When I got pregnant with my second child, it was a bit of… a surprise. Even so, I had a girl’s name at the ready! Our first child was a girl, and I’d had a runner-up name that I loved so much I knew I’d use it for my second daughter. But then I found out we were having a boy, and I was stumped. The boy name we had chosen for our first child, before we knew she was a girl, suddenly didn’t seem appropriate or good enough. And I had to go back to the drawing board! Instead of going by my gut or only how names sounded (though that’s important), I decided to start looking at baby boy names and meanings.
Choosing a cute baby boy name by its meaning instead of by its popularity is a WONDERFUL decision! The name will hold real value for you and your child because it was chosen with love and care.
So what are some good names for a boy? What baby boy name means strong, brave, or a gift from God? What is the most beautiful baby boy name? Well, it turns out there’s not just one answer for any of those questions!
I’ve rounded up 120 unique, handsome, and strong baby boy names and meanings for you to peruse (without having to weed out some that I think most of us will universally agree are not good, at least not anymore). It’s a mix of the most popular American baby boy names from the last few years as well as some trendy up-and-comer boy names and vintage, classic names that never go out of style.
A lot of these names have Biblical meanings, particularly the well-known, traditional ones. That doesn’t stop non-religious people from using them everyday though, so go with your gut and love of the sound more than the meaning in the end. But there are plenty of secular baby boy names on this list to choose from as well!
Think of this as an abbreviated “meaning of male names” dictionary that is sure to have a baby boy name you’ll love! The meanings and origins were mostly obtained through Nameberry and BabyNames.
Do you have a preferred starting letter? Use the Table of Contents above to search for baby boy names by letter!
Baby Boy Names Starting with A
1. Aaron
Alternatives: Aron, Aaron, Arren
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: mountain of strength; exalted; enlightened
Where You’ve Heard It: Aaron Burr, the famous assassinator of Alexander Hamilton; Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul; Erin Brockovich actor Aaron Eckhart
2. Adam
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: son of the Earth
Where You’ve Heard It: filmmaker Adam Sandler; Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine; Star Wars actor Adam Driver
3. Adrian
Alternative: Adrien
Origin: Latin
Meaning: of the sea; dark
Where You’ve Heard It: Adrian Grenier, the actor who played Vincent Chase in Entourage
4. Aiden
Alternatives: Aidan, Aidyn, Aden
Origin: Irish
Meaning: little fire
Where You’ve Heard It: Aiden Shaw, Carrie Bradshaw’s occasional love interest on Sex and the City
5. Alexander
Alternatives: Alex, Al, Xander, Xan
Origin: Greek
Meaning: defender of the people
Where You’ve Heard It: Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father of the U.S.; Alexander Skarsgaard (Eric on True Blood)
6. Andrew
Alternatives: Andreas, Drew, Andy
Origin: Greek
Meaning: strong and manly
Where You’ve Heard It: comedian Andrew “Dice” Clay; American artist Andy Warhol; The Office character Andrew Bernard
7. Angel
Alternative: Angell
Origin: Greek and Hispanic
Meaning: messenger of God
Where You’ve Heard It: Buffy’s love interest on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
8. Anthony
Alternatives: Anthonie, Anthoni, Antoine, Antonio, Tony
Origin: Latin
Meaning: priceless
Where You’ve Heard It: Silence of the Lambs actor Anthony Hopkins; Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis; Weird Science actor Anthony Michael Hall
9. Asher
Alternative: Ash, Axsher
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: fortunate; blessed; happy
Where You’ve Heard It: one of Jacob’s sons in the Bible
10. Austin
Alternatives: Austen, Austyn
Origin: English
Meaning: great; magnificent
Where You’ve Heard It: the city in Texas; the Austin Powers movie series
11. Axel
Alternatives: Axell, Ax, Axl, Aksel, Axe
Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: father of peace
Where You’ve Heard It: Guns ‘n’ Roses singer Axl Rose; the oldest son on the TV show The Middle
Baby Boy Names Starting with B
12. Benjamin
Alternatives: Benji, Ben, Benny, Benno
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: son of the right hand
Where You’ve Heard It: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; U.S. founding father Benjamin Franklin; Lost character Benjamin Linus
13. Brayden
Alternatives: Braden; Braiden; Braydyn; Braydon
Origin: American spelling of Irish name Braden
Meaning: bravery; truth; from the broad valley or hillside
Where You’ve Heard It: David Spade’s character’s son in Grown Ups 2
Baby Boy Names Starting with C
14. Caleb
Alternatives: Kaleb, Kalib
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: whole-hearted; devotion to God
Where You’ve Heard It: characters on Pretty Little Liars, The O.C., and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
15. Cameron
Alternatives: Kameron, Cam, Kamryn, Camren, Kamren, Camryn, Camron
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: crooked or bent nose
Where You’ve Heard It: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in 10 Things I Hate about You; actress Cameron Diaz; Ferris Bueller’s best friend
16. Carson
Alternatives: Karson, Karsyn
Origin: Irish and Scottish
Meaning: son of the marsh-dwellers; Christian
Where You’ve Heard It: TRL and late-night host Carson Daly; Woody Harrelson’s character in No Country for Old Men
17. Carter
Alternative: Karter
Origin: English
Meaning: driver or transporter of goods via cart
Where You’ve Heard It: singers Nick and Aaron Carter; characters on both Gossip Girl and The O.C.
