543 Rare Baby Boy Names That No One Has Used | Unique Ideas

I’ve deciphered lots of data to find the rarest of rare baby boy names! 

All the names on this list were given to 100 or fewer baby boys last year! That means they’re very unique and you’re unlikely to meet anyone with that name in your lifetime! 

First, we’ll go through the top unique baby names and meanings. Then, we’ll learn about cool and strong unusual boy names. 

And finally, I’ve put together a gigantic list of all the names!

Unique boy names with meanings

Explore these unique boy names with meanings! These names were only given to 100 or fewer babies in the US last year!

Ashwin

In Hindu mythology, the Ashwins are the twin gods of sunrise and sunset. 

Aziz

The Arabic, Turkish, and Persian name Aziz means “powerful, respected, beloved.”

Bert

Bert is coined from the Old German word beraht meaning bright. This may also be a shortened form of names containing with bert such as Albert and Robert. Bert has been used by fewer than 100 boys each year since the mid-1980s.

Brent

Meaning hill. Brent has not been a common name choice in recent years.

Baxter

In Old English, Baxter means “baker.” I love that this name is totally recognizable, easily spelled and pronounced, yet it’s still uncommon!

Bence

This Hungarian name is short for Vincent or Benedek. But it sounds like a name on its own, too!

Claude

This no-nonsense French name is perfect and perfectly unique for boys and girls! 

Cyril

Cyril comes from the Greek word for “lord.” It’s another recognizable but uncommon boy’s name!

Dale

Meaning dale or valley. Dale has been a rare name for boys in the last decade.

Darby

The name Darby comes from the town of Derby in England. And the town gets its name from Old Norse, where it means “deer town.”

Related post: Nerdy Baby Names!

Duane

Duane is from the Old Irish word Duban which means “little dark one”. It was a fairly common name throughout the 20th century, but became obsolete in the early 2000s.

Edmund

Edmund is a great name idea if you’re looking for something classic and unique for your baby boy. This vintage-sounding name means rich protection in Old English.

Ernest

If you’re looking for something that means serious, committed and dedicated, the name Ernest sums these all!

Gable

This last name makes a great first name too! It might come from a Norse word meaning “triangular-shaped hill.”

Gerald

Gerald means power of the spear. It was a common name choice throughout the 20th century and just recently became dated.

Gilbert

This formal and classic name means bright pledge. A well-known bearer of this name is Gilbert Blythe, one of the main characters in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables book series.

Glenn

Meaning valley. Glenn has not been a common name choice for boys since 2010. This is a great name idea if you want something that is rare but not too outdated.

Herbert

Herbert means bright army. The origins of this name are credited to two Frankish kings, most probably coining this name for their favorite soldiers. Herbert has gained its popularity again in England but has become rare in the US since the 2000s.

Hiram

Hiram might come from Phoenician or Old Hebrew, where it means “exalted brother.” It used to be popular in the US in the 1800s but is virtually unheard of now.

Homer

Meaning pledge or hostage. Famous bearers of this vintage name is Greek epic poet Homer and the father on the cartoon TV series The Simpsons.

Irving

Meaning green water. This was a more prevalent spelling and form of Irvine, sustaining popularity from the late 1880s until 2010.

Irwin

This name means “boar friend.” It used to be common in the US until about 1930.

Juno

Although Juno is typically a female name, it works just fine for boys. It comes from the Greek goddess Juno, the wife of Jupiter and queen of the heavens.

Leander

The Greek name Leander comes from the word Leo, meaning “lion.” This name is a great lesser-known alternative to names like Leo and Alexander!

Lloyd

Meaning grey. Lloyd was rarely used as a boy’s name in the last two decades. A famous bearer of this now unique name is composer Andrew Lloyd Webber whose hits included the songs in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera and Cats.

Marcelino

Marcelino is a Portuguese and Spanish name that comes from the Roman god Mars.

Marlow

The English name Marlow means “remnants of a lake.”

Related post: Vintage boy names

Maurice

Meaning Moorish. Its other forms are Morris and Moris. Maurice can still be considered a common name in the US. It has recently fallen out from the top 1000 names; fewer than 100 boys were given this name in 2022.

Niles

Niles comes from the Gaelic name Niall. Historians debate over the meaning- it might mean “cloud” or “champion.”

Norman

From the Old German name meaning northman. This was a nickname for Scandinavian settlers in France. Norman ceased to be a common name choice in the US in the late 2000s.

Olivier

The French and Dutch name Olivier is usually pronounced AWL-LIV-EE-AY. It’s a great,  unique alternative to the more popular Oliver.

