Short names carry real weight. One syllable boy names land in a single beat, a toddler can say his own name early, and a name like Jack or Beau leaves room for a longer middle name behind it.
Below are 100 of them, each with its origin, meaning, pronunciation, notable namesakes and current U.S. popularity. Every ranking on this page comes from the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, which is built from Social Security card applications filed at birth (1), so the numbers describe American births only.
Seven names here were still inside the American top 100 in 2025, led by James at #6, while others have faded to a few dozen births a year. Liam and Noah topped the U.S. boy name charts that year, so a short pick puts your son in good company. Start at Ace and work down to Zane.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: James, Jack, John, Luke and Beau.
100 Best Single-Syllable Boy Names
Keep reading to find out why one syllable boy names remain popular for little boys everywhere.
Ace
Ace comes from the Latin as, a single unit, and it picked up its swagger later. Middle English used it for the lowest number on a die, then modern English flipped it into the highest rank at the table. Macedonian reads it separately as defending men. It has the sound of a nickname and the record of a real name, worn by the football player Ace Loomis and the novelist Ace Atkins.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: One, unity
- Pronunciation: EYZ
- Variations: Ase, Ayce
- Namesakes: Ace Loomis, an American football player for the Green Bay Packers. Ace Atkins, an American author of Crossroad Blues (1998).
- Popularity: Ace ranked #164 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 2,239 births recorded that year.
Art
Art started as the friendly clipping of Arthur and had its run in the middle of the last century, when Art Carney was on television and Art Pepper Jr. was on the saxophone. Irish gives it a meaning of its own, champion, along with Art Oenfer, son of Conn Cetchathach in the old legends. Three letters, no fuss, and it still reads as a grown man’s name rather than a nickname.
- Origin: English, Celtic
- Meaning: Noble one
- Pronunciation: AART
- Variations: Arte
- Namesakes: Art Carney, an American actor on The Honeymooners sitcom (1955 and 1956). Art Pepper Jr., an American saxophonist playing in Stan Kenton’s big band.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Art since 1880; in 2025 it ranked #3,382 with 34 births.
Ash
Ash pulls from two directions. One is the Hebrew Asher, fortunate, the son of Jacob in the Bible, which makes Ash the natural short form for every Asher on the playground. The other is the tree, long read as a symbol of protection and purity. The filmmaker Ash Baron-Cohen and the producer Ash Atalla both use it on its own. It suits a family that wants a nature name without the syllables of Aspen or Cedar.
- Origin: Hebrew, English
- Meaning: Happy
- Pronunciation: AESH
- Variations: Ashe
- Namesakes: Ash Baron-Cohen, an English filmmaker who directed Bang. Ash Atalla, an Egyptian-British TV producer of The Office.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Ash since 1975; it ranked #1,177 in 2025 on 175 births.
Beau
Beau means “beautiful” in French and “admirer” or “sweetheart” in English. It’s also associated with the Latin “bellus,” meaning “beautiful” for your gorgeous baby boy.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Handsome
- Pronunciation: BOW
- Variations: Beaux
- Namesakes: Beau Waters, an Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles. Lloyd “Beau” Bridges, an American actor and a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee.
- Popularity: Beau is at its highest U.S. rank on record, #60 in 2025, on 5,165 births.
Birch
Birch is the rarest name on this list still listed in the 2025 SSA data, and that is most of the appeal. The tree stands for rebirth and was held sacred in Celtic mythology, which puts a real meaning behind a plain sound. It pairs well with a long, traditional middle name.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: White, shining
- Pronunciation: BERCH
- Variations: Birche, Burch, Byrch
- Popularity: Birch sits well outside the U.S. top 1,000, at #12,294 in 2025 on 5 births.
Blaine
Blaine is the Anglo spelling of the Gaelic Bláan, first given to a fair-haired man, and it carries readings of slender and angular too. St. Bláan, a sixth-century saint, is the oldest bearer; the Manitoba politician Blaine Pedersen and the musician Blaine Harrison are among the newer ones. The sound is modern even though the root is not. It pairs comfortably with a plain one-syllable middle name like Cole or Reed.
- Origin: Gaelic, Scottish
- Meaning: Yellow
- Pronunciation: BLAYNE
- Variations: Blain, Blane
- Namesakes: Blaine Pedersen, a Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 2007. Blaine Harrison, an English musician, and member of the indie rock band Mystery Jets.