18. Charles
Alternatives: Charlie, Chuck, Charle, Charls, Chaz
Origin: German and French
Meaning: free man
Where You’ve Heard It: Prince Charles of Wales; novelist Charles Dickens; NBA player Charles Barkley
19. Christian
Alternatives: Cristian, Khristian
Origin: Greek and English
Meaning: follower of Christ
Where You’ve Heard It: actor Christian Bale; actor Christian Slater; fashion designer Christian Dior
20. Christopher
Alternatives: Chris, Christophe, Christoph, Kristoff, Kristopher, Topher
Origin: Greek and Latin
Meaning: bearer of Christ
Where You’ve Heard It: actor Christopher Walken; Pooh’s friend Christopher Robin; historical figure Christopher Columbus
21. Colton
Alternatives: Colter, Colten, Kolton, Colt
Origin: English
Meaning: from the coal, or from the dark town
Where You’ve Heard It: character in Teen Wolf TV series
22. Connor
Alternatives: Conner, Konner, Conor
Origin: Irish
Meaning: lover of hounds or wolves
Where You’ve Heard It: the surname of the family from TV shows Roseanne and The Conners
23. Cooper
Alternatives: Kuiper, Coop
Origin: English
Meaning: barrel maker
Where You’ve Heard It: actor Bradley Cooper; the long-necked troll in Trolls
Baby Boy Names Starting with D
24. Daniel
Alternatives: Dan, Danny
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: only God is my judge
Where You’ve Heard It: everywhere; actor Daniel Day-Lewis; PBS’ Daniel Tiger; Robin Williams’ character in Mrs. Doubtfire
25. David
Alternatives: Dave, Davy, Davey
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: beloved
Where You’ve Heard It: soccer player David Beckham; late-night host David Letterman; Schitt’s Creek character
26. Dominic
Alternatives: Dominick, Dom, Nico, Nic
Origin: Latin
Meaning: of or belonging to the Lord
Where You’ve Heard It: leading character in the Fast and Furious franchise; the little boy in Kindergarten Cop
27. Dylan
Alternatives: Dillon, Dil
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: son of the sea
Where You’ve Heard It: American Horror Story actor Dylan McDermott; musician Bob Dylan
Baby Boy Names Starting with E
28. Easton
Alternatives: East, Easten, Eastyn
Origin: English
Meaning: from the Eastern town
Where You’ve Heard It: country singer Easton Corbin
29. Elias
Alternatives: Eli, Elijah, Eliezer
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: ascended; uplifted; high
Where You’ve Heard It: the movie The Book of Eli; film director Eli Roth; actor Elijah Wood
30. Ethan
Alternatives: Ethaniel, Etan, Ethyn
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: firm; strong
Where You’ve Heard It: Can’t Hardly Wait actor Ethan Embry; the high-end furniture store Ethan Allen
31. Evan
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: the Lord is gracious; God is good
Where You’ve Heard It: the film Evan Almighty; Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood
32. Everett
Alternatives: Ev, Evert, Everest, Rhett
Origin: English and German
Meaning: brave as a wild boar
Where You’ve Heard It: George Clooney’s character in O Brother, Where Art Thou?; actor Rupert Everett
33. Ezekiel
Alternatives: Zeke, Kiel, Ezikiel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God strengthens
Where You’ve Heard It: a character in The Crucible; a character on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place
34. Ezra
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: helper
Where You’ve Heard It: Fantastic Beasts actor Ezra Miller; poet Ezra Pound; the band Better Than Ezra
Baby Boy Names Starting with F
35. Felix
Alternatives: Phelix
Origin: Latin
Meaning: happy; fortunate; prosperous
Where You’ve Heard It: old-time cartoon Felix the Cat; a Volturi guard in the Twilight series
36. Finley
Alternatives: Finn, Finnley
Origin: Irish and Scottish
Meaning: fair-haired hero; fair warrior
Where You’ve Heard It: baseball pitcher Chuck Finley
37. Flynn
Alternative: Flinn
Origin: Irish
Meaning: son of the red-haired one
