by Pamela Redmond Satran

　　Two-syllable baby names ending with the letter n have dominated the boys’ popularity list for several years now.  The Top 20 for boys includes sex such choices: Mason, Ethan, and Jayden, Aiden, Jackson, and Logan.  And when you add in all the spelling variations of these trendy boys’ names, the count leaps much higher.

　　It’s easy to understand why these names are so popular for boys.  They’re strong yet unconventional, at least compared with traditional boys’ names such as William or James.  They sound good with many last names.  And the two-syllable n-ending genre includes many different types of names, from the Biblical (Ethan) to the surname (Mason and Logan) to modern inventions such as Zayden.

　　In fact, the only real problem with these boys’ names is that they’re so popular.  Many boys’ names have zoomed up the list largely on the strength of this fashionable rhythm and sound: I’m thinking of Dylan, Owen, and Gavin, to name just a few of the more visible choices.

　　So what if you love two-syllable n-ending names for boys, but you want something more unusual?  Are there any choices left that have yet to be discovered — or at least have not been so widely discovered they’re getting overrun?

　　An elite selection.  We searched our database and came up with this handsome group of 25 boys’ names that fit the fashionable mold yet are also uncommon.

　　[column1]

　　Anton

　　Breccan

　　Conan

　　Cotton

　　Curran

　　Damon

　　Eamon

　　Fintan

　　Heron

　　Kellen

　　Lachlan

　　Lawson

　　Lucian

　　[/column1]

　　[column2]

　　Phelan

　　Pieran

　　Quintan

　　Reuben

　　Runyon

　　Samson

　　Thornton

　　Torin

　　Truman

　　Urban

　　Walden

　　Winston

　　[/column2]

　　Which do you like best?

　　For more amazing names for boys, get your copy of The Nameberry Guide to the Best Baby Names for Boys, available now in ebook or paper.