10 S Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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What's your favorite S name for boys? I've been loving Soren lately. At #652, he's a smidge too popular to put on this list, and I'd say he's fairly well known. Instead, I have 10 names that don't appear in the top 1000 at all, and maybe even a few names you've never heard of. Tell me what you think.

Salinger- What better way to pay tribute to your favorite author than by giving your child their name? Salinger is one of my favorite literary heroes, and with names like Sullivan and Sebastian so popular, he seems to fit.

Sander- Alexander is a great name, but do you really want your son to be another Alex? Sander is the perfect nickname (and your son won't be Sander H. in the classroom). If you're not a big fan of Alexander, you can use Sander on his own, or as a nickname for Lysander.

Sanford- Looking for a cool way to get to Ford? Take a look at Sanford. He ranks at #5247, and has never made it above the top 400. Sanford is pretty close to Stanford though, so be prepared for some confusion.

Sasha- The boys are taking Sasha back. He's been used by many a celebrity (the most recent one being Shakira). Sasha has been falling for girls, but I expect to see an even sharper decline now that we've seen him on so many boys.

Satchel- I think Satchel is adorable. He's technically a word name--I believe it's a type of backpack in Europe (?)--but most Americans won't have that association.

Shaw- All those '80s babies named Sean are starting families. It can be fun to honor yourself with your child's name, but Shawna isn't really your style. The best way to honor Dad (or Mom, possibly) is Shaw. He's a simple, modern, and unique pick for a son.

Shepherd- Occupation names are all the rage, but Shepherd hasn't garnered much attention. He has a very sweet sound (and how cute would a sheep themed nursery be?). You can also spell it Shepard, but Shepherd is the original occupation spelling.

Simeon- Sure, Simon is cute, but depending on where you live there are three on every block. Simeon is a similar Hebrew name that is only at #1064.

Sorrel- Are you worried about Soren becoming insanely popular overnight, too? Welcome to the club. I don't love Sorrel quite as much as Soren, but he is my favorite of the list.

Stellan- I talked about Stellan in one of my first posts (apologies for the bad spelling/grammar). He's a fantastic name, especially if you love Stella, but not her popularity.

Alternatives to Alexander

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Alexander is a great name. However, he's just too popular for some people. If you're in that boat, check out these alternatives.

Sight:
Alessandro- The Spanish form of Alexander. Definitely usable in America.
Anderson- Alexander's ending is Anderson's beginning. He feels a bit more upper crust than Alexander though.
Dexter- He's rising in popularity, due to the hit TV show. Dex makes a great nickname.

Sound:
Alistair- Another form of Alexander, but not nearly as widely used.
Calix- He's more similar to Alex than Alexander, but Calix is a really cool name.
Lysander- With the -ander names getting so popular, it's surprising that Lysander hasn't gotten any attention.

Style:
Adrian- I never liked it on a girl, Adrian seems so masculine to me.
Roman- They share ancient roots.
Sebastian- He's gaining speed on the charts, but Sebastian is not nearly at the level Alexander is.