Where You’ve Heard It: Rapunzel’s beau Flynn Rider; mid-20th-century actor Errol Flynn
Baby Boy Names Starting with G
38. Gabriel
Alternative: Gabe
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Where You’ve Heard It: comedian Gabriel Iglesias; the character on Supernatural
39. Grayson
Alternatives: Gray, Graysen, Greyson
Origin: English
Meaning: the son of the bailiff; the son of the gray-haired one
Where You’ve Heard It: the character Dick Grayson (Robin) from Batman; Jules’ love interest on the show Cougar Town
Baby Boy Names Starting with H
40. Hayes
Alternatives: Hays, Haze
Origin: English
Meaning: fire
Where You’ve Heard It: “Shaft” theme song writer Isaac Hayes; the character Willie Mays Hayes in Major League
41. Henry
Alternatives: Henri, Henrek
Origin: German
Meaning: ruler of the home
Where You’ve Heard It: Superman actor Henry Cavill; Uncle Henry from The Wizard of Oz
42. Hudson
Alternative: Hudsyn
Origin: English
Meaning: heart; mind; spirit
Where You’ve Heard It: actress Kate Hudson; the Hudson River; actress Jennifer Hudson
43. Hugo
Alternative: Hugh
Origin: German and Spanish
Meaning: bright in mind; spirit; intellect
Where You’ve Heard It: Ron & Hermione’s son in the Harry Potter epilogue; fashion mogul Hugo Boss; the film Hugo
44. Hunter
Alternatives: Hunt, Huntington, Hutton
Origin: English
Meaning: one who hunts
Where You’ve Heard It: actress Holly Hunter; Joe Biden’s son
Baby Boy Names Starting with I
45. Ian
Alternative: Ean
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: God is gracious
Where You’ve Heard It: The Vampire Diaries actor Ian Somerhalder; Lord of the Rings actor Ian McKellen (Gandolf)
46. Isaac
Alternatives: Izak, Izaak, Ike, Izzy
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: laughter
Where You’ve Heard It: physicist Isaac Newton; “Shaft” singer Isaac Hayes
47. Isaiah
Alternatives: Izayah, Izaiah
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is salvation
Where You’ve Heard It: Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington
Baby Boy Names Starting with J
48. Jack
Alternatives: Jackson, Jaxon, Jaxen
Origin: English
Meaning: God is gracious
Where You’ve Heard It: the Robin Williams movie Jack; head of the Pearson family on This is Us; Johnny Depp’s famous Jack Sparrow character in Pirates of the Caribbean
49. Jacob
Alternatives: Jakob, Jaycob, Jake, Jacoby
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: supplanter (a taker of one’s place)
Where You’ve Heard It: the No-Maj character lead in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; the lead werewolf in the Twilight series
50. James
Alternatives: Jamie, Jim, Jimmy
Origin: Hebrew and English
Meaning: one who follows
Where You’ve Heard It: actors James McAvoy, Dean, Franco, and Woods; fictional character James Bond
51. Jameson
Alternatives: Jamison, Jaymeson
Origin: English
Meaning: son of James
Where You’ve Heard It: the Irish whiskey
52. Jason
Alternatives: Jace, Jayson
Origin: Greek
Meaning: healer
Where You’ve Heard It: famed Friday the 13th killer; Ozark actor Jason Bateman; the first Red Power Ranger
53. Jayden
Alternatives: Jaden, Jaydon
Origin: American and Hebrew
Meaning: thankful
Where You’ve Heard It: Will and Jada’s son (Jaden)
54. Jeremiah
Alternatives: Jeremy, Jem, Jerry
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: appointed by God; God will uplift
Where You’ve Heard It: the song about a bullfrog
55. John
Alternatives: Jon, Johnny, Jonathan
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
Where You’ve Heard It: president John F. Kennedy; actor John Travolta; John Smith, pursuer of Pocahontas
56. Jordan
Alternatives: Jordyn, Jorden
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: one who descends from on high
Where You’ve Heard It: the only river in Palestine; basketball star Michael Jordan; Jared Leto’s character in My So-Called Life
57. José
Origin: Spanish and Portuguese
Meaning: God will increase
Where You’ve Heard It: baseball player José Conseco
