Plausible word name, denoting strength and stability. 

Anchor

One of the new color names that is catching on, invoking a calm, blue-green-sea feeling. 

Aqua

Aquata

Aquatania

Atlantis

Like River and Lake, a cool, refreshing modern water-related choice. This name is also associated with bay leaves, the bay laurel, the contemporary term of endearment, "bae", and the Old English word beġ meaning "berry"

A slow and sultry southern choice that's definitely cool for babies of either gender. 

Bayou

Bear has suddenly lumbered onto the baby name landscape.  Perhaps inspired by British adventurer Bear Grylls (born Edward Michael), first celebrity chef Jamie Oliver used it as the middle name for his boy Buddy, and more recently Alicia Silverstone called her son Bear Blu., followed by Kate Winslet's Bear Blaize. It's part of a current trend normalizing once aggressive animal names like Wolf and Fox. Bear is now Number 218 on Nameberry and in the Top 900 in England.

Bear

Reese Witherspoon's Deacon has opened this churchy direction for occupational names. It reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015.

Bishop

Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous -- some might say outlandish -- choice. Distinctive and charming? Or better suited to a farmyard animal? Your call. 

Bluebell

One way to encourage some cheers for your little one, but not recommended. 

Bravo

Brutus is the quintessential brute--far too close to the word brutal. And any child with this name would spend much of his life hearing "Et tu." 
 Originally an old Roman family name, borne by Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar, who spoke those famous dying words to him.
 Save Brutus for your dog and consider Bruno instead.

Brutus

Baelfire

This hyper-rhythmic name has two evocative references. In Greek mythology, she was an island nymph, a daughter of Atlas, who delayed Odysseus from returning home. It is also a genre of West Indian music, originating in Trinidad and Tobago and largely popularized in the States by Harry Belafonte. 
 Calypso was the name of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's research ship--and would make a highly dramatic, musical choice.

Calypso

A commanding word name that feels occupational like Miller, Palmer, and Shepherd, while also fitting in with ambitious choices like Legend, King, Major, Maverick, and Saint. Referring to someone who takes the lead and holds influence and responsibility, Captain has links to team sports, the military, seafaring, superheroes, and the police.
 
Used sporadically throughout the 20th century, Captain is currently given to around 20 boys each year in the US. Some might certainly find it best reserved as a title or for a pet, but current naming trends could see it rise.
 
Footballer Captain Munnerlyn is one notable bearer, while the BBC sitcom Ghosts features a character who goes by Captain (or The Captain) nearly exclusively.

Captain

A name heard in Puritan times -- Cotton Mather was a minister involved in the Salem witchcraft trials -- which really deserves modern consideration as it blends nature and softness into a really trendy and wearable masculine name.

Cotton

Cousteau

This name was transposed from the word for a church officer to a baby name when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe chose it for their son, after a baseball player ancestor, and Don Johnson followed suit. Its popularity also got a boost from Nashville character Deacon Claybourne -- only to fall a bit in recent years.

Deacon

Creative name whose only limitation is that it looks like it would be pronounced akin to Alicia and Elissa — although as a Biblical <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a>, it is traditionally pronounced ee-LIE-shah. 

 With Elijah a Top 10 choice, Elisha seems like a natural alternative for those preferring a slightly more unusual – but still super traditional – boy name. In fact, in the Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and disciple of similarly named Elijah.

Elisha

More unusual than Forest or Forrest, Field is a nature name that is simple, evocative, and fresh--sort of the male equivalent of Meadow.
Field and Fields are both relatively common surnames, noted bearers including department store owner Marshall Field, poet Eugene Field (Wynken, Blynken and Nod) and actress Sally. Those with the plural include W.C. Fields, cookie company founder Debbi, and entertainers Gracie and Kim Fields.
 Fielding is a very usable extension.

Field

Though Genesis is a Top 100 girls' name in the US, it's by all rights a unisex choice. 
Derived from Greek, it means "birth" or "origin", making it a word name and a Biblical name, 
Genesis also shares sounds with other unisex and masculine options, such as Alexis, Otis, Reese, Silas, and Ellis. It is therefore given to a not insubstantial 200 boys each year. 
Outside of US, where Genesis is far less popular and rarely heard, it could make a cool and untraditional option for those wanting to celebrate the Bible, those who like the rock band, or anyone hoping for a new beginning.

