Are you looking for rare and unusual baby boy names?
If you want to choose a unique name for your little one, we’ve got you covered.
While the big chart names are a great choice, you may prefer something a little lesser known for your baby. It’s actually becoming more and more popular to choose names outside of the top 100 baby names charts!
Subjects you can take inspiration from include sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV shows where unusual names are heavily used, pale colour shades and celestial words.
To help you with your choice, here are 30+ ideas for what to call your baby boy if you want a more unusual moniker for your little one.
If you’re expecting a girl, you can find some baby name ideas for her over here. Find out about the baby name trends set to be big news over on this post!
Now on to the names! Which is your favourite?
Planning a baby shower? You need my Baby Shower Games Bundle! Features 15 great activities – including Baby Bingo, Advice sheets and Predictions sheets for guests to enjoy! Download in PDF format and print as many copies as you need. Get everything you need for Baby Shower entertainment here!
This article contains affiliate links.
Uncommon baby boy names
If you want to test out if your baby boy name is truly unusual and uncommon then you can check how widely it was used using ONS data.
Just head to the data here and download the most recent year, then check table 6 which has the full list of baby names. Scroll right to the end to find the least used baby boy names.
I’ve taken a look at the rarest baby names on the list and chosen one for each letter of the alphabet. There are over 800 baby boy names given to less than four babies in the most recent data.
Here are some top picks for unusual boy names:
- Arbor – meaning tree.
- Bailee – alternative spelling for Bailey, meaning bailiff.
- Corby – meaning young crow.
- Dragomir – meaning to whom peace is precious.
- Elwin – a magical name meaning elf or magical being.
- Fitzgerald – meaning son of the spear-ruler.
- Gaston – meaning guest or stranger. Perfect if you love Disney names!
- Hendry – meaning son of Henry.
- Itanas – meaning person who is fast and rebellious.
- Jakobi – meaning son of Jacob.
- Kendrix – A Welsh name meaning greatest champion.
- Lancelot – a name steeped in English history and folklore – Lancelot was a knight of the Round Table in Camelot. The name means servant.
- Maximillian – meaning greatest and best.
- Neon – meaning new or bright.
- Othello – a literary baby name meaning wealth.
- Quinten – meaning fifth.
- Peregrin – meaning pilgrim or traveller.
- Rudyard – meaning red.
- Skylar – a gender neutral name meaning scholar.
- Thorn – a nature baby name meaning thorn bush or prickle.
- Vitor – meaning champion.
- Wolfram – a cool boy’s name meaning wolf raven.
- Xion – meaning highest point.
- Yassar – meaning to become easy or rich.
- Zicco – meaning strong.
Top tip for preparing for a baby: Set up a Baby Wishlist with Amazon and share it with your friends and family so they can gift you with things you need!
Rare baby boy name ideas
Loved those uncommon name ideas?
Here are some more rare baby boy names – some will be very familiar but they are very little used!
They’re great choices if you want something that your child is unlikely to share with classmates but isn’t too far out there.
Atlas – A great name choice for fans of mythical words and themes. The meaning of the name is “to carry”.
Barnaby – Can be shorted to Barney, but it’s adorable either way. It’s an English name meaning “son of comfort”.
Kylo – The word means sky, but the name is now immortalised in popular culture as Kylo was the son of Princess Leia and Han Solo in the new Star Wars trilogy.
Geralt – A very rare name, though one that may grow in popularity this year due to the new Netflix show The Witcher starring Henry Cavill as monster hunter Geralt. The name is Irish in origin and means “fanner”. Similar to the name Gerald which means spear ruler.
Maynard – A great choice if you like the idea of a surname as a first name. The meaning is brave and strong.
Flint – A short but strong name referring to the stone used to spark a fire.
Walt – Recently in popular culture in the hit TV series Breaking Bad, it’s a great choice for fans of more old-fashioned and vintage names. The name Walter means “army ruler”.