Related post: Middle names for Oliver

Prescott 

Although Prescott is traditionally a surname, it makes a unique first name for boys too!

Randall

Meaning rim of a shield. This formal-sounding name has declined in terms of popularity in recent years.

Roscoe

Roscoe is from the Old Norse words that mean roebuck, wood and forest. This name has strong masculine appeal and is rarely given to boys.

Rufus

Rufus is a Latin name that means red-haired. It has not recovered its popularity as a boy’s name since 1989.

Rupert

Until I researched this post, I had no idea that Rupert is a German version of Robert. It means “bright fame.”

Spence

While Spence is usually a short form of Spencer, it works just fine on its own! Meaning: dispenser of provisions 

Sylvester

This Roman- based name means “forest.” It used to be very popular in the US until the 1910s but has dwindled and is almost unheard of now! 

Tremaine

Tremaine, with the fun nickname Trey, means “stone settlement.”

Willard

Meaning will, desire, firm, hard and brave. Almost unheard of nowadays, Willard is a unique and rare name idea bearing great meanings.

Winslow

This distinguished name means “from the hill of wine.”

Zed

On its own, Zed is the pronunciation of the letter Z in some English- speaking countries. It’s also a short form of Zedekiah.

Related post: How to choose a middle name

Cool Rare Names For Boys

Here are the top cool rare names for boys, given to less than 100 children last year. That is to say, if you choose one of these names for your child, they’re unlikely to meet someone else with that name in their lifetime!

Albion

This Celtic name means “white” and was inspired by the cliffs of Dover.

Avett

This short and sweet name is unique and cool for a boy or girl!

Beaumont

The rare boy’s name Beaumont is French for  “beautiful mountain.”

Candor

I love the sound of “virtue names” like Clement, Grace, Hope, Constance and Joy. And Candor is one more option to add to the possibilities! 

The dictionary defines candor as “the quality of being open and honest in expression.”

Cassiel

In medieval Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tales, Cassiel is an angel. This name might mean “speed of God” or “cover of God.”

Cecil

Cecil is a gender-neutral name but became more popular for boys sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It is now considered an obsolete name choice.

Clarence

Though still recognizable as a boy’s name, Clarence was rarely used since 2010.

Clinton

Clinton was used by fewer than 100 boys per year since 2015 in the US. It is possibly inspired from towns named Glinton meaning settlers of the River Glyme, England.

Darrell

The mid-1900s was the height of popularity for the name Darrell in the US. It continued to be among the Top 1000 male’s names until 2017 but is now rarely given and may be considered dated.

Dwayne

Dwayne is another form of the names Duane and Wayne. Its popularity lingered until 2018, but has been rarely used since then. Famous bearer of this name is retired wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Elmer

Elmer is a surname turned into a popular boy’s name in the late Victorian era. Its use has declined over the last century. On top of my head, there is one known character bearing this name – Bugs Bunny’s persistent pursuer, Elmer Fudd.

Elton

Although everyone has heard of British musician Sir Elton John, it’s rarely used as a given name. It comes from Old English and means “Ella’s town.”

Florian

Florian sounds exotic, which also makes it a cool, rare name for boys. It comes from the Roman word meaning “flower.”

Related post: Exotic Boy Names

Griffith

The cool sounding name Griffith means “strong prince.” Although it’s pretty rare today, it was a common name for medieval Welsh royalty.

Hamlet

Shakespeare used a variation of the Danish name Amleth for his play. While the meaning of the original name is unknown, hamlet also means “a settlement smaller than a village.”

Related post: Twin Names for Boys

Horatio

This classical English form of Horace means “hour, “time,” or “season.”

Howard

Although still a usual boy’s name today, its popularity was erratically low over the recent years with fewer than 100 babies named Howard in 2020 and 2022.

Ignatius

This meaning of this late Roman name is unknown. But it was borne by several saints. And it resembles “ignis,” the Latin word for fire.

Irvine

This is an outdated form of the name Irving and has not been used since the 1900s.

Jules

Jules is the French version of Julius, made famous by Jules Verne, author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This name refers to the Roman god Jupiter.

Related post: more nerdy baby names

Kirby

Kirby comes from an Old Norse name meaning “church settlement.”

Langley

The name Langley means “long woodland clearing.” And the CIA is associated with Langley, Virginia, where it’s headquartered. Hard to find a cooler namesake!

Luther

Probably because of its close resemblance to one of Superman’s antagonists, Lex Luthor, the name Luther has declined in popularity in the 20th century. This name is considered dated since 1995.

