100 Exotic Boy Names with Meanings

Do you love the sound of names that seem to come from a land far far away? Choosing an exotic baby boy name will conjure up feelings of wanderlust and mystique.

The great thing about exotic baby names is you can go by feel. Often names with letters we don’t see as often, such as names that start with Z or X, can sound exotic, or even a common word that is not usually a name, like Jett.

Names from your own culture probably won’t feel exotic as a rule, but to someone from another background, they might. If a name captures your attention and stands out as romantic to you, you can call it exotic.

Related: 100 Rare Baby Names with Deep and Unique Meanings 

Speaking of culture, learn a little about cultural appropriation before you grab just any foreign-sounding name out there. 

Cultural appropriation happens when we borrow pieces of another culture that don’t belong to us, particularly when the group we borrow from has been disenfranchised.

When in doubt, reach out to members of a group to ask them how they feel before signing the birth certificate!

Exotic Names for Boys Starting with A to L 

1. Alessandro - Italian, means “defending men” or “to defend, to help”
2. Alexander - Latin or Greek name that means “defender of men.”
3. Akio - Japanese name that means “bright” or “clear.”
4. Amir - Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Malay, Indonesian, Bosnian - means “commander, prince”
5. Anders - A Scandinavian male name that means “brave” or “manly.”
6. Arwyn - Welsh boy name that means “handsome.”
7. Asva - Scandinavian boy name that means “fast as a horse.”
8. Asher - Biblical name meaning “blessed.”
9. Axel - Old German name that means “father of peace.” 
10. Axil - Berber, means “cheetah”
11. Azael - Spanish, meaning unknown.
12. Bai - Chinese name that means “pure.”
13. Benigno - Italian name that means “good, friendly.”
14. Calogero - Italian name that means “beautiful elder.”
15. Caru - Sanskrit boy name that means “charming.”
16. Casa - Sanskrit name that means “blue jay.”
17. Colborn - Scandinavian male name meaning “burning coal.”
18. Ciar - Irish name that means “dark.”
19. Cillian - Irish boy name that means “bright-headed.”
20. Darius - Egyptian name that means “he who does good.”
21. Deniz - Turkish boy name that means “Sea.”
22. Dimitri - Russian, French, refers to the Greek goddess Demeter, goddess of the earth
23. Dolon - This name means “trickery” or “deceit” in Greek.
24. Elijah - A Hebrew name that means “God the Lord, the strong Lord.”
25. Emil - Latin name that means “eager.”
26. Enzo - Italian, means “home ruler”
27. Eren - Turkish name that means “holy.”
28. Evander - Hebrew name that means “life.”
29. Foxen - English name meaning “sly” or “fox-like.”
30. Fabio - Italian, means “bean”
31. Florian - German, French, Romanian, Polish, means “flower”
32. Francesco - Italian, means “French”
33. Fyodor - Russian name that means “divine gift.”
34. Galloway - Gaelic and Scottish boy name that means “place of the foreign Gaels.”
35. Grey - Old English name that means “to shine.”
36. Hans - German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, means “Yahweh is gracious”
37. Iolani - A Polynesian name that means “to fly like a hawk”
38. Ivan - Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovene, English, Italian, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
39. Jabir - Arabic, means “comforter”
40. Jaladi - Indian and Sanskrit name that means “ocean.”
41. Javier - French name that means “enlightened.” 
42. Jett - English, means “jet”
43. Karim - Egyptian boy name that means “generous.”
44. Kian - Sanskrit boy name that means “king.”
45. Lachlan - Scottish, English, means “a person from Norway”
46. Lars - Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, German, means “from Laurentum”
47. Lazar - Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, diminutive of the Biblical Lazarus, a man whom Jesus brought back from the dead.
48. Leon - English, German, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Dutch, Ancient Greek, means “lion”
49. Lian - Chinese name that means “water lily.”

Exotic Names for Boys Starting with M to Z

50. Maoilios - Celtic name that means “servant of Jesus.”
51. Mathis - German, French, means “gift of Yahweh”
52. Mazin - Arabic, means “rain clouds”
53. Mekhi - African American, meaning unknown
54. Milan - Czech, Slovak, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, means “gracious, dear.”
55. Naiche - Native American name that means “trickster.”
56. Orestes - Italian name that means “of the mountains.”
57. Osian - Welsh name that means “little deer.”
58. Phoenix - English, Greek Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, a mythological bird that rises from its own ashes
59. Quennel - French boy name that means “small oak”
60. Rasmus - Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, means “beloved”
61. Rocco - Italian, Ancient Germanic, means “rest”
62. Rohan - Hindi boy name meaning “sandalwood.” 
63. Roman - Hebrew name meaning “strong and powerful.” 
64. Ruse - Slavic name that means “fair-haired.”
65. Santiago - Spanish, Portuguese, means “Saint James”
66. Sem - Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Dutch, means “name”
67. Sheehan - Celtic name that means “peaceful child.”
68. Thijs - Dutch, means “gift of Yahweh”
69. Thor - Old Norse name meaning “thunder.” 
70. Umberto - Italian, means “bright warrior”
71. Wadleigh - English name that means “meadow.”
72. Waylon - Old English name meaning “from the path land.” 
73. Wyllow - Celtic boy name after a 6th-century Saint.
74. Zane - Latvian, means “lily”
75. Zenon - Ancient Greek, Polish, means “Zeus”

Gender-Neutral Exotic Names

These unisex name options are great choices for uncommon and interesting boy names.

1. Arlo - English name that means “rolling hill.”
2. Avil - German name meaning “bird.”
3. Britt - Scandinavian name that means “the exalted one.”
4. Dakota - Native American, means “allies, friends”
5. Delaney - English, Irish, means “from the alder grove”
6. Eden - English, reference to the Garden of Eden.
7. Endellion - Cornish and Welsh name meaning “fire soul.” 
8. Fiske - Scandinavian boy name that means “fisherman.”
9. Haven - English, means “safe place”
10. Jericho - Arabic name meaning “city of the moon.” 
11. Kai - Hawaiian name meaning “sea.”
12. Kobe - Japanese name that means “supplanter.”
13. Luca - Latin name meaning “bringer of light.”
14. Marin - Latin name meaning “of the sea.”
15. Nico - Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese, means “victory of the people”
16. Reagan - English, Irish, means “descendent of Riagan”
17. Ren - gender-neutral Japanese name meaning “lotus.”
18. Salem - Arabic, means “safe, sound, intact”
19. Sasha - Russian, Ukrainian, English, French, means “defending men”
20. Shai - Hebrew name that means “gift.”
21. Tavi - Aramaic name that means “good.”
22. Vesper - Latin name that means “evening star.” 
23. Zaire - African American, means “river swallowing rivers”
24. Zola - South African name that means “calm.”
25. Zuri - Eastern African, Swahili, means “beautiful”

For more baby name inspiration check out these popular baby name lists:

• Top 1000 Most Popular Baby Girl Names in the U.S.
• Top 1000 Most Popular Baby Boy Names in the U.S.
• The 100 Coolest Baby Names in the World

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