58. Joseph
Alternatives: Joe, Joey
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God will increase
Where You’ve Heard It: The Handmaid’s Tale actor Joseph Fiennes; True Blood werewolf actor Joe Mangianello; Inception actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt
59. Joshua
Alternative: Josh
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: the Lord is my salvation
Where You’ve Heard It: Once Upon a Time actor Joshua Dallas; musician Josh Groban; Josh Gad, the voice of Disney’s Olaf
60. Josiah
Alternatives: Joziah, Joe
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God will save; God supports and heals
Where You’ve Heard It: the President on The West Wing
61. Julian
Alternatives: Julien, Jules
Origin: Latin and English
Meaning: youthful; downy (covered with soft hair or feathers)
Where You’ve Heard It: Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon; Strokes singer Julian Casablancas; WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Baby Boy Names Starting with K
62. Kasey
Alternatives: Casey, Kacey
Origin: Irish
Meaning: brave in battle; vigilant in war
Where You’ve Heard It: actor and Ben’s brother, Casey Affleck; DJ Casey Kasem
63. Kayden
Alternatives: Cayden, Kaden
Origin: American
Meaning: musical
Where You’ve Heard It: this is a very new, unique, invented name variation
64. Kingston
Alternatives: Kyngston, Kingsten, King
Origin: English
Meaning: from the King’s town
Where You’ve Heard It: Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s son
65. Knox
Alternatives: Nox
Origin: Scottish and English
Meaning: from the round hill
Where You’ve Heard It: Fort Knox army post; a character in Dr. Seuss’ Fox in Socks
Baby Boy Names Starting with L
66. Landon
Alternatives: Landen, Landyn, Langdon
Origin: English
Meaning: from the long hill; a long climb ahead
Where You’ve Heard It: Shane West’s character Landon Carter in A Walk to Remember
67. Leonardo
Alternatives: Leo, Leon, Lenny, Leonard, Leno
Origin: Italian and Spanish
Meaning: brave lion
Where You’ve Heard It: actor Leonardo DiCaprio; the blue-masked Ninja Turtle; Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci
68. Levi
Alternatives: Leviticus, Levy
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: joined or attached in harmony
Where You’ve Heard It: the denim brand; a character in Fifty Shades of Grey
69. Liam
Alternatives: William, Lee
Origin: Irish
Meaning: resolute protection; with gilded helmet
Where You’ve Heard It: Liam Payne of the boy band One Direction; Taken actor Liam Neeson
70. Lincoln
Alternatives: Lyncoln, Link
Origin: English
Meaning: from the lake settlement, or the town by the pool
Where You’ve Heard It: the luxury vehicle; the astounding President Abraham Lincoln; alternative metal band Linkin Park
71. Logan
Alternative: Loagan
Origin: Irish and Scottish
Meaning: descendant of the warrior
Where You’ve Heard It: Wolverine’s actual name; Percy Jackson actor Logan Lerman; one of Rory’s boyfriends in Gilmore Girls
72. Lucas
Alternatives: Luke, Luca
Origin: Greek and Latin
Meaning: light; shining
Where You’ve Heard It: Star Wars creator George Lucas; one of the main characters on Stranger Things; long-time character on Days of Our Lives
Baby Boy Names Starting with M
73. Mason
Alternatives: Mayson, Mace
Origin: English
Meaning: creator
Where You’ve Heard It: legal TV show Perry Pason; Disney’s Gravity Falls character Mason Pines
74. Matthew
Alternatives: Matt, Matty
Origin: Hebrew and English
Meaning: gift from God
Where You’ve Heard It: Ferris Bueller actor Matthew Broderick; The Wedding Planner actor Matthew McConaughey; Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis
75. Maverick
Alternatives: Mav, Mave, Rick
Origin: American
Meaning: wildly independent; nonconformist
Where You’ve Heard It: Tom Cruise’s character’s nickname in Top Gun; the 1950s Western TV series
76. Michael
Alternatives: Mike, Mickey, Mikko
