Boys
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- Ainsley
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"solitary meadow"Description:
This name will tick a lot of boxes for many parents: unisex; trendy sound; pretty instinctive to pronounce; and some great namesakes including British chef Ainsley Harriott and American footballer Ainsley Battles.
- Anderson
Origin:
English from ScandinavianMeaning:
"son of Anders"Description:
Anderson shot up quite a bit on the popular names list in the 2000's, no doubt in large part due to the prominence of white-haired cable newsman Anderson Cooper. Perhaps surprisingly though, Anderson was even higher on the list in 1880. Actress Edie Falco named her son Anderson in 2005. Though there haven't been many first-named Anderson namesakes, there have been countless notables bearing the surname, including Hans Christian, Marian, Maxwell, Sherwood, Gillian, Laurie, and Pamela.
- Atticus
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"from Attica"Description:
Atticus, with its trendy Roman feel combined with the upstanding, noble image of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, is a real winner among boy names. Atticus entered the US Top 1000 in 2004 and is a firm Nameberry favorite.
- August
Origin:
German form of Latin AugustusMeaning:
"great, magnificent"Description:
The name August is at its highest point since the 1890s, when it ranked among the Top 100 boy names in the US. And deservedly so, given its great meaning, historic roots, and cool nicknames.
- Benson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Ben"Description:
Benson has outgrown its long association with a wisecracking TV butler with a fresh new association: singer songwriter Benson Boone. Parents may see it as an alternate route to nickname Ben, very different in image than the biblical Benjamin.
- Blaine
Origin:
Irish and ScottishMeaning:
"yellow"Description:
Attractive Scottish and Irish surname name of a seventh-century saint, associated with the illusionist and escape artist David Blaine.
- Bowie
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"blond, yellow"Description:
Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn put this name in play as a first name, but David Bowie (born with the considerably less marketable moniker of David Robert Jones) gave it charisma. He changed his surname in 1965 to avoid confusion with the then popular Davy Jones of The Monkees, borrowing it from the American hero of Alamo, Jim Bowie.
- Brennan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"descendent of the sad one"Description:
Brennan is a winning Irish surname name, more modern than Brian or Brendan, more unusual than Conor and Aidan. The only possible problem with Brennan: people might think you're saying Brendan.
- Cashel
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"castle, stone fort"Description:
Cashel is one of the many appealing Irish names that have not yet emigrated to the US. Cashel was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller for their son.
- Clive
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"lives near a high cliff"Description:
Clive started life as a surname for someone who lived near a cliff, making it a secret outdoorsy name.
- Cole
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"swarthy, coal black"Description:
Cole -- a short name that embodies a lot of richness and depth -- has long been associated with the great songwriter Cole Porter. It's quite popular in Scotland.
- Colt
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"young horse"Description:
Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns.
- Damian
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"to tame, subdue"Description:
Damian has sidestepped its demonic horror movie overtones, leaving a basically friendly and charming Irish image. A well-used upper-class name in England, it is growing in popularity here.
- Darby
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"from the deer estate"Description:
Spirited and bubbly, but handsome and preppy too, Darby is a surname style choice that fits in well with the likes of Alby and Lennox.
- Declan
Origin:
Irish, meaning unknown, possible "man of prayer"Meaning:
"man of prayer"Description:
Declan is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Deaglán. St. Declan was one of the first missionaries to bring Christianity to Ireland, preceding St. Patrick. Originally from Wales, he founded the monastery of Ardmore in Ireland.
- Dempsey
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"proud, haughty"Description:
Spunky Irish surname that still has a pugnacious feel from its lingering association with one of boxing's greatest champs, Jack Dempsey. Many people may associate it more with Patrick Dempsey these days—McDreamy from TV's Grey's Anatomy.
- Derek
Origin:
English from German form of TheodoricMeaning:
"the people's ruler"Description:
Derek started out as a sophisticated Brit, but the name became so common over the last decades of the twentieth century that it lost much of its English accent, along with its stylish edge. Derek was a Top 100 name in the U.S. for 25 years, from 1970 to 1995.
- Devlin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"unlucky"Description:
Devlin is an Irish name that's fresher and even more devilish than Devin.The earliest written record of this surname occurs in the thirteenth century, when an O'Devlin was appointed Bishop of Kells in 1211.
- Errol
Origin:
Scottish, spelling variation of EarlDescription:
Errol was a swashbuckling name in the Errol Flynn era, which still has a trace of jazz cool.m thanks to jazz pianist Erroll Garner.
- Everett
Origin:
English variation of the German EberhardMeaning:
"brave as a wild boar"Description:
Everett is a preppy but outdoorsy name, with wintery New England vibes. In the last decade, it’s had a leap in popularity, perhaps because of its similarity to trendy girls’ names like Ava and Scarlett, or perhaps because it offers a fresh alternative to 90’s style Evan and Brett.