Eclectic Boy Names: Choosing Bold, Surprising, Not Strange

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, we discuss reader’s name questions, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.

FINDING UNEXPECTED NAMES FOR A FIRSTBORN

Mel writes:

Our son is due early in the new year. We are a creative couple (musician and visual artist) who also teach/work with children and so we want a name that feels like us, but appreciate that the name has to be something he can be good with, too.

So far, our long list of names we both love, in no particular order, is:

• Avalon
• Bonham
• Coast
• Cordero
• Eliseo
• Heru
• Isauro
• Jones
• Keen
• Lenzo
• Leoncio
• Leomar
• Mercury
• Ozzy
• Rise
• Sabiel
• Viggo
• Xavion
• Zohran

My partner lived all around the world growing up and he speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Our community is diverse and welcoming, and none of these names would stand out. We will most probably choose a first and middle name based on what we like together.

I know I could add to the list forever, but choosing a name feels much harder, especially because we are going to use both of our last names, which sound like Parker and Correo. We’re open to using them in either order, depending on the name we choose.

Please read on for my response and add your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

FINDING ECLECTIC BOY NAMES THAT WEAR WELL

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new son!

This is a list of truly eclectic boy names. I see musical references, word names, some Spanish/Portuguese influence, and a few I can’t place at all.

That said, some of these names do rank in the current US Top 1000. That doesn’t mean they’re common, but it does inch them a little closer to the mainstream. That might be a good thing, since you’re trying to balance accessibility with something unexpected.

Others might be rare, but similar to current favorites, which can make them a little easier to wear.

I think the challenge is to find a measuring stick. It’s important to find a name you both love, but to filter this list, we need some criteria that will help you select the strongest contenders.

Based on your comments, I think there are two main considerations:

1. The name must be different, without straying into the bizarre. Curtains XSLNS Budapest Correo Parker is not an option. Your choice has to fit within a general definition of a name without overshadowing your child. I think your list hits the right mark, but there’s a still a range from truly surprising to only slightly unexpected.
2. The name should hold space for your son’s independent identity. This might rule out some of the more surprising options … or not. But it does argue for a name with a little bit of flexibility, though perhaps that comes from your son’s first-middle name combined.

Lastly, it has to work with some surnames that sound like Parker and Correo, in either order.

Based on that, let’s see if I divide your list into tiers.

LEAST PROMISING: Cordero, Heru, Rise

For three separate reasons, I feel like these names are probably easier to put aside:

• Cordero is great, but it could easily conflict with one of your surnames.
• I’m drawn to Heru, yet it strikes me as both rare and on the edge of what we’d consider a familiar given name. It could work, especially with something like Heru Middle Correo Parker. But I think it will be misheard more often than most of your options.
• On the other hand, Rise seems very accessible and fits into a broad category of purpose names today. Chosen, Legend, Rise. Still, it’s very uncommon and packs a lot of meaning into just one syllable. I feel like it’s not the strongest word name on your list, either.

IN THE MIDDLE: Avalon, Bonham, Coast, Isauro, Jones, Keen, Mercury

Confession: I worked backward, sorting into Most and Least lists, before tucking these names in the middle.

I do think there are some great choices. Bonham’s meaning! The cool, seaside image of Coast.

But I think these pale compared to the nine names I’ve put in the top categories, for one reason or another.

MOST PROMISING: Eliseo, Leoncio, Leomar, Lenzo, Ozzy, Sabiel, Viggo, Xavion, Zohran

Let’s spend some time with each of these:

• Eliseo is climbing in use in the US, and might feel a little on the popular side, especially factoring in the rise of related names like Elias and Elijah. And yet it’s a very 21st century choice that threads the needle between fresh and familiar.
• Leoncio and Leomar both make the top tier because they can easily be softened to popular Leo, or used in full for something more distinctive. That flexibility feels like it would work for your family.
• Lenzo is really popular Enzo with an L, and yet that still seems like enough to make this name stand out. It’s quick, strong, and just plain fun to say.
• Is Ozzy a musical reference? I’m assuming Avalon, Bonham, and probably Mercury are. Maybe Jones, too? I think Ozzy works best, because it’s very much a name of our moment, mixing that scissory middle-Z sound with the warmth of nicknames like Archie.
• Boys’ names ending with -iel have been trending for years, from Gabriel to Azriel and beyond. Sabiel fits, even it’s wildly rare, almost a midpoint between Sebastian and Adriel.
• Like Ozzy, Viggo brings to mind one person, in this case, actor Viggo Mortensen. But it’s also a very stands-out/fits-in kind of name, at home with Arlo and Milo, Victor and Valentino.
• Xavion seems like a mix of Xavier and boys’ names ending with -ION and -IAN, with a heavy dose of Savion, too. Wearable, creative, and unlikely to be shared – though it’s not the rarest name on your list.
• Zohran might be too Mamdani if you live in New York City right now. But I feel like this is one of those exceptions, a politician’s name that fits the moment perfectly.

Where do we go from here?

Getting from this list to actual favorites felt impossible, so I decided to try one of my favorite techniques: matching first and middles, and in your case, switching up the last name order, until I find something that feels like it could be right.

I’ve thrown lots of the names from my “In the Middle” list into the mix as, well, middles, because I think some of them really shine when paired with some of the names I listed as the strongest options for firsts.

FAVORITE ECLECTIC BOY NAME COMBINATIONS: FIRST/MIDDLE

Nevertheless, I still ended up with five favorites.

I’m not clear if you’re planning to hyphenate sounds-like-Parker and sounds-like-Correo, or if one name will be used as a bonus middle? I think these five names work well for either situation.

In descending order:

5. LENZO AVALON PARKER CORREO

There’s a lot of romance language appeal in this name, and while Lenzo is similar to Enzo and Lorenzo, it’s a little bit different. Pairing it with Avalon makes the whole combination distinctive. I like the way ending both the first and last names with the -o sound leans into the combination.

4. SABIEL JONES PARKER CORREO

Are three last names in a row too many? I’m not sure, but I do really like Sabiel paired with Jones.

3. OZZY LEOMAR PARKER CORREO

Casual Ozzy and elegant Leomar feel like a perfect pair.

2. ELISEO COAST CORREO PARKER

In some senses, Eliseo is a very common first name. But I love the balance of Eliseo with the more familiar Parker, and it opens up space for a bold, one-syllable middle, like Coast.

1. LEONCIO MERCURY CORREO PARKER

Leoncio shares the flowing rhythm and style of Eliseo, but it’s far less common. Mercury is a truly daring middle that works well with Leoncio. Because the first-middle are so uncommon. I’m leaning into the very familiar Parker in the surname spot.

Overall, my vote goes to Leoncio Mercury, with Leo as a nickname should your son ever desire the most approachable of names. But I like how this is distinctive, borrowing from different languages and moments. Leoncio reads like medieval Spain; Mercury like a 20th century space age moment. Together it’s completely unexpected but still just kind of clicks.

Readers, can you mix and match these eclectic boy names to help them find the perfect combination for their son?