- Popularity: The national count for Blaine was 230 births in 2025, good for #992.
Blake
Blake began as a nickname from the Old English blac, handed to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion. Ireland took it in a different direction, where Blake is one of the 14 Tribes of Galway. It reads unisex now, helped along by the country singer Blake Shelton and the golfer Blake Windred, and it sits comfortably on a boy or a girl.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Pale
- Pronunciation: BLAYKE
- Variations: Blaeke, Blaike, Blayk, Blayke
- Namesakes: Blake Shelton, an American country music singer, and coach on the NBC series The Voice. Blake Windred, an Australian golfer and winner of the 2021 Victorian PGA Championship.
- Popularity: Blake ranked #316 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1883.
Blaze
Blaze is the English respelling of Blaise, which traces to the Latin blaesus, a word for a lisp or a stutter. The fire reading comes from somewhere else entirely, the Old English blæse, bright flame. Athletes have taken to it, including the lacrosse player Blaze Riorden and the ballplayer Blaze Jordan. It is loud, and it knows it.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Fire, flame
- Pronunciation: BLAYZE
- Variations: Blaez, Blaiz
- Namesakes: Blaze Riorden, an American lacrosse player for Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. Blaze Jordan, an American baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization.
- Popularity: Blaze ranked #781 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 326 births recorded that year.
Bob
Bob is a medieval rhyming nickname for Robert, bright fame, from the days when Rob, Dob and Hob all did the same job. It belonged to a generation of public men, among them the New South Wales premier Bob Carr and the director Bob Rafelson. Almost nobody puts it on a birth certificate now; most families who like the sound choose Robert and let Bob happen on its own.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Bright, famed
- Pronunciation: BAAB
- Variations: Bobb
- Namesakes: Bob Carr, the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005. Bob Rafelson, an American film director who helped create the TV series The Monkees.
- Popularity: Bob sits well outside the U.S. top 1,000, at #9,845 in 2025 on 7 births.
Boone
Boone comes from the Old French bon, plainly good, and doubles as a Dutch surname meaning bean. American ears hear the frontiersman Daniel Boone first, though the hockey player Boone Jenner and the baseball player Boone Logan have given it a current face. It has the open vowel that Western names tend to share, and it ages well from playground to office.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Benefit, blessing
- Pronunciation: BUWN
- Variations: Boon
- Namesakes: Boone Jenner, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Boone Logan, an American baseball player for the Chicago White Sox.
- Popularity: Boone is at its highest U.S. rank on record, #423 in 2025, on 762 births.
Brant
Brant means fiery torch or beacon, and behind it sits the Old Norse Brandr, a firebrand. The radio host Brant Hansen and the sport shooter Brant Woodward keep it in circulation. It is a sharper alternative to Brandon without sounding invented.
- Origin: German, Norse
- Meaning: Sword
- Pronunciation: BRAHNT
- Variations: Brandt, Brante
- Namesakes: Brant Hansen, an American radio host on the national Christian radio WAY-FM Network. Brant Woodward, a New Zealand sport shooter who competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Brant ranked #3,321 in 2025 in the U.S., far from its best rank of #519 in 1970.
Briggs
Briggs is a surname name through and through, from the Middle English brigge and the Old Norse bryggja, both meaning bridge, and it first belonged to the family that lived beside one. The Australian rapper known as Briggs is the bearer most people can name. The double g and the s give it a firm ending, and it fits the current taste for surnames on small boys.
- Origin: English, Scottish
- Meaning: Bridges
- Pronunciation: BRIHGZ
- Namesakes: Adam Briggs (known as Briggs), an Indigenous Australian rapper who co-founded the hip-hop duo, A.B. Original.
- Popularity: Briggs appears at #356 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 921 births.
Brooks
Brooks is an English surname meaning “water.” It turns up in medieval records as Ate-Broc and Atte-Broc, and it has a Swedish cousin in the surname Bäckland. The football player Brooks Foster and the drummer Brooks Wackerman carry it now. It is at its best American rank on record and sits inside the top 100, so it is the pick here for short and current rather than short and rare.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Small stream
- Pronunciation: BRUWKS
- Variations: Brookes, Broox
- Namesakes: Brooks Foster, an American football player for the St. Louis Rams. Brooks Wackerman, an American musician and drummer of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.
- Popularity: Brooks is at its highest U.S. rank on record, #64 in 2025, on 4,877 births.