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: he who is like God
Where You’ve Heard It: the John Travolta movie; prolific actor Michael Sheen; legendary singer Michael Jackson
77. Miles
Alternatives: Myles, Milo
Origin: Latin and English
Meaning: soldier; merciful
Where You’ve Heard It: jazz musician Miles Davis; the lead in Disney’s Miles from Tomorrowland; the main character’s real name in Baby Driver
Baby Boy Names Starting with N
78. Nathan
Alternatives: Nathaniel, Nate
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: given
Where You’ve Heard It: Castle and Santa Clarita Diet actor Nathan Fillion; The Birdcage actor Nathan Lane
79. Nicholas
Alternatives: Nick, Nicholai, Nicky, Cole, Nico
Origin: Greek
Meaning: victory of the people
Where You’ve Heard It: jolly old St. Nicholas; National Treasure actor Nicolas Cage; Hulu’s The Great actor Nicholas Hoult
80. Noah
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: rest; wandering; peace
Where You’ve Heard It: Ryan Gosling’s character in The Notebook; builder of the Ark; The Daily Show host Trevor Noah
81. Nolan
Origin: Irish
Meaning: champion; descendant of the famous one
Where You’ve Heard It: Batman trilogy director Christopher Nolan; baseball player Nolan Ryan; Modern Family actor Nolan Gould (Luke)
Baby Boy Names Starting with O
82. Oliver
Alternative: Ollie
Origin: English and Latin
Meaning: peace; descendant of the ancestors
Where You’ve Heard It: Harry Potter Quidditch Keeper Oliver Wood; Disney’s Oliver and Company; Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist
83. Oscar
Alternatives: Oskar, Oz
Origin: Irish and English
Meaning: deer lover; champion warrior
Where You’ve Heard It: Oscar Nunez’s real name and character from The Office; the Academy Awards statue; Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch
84. Otis
Alternatives: Odie, Otto, Ode
Origin: English and German
Meaning: wealth or wealthy
Where You’ve Heard It: blues musician Otis Redding; Disney’s The Adventures of Milo and Otis
85. Owen
Alternatives: Bowen
Origin: Welsh and Irish
Meaning: young warrior; well-born
Where You’ve Heard It: Lightning McQueen voice Owen Wilson; Children of Men actor Clive Owen
Baby Boy Names Starting with P
86. Parker
Origin: English
Meaning: park keeper
Where You’ve Heard It: Scream 3 actress Posey Parker; jazz musician Charlie Parker; The Story So Far frontman Parker Cannon
87. Paxton
Alternatives: Pax, Paxten
Origin: English and Latin
Meaning: peaceful
Where You’ve Heard It: late Big Love actor Bill Paxton; a diesel train character on Thomas and Friends
Baby Boy Names Starting with R
88. Robert
Alternatives: Robbie, Robb, Bob, Bobby, Bert
Origin: English and German
Meaning: bright; famous
Where You’ve Heard It: Twilight leading vampire Robert Pattinson; Revolutionary War General Robert E. Lee; actor and director Robert Redford
89. Roman
Alternatives: Rome
Origin: Latin and English
Meaning: from Rome (Italy)
Where You’ve Heard It: Kieran Culkin’s Succession character Roman Roy; Rosemary’s Baby director Roman Polanski
90. Ryan
Alternatives: Rayan, Ryne, Rhian
Origin: Irish
Meaning: little king, or descendant of the king
Where You’ve Heard It: Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds; TV and radio personality Ryan Seacrest; the film Saving Private Ryan
91. Ryker
Alternatives: Ryke, Riker
Origin: German and American
Meaning: rich, or becoming rich
Where You’ve Heard It: Riker’s Island prison of New York City
Baby Boy Names Starting with S
92. Samuel
Alternatives: Sam, Sammy, Samwell
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: told by God; His name is God
Where You’ve Heard It: Avengers and Pulp Fiction actor Samuel L. Jackson; U.S. founding father Samuel Adams
93. Santiago
Alternatives: Sandiago, Santeago, Thiago, Iago
Origin: Spanish and Latin
Meaning: from Saint James
Where You’ve Heard It: a main character in the Penny Dreadful: City of Angels TV show; a character in Anne Rice’s novel Interview with a Vampire
