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Whether your own father showed up for all your soccer games or broke promises left and right, TV dads existed to fill in the gaps. They gave the talks real dads forgot or didn't know we needed. As you begin to expand your family, let their influence affect more than your own parenting strategy.
Classic TV dad names for boys
They were our heroes. Our tragically unhip heroes. If their old-fashioned firsts — after all, these are total dad names — don't suit your modern style, pick a surname instead. We love the fresh sound of Winslow for today's baby boys. Did your all-time favorite TV dad make our list?
Andy Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show
Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Carl Winslow, Family Matters
Charles Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie
Dan Conner, Roseanne
Forrest Bedford, I'll Fly Away
Fred Sanford, Sanford and Son
George Lopez, George Lopez
Gomez Addams, The Addams Family
Graham Chase, My So-Called Life
Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, The Cosby Show
Herman Munster, The Munsters
Howard Cunningham, Happy Days
Jason Seaver, Growing Pains
Martin Crane, Frasier
Mike Brady, The Brady Bunch
Philip Banks, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Ray Barone, Everybody Loves Raymond
Red Forman, That '70s Show
Rob Petrie, The Dick Van Dyke Show
Steven Keaton, Family Ties
Tony Micelli, Who's the Boss?
Ward Cleaver, Leave It to Beaver
Modern TV dad names for boys
Reality show patriarchs and antiheroes dominate the father figures found in today's DVR lineup. Not exactly the best role models for your baby boy. But what they lack in fathering ability, they make up for in trendy, current monikers. Can the coolness of the names we chose make up for their bearers' sometimes odious character flaws? You decide.
Bruce Jenner, Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Burt Hummel, Glee
Cameron Tucker, Modern Family
Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Hal, Malcolm in the Middle
Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
Jack Bauer, 24
Joel Graham, Parenthood
Keith Mars, Veronica Mars
Kody Brown, Sister Wives
Michael Bluth, Arrested Development
Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family
Nathan Petrelli, Heroes
Noah Bennet, Heroes
Ozzy Osbourne, The Osbournes
Paul Hennessy, 8 Simple Rules
Peter Griffin, Family Guy
Silas Robertson, Duck Dynasty
Ted Mosby, How I Met Your Mother
Tom Branson, Downton Abbey
Walter White, Breaking Bad
Zeek Braverman, Parenthood
More baby name ideas
Game of Thrones baby names
Duck Dynasty-inspired baby names
Baby names from Tom Clancy novels