baby no 4

Tate

English from Norse

"cheerful"

A strong single-syllable surname with a joyful meaning, Tate is finding a place on more and more birth certificates. Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton named her second son Tate Lee. Tate also has a…

Malakai

Fijian and Tongan form of Malachi

Malakai puts a South Sea Island spin on the Biblical Malachi, which may be just what It needs to fit in with contemporary trends.

Apollo

Greek mythology name

"destroyer; strength; father's light"

With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, and melodic option. Similar in style to Atlas and…

Zayne

Spelling variation of Zayn or Zane

Zayne, Zayn, Zane and Zain are all enjoying tremendous popularity. While all the names sound the same, Zane is actually a variation of John via Shane, while Zayn and the others are rooted in the…

Hadley

English

"heathery field"

Hemingway readers will recognize this as the name of Papa's first wife (and, eventually, actress Mariel's grandmother). But in Victorian times, Hadley and Hedley were actually more popular for boys.

Axl

Variation of Axel, Scandinavian version of Absalom

"father of peace"

Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel…

Freddie

Dininutive of Frederick, German

"peaceful ruler"

Just the kind of casual, flippant nickname that upscale Brits are putting on their sons' birth certificates, but few U.S. parents are.

Theon

Greek

"godly"

Theon, an ancient name attached to a noted Greek teacher of mathematics and astronomy, also father to the first woman mathematician, might appeal to parents in this field. You can think of Theon as…

Xerxes

Persian

"hero among heroes"

The two X's may be a challenge for even the most intrepid baby namer. Xerxes was the name of two early kings of Persia and the Handel opera Serse or Xerxes is loosely based on Xerxes I.

Xanthos

Greek

"golden-haired"

This alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound and can always be shortened to Xan.

Cassiel

Latin

"angel of Saturday"

This name of the archangel who protects those born under the sign of Capricorn is one of the most attractive and distinctive December baby names or January baby names . Cassiel is a little-known…

Dionysus

Greek

"god of Nysa"