Character Names

Asher

Hebrew

"fortunate, blessed, happy one"

Asher—an excellent, soft and sensitive Old Testament choice—is a baby boy name on the rise, and is a Nameberry biblical favorite. Asher's ascent is especially amazing given that the took a…

Theo

Diminutive of Theodore

"gift of God"

See the popularity graph below for the name Theo? It's been heading straight uphill since 2010, when it hopped back onto the Top 1000 after a 60+ year absence. Now in the Top 100 in this form, Theo's…

Rayan

Arabic

"land that is lush and rich in water"

Popular Arabic name for boys and sometimes girls too, that's also a term of authority in India.

Lachlan

Scottish

"from the fjord-land"

Lachlan is as Scottish as haggis and tartan plaid kilts—a favorite used throughout England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand—and just beginning to be noticed in the US: it reached the Top 1000…

Harlan

German and English

"rocky land"

Pleasant but uninspired surname name somewhat connected to writers Ellison and Coben. After three decades off the US Top 1000, it reentered in 2013, maybe because it's an unusual example of the…

Boaz

Hebrew

"swiftness"

Now that such Old Testament patriarchs as Elijah and Moses fill the playground, Boaz seems downright baby-friendly, having more pizzazz than many of the others, perhaps as a successor to Noah. A name…

Ivor

Scottish variation of Welsh Ifor, English form of Norse Ívarr

"lord; yew tree, bow warrior"

Ivor, a favorite choice for upscale characters in Brit Lit novels by authors like P.G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh, is an interesting and unusual name just waiting to be discovered by parents in this…

Kanan

Arabic, Sanskrit, Azerbaijani, Hebrew

"merchant; woods, grove; variant of Canaa; low, humble"

Kanan is multicultural name with a number of different origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well. A Top 50 choice in Azerbaijan, Kanan also made a brief appearance in the US Top 1000 in…

Ptolemy

Greek

"aggressive, warlike"

Pronounced "TAHL-a-mee," this was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and several Greco-Egyptian rulers, as well as the name of a famous Greek astronomer. Actress Gretchen Mol brought…

Lynx

Animal name

One of the fierce new animal names new to name lists, helped by its strong x-ending.

Ivo

Germanic, Slavic

"yew wood, archer; God is gracious"

Succinct, stylish, and catchy, Ivo has the energetic impact of other names ending in -o . It is a multicultural choice with two distinct origins, and, as such, is familiar across a variety of…

Calix

Male variation of Calixta or Latin

"chalice"

Calix is once-obscure name that is starting to see some use in the US, where 62 baby boys were named Calix in 2024. An indirect influence is the actress Calista Flockhart, who introduced Americans to…

Cadoc

Welsh

"battle"

St Cadoc was an early Welsh churchman, who gave his name to several villages in Wales, and according to his Life knew King Arthur. Less popular than other C__C names like Cormac and Cedric, Cadoc…

Sinjin

Phonetic spelling of St. John

The name St. John is much more usable in its phonetic spelling — similar to the way St. Clair evolved into Sinclair. St. John has some literary cred — St. John Rivers is a cool character in Jane Eyre…

Sly

English word name, diminutive of Sylvester

A bit too cunning.

Dumas

French

"of the little farm"

The name of the great French novelist, author of the timeless The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers , would make a surprising middle name choice.

Xanthus

Latin, from Greek, variation of Xanthos

"golden-haired"

Spelt Xanthos in Greek, this alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound (pronounced ZHAN-thus) and can always be shortened to Xan.

Farouk

Arabic

"seer of truth"

Name of the last king of Egypt.

Xavian

Variation of Xavier

"new house"

A spin on the Basque name Xavier, Xavian was likely created with names like Damian, Adrian, and Julian in mind. Also spelled as Xavion, Zavion, and so on. A recent year saw 92 boys receive the name,…