Bryce
Bryce reads Scottish, where it means speckled or freckled, from the Celtic root brych. Behind that stands the Latin Bricius. It works on boys and girls, and its bearers run from the composer Bryce Jacobs to the hockey player Bryce Salvador. A freckled baby would be wearing his name honestly.
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: Speedy
- Pronunciation: BRIEHS
- Variations: Bryse, Brice
- Namesakes: Bryce Jacobs, an Australian composer for the film Happy Feet (2006). Bryce Salvador, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Popularity: Bryce ranked #357 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1908.
Buzz
Buzz is a nickname first and a given name a distant second, historically attached to boys named Busby. Toy Story handed it to Buzz Lightyear, and journalism handed it to Buzz Bissinger, who wrote Friday Night Lights. Nobody would call it serious, and that is the whole charm.
- Origin: English, Norwegian
- Meaning: Village in the woods
- Pronunciation: BUHZ
- Variations: Buz, Buzze
- Namesakes: J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner (known as Dr. Buzz), an American psychologist who does commentary for the TV show CopyCat Killers. Harry Bissinger III (known as Buzz Bissinger), an American author best known for the book Friday Night Lights (1990).
- Popularity: Buzz ranked #9,867 in 2025 in the U.S., far from its best rank of #1,732 in 1951.
Cade
Cade goes back to a twelfth-century surname meaning barrel, with a possible German relative in Cada, lumpy. Neither meaning is glamorous, which somehow does not matter, because the sound is clean and current. The basketball player Cade Cunningham is the bearer most families have heard of, and the TV host Cade Courtley is the other.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Round
- Pronunciation: KEYD
- Variations: Cadell
- Namesakes: Cade Cunningham, an American basketball player for the Detroit Pistons. Christopher “Cade” Courtley, an American TV host of Spike TV’s Surviving Disaster.
- Popularity: In 2025, Cade sat at #248 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #201 in 2001.
Cain
Cain is based on the biblical Cain, the son of Adam and Eve. It also means “life” in Hebrew and “honor” and “tribute” in Irish.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Possessed, spear
- Pronunciation: KEYN
- Variations: Caine, Cane
- Namesakes: Cain Madden, an American football player with the University of Notre Dame. Caín Velasquez, an American wrestler for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Cain since 1910; it ranked #1,142 in 2025 on 185 births.
Cale
Cale traces to the Hebrew Kelev, dog, the root behind Caleb, and Old Norse adds a second reading of ridge. It is the shortest possible route to Caleb without using the longer name. The Rhode Island legislator Cale P. Keable and the track and field athlete Cale Simmons carry it. It has fallen from a peak of #596 in 1984 to #2,722 in 2025.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Dog
- Pronunciation: KEYL
- Variations: Cael, Caelan, Caele
- Namesakes: Cale P. Keable, a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives since 2011. Cale Simmons, an American track and field athlete who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Cale since 1917; in 2025 it ranked #2,722 with 47 births.
Chad
Chad works as a short form of Charles or Chadwick, but it stands on its own through the Old English Ceadda, defender. The Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and the actor Chad Lowe are the reference points for anyone who grew up in the eighties. The name has taken some cultural teasing since, and it is far quieter now than it was.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Protector
- Pronunciation: CHAED
- Variations: Chaad, Chadd, Chade
- Namesakes: Chad Smith, an American musician, and drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. Chad Lowe, an American actor appearing in Life Goes On.
- Popularity: Chad appears at #1,701 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 96 births.
Chase
Chase was first an English surname used as a nickname for “huntsmen.” Chase is also short for Chauncey and feels a lot less like an old man’s name.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: To hunt
- Pronunciation: CHAYS
- Variations: Chace, Chaise
- Namesakes: Chase Clark, the 18th governor of Idaho from 1941 to 1943. Chase Parker, an American golfer who finished 64th at the 2016 U.S. Open.
- Popularity: The national count for Chase was 1,904 births in 2025, good for #192.
Clay
Clay is based on the Old English “clæg,” meaning “sticky earth.” It also means “mortal.” Clay was given to someone who lived or worked in a clay settlement as an occupational surname. It’s also an old-fashioned nickname for Clayton.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Of the earth
- Pronunciation: KLEY
- Variations: Clae, Clai, Claye
- Namesakes: Clay Walker, an American country music artist whose single “What’s It to You” topped the Billboard Hot Country chart in 1993. Clay Buchholz, an American baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.
