A Boys

Abraxas is a sci-fi-sounding name with earthly possibilities, but some playground challenges.

Akiro is well used in Japan, the first name of famed director Kurosawa.

Most American parents would choose to use the more commonly seen variant, AXEL.

The bell-shaped flower Aletris is also known as Colic Root, Blazing Star, Unicorn Root, and Stargrass. Its roots have medicinal properties and are used to aid digestive and muscle problems. Its name derives from Greek aletris — an enslaved woman who ground corn — because of the mealy texture of the flowers.

Very popular on its native turf, foreign-sounding here.

This name is a classic example of an underused golden oldie that ticks so many boxes - unusual yet traditional, heaps of cute nicknames, a statement name that exudes retro cool. Aloysius is the Latin form of many more common names like Louis, Luis, Luigi and the uncommon but symphonically familiar Ludwig.

Rarely used, and for good reason. Alonzo is a preferable choice.

This Latinized form of a name that's well used in Italy and Spain is sometimes heard, oddly enough, in Ireland.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's middle name could make an interesting pick for music-loving parents--if only in middle place. Amadeus is the title of a Peter Shaffer play which became an award-winning film in 1984.

Friendlier french form of ancient Germanic royal name Amalric or Emmerich.

Gentle but grandiose and beloved by British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose was a fast rising name in 2022. Entering the UK Top 1000 for the first time and proving popular among Nameberry users, its elegance, softness, and vintage style means it fits in with popular Theodore, Sebastian, and Jeremiah.

This euphonious Italian Italian name for boys, often associated with the painter Modigliani, makes a recommended creative choice. The Spanish tend to spell it Amadeo.

Amias or Amyas is a unique name with an attractive sound and feel and a lovely meaning. Though it might sound like a Biblical name, it is not, but is a surname that may be related to Amadeus or even be a male version of Amy--which would make it one of the few boys' names to be derived from a girls'.

Hope is one meaning of the name Amil, which sounds similar to the German Emil; it can also mean unattainable in the sense of being so exalted as in royalty as to be out of reach. While Amil may not be familiar in the Western world, it's accessible and appealing.

Amos is a robust biblical name that's being discovered by a new generation of parents in a major way.

Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more closely with France. Anatole Kuragin is a dashing, roguish prince in Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Aodh, the name of the Celtic sun god meaning "fire", was common in early Scotland. It's also the origin of the wildly popular Irish name Aidan (originally Aodhán). Its pronunciation varies depending on region: AY or EE are Irish pronunciations, and in Scotland it's closer to UH, and has been Anglicized as Hugh.

Better than Capricorn or Cancer, not as usable as Leo, the name of the Roman god of war becomes more possible as a baby name every day, as mythological names take the place of biblical names.