa"
While Dennis may be more familiar to English speakers, Denis, or sometimes Denys, were the original medieval French forms of the name. Ultimately derived from Dionysius, the Greek god of wine and…
Hebrew, Kurdish, Armenian, Thai
"high elevated, fortress; calm; child of the sun; glittering, temple"
Aram is a popular Armenian name with a pleasing sound that became known in this country through the works of William Saroyan, namely the 1940 book of short stories, My Name in Aram , centering on…
Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"
Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita , Vladimir Nabokov. The name…
Ayub is a masculine name with rich historical and cultural significance across multiple traditions. It is the Arabic and Persian form of Job, the biblical figure known for his patience and faith…
"servant of Allah"
Widespread choice in the Muslim world, this was the name of both the father of the Prophet Mohammed and one of his sons.
Russian variation of Michael
"who is like God"
One of the most familiar Russian names in the West, thanks to ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov and state head Mikhail Gorbachev.
"powerful and beloved"
This traditional Arabic name, found throughout several other Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures, is one of the 99 names of Allah. Colorful and energetic, it was brought into the realm…
Yan is a concise, powerful masculine name with multicultural origins. In Chinese, it can mean "strict," "colorful," or "handsome," depending on the character used. It's also a Russian, Dutch, and…
Maksim is a masculine name of Slavic origin, representing the Eastern European form of Maximus, derived from Latin meaning 'greatest' or 'largest.' Particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus,…