Marion

Marion is still a very common name in countries Belgium and France. However, in the US, Marion has been unused since the 1990s. It is a male form of the name Marie, and is a great name idea if you are going for something classic and rare.

Matrim

This unique name sounds like a twist on Matthew. It’s the name of a protagonist in the Wheel of Time series of books. 

Related post: Over 2,000 names from Wheel of Time.

Milton

Milton has not been commonly used since 2009. This simple yet classic name will make a boy stand out without seeming old-fashioned.

Oberon

Oberon is the name of the king of faeries in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fittingly, it probably means “elf ruler.”

Related post: Ethereal, Fairy, and Celestial Names, and Boy Names that Mean Dream

Pascal

The name Pascal means “relating to Easter.” The French philosopher Blaise Pascal had it as a last name.

Ralph

Ralph is a modern form of the names Rauf, Rafe and Ralf. This was a prevalent name in the US throughout the 20th century but has been erratic in terms of popularity, barely being used by over 200 boys per year since 2010.

Sabino

Sabino sounds suave and cool! This masculine form of Sabina comes from the Sabines, an ancient tribe who lived in Italy.

Sidney

Sidney is a gender-neutral name. It was a prevalent name choice for boys in the late Victorian period. It slowly declined in terms of popularity with fewer than 100 boys given this name each year in the last decade.

Sylvan

This classic name means “forest.”

Tycho

Astronomer Tycho Brahe made this name better known. It is related to the name Thor, the Norse thunder god.

Vernon

This vintage name will make your baby boy stand out as it has been given to fewer than 200 babies per year since 2000.

Victoriano

This Spanish form of Victor or Victorianus means exactly what you would think- victor or winner.

Related post: Alternatives to the popular name Liam

Strong Unusual Names For Boys

These strong, unusual names for boys were given to less than 100 babies last year:

Angus

The Irish and Scottish name Angus actually means “one strength,” so it’s the perfect strong, unusual name for a boy!

Barnes

The honest, hard- working Barnes actually comes from a last name referring to someone who lived or worked in a barn. And the word barn actually comes from the words meaning “barley dwelling.”

Related post: Coolest Names in the World!

Braddock

Braddock invokes a strong and sturdy sound. It actually means “broad oak.”

Cliff

Cliff can be short for Clifford or Cliffton. And as you might have guessed, they refer to a ford near a cliff, or a town near a cliff. 

Crockett

Of course, this name brings to mind the American folk hero, a great inspiration for a strong and unusual name. 

Deckard

Deckard makes me think of the main character in Bladerunner. Not only does the name itself sound strong, but it also inspires me to think about the steady and capable protagonist from the movie!

Ferdinand

This name comes from the ancient Germanic words “fardi” and “nand.” Respectively, they mean “journey” and “brave, daring.”

Floyd

Floyd is a variation of the name Lloyd and has been given to fewer than 100 boys each year in recent years.

Harbin

Harbin is an example of a surname that makes an interesting first name too. 

Hutton

This unique name also comes from a last name. It means “ridge town. “

Related post: Names that mean earth

Ingram

This strong name is an anglicized version of a medieval French name that comes from an Old German word meaning “raven.”

Jocko

Jocko is usually a nickname for John, Joseph, Jacob, and other similar names. And John “Jocko” Willink is a retired Navy SEAL officer. 

Kaplan

Did you know the name Kaplan means “tiger” in Turkish?

Karsten

Karsten is a German form of the name Christian. Many German names sound strong and powerful! 

Klaus

Another German name, Klaus, is short for Nicholas. It means “victory of the people.”

Mercury

Roman god Mercury’s name means “to trade.” He shares his name with the first planet in the solar system and the liquid metallic element.

Mitch

Mitch, a short form of Mitchell, means “big” or “large.”

Osric

Shakespeare used this Old English name for a courier in Hamlet. It’s formed from two words meaning “God,” and “power” or “rule.”

Percival

One of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table, Percival searched for the Holy Grail. It might mean “to pierce the valley” or “hard spears.”

Piers

Piers is a medieval form of Peter, which means “rock.”

Rayland

This name might be a variation of Rowland, or just a simple combination of Ray and land. No matter what, it sounds tough!

Sherrod

I would have never guessed that this name comes from the French word “cherot,” which means “wagoneer.” I like the soft sh sound combined with the strong last syllable! 

Taggert

Taggert is another last name turned first name, and means “son of the priest.”

Theoden

JRR Tolkien invented the name Theoden, King of Rohan for Lord of the Rings. He based the Rohirric language off of Old English, so we know Theoden means “king” or “ruler.”

