User-created list
Cigar-chomping, brandy-swilling future generation
Across 4 pages
of 4
The names
Solomon
Hebrew
"peace"
Solomon, a name that evokes wisdom and peace, is an Old Testament name that, along with other patriarchal classics, is finally beginning to shed its long white beard and step from the pages of the…
Soren
Danish, Norwegian
"stern"
This gentle Scandinavian name, soft and sensitive, is being discovered in a major way by parents in the US. It's most closely identified with the nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but…
Princeton
English
"princely town"
This uppity name has been a fast climber in recent years, but we still think it's a bit much. Even abroad, where the connection to the prestigious university will be weaker, any name beginning with…
Georgina
English, feminine variation of George
"farmer"
Now more popular than Georgiana in Britain, this elegant Dickens. Jane Austen name deserves attention. Most American parents prefer Georgia to Georgina or any other feminization of George.
Huxley
English
"inhospitable place"
Huxley is definitely rising as a surname name, with its X that makes almost any name cooler. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015. The modern nicknames Hux and Huck certainly don't hurt. Last year,…
Graydon
English
"son of the gray-haired one"
Waspy, but preferable to Nanny Diaries satiric name Grayer. Grayton Greydon, Greyton.
Keaton
English
"place of hawks; river town; Káti's town"
Keaton is an engaging surname with warmth, energy and a sense of humor, identified with silent comedian Buster Keaton and contemporary actors Michael and Diane Keaton. Given to around 290 boys in a…
Darius
Latin from Greek and Persian
"possessing goodness"
Darius is a historic name via Emperor Darius the Great, a key figure in ancient Persian history, and several other Persian kings. His name today has an appealingly artistic image, which might well be…
Afton
Place-name
"Æffa's farmstead"
A Scottish town and river name, Afton has a cool, contemporary sound, similar to Alden, Austen, Effie, and Aspen. Derived from Old English, it could mean "Æffa's farmstead", Æffa being an Anglo-Saxon…
Rush
English
"basket weaver"
Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.
Mortimer
English
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Bernhard
German
"strong, brave as a bear"
Popular throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Scandinavia, Bernhard has maintained its classic appeal for centuries. Several notable figures have carried this distinguished name, including…
Leopold
German
"brave people"
An aristocratic and stately Germanic route to the popular Leo, Leopold is a royal name: Queen Victoria used it to honor a favorite uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium. These days, this royal tie may be…
Beck
English
"small stream"
The popular single-named alternative singer (born Bek) has given this cool nature-meets-surname name a new lease of life. Another notable bearer is Beck Weathers, a Texan pathologist who survived the…
Mckinley
Scottish
"son of the fair hero"
New Presidential name, if you're ready to move beyond Lincoln and Jefferson. At the turn of the last century, during the original McKinley's heyday, as a first name it almost reached the Top 100.
Aspen
Nature and place-name
"a poplar tree that quakes in the breeze"
As trendy as the chic Colorado ski resort, with a hint of whimsy from the shimmering trees, Aspen has been climbing the charts for boys since the early 90s. While it has always been more popular for…
Milton
English
"settlement with a mill"
Once an upper-class British surname conjuring up the epic poetry of John Milton, it then descended to the antics of "Uncle Miltie" Berle, and now has left the stage completely.
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Fox
Animal name
Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files . Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting…
Lowell
French
"young wolf"
Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…