Caius – The name means “happy” or rejoice making it a perfect choice for a new baby!
Ezekiel – A biblical name meaning God strengthens, however is quite trendy due to popular culture use in shows such as The Walking Dead. Could be shortened to Zeke which is super cute.
Wells – Another idea for those who love surnames as first names! It’s an English name meaning “spring”.
Quinten – Meaning “fifth” which makes it perfect for your fifth child, or if five is your lucky number. Could also be shortened to Quin, which is another gorgeous name in itself.
Gray – A beautiful Old English name which is perfect if you fancy using a rare name inspired by the pale colour trend.
Soren – Meaning stern, but the name certainly doesn’t sound stern! A strong but simple name.
Luther – A great choice for fans of Idris Elba! The name means army people.
Pax – The name means peace, and is the name Angelina Jolie chose for her eldest child.
Kai – Perfect for lovers of the ocean, this name means sea.
Orson – An old-fashioned name meaning bear cub.
Tobin – Could be shortened to Toby! Means God is good.
Aurelius – A beautiful baby name that means golden.
Bowie – This name had a little surge in popularity following the sad death of David Bowie. The name is Scottish and means yellow or fair-haired.
Roscoe – A simple but powerful name meaning deer forest.
Lucius – This name means light and is great if you like names such as Luca or Lucas but want something a little less well used.
Storm – A gorgeous unisex name. Great if you want a one syllable name that is also powerful and masculine.
Riggs – An English name that refers to a hill.
Zephyr – From the Greek word for west wind, this is a stunning and unique baby name.
Keanu – Made famous by the actor Keanu Reeves but still not widely used. The name means the breeze in Hawaii.
Rush – A great single syllable baby name that means basket weaver.
Otto – This lovely name means wealth or prosperity. It is German in origin.
Willis – The name means resolute protector, so it’s a perfect strong and masculine name.
Thaddeus – Meaning courageous or courage this is a wonderful choice for fans of Greek names.
Stellan – A Swedish name meaning calm.
Cassian – Meaning hollow, this is set to grow a little in popularity after being used in one of the latest Star Wars movies. It remains a rarely used name!
Edmond – A French baby name meaning happy or rich.
Ronin – A simple but very unique name, this means well-advised ruler.
Wren – Can be used for both boys and girls! It means songbird.
Elio – A sweet boy’s name that Harry Potter actor Bonnie Wright chose for her son. The name means sun.
Celebrity baby names
Famous parents are a great source of inspiration as they often opt for names that are unusual or that you’ve never heard of before!
Here are my top picks of the best rare monikers inspired by celebrity baby names.
Riot
Rihanna chose to call her baby boy Riot Rose! This is a cool, short but powerful name from the word baby names trend. It means disorder.
Elio
This sweet boy name means the sun. It is the name chosen by Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright for her newborn son.
Blue
This cool one-syllable name is what Beyonce and Jay-Z called their daughter, but it is a gender neutral name.
Onyx
A cool colour name that Alanis Morrisette chose for one of her children. It means black.
Axel
A very cool baby name meaning my father is peace. This name has been chosen by several celebrities, including Perrie from Little Mix and Will Ferrell.
Aire
A beautiful unisex name meaning lion of god. Aire is what Kylie Jenner chose to call her baby son.
Jupiter
A cool outer space name chosen by Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry Seaborn for their baby girl – but it is a unisex name that works for boys too.
Khai
A nice twist on the lovely Hawaiian name Kai. In Arabic the name Khai translates to crowned or royalty. This is what One Direction singer Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid called their baby son.
Unique baby boy names
Still searching for unusual and unique boy names? Try these hundreds of extra ideas!