- Popularity: Clay ranked #573 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Cole
Cole comes from the Old English Cola, a byname for someone dark or coal black, and a Greek line reads it as victorious people. It spent the early 2000s near the top of the American charts and has eased off since without ever leaving them. Short, cool and easy to spell, it still does the job it always did.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Coal-black
- Pronunciation: KOWL
- Variations: Coal, Coale, Col
- Namesakes: Cole Dewhurst, an American soccer player for the Providence Friars. Colin Wilson, a New Zealand musician with the group Cole Wilson And His Tumbleweeds.
- Popularity: Cole ranked #182 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 2,003 births recorded that year.
Colt
Colt is a young horse, and Latin adds a second, less flattering reading of lame. American parents found it in the 1980s through a character on The Fall Guy, and it never really left. The coach Colt Anderson and the gymnast Colt Walker wear it now. It has no formal long form behind it, so it works as a full first name rather than a nickname standing in for one.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Young horse
- Pronunciation: KOWLT
- Variations: Coltun
- Namesakes: Colt Anderson, an American assistant special teams coach for the Cincinnati Bengals football team. Colt Walker, an American artistic gymnast and gold medalist at the 2022 Pan American Championships.
- Popularity: In 2025, Colt sat at #285 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #210 in 2019.
Cruse
Cruse is the kind of spelling variant you will not meet twice. It comes from the Middle English crouse, bold, and also points to the French place name Cruys-Staëte. Spanish speakers will hear Cruz, cross, which is the version most families choose.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Hollow
- Pronunciation: KRUWZ
- Variations: Cruise, Cruz
- Popularity: The national count for Cruse was 6 births in 2025, placing it #10,943.
Dale
Dale is the Old English dæl, a valley, given to the family that lived in one between the hills. It is still more common as a surname than a first name, though Dale Earnhardt made it sound like a racing name for a generation of Americans and Dale Winton made it sound like Saturday television for another. It has a soft, unhurried sound that suits a middle name.
- Origin: English, Scottish
- Meaning: Valley
- Pronunciation: DEYL
- Variations: Daile, Dalle, Dayle
- Namesakes: Dale Earnhardt, an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Dale Winton, an English TV host of Dale’s Supermarket Sweep from 1993 to 2001.
- Popularity: Dale reached its best U.S. rank of #46 in 1952 and stood at #1,410 in 2025.
Dane
Dane means a person from Denmark, and in south Slavic families it doubles as the everyday form of Danijel. The comedian Dane Cook is the American reference; the footballer Dane Kuprešanin is the European one. It offers what Daniel offers in a single beat.
- Origin: Scandinavian, English
- Meaning: God is my judge
- Pronunciation: DEYN
- Variations: Daen, Dayne
- Namesakes: Dane Cook, an American stand-up comedian whose 2006 album Retaliation went platinum. Dane Kuprešanin, a Bosnian-Herzegovinian footballer for FK Sarajevo.
- Popularity: Dane appears at #821 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 301 births.
Dean
Dean has two roots that arrive at the same place. The Greek dekanos gave the church its title for a senior figure, and the Old English denu, a valley, gave England the surname. Dean Martin made it sound effortless and Dean Koontz kept it on paperback covers for decades. It is one of the midcentury names here that is rising again. “Short, four-letter names feel effortlessly cool and nickname-proof,” says Colleen Slagen, a professional baby name consultant, and Dean is the clearest example on this list.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Valley
- Pronunciation: DEEN
- Variations: Deane
- Namesakes: Dean Martin (born Dino Crocetti),an American entertainer who performed with Jerry Lewis as Martin and Lewis in 1946. Dean Koontz, an American author with books on The New York Times Best Seller list.
- Popularity: The national count for Dean was 2,876 births in 2025, good for #125.
Dirk
Dirk is a diminutive of the Dutch Diederik, made up of “þeud,” meaning “people,” and “ric,” meaning “power.” Dirk also means “gifted ruler” in German.
- Origin: Dutch, German
- Meaning: People’s ruler
- Pronunciation: DIHRK
- Variations: Dirck, Dirke
- Namesakes: Dirk Jan de Geer, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1926 to 1929 and 1939 to 1940. Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner), an American actor in the series Battlestar Galactica.
- Popularity: The national count for Dirk was 21 births in 2025, placing it #4,747.
