Devastated that Archer and Asher seem to be on everyone’s lists these days? Like the sound of Conor but can’t imagine your son sharing his name with Highlander? Ticked that Taylor has been borrowed by the girls? Here’s a list of fresh, ends-in-r alternatives that you might like instead. Only no guarantees that they won’t follow their style cousins up the charts!
Cedar – Free of Forrest’s preppy overtones and not as popular as River, Cedar is wild, but not too out there. Ideal for parents seeking a masculine nature name without going as far as Tiger.
Calder – Like Jackson, this one bridges the artistic/cowboy vibe. (Three Alexander Calders, grandfather, father and son, made sculptures, while Jackson Pollock flung paint.) He owes something to current favorite Carter, and a little bit to retro presidential pick Calvin, too.
Catcher – Remember the Ewan McGregor/Renee Zellweger rom-com Down With Love? McGregor played a caddish man-about-town called Catcher Block. He’s popped up on birth announcements a few times in recent years, a blend of sporting terminology and literary cachet, thanks to The Catcher in the Rye. Even though Salinger’s hero was, of course, named Holden. A similar option could be Booker, also a nineteenth century hero name thanks to Booker T. Washington.
Baxter, Chester – They’re antiques that might seem more appropriate for a pet than a person at first glance. But with Dexter white hot, why not these jazzy sound-alikes? Tom Hanks has a Chester, nicknamed Chet.
Grayer, Greyer – The privileged, poor little rich kid in 2002 bestseller was named Grayer. With Greyson and Grayson leaping up the popularity charts, this one seems poised to catch on, especially with rumors of a television adaptation coming soon. Bonus points: there’s little chance than Grayer will be confused with nouveau gender-ambiguous options like Graycen.
McGregor, MacGregor – He’s one of the few Mac- names that remains solidly masculine, thanks his association with Greg. A Scottish heritage choice, or possibly a
Prosper – A little bit Puritan, a touch Vulcan, he’s a wearable virtue name for boys.
Roger – At home on the mid-century Mad Men set, but also rich with medieval associations. Nameberry called him one of the 12 Neglected Boys’ Classics. Another possible retro revival? Walter.
Slater – Chances are you grew up with Christian Slater, or maybe indie rockers Sleater–Kinney. Either way, this name sounds familiar. He’s softer than Slade, more masculine than Shea.
Thayer – The name that started it all, a less-common version of Taylor. I spotted it on a message board, the original post prompted by a character in ABC Family’s The Lying Game. Surname names aren’t for everyone, but if you love them, Thayer bears consideration, as does another starts-with-T choice: Thatcher.
Are there other ends-in-r choices for boys you would consider? What’s missing from this list?
I’m a bit late to comment lol… But search for a name for my third boy. I didn’t purposely start a trend of “er” with My first two boys..
Granger and Banner. I love their names! I’m stuck what to name this one 🙁 I don’t want common or close to ordinary…
I like Asher and Baxter, and my favorite is Sawyer.
I know a young Calder, and I really like it. It has a lovely meaning, an nice sound, feels unusual but not odd, and has the artistic connection to make it feel a bit more high brow than Carter, et al. It’s on my list, but we’re not likely to use it, especially as we already have an -er at home (Oliver, who we sometimes call Ollivander in a fit of Harry Potter geekiness). I love a lot of the other -r names, too, though–many have been mentioned already: Evander, Leander, Wilder, Casimir. I’ve long been a fan of Thatcher (although I originally saw it on a dog, so it leans more ‘pet name’ for me, as does Baxter), and Slater is an interesting suggestion–I think it is too tied up with Saved by the Bell for me, but otherwise I might love it. I find Archer, Sawyer, Asher, Fisher, Parker, etc. attractive, though I probably wouldn’t use them myself.
I like a lot of these names! Had our daughter been a boy her middle would have been Walter after my husband’s grandfather. Love that name!
I have a nephew called Tucker (15 years old) and a cousin who’s Conor (13 years old).
I think Abner should be on the list.
Abner is a great addition!
I love Abner! Too bad we used it earlier on a cat. 🙂
DH’s last name ends in -er and I don’t think it has to be a deal breaker. We both adore Walter, though for him it would be after the main character in Breaking Bad 🙂
Thanks for highlighting Booker – why is that name not more popular? One I would add to the list is Omar.
A lot of these names sound awkward with my -er surname, but Walter is one I’ve had on my list since I read The World According to Garp in high school.
Just to throw out a few more:
Proctor, Ivor, Granger, Jesper, Victor, Luther and Nestor.
Plus two from our family tree: Rainer and Seaver.
Grayer/Greyer (and Tanner) are one of my name pet peeves. To me, comparative adjectives don’t work as names. I just want to ask “Grayer than what?”
Walter and Miller are in my top 3 for boys.
I think Catcher, Slater, Greyer, MacGregor, Cedar, and Thayer are awful. Prosper is a big guilty pleasure of mine, though, and I like it as a middle name. My favorite -r names are Casimir, Evander, Leander, Arthur, Peter, Oscar, and Caspar.
I seem to like -r names, having had Oliver, Oscar and Walter on my boy lists. I’d still use all of those.
I kind of like Prosper too. Moreso as a middle name. I like it a lot as a middle name.
My husband makes fun of my accent though, as when I say an -r name, it sounds more like “ah” than “er”. We knew a Bridger and I said it more like “Bridge-ah” than “Bridge-ur”
We know a toddler Dexter. I think Baxter is a great next step from that one.