94. Sawyer
Origin: English
Meaning: woodcutter
Where You’ve Heard It: Josh Holloway’s character’s alias on Lost; literary character Tom Sawyer; broadcaster Diane Sawyer
95. Sebastian
Alternatives: Bastian, Baz, Sebbe, Tian
Origin: Greek and Latin
Meaning: venerable (due great respect)
Where You’ve Heard It: Ryan Phillippe’s character in Cruel Intentions; Ariel’s sidekick crab in Disney’s The Little Mermaid; composer Johann Sebastian Bach
Baby Boy Names Starting with T
96. Theodore
Alternatives: Theo, Ted, Teddy
Origin: Greek
Meaning: divine gift, or gift from God
Where You’ve Heard It: the food-loving chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunks; the eldest child on The Cosby Show; former President Theodore Roosevelt
97. Thomas
Alternatives: Thom, Tom, Tommy
Origin: Greek and Aramaic
Meaning: twin; leader
Where You’ve Heard It: former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson; inventor Thomas Edison; the lead train of Thomas and Friends
98. Tristan
Alternatives: Tris, Tristen, Tristin
Origin: Welsh and Celtic
Meaning: tumultuous; noisy; sorrowful
Where You’ve Heard It: Brad Pitt’s character Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall; Finn Wittrock’s character in American Horror Story: Hotel
Baby Boy Names Starting with U
99. Upton
Origin: English and Egyptian
Meaning: from the upper town or high village
Where You’ve Heard It: American author Upton Sinclair; model and The Other Woman actress Kate Upton
100. Urban
Alternatives: Urbane, Orban
Origin: Latin
Meaning: from the city
Where You’ve Heard It: country music singer Keith Urban
101. Utah
Origin: Native American
Meaning: of the mountain
Where You’ve Heard It: the U.S. state
Baby Boy Names Starting with V
102. Victor
Alternatives: Viktor, Vick, Vic
Origin: Latin
Meaning: conqueror or winner
Where You’ve Heard It: main characters in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie; Hermione’s would-be love interest Viktor Krum in Harry Potter; Titanic actor Victor Garber
Baby Boy Names Starting with W
103. Weston
Alternatives: Westin, Westan, West
Origin: English
Meaning: from the Western town
Where You’ve Heard It: somewhat common last name, relatively new as a first name
104. William
Alternatives: Will, Willy, Bill, Billy
Origin: English and German
Meaning: with gilded helmet; resolute protection
Where You’ve Heard It: popular playwright William Shakespeare; Star Trek captain William Shatner; British royalty Prince William
105. Wyatt
Alternative: Wy
Origin: English
Meaning: brave in war
Where You’ve Heard It: Old West lawn Wyatt Earp; Piper and Leo’s son on Charmed; Weird Science leading character Wyatt Donnelly
Baby Boy Names Starting with X
106. Xavier
Alternatives: Xavi, Zavier, Javier
Origin: Basque, Arabic, and Latin
Meaning: bright; new house
Where You’ve Heard It: Professor X’s name in X-Men (Xzavier)
Baby Boy Names Starting with Y
107. Yanni
Alternative: Yannis
Origin: Greek
Meaning: God is gracious
Where You’ve Heard It: the Greek composer
108. Yestin
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: just
Where You’ve Heard It: a relatively new, modern, invented version of Justin
Baby Boy Names Starting with Z
109. Zane
Alternatives: Zaine, Zayne, Zayn
Origin: American and Arabic
Meaning: God is gracious
Where You’ve Heard It: One Direction member Zayn Mailk; Titanic actor Billy Zane
110. Zeke
Alternatives: Zeek, Ezekiel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God strengthens or will strengthen
Where You’ve Heard It: the Sons of Anarchy character; Zeke Baylor from High School Musical
5 Newly Trending American Boy Baby Names and Meanings
Genesis
Meaning: beginning; new birth
Where You’ve Heard It: the band Phil Collins was once in; the first book of the Bible
The way things have been in America lately, I think a lot of parents are hoping for a fresh start with the next generation. As they say, children are the future! Genesis has an earthy air about it.