Genesis

Not a traditional biblical choice, but the Philistine giant isn't a bad character as such, just a champion fighter who lost to the underdog. He has given his name to everything from insect species to roller coasters. In a time when we're seeing more biblical names with chequered associations — Leviathan and Cain spring to mind — Goliath may appeal to some.

Goliath

These days, it's thought of less as the name of the great general and more as the first name of Lecter the fictional cannibal. Either association is too heavy for a child to bear. 

Hannibal

Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. 
Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname, represented by uber-skateboarder Tony Hawk, a pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding. Variations include Hawke, as in actor Ethan, Hawks, as in Golden Age movie director Howard, Hawking, as in scientist Stephen, and Hawkins, as in musicians Coleman, Screamin' Jay and Sophie B, and was recently given to his baby boy by quarterback Tony Romo. There have been characters named or nicknamed Hawk in The Revenant, The Path and Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. Hawk ranks at Number 699 on Nameberry.

Hawk

Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls, who, like many parents, will call the boy the much more manageable Huck. It was also the name of a child on TV's West Wing,

Huckleberry

This state name emerged in the eighties along with westerners Dakota and Montana, and it's still used occasionally by high-profile parents such as Summer Phoenix and Casey Affleck. Action man Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) makes Indiana "Indy" forever cool for a boy.

Indiana

Though it was used by the Puritans in the sixteenth century, the founding of the modern Jewish state in 1948 transformed Israel from a traditional favorite into an icon of Judaism. 
 In the Bible, Israel was the name bestowed by God upon Jacob after he wrestled with an angel.

Israel

Iridessa

Evocative modern unisex choice brought into the spotlight by actress Lake Bell. 

Lake

Lemon is one of the more <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique names</a> related to fruit, compared with sisters Clementine and Apple. That may be because lemon is also a word that's slang for a clunker, something that doesn't work very well. No baby wants to feel like a Lemon, so this is one of those unusual names that is best avoided.

Lemon

This bold choice soared in popularity from 2008 to 2013, and now seems to have plateaued. But watch out—the character Major Major Major Major in the classic absurdist novel Catch-22 had a terrible time.

Major

Moon

This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.

Neptune

If you love Dixie, Trixie and Pixie, this name of a mermaid-like sprite in German folklore may be for you.  It might also make an update for Nicki.

Nixie

Nature names like Ocean and River are flowing back into favor, especially with nature lovers and green-oriented parents. 
 Forest Whitaker, an inspired child namer (his other kids are called Sonnet and True), has a son named Ocean Alexander.
 Variations include Oceanus, the name of the child who was born during the voyage of the Mayflower, and Oceane, a wildly popular girls' name in France.

Ocean

Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus was, appropriately enough, the name of the baby born on the Mayflower. Modern variations include Ocean, Oceana, and Oceane, a popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/162/french-names">French name</a> for girls.

Oceanus

Orion is a rising star, with both mythical and celestial overtones.
 The Greek mythological Orion was the legendary hunter who pursued the seven daughters of Atlas, was slain by the goddess Artemis, and then placed as one of the brightest constellations in the night sky by Zeus.
 Mark Twain had a brother named Orion, and Chris "Big" Noth picked the name for his son. It is also a Harry Potter name.
 Orion's Gaelic connection to O'Ryan/Ryan makes it familiar as well as unusual.

Orion

Despite the success of so many O-starting <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys names</a>--Oliver, Owen, Otis, Oscar--Oswald has not yet shown any signs of resurrection, though he does have the animating nicknames Ozzie/Ozzy and Oz. The name has some literary cred--in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's King Lear and a novel by H. G.Wells--and there was early cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Oswald

Pelagius

Kaiser, Rex, Kingsley, and Prince have become increasingly popular in recent years and Pharaoh is one of the more unexpected members of this regal family of names. Used as the title of ancient Egyptian rulers, it was also given to more than 200 babies in 2019. 

