Sometimes it feels like girls have some unfair advantages when it comes to creative baby names. They get all the pretty flower and gem names and some of the best color names as well, like Violet and Scarlet and Rose. But we’re here to say that there are great, colorful, unique baby names for boys as well — and that doesn’t even count all the Irish names with red meanings like Flynn, Rory, Rowan, Rufus and Rooney. Here are 12 multicolored baby names for boys.
1. Indigo: With its o-ending, this is one of the liveliest and most appealing of the color choices for boys; indigo is a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India. Actors Lou Diamond Phillips and Rider Strong both chose it for their boys—the latter is known as Indy.
2. Hunter: Hunter, at Number 41, is by far the most popular color name for boys, though parents are more likely to be attracted by its trendy ‘er’ ending and its occupational surname status. Gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson was a famous bearer; Hunter was used for their sons by actor Josh Holloway and chef Guy Fieri and Hunter Clarington was a character on Glee. Internationally, Hunter is the ninth most popular name in New Zealand.
3. Gray/Grey: There’s a choice of spelling for this soft and evocative dove-like color name for boys. The Grey version entered the Top 1000 in 2013 but is now at Number 916, and is 605 on Nameberry. Like other single-syllable hues, it makes a colorful middle: Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney named their son Leo Grey. Also in the gray family: Ash, Slate and Granite.
4. Carmine: A mainstay of the traditional Italian community, Carmine takes on a completely different hue when seen as a rosy-red color name. It ranked as high as Number 377 in 1912 and stayed on the list ’til 2007. Recently, there have been Carmines seen on Gotham and American Hustle. Also, consider Auburn and Brick.
5. Royal: Royal, more for its regal aspects than its royal blue coloration, has been zooming up the popularity charts recently, jumping from outside the Top 1000 to Number 465 in just three years, almost catching up to its Top 300 status at the turn of the last century. Some might associate it with Royal Tenenbaum in the Wes Anderson classic, The Royal Tenenbaums.
6. Moss: A soft and gentle, utterly underused green nature name, associated with noted 20th-century playwright Moss Hart and now, as a surname, with Mad Men’s Elizabeth Moss. It’s also a leading character in the British TV cult classic, The IT Crowd.
7. Blue: The most traditional of boy colors, Blue was used early on as a middle name by Cher and Greg Allman for son Elijah in 1976 and since has been adopted as such by several other celebs. But then it was very publicly uni-sexed and switched into first place in 2012 by Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy. Also spelled Blu and Bleu.
8. Jet: Jet, also spelled Jett, with its shiny black image and feel of supersonic speed, is on the rise. It’s the double-T spelling that’s taken the lead; Jett is now at Number 332 nationally and 189 on Nameberry. George Lucas chose it for his son, while Lisa Ling used it for her daughter. It goes back to the iconic James Dean character of Jett Rink in Giant.
9: Russet: This dark brown color with hints of red and orange came into use as an English color word in 1562, so it has a long history. With an autumnal leaf-turning image, and also being an apple name, it’s found in the writings of Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell. A possible namesake for a Grandpa Russell?
10. Green: Would you believe that Green was a Top 300 name in the 1880s? It still has distinctive middle place possibilities: It’s the middle name of Ethan Hawke, who passed it on to his son Levon (who has a second color name, Roan, as his other middle). It now has ecological cred.
11. Cerulean: Usage of this highly unusual color word actually dates back to 1590. It connotes a lovely sky blue color and has an appealing Latinate feel. Cerulean appears in Bryan Davis’s Echoes from the Edge series. One Cerulean we know goes by Ceru. Some other blue hues: Cyan, Cobalt, Azure and Navy.
12. Brown: Sophisticated, rich and warm, but rarely used, Brown is more often heard as a surname, as in Governor Jerry Brown, Former British PM Gordon Brown and singer James Brown. Two other intriguing possibilities in the brown spectrum: Cordovan and Umber.
Do you have a favorite color-themed baby name? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
This post was previously published on Nameberry by Linda Rosenkrantz.
(Photo via Getty)
