If I Could Name 100 Boys

Cedric Guerin via Dribbble

Alright, now it's time for the boys! I have to admit, I found the task of picking 100 of my favorite boys names a bit daunting at first--which is why you didn't see this post last year--but it turned out to be better than I thought. Now it's your turn! I'd love to know--what would you name 100 sons?

Amos
Anders
Ari
Asa
August

Bastien
Beck
Benno
Birch
Bodhi
Bowen

Bram
Chester
Clyde
Conrad
Dewey
Drake

Eames
Enzo
Felix
Ferris
Finn
Fox
Frank
Freddie
Frey

Fritz
Gardner
George
Graham
Gregor
Grover
Gus
Hal
Harry
Hart
Harvey

Henry
Herbert

Huck
Ike

Ira
Ivo
Jack
Jamie

Jay
Jens

Lars
Leland
Lester
Linus
Lloyd

Louis
Magnus
Max
Milo
Moe
Monroe
Ned
Noam
Ogden
Ollie
Omri
Orin
Oslo
Oswald
Otto
Paul
Penn
Pete
Philip
Portland
Ralph
Ramsay
Raymond
Reid
Remy

Rex
Rhodes

Richie
Ridge
Roscoe
Scott
Sid

Soren
Teague
Teddy
Theo
Timo
Toby

Todd
Van
Viggo

Walter

Warren
Weber
Wells
Wes
York
Zen



*I'm taking two weeks off for finals and Spring Break, so I'll see everyone back here in April*

Best Unisex Names for Boys

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This list surprised me in many ways. The first is by some of the names. I never would have guessed that names like Dominique, Kimball, and Wynn are all more popular for boys (to be fair, they're all pretty close in terms of boy/girl usage). Second, this list is quite a bit longer than Monday's. I would have thought that there are more unisex names that are considered "for girls" rather than the other way around. Granted, I couldn't have thought of every unisex name, so there still could be more "girlish" ones, I suppose. Let me know what you think--are all of these better suited for the boys?

Abbott
Adrian
Aiden
Alex
Anchor
Angel
Ari
Ash
Ashton
Birch
Bo
Brady
Brighton
Cameron
Carlton
Casey
Cedar
Charlie
Chris
Christian
Cove
Dallas
Daryl
Devin
Dominique
Doran
Drew
Dylan
Elliot
Ellis
Evan
Gardner
Garland
Glenn
Gray
Finn
Flynn
Hart
Hayden
Jazz
Jordan
Jory
Joss
Justus
Keegan
Kimball
Kyle
Lake
Lane
Lincoln
Logan
Linden
Maguire
Mercer
Micah
Nico
Noel
North
Oak
Oakley
Parker
Paxton
Phoenix
Quincy
Ray
Reece
Reid
Ren
Rio
River
Rory
Rowan
Ryan
Sacha
Sam
Samar
Sawyer
Sean
Storm
Tate
Terry
Toby
Tony
True
Tyler
Wynn

10 U Name You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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On to the boys! I'm actually surprised at how much I like this list--I had never really thought of any U names before. Take a look, and tell me if you feel the same.

Uberto- Uberto is cool and sophisticated. He's a slimmer version of Umberto--another name I considered putting on this list.

Ugo- If Hugo's too hipster for your taste, try Ugo. He's got a similar feel, but is more exotic and interesting.

Ultan- Ultan is an Irish saint name (Happy Saint Patricks Day!) with good potential for the middle spot. He may be a little out there, but if you're brave enough, he would also make a good first name.

Umber- We love color names, but there are few out there for boys. Umber is one of the few, and makes a striking name for a son. He's also a nice way to honor an Amber.

Urban- What better name than Urban to convey your love for city life? He may sound modern and cosmopolitan, but Urban is a very old name, peaking in 1916.

Uri- Ari is racing up the charts, and though he may not seem popular on paper (#417), he is an extremely trendy choice in many areas of the country (including Chicago--I know a million Aris). Uri is the perfect alternative, yet he's not even on most people's radar screens. Uri is a Hebrew name like Ari, but the names have different meanings. Uri means "light."

Urian- The most popular U name for boys is Uriah (#535). That's not popular at all (only 488 boys were given the name last year), but some parents are looking for something almost no one has used. Urian shares many sounds with Uriah, but did not even place in the top 1000 last year.

Urso- Urso is such a cool name. He's an Italian name meaning "bear," which makes him perfect for a subtle animal-themed sibset.

Utah- State names can be great choices for babies. They can honor a parent's home, where the baby was born, a special place to the parents, and more. Utah is an especially rad name for a boy--he's got the feel of a hipster cowboy.

Uzi- He may share a name with a machine gun, but Uzi is not unusable. Wes Anderson choose him as the name of one of Chaz Tenenbaum's sons (along with Ari) for his film The Royal Tenenbaums. That movie helped me see Uzi as a wearable name, but you have to decide for yourself.

10 I Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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I'm not going to lie, this was a hard group. There aren't that many I names around, and it was difficult to find ones that would be useable. I did my best, so let know your opinion (would you really use any of these?).

Iago- Yes, he's the villain in Othello. But Iago is an awesome sounding name! He's nice and short, and ends in O.

Ib- Want a nickname for Jacob that's less obvious than Jake? Ib is your man. He's a great name, but even I think he's too short on his own.

