Baby names never stand still. Each year brings a wave of new discoveries and inventions as American parents expand our naming horizons. The new boys’ names showcase adventure and glory, darkness and faith, and occasionally genuine tragedy. They’re a reflection of our cultural moment in name form. Meet 38 of the most noteworthy names that were given to five or more boys for the first time last year.
| NAME | NOTES |
| Aidoneus | This name is an appellation of Hades, god of the dead. It has appeared as a character name in multiple games and comics. |
| Alchemy, Oracle | These new additions move word names in a more arcane and mystical direction. |
| Alphaeus | The biblical father of the apostles James and Matthew. |
| Andor | Cassian Andor is the title hero of a science fiction series in the Star Wars universe. |
| Arceus | The godlike Pokémon featured in the 2022 game Pokémon Legends: Arceus. |
| Asmodeus | A demon of Judaic and Islamic lore, and an archdevil in Dungeons & Dragons games. |
| Cardiff | Cardiff is the capital of Wales. |
| Crux | Latin for “cross,” Crux is the name of the constellation commonly called the Southern Cross and a common word meaning a pivotal point. |
| Dessalines | Jean-Jacques Dessalines became the first leader of an independent Haiti in 1805. |
| Enkidu | Enkidu was the primitive comrade of Gilgamesh in the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh and its many adaptations. |
| Gifted | The term gifted, which refers to exceptional talent or potential, is commonly used for special advanced tracks in schools. |
| Giveon | Singer Giveon was nominated for six Grammy awards in 2022. |
| Hyperion | A Greek Titan who personified the sun, Hyperion’s name has been used for a science fiction novel, a moon, a publishing house and a superhero. |
| Ikaris | One of the immortal superheroes in Marvel’s Eternals. |
| Imperial | An adjective in the realm of exalted names like Majesty, Power, Pharaoh and Czar. “The Imperial March” is Darth Vader’s theme in Star Wars. |
| Karrion | A play on the word carrion, meaning dead flesh, Karrion is the ring name of professional wrestler Kevin Kesar. |
| Lukasey | Rodeo cowboy Lukasey Morris was the 2022 bull riding rookie of the year. |
| Luxor | The name of an Egyptian city and an Egyptian-themed Las Vegas casino, Luxor is one of several new boys’ Lux- names includin Luxxen and Luxury. |
| Malachiah | Parents have “biblicized” the spellings of many names with new biblical-style endings. This is a rare example of biblicizing an actual biblical name, Malachi. |
| Metzli | Metzli was an Aztec moon god. |
| Phorever | Phorever is the young son of reality tv star Phor on Black Ink Crew: Chicago |
| Pluto | Pluto has been the ruler of the underworld, a cartoon dog, a planet, not a planet, and now a baby name. |
| Reacher | Jack Reacher is he titular hero of a tv crime show based on a book series by Lee Child. |
| Roronoa, Zoro | A double debut for swordsman Roronoa Zoro of the manga/anime series One Piece. |
| Ryuk | The name of a death spirit in the manga series Death Note. |
| Sacai | The Japanese luxury fashion house Sacai has partnered with brands like Nike and Beats. |
| Sadio | Sadio Mané is a Senegalese star for the Bayern Munich soccer team. |
| Sihtric | Sihtric Kjartansson is a character in the historical fiction tv series The Last Kingdom. |
| Skandha | In Buddhism, a skandha or “aggregate” is one of the five building blocks that make up an individual’s existence. |
| Swede | This term for a person from Sweden is also the British word for rutabaga or yellow turnip. As a name, though, it may be a creative spelling of Suede; the spelling Suade aslo debuted last year. |
| Tiamo | Ti amo is Italian for “I love you.” Tiamo is a brand name of various romantic products such as perfume and wine. |
| Truist | The Atlanta Braves’ stadium, Truist Park, is named for the banking company Truist Financial. |
| Udham | The historical biopic Sardar Udham chronicles Indian revolutionary Udham Singh’s effort to avenge a massacre. |
| Uziyah | 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia was one of 19 children murdered at their Uvalde, Texas elementary school. |
| Vandal | This word name takes its place in a growing category that includes Mayhem, Riot and Havoc. |
| Zillion | The hyperbolic number name Zillion beats out the existing names Million, Billion and Trillion. |
Read More: 34 Remarkable and Intriguing Brand-New Names for Girls
3 Comments
They named 5 kids “Andor” but not “Cassian”?
Cassian is actually a top-1000 name now!
Andor is also a Hungarian name; it’s usually derived from Andorjás, which is an old form of Andreas (Andrew), but it could also come from Andornak, which is Andronicus (but was always very, very rare, and probably isn’t usable nowadays, really, as it’s identical to Andornak “to/for/of Andor”).
How is the SW-universe character’s name pronounced? Is it basically like “and/or”? (The Hungarian name is roughly /ON-door/.)