Related post: LOTR baby names

Thorsten

Did you know Thorsten means “Thor’s stone?” Yeah. Enough said about this unique but strong name for boys!

You might enjoy these Star Wars baby names!

Even More Unique Boy Names

All of the baby boy names in this list are extremely rare. Fewer than 100 boys receive these names each year. Or, odds are good that only 2 infants in your state received this name last year! 

If you want even rarer baby boy names, those in bold were given to 50 or fewer newborns last year. 

And finally, the very rarest boy names listed in bold italics were only given to 10 or fewer children last year! 

Rare boy names (A-D)

• Abdo
• Absalom 
• Aemon
• Aesop
• Afton
• Alain
• Albin
• Albion
• Albus
• Aldous
• Alfie
• Aloysius
• Alwin
• Amadeus 
• Amin
• Amory
• Angelino
• Angus
• Aragorn
• Arcadius
• Archibald
• Archimedes
• Aristotle 
• Arkham
• Armstrong
• Arnez
• Arno
• Arsenio
• Art
• Arvin
• Ashby
• Ashley
• Ashwin
• Athens
• Atwood
• Auburn
• Aurelius 
• Avett
• Azazel
• Aziz
• Azlan
• Bach
• Bailor
• Baird
• Bankston
• Bannon
• Barnabas
• Barlow
• Barnaby
• Barnes
• Barney
• Basim
• Bartholomew
• Basil 
• Baxter
• Beaumont 
• Becker
• Bence
• Benjen
• Benning
• Bennington
• Benz
• Beorn
• Beowulf
• Beric
• Bernardino
• Bolton
• Booker
• Boris
• Bosco
• Boyd
• Bracken
• Braddock
• Bradford
• Brando
• Braulio
• Brewer
• Brio
• Brodrick 
• Brooklyn 
• Browning
• Burke 
• Burton
• Caio
• Calcifer
• Calhoun
• Candor
• Canton
• Carbon
• Cassiel
• Castor
• Cato
• Cecil
• Chesney
• Chester
• Chilton
• Chip
• Chiron 
• Churchill
• Clancy
• Claude
• Claudio
• Claudius
• Clement
• Cletus
• Cleveland 
• Cliff
• Cliffton
• Clive
• Coburn
• Collier
• Coltrane
• Columbus
• Conall
• Conan
• Constantine 
• Copeland 
• Corbin
• Cormick
• Cornelio
• Cortland 
• Corwin
• Cosmo
• Credence
• Crockett 
• Croix
• Cyprian
• Cyril
• Dace
• Danell
• Danico
• Darby
• Dartanian
• Daryl 
• Dashiel
• Deckard 
• Deimos
• Dempsey 
• Denarius
• Dennison
• Denton
• Dermot
• Dionisio
• Dixon
• Dmitri 
• Dodger
• Domingo
• Don
• Donatello
• Dontarius
• Draco
• Dwight

Rare Boy Names (D-L)

• Earl
• Ebon
• Edric
• Egan
• Eldon
• Elric
• Elton
• Emelio
• Enzio
• Eoin
• Eragon
• Errol
• Escher
• Eustace
• Etzio
• Fabio
• Fawkes
• Ferdinand 
• Finnic
• Fionn
• Fitzgerald 
• Florencio
• Florentino
• Florian
• Florin
• Forbes
• Francois
• Frey
• Fulton
• Gable
• Galileo 
• Gallagher
• Garfield
• Garnet
• Garrus
• Gaspard
• Gatsby
• Gaston
• Gene
• Gilead
• Godric
• Godwin
• Gregor
• Griffith 
• Grisham
• Grover
• Guiseppe
• Gunther 
• Gustav
• Hamilton 
• Hamlet
• Hampton
• Han
• Hansel
• Harbin
• Hartford
• Haskell
• Hawkins
• Helio
• Hemingway
• Herman
• Hermes
• Heston
• Hezekiah
• Hiram
• Holmes
• Holt
• Horace
• Horatio
• Howell
• Hoyt
• Humphrey
• Hutton
• Icarus
• Ignatius 
• Illidan
• Indiana
• Ingram
• Inigo
• Iris
• Irwin
• Ivar
• Jacques 
• Jamis
• Janus
• Jedediah 
• Jehan
• Jenner
• Jessup
• Jocko
• Jojo
• Jonesy
• Jorah
• Joseth
• Judas
• Judea
• Jules
• Juno
• Kailani
• Kalet
• Kaplan
• Karsten
• Kartik
• Keaunu
• Kefren
• Keldrick
• Kelso
• Kemp
• Kentrel
• Kenzel
• Kevan
• Kevian
• Kip 
• Kipling
• Kirby
• Kirk
• Kirkland
• Kit
• Klaus
• Klein 
• Kurt
• Lakeland
• Lambert
• Lan
• Lancelot
• Lando
• Landrick
• Langley
• Langdon
• Lars
• Laszlo
• Lavar 
• Lazario
• Leander
• Lebron
• Ledarius
• Lemuel 
• Leonid
• Leslie
• Lester
• Leto
• Leviticus 
• Lewin
• Leyton
• Lofton
• Lonnie
• Loudon
• Lucario
• Ludovic

