I-Can't-Believe-You'd-Name-Your-Child-That!

Nimrod

Hebrew

"we shall rise up, we shall rebel"

As a Biblical name, Nimrod appears in the Old Testament as a great-grandson of Noah, a founder of Babylon, and a famous hunter. In popular culture, its image was altered after the dopey Looney Tunes…

German

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.

Doctor

Word name

Doctor is an honorific used as a name, somewhat like names such as Bishop, King, and Princess. Banned in New Zealand, Doctor can lead to the kind of confusion you may feel would be only positive for…

Wash

Wash is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive of Washington, which itself began as an English surname meaning 'estate of a person named Wassa.' The name gained prominence in America due to…

Danger

English word name

"exposure to injury, pain, harm, or loss"

Prime example of the aggressive word names that are an off-the-grid branch of the new macho names. Makes Cannon, Maverick, and Ranger feel almost soft and sensitive by comparison.

Whistler

English occupational name

"one who whistles"

A new entry in the fashionable occupational name category -- and a jolly job it must be -- with the added attraction of relating to the great early 20th century American artist James Abbott McNeill…

Oral

Variation of Aurelius or Oriol, or English word name

"golden; spoken"

Possibly inspired by golden names, Oriol and Aurelius, or by the word oral, meaning "spoken", Oral is not one that would work in a modern English-speaking context. Too medical and too sexual, it did…

Arkadij

Arkadij is a masculine name with Slavic origins, predominantly used in Russia and Eastern European countries. It is derived from the Greek name Arkadios, which relates to Arcadia, a region in Greece…