Drake
Drake was first an English surname made up of the Middle English “drake.” When based on the Old Norse Draki, it means “dragon.” Hip-hop musician Drake may be the most famous person using this monosyllabic name.
- Origin: English, Norse
- Meaning: Male duck
- Pronunciation: DRAYK
- Variations: Draik, Draike
- Namesakes: Drake Doremus, an American film director of Like Crazy (2011). Drake Berehowsky, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Popularity: Drake ranked #827 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 299 births recorded that year.
Drew
Drew is the quiet way into Andrew, which comes from the Greek andreios. Welsh reads it separately as wise. It leans male in American use, and its bearers include the screenwriter Drew Goddard and the Dropbox founder Drew Houston.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Brave
- Pronunciation: DRUW
- Variations: Druw
- Namesakes: Drew Goddard, an American filmmaker who wrote the script for Cloverfield (2008). Drew Houston, an American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Dropbox.
- Popularity: In 2025, Drew sat at #553 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #126 in 1985.
Finn
Finn covers a lot of ground for four letters: the Old Norse finnr, the Irish fionn, and a plain reading of a person from Finland. Irish folklore gives it Finn MacCool, the warrior at the center of a whole cycle of stories. Scandinavian bearers such as the Norwegian minister Finn Isaksen and the rower Finn Pedersen show how at home it is across the north. Parents who like Flynn and Quinn usually get here first.
- Origin: Irish, Norse
- Meaning: White, fair
- Pronunciation: FIHN
- Variations: Fin, Fynn
- Namesakes: Finn Isaksen, the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture from 1983 to 1985. Finn Pedersen, a Danish rower who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Finn since 1918; it ranked #206 in 2025 on 1,702 births.
Flint
Flint names the stone that starts fires, and as a surname it marked the family living near an outcrop of it. German used it for a man thought to be tough or hard-hearted. The pitcher Flint Rhem and the rodeo clown Flint Rasmussen are its best-known bearers, and both fit the sound.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Flint rock
- Pronunciation: FLINT
- Variations: Flintt, Flynt
- Namesakes: Flint Rhem, an American pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Flint Rasmussen, an American rodeo barrel man and most famous bull-riding rodeo clown.
- Popularity: The national count for Flint was 61 births in 2025, placing it #2,293.
Flynn
Flynn is the Anglo spelling of the Irish Ó’Floinn, descendant of Flann, which marked the family of a red-haired man. It is unisex on paper and mostly male in practice. The punter Flynn Appleby and the rock musician Flynn Gower carry it now. It has no real nickname of its own, so what goes on the birth certificate is what gets used every day.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Red complexion
- Pronunciation: FLIHN
- Variations: Flinn, Flyn
- Namesakes: Flynn Appleby, an American college football punter with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Flynn Gower, an Australian musician and former frontman of the rock band Cog.
- Popularity: Flynn appears at #828 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 299 births.
Ford
A ford is a shallow place where a river can be crossed on foot, and the name says that and nothing more. Henry Ford is the association most people reach for, and the novelist Ford Madox Ford and the Guam governor Ford Quint Elvidge carry it too. It ranked #474 in 2025, off its best of #439 in 2021.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Passing, crossing
- Pronunciation: FAORD
- Variations: Forde
- Namesakes: Ford Madox Ford, an English novelist, and editor for The English Review. Ford Quint Elvidge, the Governor of Guam from 1953 to 1956.
- Popularity: The national count for Ford was 642 births in 2025, good for #474.
Frank
Frank has been in use since the sixteenth century, first as the short form of Francis and then as a name in its own right, tied to the Old German Franco, a member of the Frankish people. Frank Sinatra and the writer Frank McCourt gave it two different kinds of authority. It was a top ten American name in 1913 and sits just outside the top 500 today, at #514.
- Origin: French, German
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: FRAENGK
- Variations: Francke
- Namesakes: Frank Sinatra, an American singer and best-selling artist with 150 million records sold. Frank McCourt, an Irish-American writer, and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Angela’s Ashes.
- Popularity: Frank ranked #514 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Gabe
Gabe is the everyday form of Gabriel, from the Hebrew Gavriel, man of God, the archangel who carried the message to Mary. Almost every Gabe is a Gabriel on the school roll, and the basketball player Gabe Levin and the musician Gabe Saporta are no exception. As a standalone first name it stays rare, and its best American showing came back in 1972.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Man of God
- Pronunciation: GEYB
- Variations: Gab
- Namesakes: Gabe Levin, an American-Israeli basketball player for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League. Gabe Saporta, an Uruguayan-American musician and founder of the electro-pop band Cobra Starship.