Saint
Meaning: literally saint or holy person
Where You’ve Heard It: from the Bible
Yes, Kim and Kanye chose Saint for one of their children, but they weren’t the first to do it. The name was on the rise in popularity well before that, and just like Genesis, it’s possible parents are hoping to raise good, wholesome children to help make the world a better place.
Baker
Meaning: one who bakes
Where You’ve Heard It: as a common last name; it’s new as a first name
Baker is a baby boy name that sounds very wholesome and clean-cut, like Carter. It won’t be surprising to find it growing in popularity, particularly among affluent families.
Kairo
Meaning: victorious one
Where You’ve Heard It: it’s a spelling variation on Cairo, the Capital of Egypt
Generally pronounced K-eye-roh, this is a new top pick for parents looking for something edgy and unique for their baby boys. It also has a fairly masculine ring to it.
Watson
Meaning: son of Walter
Where You’ve Heard It: Sherlock Holmes’ constant sidekick; Harry Potter actress Emma Watson; Spider-Man’s love interest Mary Jane Watson
There’s an air of sophistication with a hint of whimsy in the name Watson, making it an excellent choice for a well-rounded child.
5 Baby Boy Names Losing Popularity in America
Aaden
Meaning: a variation of Aiden, which means little fire
Why It’s Losing Popularity: Quite frankly, the spelling is awful. No one will ever assume it’s spelled like that the first time around; it’s just a ploy to get your kid to the front of the line. The fire is dying on this attempt at a first name.
Dilan
Meaning: love; son of the sea
Why It’s Losing Popularity: As a variation on Dylan, it’s a poor choice. My instinct is to pronounce it Dill-anne, making it sound quite feminine for a baby boy name. It looks like other parents are discovering the problem, because this spelling is quickly dropping in the ranks.
Craig
Meaning: from the rocks
Why It’s Losing Popularity: The meaning isn’t exactly poetic, is it? Many people also think of the late model and Hydroxycut spokeswoman Jenny Craig when they hear the name, too. The name may also feel just a little old-fashioned for new baby boys now.
Mike
Meaning: one who is like God
Why It’s Losing Popularity: Mike actually isn’t such a bad name – well, nickname, anyway. Parents seem to be going back to traditional versions of a lot of popular names (after all, Michael is still firmly in the top 100 baby boy names in the United States). Setting your son up with a nickname as his legal name might not be the best idea.
Harper
Meaning: harp player
Why It’s Losing Popularity: Despite climbing the baby boy name chart a little bit, it appears the association of Harper as a girl’s name is too strong for it to hold on. The meaning of the name Harper isn’t all that exciting, either, particularly for boys.
How to Agree on a Baby Boy Name with Your Partner
I mentioned at near the top of this article a rating chart download to help you get on the same page as your partner. But what does it actually look like? How are you supposed to rate over a hundred boy names each?
It’s not as scary as it sounds. Once you start looking at the names and checking them off, you’ll start breezing through it. Just go with your instincts, and tell your partner to do the same! Don’t overthink it. You might even come up with totally new names you like in the process, and there’s blank spaces for you to write those in, too.
Then get together with your partner and call out each name one at a time, with both of you saying your ratings out loud. You’ll not only know if you agree right away, but hearing the tone of voice will help you know just how serious your partner is about vetoing a name you LOVE.
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More Baby Boy Names with Meanings to Consider
If there wasn’t a name on this list that jumped out at you as the perfect name for your baby boy, that’s okay! This is by no means a definitive list of trendy boy names. Maybe you and your partner tried the rating system above and still couldn’t find one you both loved.
There are more resources that can help you find the perfect baby boy name (with a great meaning behind it). Check out the book The Best Baby Names for Boys on Amazon. It’s not the world’s biggest collection of baby boy names, because it doesn’t include any of those awful, nonsensical, made-up words no sane parent would ever name their child. It’s just a list of really excellent names from traditional to modern to trendy. There’s also journaling prompts to help you figure out what you like best!
The Best Baby Names for Boys: The Ultimate Resource for Finding the Perfect Boy Name
- Larson, Emily (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages – 06/04/2019 (Publication Date) – Sourcebooks (Publisher)
$12.99 
Once you’ve decided on a name for your baby boy, you might be ready to start decorating his nursery! If so, check out these FREE nursery printables perfect for any bright, welcoming baby room.
Did one of the baby boy names and meanings on this list stand out to you? Which one was it?? I’m DYING to know! Leave a comment below with your favorite boy names!