The word pharaoh actually derives from Egyptian compound pr, meaning "great house" and well before it was used for address a person, it was used as the title of the royal palace. It wasn't until the 18th or 19th Dynasty that pharaoh was used as alternative to 'majesty', but by the 25th Dynasty, it was the most common epithet for the ruler. The pronunciation and transcription we know today however, was eventually reached after the Egyptian term was adapted into Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 
 
As a given name, it has been used occasionally since the late 70s, with famous jazz saxophonist Pharoah [sic] Saunders (really named Ferrell) being a notable bearer. It wasn't until the mid 2010s however that it really began to gain traction. Football player Pharoh Cooper might have inspired some parents to use the name, while Nameberry writer Summer Richardson suggests its rise could be explained by the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/black-american-baby-name-trends">shift from virtue names to title names</a> within the Black American community.

Pharaoh

Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">gender neutral names</a>. A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last year. A perfect choice, especially in the middle, for the child of writers or those with a poetic bent. And Po is an adorable nickname for either gender.

Poet

Provocative word name that may strike the right chord for an adventurous baby namer.

Reason

Reef is an uncommon nature name with mainstream potential. Its laidback, beach-y vibe makes it a perfect choice for ocean lovers.

Although Reef remains well outside of the US Top 1000, it has charted in the Top 100 in Hawaii as recently as 2021.

Reef

Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/r">boys' names starting with R</a>, you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and Racer) to your list. 
Musician and fashion director Pharrell Williams named his son Rocket, telling Oprah, "In the same way the Indians named their children after a force or animal or element, we named him after a man-made machine that was meant to go up, meant to ascend."

Rocket

TV watchers will instantly think of hunky West Wing character Sam Seaborn, played by Rob Lowe, while techies may associate it with a programming toolkit used in statistical analysis. Few, though, will see it as a great first name.

Seaborn

This shimmery Age of Aquarius unisex flower child name is making a comeback, along with metal and gem names like Steel, Jade, and Ruby. 

Silver

Windswept and dramatic, but perhaps asking for trouble. Quite popular in Denmark and Sweden, where it derives from Stromr, which is a fairly common surname. Storm Thorgerson is a famous bearer of the name - he designed iconic album covers for Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Cranberries, Anthrax, and Pink Floyd.

Storm

Sæwine

This unusual Welsh mythological name just might appeal to architect parents wishing to honor Frank Lloyd Wright, who called his two famous residences Taliesin and Taliesin West. 

Taliesin

This name comes from Greek mythology, where the Titans were a band of immortal, powerful giants. 

 Popular movie of 2000 Remember the Titans may be partly responsible for this name's ranking in the Top 1000.

Titan

One of the less obvious newly plausible occupational names, could instill a sense of adventure in a child. 

Traveler

One of the magical words of childhood (and beyond), and associated with actor Treat (born Richard) Williams, whose nickname came from ancestor Robert Treat Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. 

Treat

Chef Wolfgang Puck has helped soften this thunderous Germanic name; music-lovers will appreciate its association with Mozart, though the composer's middle name Amadeus is more appealing. 

Wolfgang

Aside from President Wilson (born Thomas), most Woodrows, including Herman, Guthrie, and Harrelson, have chosen to be known as Woody, which says it all. 

Woodrow

Zion has taken off in recent years, especially after singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son in 1997 and incorporated the name into a hit song. It combines a user-friendly Ryan-Brian sound with the gravitas of religious significance. The Hebrew pronunciation is 'tzeeyon'.
 In the Old Testament, the name Zion frequently refers to the city of Jerusalem as a whole, and came to be symbolic of Jewish national aspirations, and thus was the source of the term Zionism.
 
With its cool, sharp Z sound, Zion was given to nearly 2900 boys — and to 130 girls — in 2023, placing it in the US Top 150. Also on trend in the UK, New Zealand, and The Netherlands, Zion may well continue to rise in coming years, though some may find it a controversial choice.

Zion

thalassapearl's list "GP Names" of 56 great name ideas: Anchor - Zion!