- Popularity: The national count for Gabe was 22 births in 2025, placing it #4,591.
Gage
Gage is an English surname as old as the fourteenth century, built on the idea of a pledge or an oath. Stephen King used it in Pet Sematary, which put it in front of a lot of readers at once. It was a top 150 American name in 2003 and has slid a long way down since.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Oath, pledge
- Pronunciation: GAYGE
- Variations: Gaige
- Popularity: In 2025, Gage sat at #973 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #136 in 2003.
Glenn
Glenn is the Irish gleann, a narrow valley, and it moved from surname to first name in the nineteenth century. Sweden took to it as well, a legacy of Scottish settlement there. The musician Glenn Danzig and the actor Glenn Howerton keep the two-n spelling in view. It peaked in the early 1960s and now reads as a father’s or grandfather’s name, which is usually the last stop before a revival.
- Origin: Irish, Scottish
- Meaning: Valley
- Pronunciation: GLEHN
- Variations: Glen
- Namesakes: Glenn Danzig, an American musician and founder of the rock band Danzig. Glenn Howerton, an American actor known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005 to present).
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Glenn since 1880; it ranked #1,443 in 2025 on 124 births.
Grant
Grant began as a surname from the French graund, tall or huge, and English handed it the second meaning everyone knows, a promise or something given. Ulysses S. Grant put it in the history books; the chef Grant Achatz put it on menus. It is steady rather than fashionable, and that is meant as a compliment.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Tall, big
- Pronunciation: GRAHNT
- Variations: Grante
- Namesakes: Grant Achatz, an American chef, and restaurateur of the Chicago restaurant Alinea. Grant Goegan, an Italian ice hockey player who competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
- Popularity: Grant reached its best U.S. rank of #115 in 1997 and stood at #228 in 2025.
Grey
Grey works as the short form of Grayson or Greyson and as a name on its own. As a surname it belonged to families from Graye-sur-Mer in Normandy, and the sixteenth-century Baron Chandos, Grey Brydges, is its oldest notable bearer. The spelling with an e reads softer than Gray, and both are in use on boys and girls.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Grey-haired
- Pronunciation: GRAY
- Namesakes: Grey Brydges, the 16th-century Baron Chandos of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England.
- Popularity: Grey appears at #1,014 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 222 births.
Gus
Gus is the warm end of Augustus, exalted, and it now serves August and Augustine just as often. The jazz drummer Gus Johnson and the filmmaker Gus Van Sant carry it well. It sounds like a grandfather, which is precisely the point for parents naming a baby today.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Majestic
- Pronunciation: GUHS
- Variations: Guss
- Namesakes: Gus Johnson, an American jazz drummer who played with McDavid’s Blue Rhythm Band. Gus Van Sant, an American filmmaker and prominent director in the New Queer Cinema movement.
- Popularity: The national count for Gus was 145 births in 2025, good for #1,331.
Guy
Guy comes from the Old German Wido and shares a root with the Italian Guido, man. English later turned the word into a catch-all for any male in the room, which is the one obstacle the name has to clear. In French it never lost its footing: the Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and the prime minister Guy Mollet both wear it.
- Origin: French, German
- Meaning: Guide, leader
- Pronunciation: GIEY
- Variations: Gye
- Namesakes: Guy Laliberté, a Canadian businessman and co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. Guy Mollet, the French Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957.
- Popularity: Guy ranked #1,637 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Hans
Hans is the German short form of Johannes, which runs back through John to the Hebrew Yochanan. It has carried a storyteller in Hans Christian Andersen and a composer in Hans Zimmer. Few names this short sound so unmistakably of one place.
- Origin: German, Scandinavian
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: HAANS
- Namesakes: Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author known for his fairy tales. Hans Zimmer, a German film score composer on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses by The Daily Telegraph.
- Popularity: Hans ranked #1,325 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 146 births recorded that year.
Hayes
Hayes is a common surname in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, where it means a fence or an enclosure. A second Irish line reads it as descendant of Aodh, a name tied to fire. It has held inside the American top 200 for two years running, at #162 in 2025 after a best of #160 in 2024.
