User-created list
By classifiedcosmos · Updated September 2026
Across 16 pages
of 16
Hebrew, Russian
"heart; lion"
This concise one-syllable name, has two possible derivations and two positive meanings associated with it. In Hebrew, it means "heart", while in Russian it means "lion". So strong and simple Lev has…
German, Scandinavian, Polish, and Russian variation of Stephen, Greek
"crown, garland"
An elegant, continental name for the post-Steve era. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1949, fell off in 2008 for one year, then dropped off again in 2024 and seems to be heading downward along with…
Russian from Greek Demetrius
"follower of Demeter"
Dimitri is a Slavic variation of the Russian Dmitriy, a name that comes from the Greek Demetrius. Demetrius was derived from Demeter, the name of the Greek goddess of fertility and farming. Among the…
Danish, Albanian, Breton, Bulgarian, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish variation of Christian
Variation of Christian.
Scandinavian, Russian, and Eastern European variation of Victor
The Viktor form of this classic name is widely used throughout Europe and is rising in the US as well.
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…
Hungarian, Slavic diminutive; variant of Bodhi "God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"
"God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"
Bodi is a succinct and friendly looking name, with a number of possible origins. One one hand, it could be a diminutive of the Hungarian Boldizsár, which ultimately derives from the Babylonian…
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.
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.
Armenian, variation of Leon
"lion"
Levon, an unusual alternative to Levi. has two musical associations: it's the title of an Elton John song, inspired by late, great drummer for The Band, Levon Helm--whose birth name was Mark. Uma…
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…
Russian variation of George
Common Russian name familiarized here via cosmonaut Yury Gagarin and a character in Dr. Zhivago , but we don't see it ever gaining permanent resident status.
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…
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.
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…