- Austyn
- Adler
- Angus
- Atticus
- Aslan
- Abel
- Adair
- Ambrose
- Avantee
- Aspen
- Axton
- Auden
- Axford
- Axelly
- Apollo
- Arrow
- Arbor
- Abraham
- Andres
- Arden
- Anson
- Archibald
- Asher
- Abram
- Archer
- Axel
- August
- Ari
- Arian
- Ashton
- Anton
- Aldean
- Avalon
- Albert
- Auden
- Bellamy
- Brooklyn
- Billy
- Blaze
- Bram
- Balthazar
- Brody
- Burke
- Bailey
- Bronx
- Brennan
- Burris
- Bosco
- Blake
- Bennett
- Byron
- Bauer
- Brock
- Bowers
- Brooks
- Boone
- Briggs
- Bradyn
- Blayden
- Braythe
- Branson
- Blade
- Bannar
- Bridger
- Brodley
- Bayler
- Bryson
- Bastian
- Bohdi
- Boden
- Boston
- Breckett
- Beau
- Brice
- Boyd
- Butler
- Breccan
- Braxton
- Bentley
- Benvineto
- Barrett
- Brantley
- Blaise
- Cody
- Carlo
- Carson
- Carter
- Cheston
- Chandler
- Clooney
- Casper
- Colton
- Cruze
- Charles
- Calie
- Callaghan
- Conrad
- Casey
- Chance
- Calvin
- Clark
- Cyris
- Clarkson
- Coven
- Cassian
- Camden
- Campbell
- Cortey
- Cannon
- Cedrik
- Creighton
- Conley
- Caspian
- Cypress
- Cullen
- Caeden
- Crofton
- Caledon
- Credence
- Cove
- Conway
- Cyril
- Calder
- Cortez
- Chett
- Caesar
- Crew
- Drew
- Draydon
- Demetrius
- Deckard
- Dax
- Davies
- Duggar
- Duane
- Daxton
- Drake
- Dante
- Daesyn
- Dale
- Dion
- Devon
- Delano
- Devlin
- Dimitry
- Dustin
- Dayne
- Deacon
- Darwin
- Derek
- Deegan
- Denver
- Dawson
- Deaton
- Donovan
- Davie
- Darby
- Darrian
- Dalton
- Dontay
- Dodge
- Elijah
- Elias
- Eldon
- Enzo
- Easton
- Evander
- Ezra
- Evren
- Everett
- Ebenezer
- Earle
- Echo
- Elroy
- Erroll
- Enrys
- Ellington
- Fergus
- Feeney
- Flint
- Fox
- Finnian
- Finius
- Floyd
- Frawley
- Franco
- Foster
- Forest
- Finley
- Finnick
- Feenab
- Fisher
- Fletcher
- Gatler
- Gibson
- Gatsby
- Gentry
- Gallagher
- Grady
- Gallaway
- Graylen
- Gannon
- Griffin
- Gatlan
- Gazer
- Grant
- Gage
- Granger
- Gifford
- Grayden
- Gunnar
- Gideon
- Harris
- Hendrix
- Holden
- Heziah
- Hudson
- Hunter
- Harley
- Heath
- Henri
- Hamish
- Holt
- Huck
- Henley
- Hughan
- Houston
- Heston
- Hawkes
- Hanlon
- Harvey
- Huxley
- Hayden
- Holmes
- Huey
- Henrik
- Heironymus
- Hester
- Ichabod
- Ivan
- Ian
- Izaak
- Jagger
- Jacksyn
- Joshua
- Jefferson
- Jobe
- Jecht
- Judd
- Jensen
- Jones
- Jenning
- Jayven
- Jackson
- Jace
- Jameson
- Jax
- Julian
- Justin
- Jake
- Jagg
- Jadis
- Jerrick
- Jeremiah
- Jett
- Judah
- Jaxton
- Jailen
- Jarvis
- Jamal
- Junior
- Ladd
- Krueger
- Kargan
- Knox
- Kash
