Ideas

315 Boy Name Ideas From Books, Astrology, Travel, Celebrities, & More

They hit the sweet spot between cool and outlandish.

by Mackenzie Sylvester and Bustle Editors
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Mom coming up with boy names for her baby, giving him a kiss in bed
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Have a sweet little boy on the way? Or maybe you keep a list of baby names in your notes app even though it’s years before you’re ready to seriously think about children (doesn’t everyone?). Either way, picking one from about a billion boy names is a major decision and can be a little stressful — after all, you’re not just naming a baby, you’re also naming a whole human adult.

Unique boy names are tricky. You (most likely) don’t want to create a roll call nightmare with something too… “X Æ A-12”-coded. On the flip side, it’s also a little bit of a bummer to be the seventh Jake in your class — absolutely nothing against Jakes, of course. But thankfully, there are a ton of places to take inspiration from when it comes to picking fun boy names that give those “cool boy” vibes everyone is after.

Of course, it only makes sense that the best boy names come from interesting sources. Get started on your brainstorming with the help of this list of names for boys inspired by books (romantasy and OG romance included), astrology, celebrities, travel, and much more.

That first one is all too fitting for boy name inspo in 2024. Every day, the BookTok girlies and guys are falling deeper and deeper in love with yet another “book boyfriend” and naturally, they always have such strong and charming names to match their captivating personalities. (And who wouldn’t want to be named after the most powerful High Lord in Prythian history anyway?) As for celebs, it’s no secret that many go by stage names, but their real names are often just as unique as their chosen titles.

While people have taken inspiration from sources like literature and astrology for hundreds (and even thousands) of years, these names are certifiably fresh. In one way or another, these boy names have that main character, star-quality energy.

Trendy Boy Names

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  1. Amir
  2. Callum
  3. Calvin
  4. Dante
  5. Darius
  6. Dexter
  7. Diego
  8. Enzo
  9. Felix
  10. Hakeem
  11. Hendrix
  12. Jeremiah
  13. Josiah
  14. Julian
  15. Kaiden
  16. King
  17. Langdon
  18. Luca
  19. Mateo
  20. Malik
  21. Silas
  22. Spencer
  23. Theo

Unusual Boy Names

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  1. Ambrose
  2. Arrow
  3. Aziel
  4. Calloway
  5. Casimir
  6. Cosmo
  7. Darcy
  8. Gael
  9. Hartley
  10. Laszlo
  11. Lysander
  12. Madden
  13. Orson
  14. Waylen
  15. West

Nature-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Alder
  2. Bear
  3. Birch
  4. Cliff
  5. Glen
  6. Griffin
  7. Forrest
  8. Lake
  9. Oliver
  10. River
  11. Rush
  12. Sonny
  13. Storm
  14. Sylvan
  15. Wren

Unisex Boy Names

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  1. Angel
  2. Arlo
  3. Ashton
  4. Aubrey
  5. Blake
  6. Carter
  7. Dakota
  8. Drew
  9. Ezra
  10. Logan
  11. Parker
  12. Quinn
  13. Riley
  14. River
  15. Rory
  16. Roscoe
  17. Ryan

Boy Names From Sarah J. Maas Books

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  1. Adion, Throne of Glass
  2. Azriel, A Court of Thorns and Roses
  3. Cassian, A Court of Thorns and Roses
  4. Chaol, Throne of Glass
  5. Cortland, Throne of Glass
  6. Dorian, Throne of Glass
  7. Hunt, Crescent City
  8. Ithan, Crescent City
  9. Lorcan, Throne of Glass
  10. Lucien, A Court of Thorns and Roses
  11. Nyx, A Court of Thorns and Roses
  12. Rhysand, A Court of Thorns and Roses
  13. Rowan, Throne of Glass
  14. Ruhn, Crescent City

Boy Names From Colleen Hoover Books

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  1. Atlas, It Ends With Us
  2. Dean, Hopeless
  3. Ledger, Reminders Of Him
  4. Ridge, Maybe Someday
  5. Ryle, It Ends With Us

Boy Names From Emily Henry Books

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  1. Alex, People We Meet On Vacation
  2. Augustus, Beach Read
  3. Charlie, Book Lovers
  4. Miles, Funny Story
  5. Wyn, Happy Place

Boy Names From Rebecca Yarros Books

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  1. Liam, Fourth Wing
  2. Ridoc, Fourth Wing
  3. Xaden, Fourth Wing

Boy Names From Jennifer L. Armentrout Books

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  1. Beckett, From Blood and Ash
  2. Casteel, From Blood and Ash
  3. Hawke, From Blood and Ash
  4. Kieran, From Blood and Ash
  5. Rhain, From Blood and Ash

Boy Names From Game Of Thrones

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  1. Bran
  2. Bron
  3. Eddard
  4. Jorah
  5. Tormund

Boy Names From Bridgerton

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  1. Anthony
  2. Benedict
  3. Colin
  4. Simon
  5. Edmund