Ibsen- Of course, Ib would make a great nickname for Ibsen. He's more substantial than his short form, and makes more sense for the birth certificate.

Ike- You know so many little Isaacs, but how many of them are called Ike? Probably none. That's why, if you must use Isaac (for whatever reason), you should call him by the retro-cool nickname Ike.

Ingram- Simple, cool, and unique. Plus, he comes with the sweet nickname Graham.

Inigo- You might get a few Princess Bride jokes, but that could be worth it to give your son a snazzy name like Inigo.

Innes- A Scottish surname with lots of appeal. He makes a great way to honor your heritage.

Ira- He may sound a little dated, but I can picture some little Iras running around in the near future. If it's twins, name his brother Ari for anagram appeal.

Iro- Okay, so Ira's not cool enough. Try Iro, he's a little more modern and exotic.

Italo- Last Italian name, I promise. Italo would be perfect as a middle name for an Italian-American child.

Initial Names

Many parents find themselves in positions where they want to name their child one name, but call them something completely unrelated. This can get tricky, especially with honor names. Luckily, I have thought of a solution. If you give your child a certain pattern of initials (whether it be with the first and middle or first and last) a whole new name can be created. Still confused? Watch this.

ED- Edie. Want to honor Great Aunt Ekaterina as well as Grandma Danette? Give your daughter those two names, but call her Edie instead.

EV- Evie. You love the name Etheline Vivienne, but really want a daughter named Evie? Here you go.

FE- Effie. Perfect for those times when Francesca Emiliana is just a little too long.

IO- Io. Not only do these initials make the sounds of a new name, they actually spell it too. If you think Io is too short and spunky for a given name, go ahead and name her Isabella Olivia, but call her by her initials (please).

JC- Jaycee. Your partner loves common names, but you love unique names, specifically Jemima Coralie. I'd say this is the perfect compromise.

KC- Casey. It's a shame that Kai has no nickname, except if you name him Kai Carraway then you can call him Casey as well.

KD- Katie? Cady. This one's a bit of a stretch, since Katie is spelled with a T. However, if you love the name Katie but are stuck naming your daughter Kelly Danielle after your partner's sister, you now have a way to use your favorite name.

KT- Katie. Kimball Therese is the name, and now your partner is brainstorming potential nicknames. Get him off his Kimmy kick and suggest Katie instead.

LC- Elsie. Elsa was your number one name for six years, but Frozen totally ruined it. I know how you feel. Lilia Celeste is a gorgeous name, and will make a better non-tainted way to get to Elsie.

LE- Ellie. Every first born daughter in your family is named Ludmila, but you're already called Millie. Lucky for you her name is Ludmila Eden, because now you can call her Ellie.

ME- Emme. You just adopted a two year old, and her name is already Mireya Elspeth. It's too bad you'll never get to use your favorite name, Emma. Luckily Mireya has set you up perfectly, because you can call her Emme.

RE- Ari. This is your last child, but you still have to honor Grandpa Raymond, Uncle Ezekiel, and Grandma Ardith. Is there such a way to do this? Kill three birds with one stone, name him Raymond Ezekiel and call him Ari.

SE- Essie. You can't picture yourself naming your daughter after your favorite nail polish brand, but what a cute nickname Essie would be. Are there any names that shorten to Essie? Not really. Susanna Elise is a much better choice than Essence (what?) and you still get the same nickname.

XE- Exie. Mom really wants you to choose Xanthe for your daughter's name after her grandmother who you never met, but you are reluctant. But hey, if you name her Xanthe Esmeralda then you can call her Exie. Cute.  

Movie Names: The Royal Tenenbaums

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The Royal Tenenbaums is my all time favorite movie. As I mentioned earlier this week, I love Wes Anderson, so this should come as no surprise. One of the things I love most about Wes Anderson (though not as much as his quirky characters and whimsical sets) is how he names his characters. In every one of his movies, the names are specially tailored to the characters, or so it seems. If you haven't seen a Wes Anderson movie before, I highly recommend the Royal Tenenbaums as your first one. It's a lovely film, with lovely names.

Boys:
Ari- He's a name often associated with Nice Jewish Boys, but he can work for a boy with any culture or religion.
Chaz- Normally a nickname for Charles. Not quite useable on the birth certificate, but he would make a nice retro nickname.
Dudley- Dudley's name was perfect for his character, because he was dud-ish. That being said, it's not a good connotation for your child.
Eli- Eli is one of the great characters in this film, but if you want to name a baby after him, go with his last name- Cash.
Henry- Sweet and classic.
Mordecai- He's Richie's falcon in the movie, and would be a fun connection for a boy. However, he is a lot of name.
Pagoda- Whimsical and delighting, but maybe for a girl?
Raleigh- Many would consider this a girl name, but Raleigh wore surprisingly well on his character (played by Bill Murray!)
Richie- Chaz's brother's name is also more common as a nickname (this time for Richard), but is used in its own right. Richie holds up better than Chaz.
Royal- Is this one set to come back? Maybe, because names like Duke and Deacon are heading upwards.
Uzi- Ari's brother (surprised?). The gun connotation is a bad one, but that doesn't rule it out.

Girls:
Etheline- A beautiful elaboration of the crotchety sounding Ethel.
Margot- One of the best names in the entire film. Margot is stunning and glamorous, just like her character.
Rachael- She's not a big character in the movie (Ari and Uzi's dead mother), but she has a great name that is falling slightly out of favor.