- Keanu
- Kohen
- Kyson
- Keith
- Korren
- Kanyon
- Kieryn
- Kristian
- Kenney
- Karson
- Kamden
- Kovan
- Killian
- Kreed
- Kanoa
- Konar
- Keillin
- Kenton
- Kobe
- Keaton
- Kingston
- Kyro
- Kaedon
- Keaton
- Kobe
- Krofton
- Kahleb
- Kyal
- Kahle
- Kenney
- Karcen
- Leopold
- Leeroy
- Lakyn
- Lathan
- Leox
- Lennon
- Loki
- Lenny
- Leroy
- Langston
- Landley
- Lockie
- Lurken
- Leonidas
- Lowen
- Lexter
- Laud
- Liam
- Louis
- Ledger
- Lazlo
- Lionel
- Lukey
- Luxton
- Lancaster
- Leith
- Lander
- Leven
- Lark
- Lorcan
- Lawson
- Lowry
- Lazarus
- Latrell
- Lawrence
- Lyric
- Larkin
- Landon
- Micah
- Montgomery
- Mercer
- Morris
- Murray
- Makson
- Mason
- Maccabe
- Max
- Marcel
- Malyk
- Memphis
- Maccauley
- Maxson
- Mordecai
- Malachi
- Milton
- Maddox
- Madden
- Merlin
- Marston
- Miller
- Mitchell
- Marshall
- Marcus
- Mateo
- Merrick
- Mars
- Murphy
- Nolan
- Nashtyn
- Nirvana
- Nash
- Navy
- Nero
- Nielson
- Nikau
- Nehemiah
- Nolan
- Nathanial
- Nixon
- Ostin
- Oberon
- Orlando
- Onyx
- Odin
- Orion
- Olivander
- Pepper
- Psalm
- Pilot
- Perseus
- Preston
- Pye
- Porter
- Pike
- Percy
- Pryor
- Pierson
- Porty
- Potter
- Paxton
- Palmer
- Prussian
- Parker
- Quincy
- Quade
- Quinton
- Ranger
- Rye
- Roger
- Rhett
- Ronan
- Ramsey
- Ryder
- Rhiatt
- Rhyson
- Roman
- Reid
- Rowdy
- Rhodri
- Romeo
- Rhett
- Rafferty
- Rhyan
- Reuben
- Ridge
- Ronnie
- Remus
- Roche
- Rowe
- Reign
- Rhydian
- Raynor
- Raymond
- Rogan
- Reeve
- Raphael
- Renzo
- Reinhardt
- Rhodes
- Reef
- Solomon
- Seamus
- Sly
- Steele
- Saddler
- Stellan
- Samuel
- Sean
- Sinclair
- Stuart
- Saxon
- Sid
- Sullivan
- Sylvester
- Sterling
- Silas
- Slate
- Shipley
- Stratton
- Salem
- Sparrow
- Slade
- Swain
- Slater
- Shannon
- Saunders
- Saggar
- Sutton
- Stetson
- Silas
- Smith
- Story
- Spiro
- Sorren
- Tiberius
- Turner
- Theron
- Thorpe
- Turbo
- Talon
- Tahkye
- Tatum
- Taiden
- Tylan
- Taj
- Taurus
- Tobias
- Tyde
- Taiyo
- Tane
- Toretto
- Torbin
- Trevor
- Toronto
- Tariq
- Tennyson
- Tyke
- Tidus
- Thorin
- Theoden
- Tarrant
- Taiten
- Thatcher
- Thorn
- Trenton
- Truett
- Triton
- Tucker
- Tory
- Trumen
- Tavis
- Teddy
- Tristan
- Thames
- Tavish
- Ty
- Vinson
- Valen
- Vulcan
- Vance
- Valor
- Wade
- Waylon
- Weston
- Wilton
- Wallace
- Walker
- Wilder
- Windsor
- Wyatt
- Warren
- Wilson
- Wrangler
- Wylie
- Wynston
- Xander
- York
- Zeo
- Zayden
- Zane
- Zev
- Zephyr
- Zoltan
- Zion
- Zeppelin
- Zyler
- Zack
- Ziggy
