Boy names for 2023, from Aabnay to Zyre

Last week, I took a look at the interesting names given to children-assigned-female-at-birth, formerly known as girls. This week, let us peruse the 6,630 different boy names of 2023. 

The top 10 names are the same as last year, in a different order: Noah, Liam, Oliver, etc. The real fun is in going deep into the list … 

Nobody can decide how to spell Jackson. There’s 89 Jacksons, and also Jaxon, Jaxson, Jaxtin, Jaxton, Jaztyn. Maverick (107) is inexplicably still popular, as are its various spellings (Maverik, Maverix, Maveryk). Old school Arthur was a retro hit at 72, and even older school Alfred, Elmer and even Clovis made the list. There were 40 kids named Zorawar, which seemed awfully high until I found out Zorawar which is the name of a 2016 Punjabi film. 

There’s a Baffin and 15 named Boston, bafflingly popular with boys and girls. Six kids named Cairo and one Cypress. There were 12 named Dallas and a couple of Hollands, 11 named Israel, and one Izrael. Sixty kids named Jasper and one London, 10 Memphis, 10 Rome, two Paris and one Scotland. 

The list of names that will require the named to spell out slowly for the entirety of their lives includes Abdelrahman, Aseoluwakiiye, Chinualumogu, Chukwubuiken, Dechathorn, Efuanosose, Ex’Zavian, Gebreegziabiner, Ireoluwakinre, Johnbiesochai, and Kpaxwqyn. On the other hand, we have the short and to the point (whatever the point is); Ek, Fip, CJ, C-Jay, Geo, Gia, Gzyv, Ilo, Jb, Jc, K, Kj, Lj, Md and Md. and M. (with the period).

My favourites are tough to live up to names, and there are loads of them. 

Let the sunshine in, Aquarius. Atlantis, arise! Anchor is carrying a lot of weight. Six kids always get the last word with Amen. Benchmark will have to be the kid everyone else looks up to. Just as there is a girl named Female, there is a boy named Boy. Brainy had better be a good student. Bretton-Sterling has an upper class British twit ring to it.  

Charming had better not be a jerk. Maybe Arrow and Dart can meet and become friends. I’m guessing the parents of Ebenezer have never seen A Christmas Carol. Two parents thought naming their little boy God wasn’t too much of a weight to carry around. 

Will Harvest grow on you? Will Hero answer the call? Will Ludacris be ludicrous, and Majesty be majestic? Is Pope Catholic? Punky might be cute as a kid, but as a man? Zeppelin better not have an explosive temper. There’s a Heaven, but fortunately, no hell.  

Remember last week, I mentioned a girl named Kathysgirl? Well, there’s also a Kathysboy, which I assume is her twin (or just the weirdest coincidence ever). 

And finally, the worst name of the year makes me wonder if Elon Musk is secretly living in Alberta.

It’s Xxx.