Favourite Boys Names

Paris

French place-name

The first famous Paris was a mythological prince of incredible beauty. The most recent was media darling Paris Hilton, inspirer of a generation of baby-girl namesakes. But since Pierce Brosnan and…

Prosper

Latin

"favorable, prosperous"

In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child. Prosper was the name of several early saints, including a noted fifth…

Tobin

English surname derived from Tobias

"God is good"

Tobias-related name that makes an attractive and modern-sounding form of the biblical original. It was recently chosen by Karolina Kurkova for her son.

Tiago

Portuguese diminutive of Santiago, Latin

"Saint James"

Tiago, also spelled Thiago, is a popular Portuguese boys' name. Derived from the more formal Santiago, these days it is often used on its own. Relaxed and charming while still maintaining the…

Xaver

Xaver is a masculine name with German and Bavarian origins, functioning as a variant of Xavier. The name ultimately derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning 'the new house,' and was…

Zacharias

Greek form of Hebrew Zachariah

"the Lord has remembered"

One of several more venerable names that get to the nickname Zack if you're tired of Zachary. In the New Testament, Zacharias was the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist.

Feivel

Yiddish

"brilliant one"

This comes from Faivish, the Yiddish form of Phoebus, the Greek sun god...and it's also the little mouse in "An American Tail."

Thibault

French from German

"courageous people"

Pronounced TEE-bow, this version, which is also a very common surname in France, has a lot more charm than the name it derives from — Theobald. A variant spelling is Thibaut. Trivia tidbit:…

Etienne

French variation of Stephen

"garland, crown"

It's the French Steve yet feels oh so much more debonair. Well-used and still a popular classic in French-speaking lands, but one of the many French names for boys unfamiliar to most English…

Ilya

Russian variation of Elijah

"the Lord is my God"

A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. >p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov."…

Augustin

Greek variation of August

This form and its German variant Augusten are moving up fast as the preferred long forms of the trendy Gus.

Alban

Latin

"white, or, man from Alba"

An ancient and highly unusual name; St. Alban -- sometimes also called Albinus or Aubin -- was an early martyr in Roman Britain. Using an alternate spelling, Alben Barkley was the 35th U.S.…

Lev

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…