March Madness Baby Names 2019: Boys Opening Round

The boys’ opening round of March Madness Baby Names 2019 is here!

Way back in 2011, we first indulged in a little bit of onomastic bracketology. Oh, yes, I’ve heard that March is all about basketball. But ’round here? We’re all about baby names.

And so we take the most popular baby names at Appellation Mountain, as determined by page views, and let them fight it out for the big prize.

Because these are page views at this site, the names will surprise, even astonish. Forget Liam and Emma. Phryne and Endeavour top the charts around here.

But the names that win? That’s a different story.

This year’s March Madness baby names winners will join some very stylish appellations:

Nathaniel and Louisa in 2011
Arthur and Genevieve in 2012
Archer and Isla in 2013
Everett and Cora in 2014
Finn and Cora in 2015
Theodore and Sylvie in 2016
Leo and Wren in 2017
Rowan and Eliza in 2018

After Cora repeated in 2014, we agreed to instate a new rule: all past winners are immediately retired from future competition.

But enough with all that! Let’s vote on the next boy’s name to join that elite group.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Torin v. Loxley

Irish rarity Torin takes on Robin Hood-inspired Loxley.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Arrow v. Smith

Edgy new name Arrow faces the most popular surname in the US.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Wilder v. Soren

Outdoorsy or philosophical? Preppy, rugged Wilder faces Danish Soren.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Endeavour v. Koa

Endeavour v. Koa pits a fictional British detective’s name against a cool Hawaiian discovery.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Huxley v. Cove

Accomplished and cool Huxley goes up against Cove, a nature name with an edge.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Gray v. Arlo

Toned-down color name Gray takes on fast-rising o-ender Arlo.

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Credence v. Fox

Two word names compete: virtuous, Harry Potter-verse Credence or animal kingdom, X-Files Fox?

March Madness 2019 Boys Opening Round: Deckard v. Ayrton

It’s all about fast cars in our final round: The Fast & the Furious’ villain-turned-hero Deckard Shaw takes on real-life Brazilian racing icon Ayrton Senna.

Thanks for voting! Check back next Saturday, March 9th to see which names advance to the quarter finals, and don’t forget to vote in the girls’ opening round, too.