Related post: 5 unique ways to brainstorm unique baby names that you’ll like

Unique Boy Names (M-R)

• Macaulay
• Machiavelli
• Madison
• Malak
• Malon
• Marat
• Marcelino
• Marlow 
• Mars
• Martell 
• Marzell
• Matrim
• Mattis 
• Maxime
• Maximillian 
• Melchor
• Meliodas
• Mercury
• Merle
• Midas
• Mio
• Mir
• Mitch
• Mitt
• Montrell 
• Mordecai 
• Morris
• Morrison 
• Mortimer
• Napoleon 
• Naren
• Nautica
• Navier
• Ness
• Newell
• Newton
• Nicasio
• Nicoli
• Niles
• Nomar
• Norbert 
• Norrin
• North
• Numair
• Nymere
• Obadiah 
• Oberon
• Octavius, Octavian
• October
• Odai
• Odie
• Odysseous 
• Olaf
• Oleg 
• Olivier
• Ollivander
• Olson 
• Ontario
• Oriole
• Orlan
• Orlo
• Orrin
• Orville 
• Osborn
• Osric
• Ossian
• Othello
• Oxford
• Ozymandias
• Paco
• Paolo
• Parth
• Pascal
• Patrice
• Patterson
• Pax
• Penn
• Percy, Percival 
• Peregrine 
• Perrin
• Pevel
• Philemon
• Piers
• Prescott
• Price
• Ptolemy
• Quade
• Quill
• Quinlan
• Radford
• Rafe
• Rafferty
• Ramello
• Randolph 
• Rankin
• Rayland
• Raziel
• Reggie
• Redford
• Redmond 
• Regis
• Renato
• Reynold
• Rhaegar
• Richmond
• Ripley
• Robson
• Rockwell
• Romulus 
• Ronnel
• Rook
• Rorick
• Roxas
• Rudolph
• Rupert
• Rutherford
• Rutledge

RELATED: Romantic names for boys

Unique Boy Names (S-Z)

• Sabino 
• Sagan
• Samael
• Sanford 
• Scout
• Sherlock
• Sherrod
• Sherwin
• Silvano
• Simba
• Sinclair
• Sirius
• Slate, Slater
• Socrates
• Sol
• Sora
• Sosa
• Spence
• Stanford
• Stanislav, Stanislaw
• Stanton
• Stuart
• Sunday
• Sydney
• Sylvan
• Sylvester 
• Taft
• Taggart
• Teague
• Tesla
• Thackery
• Thaddeus
• Thales
• Thelonious
• Theoden
• Theon
• Theron
• Theseus
• Thor
• Thoreau
• Thorsten, Torsten
• Tiberius
• Tiller
• Timon
• Tracey
• Tremaine
• Triton
• Tully
• Tycho
• Tyrion
• Tywin
• Ulric
• Vale
• Valentine
• Vega
• Ventura
• Victoriano
• Viggo
• Virgil
• Voltaire
• Waldo
• Warden
• West
• Whittaker 
• Wilbert
• Wilkes
• Willis
• Wilhelm
• Wilmer
• Winchester
• Windsor
• Winslow 
• Wolfram
• Woodrow 
• Wrangler
• Wulfric
• Wyndham
• Wynn
• Yates
• Yehoshua
• Yuriel
• Zaccheus
• Zed
• Zeo
• Zoltan

Related post: 463 Unique Names for Girls and Vintage Girl Names

Wrap up

I hope you’ve enjoyed these unique and rare baby boy names! Which are your favorites? Which rare baby boy names are just way too out there? 

Personally, I love Marcelino and Leander. But as far as rare baby boy names go, Irwin and Zed just don’t fit my naming style!

Resources for finding unique and rare baby boy names

• The US Social Security Administration provides data on baby names
• I use Behind the Name to research name meanings and popularity 
• Reddit’s r/ namenerds gave great feedback and analysis on these names! I especially like that a few people summarized the list as “the names from a British nursing home combined with fandoms!”