Boy Names From Outlander

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  1. Angus
  2. Fergus
  3. Hugh
  4. Ian
  5. Jamie
  6. Murtagh
  7. Rupert

Star-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Altair
  2. Castor
  3. Pollux
  4. Regulus
  5. Sirius

Astrology-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Aquila
  2. Archer
  3. Draco
  4. Leo
  5. Lynx
  6. Orion

Planet-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Aitken (the moon’s largest crater)
  2. Charon (a moon of Pluto)
  3. Mars
  4. Jovian (pertaining to the planet Jupiter)
  5. Narvi (a moon of Saturn)

Greek God-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Achilles
  2. Adonis
  3. Apollo
  4. Damon
  5. Eros

Musician-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Benson
  2. Collins
  3. Colson
  4. Coltrane
  5. Davis
  6. Drake
  7. Dre
  8. Kendrick
  9. Koe
  10. Lionel
  11. Louis
  12. Lupe
  13. Malone
  14. Noah
  15. Prince
  16. Usher
  17. Zayn

Actor-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Ansel
  2. Asa
  3. Chadwick
  4. Chalamet
  5. Channing
  6. Dax
  7. Denzel
  8. Donald
  9. Finn
  10. Gaten
  11. Idris
  12. Javier
  13. Joaquin
  14. Keanu
  15. Kellan
  16. Kit
  17. LaKeith
  18. Oakes
  19. Rami

Celebrity Baby-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Ace
  2. August
  3. Axl
  4. Canon
  5. Cruz
  6. Grey
  7. Knox
  8. Luai
  9. Maddox
  10. Malachi
  11. Otis
  12. Riot
  13. Roman
  14. Townes

Boy Names Inspired By Athletes

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  1. Ali
  2. Beckham
  3. Brady
  4. Bryant
  5. Cale
  6. Mikko
  7. Tatum

Boy Names From Disney

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  1. Abu, Aladdin
  2. Ajax, Donald Duck And The Gorilla
  3. Eli, The Princess And The Frog
  4. Flynn, Tangled
  5. Francis, Oliver & Company
  6. Hans, Frozen
  7. Naveen, The Princess And The Frog

Boy Names From Pixar

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  1. Arlo, The Good Dinosaur
  2. Emile, Ratatouille
  3. Fergus, Brave
  4. Hamish, Brave
  5. Manny, A Bug’s Life

Movie-Inspired Boy Names

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  1. Cullen, Twilight
  2. Forrest, Forrest Gump
  3. Jack, Titanic
  4. Ken, Barbie
  5. Lawrence, Little Women
  6. Marvel
  7. Westly, The Princess Bride

Boy Names From Star Wars

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  1. Anakin
  2. Han
  3. Kylo
  4. Luke
  5. Obi

Boy Names Inspired By Cities And Towns

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  1. Afton
  2. Aspen
  3. Austin
  4. Bronx
  5. Cairo
  6. Camden
  7. Carson
  8. Dallas
  9. Diego
  10. Hamilton
  11. Jackson
  12. Kingston
  13. Lincoln
  14. Macon
  15. Memphis
  16. Orlando
  17. Phoenix
  18. Rio
  19. Rome
  20. Santiago
  21. Stirling
  22. Trenton

Boy Names Inspired By Countries And Regions

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  1. Cyrus
  2. Holland
  3. Jordan
  4. Oz
  5. Zealand

Boy Names Inspired By Bodies Of Water

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  1. Aden
  2. Alsek
  3. Caspian
  4. Hudson
  5. Nile

Boy Names Inspired By Mountains

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  1. Ande
  2. Brooks
  3. Elias
  4. Everest
  5. Fuji
  6. Kaplan
  7. Smoky

Boy Names Inspired By National Parks

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  1. Biscayne
  2. Bryce
  3. Canyon
  4. Denali
  5. Glacier
  6. Joshua
  7. Kenai
  8. Rainier
  9. Rocky
  10. Saguaro
  11. Sequoia
  12. Zion

Boy Names Inspired By Geology

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  1. Copper
  2. Flint
  3. Jasper
  4. Jett
  5. Lazuli
  6. Mica
  7. Onyx
  8. Slate

Boy Names Inspired By Food

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  1. Bartlett
  2. Colby
  3. Cormac
  4. Graham
  5. Rye

Boy Names Inspired By Colors

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  1. Ash
  2. Blue
  3. Cole
  4. Indigo
  5. Sunil

Royal Baby Boy Names

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  1. Charles
  2. Arthur
  3. Louis
  4. Philip
  5. Edward
  6. George

Traditional Boy Names

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  1. William
  2. James
  3. Thomas
  4. John
  5. Robert
  6. Joseph
  7. Edward
  8. Matthew

Mythical Boy Names

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  1. Thor
  2. Hermes
  3. Balder
  4. Odin

Last Names As Boy First Names

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  1. Cooper
  2. Morgan
  3. Walker
  4. Anderson
  5. Bennett
  6. Miller
  7. Grayson

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