- Origin: English, Gaelic
- Meaning: Hedged area
- Pronunciation: HHEYZ
- Variations: Hays, Hayse
- Popularity: In 2025, Hayes sat at #162 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #160 in 2024.
Heath
Heath refers to someone living at or near a moor, the open scrubby ground the word names. Heath Ledger gave it a lasting association and the footballer Heath Black keeps it in Australian sport. It peaked in 1974 and has slid to #932, never common and never gone.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: The heathland dweller
- Pronunciation: HEETH
- Variations: Heathe, Heith
- Namesakes: Heath Ledger, an Australian actor known for Brokeback Mountain (2005). Heath Black, an Australian rules footballer for Fremantle.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Heath since 1913; it ranked #932 in 2025 on 253 births.
Hugh
Hugh rests on the German hugu, a word covering both mind and heart, which is why it gets translated as the intellectual one. Hugues and Hugo are the same name in French and Spanish dress. The broadcaster Hugh Downs and the actor Hugh Laurie are the modern bearers, and both suit the slightly formal air it carries.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Mind, intellect
- Pronunciation: HHYUW
- Variations: Hughe, Huwe
- Namesakes: Hugh Downs, an American anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20 from 1978 to 1999. Hugh Laurie, an English actor appearing in the Fox series House from 2004 to 2012.
- Popularity: Hugh reached its best U.S. rank of #96 in 1916 and stood at #732 in 2025.
Hyde
Hyde is a measure of land before it is anything else: an Old English higid ran somewhere between 60 and 100 acres, and the man who held one took the name. The Japanese musician Hideto Takarai has used it as a stage name for years. It is rare enough in American records to feel unclaimed.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Land measurement
- Pronunciation: HHAYD
- Variations: Hide, Hyd
- Namesakes: Hideto Takarai (known as Hyde), a Japanese musician with the rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel.
- Popularity: Hyde ranked #5,960 in 2025 in the U.S., far from its best rank of #3,618 in 2017.
Jace
Jace started as a clipping of Jason, read as lord of salvation, and it also leans on the Hebrew Joshua, Yahweh is salvation. It reached its best American rank in 2013 and has stayed near the front of the charts since. The golfer Jace Bugg and the Simpsons producer Jace Richdale carry it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Healer
- Pronunciation: JHEYS
- Variations: Jayce, Jase
- Namesakes: Jace Bugg, an American golfer and the 1997 Kentucky Golf Association Player of the Year. Jace Richdale, an American co-executive producer for seasons 5 and 6 of The Simpsons.
- Popularity: The national count for Jace was 3,083 births in 2025, good for #114.
Jack
Jack is the great nickname for John, arrived at through the medieval chain of Johnkin, Jankin and Jackin. Celtic use adds healthy and strong. The musician Jack White and the comic artist Jack Abel are two bearers among countless others, and it is the second highest-ranked name on this page, still inside the American top 20 after more than a century.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: JHAHK
- Variations: Jaac, Jaak, Jacke
- Namesakes: John Gillis (known as Jack White), an American musician who formed the duo the White Stripes. Jack Abel, an American comic book artist for Marvel Comics.
- Popularity: Jack ranked #15 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Jake
Jake is Jacob with the formality removed, and the Hebrew reading of one who follows comes along with it. The actor Jake Gyllenhaal is its public face and the Gothamist founder Jake Dobkin is another bearer. It was a top 100 American name at the turn of the century and has fallen well back since, which puts it in the sweet spot of familiar but no longer everywhere.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: JHEYK
- Variations: Jaike, Jayk, Jayke
- Namesakes: Jake Gyllenhaal, an American actor appearing in Donnie Darko (2001). Jake Dobkin, an American journalist and co-founder of Gothamist.
- Popularity: Jake ranked #457 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 682 births recorded that year.
James
James is the English form of the Hebrew Jacob, supplanter, and it is the giant of this list: the highest-ranked name here, sixth in the United States in 2025, and the American number one as far back as 1940. A one-syllable name that holds that kind of position for most of a century is not a trend. It is also the safest middle name in the language, which is where a great many Jameses end up.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: JHEYMZ
- Variations: Jaemes, Jaimes, Jamse, Jaymes
- Namesakes: James Franco, an American actor in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilog., James Carville, an American political consultant and lead strategist in Bill Clinton’s winning 1992 Presidential campaign.
- Popularity: In 2025, James sat at #6 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #1 in 1940.
Jett
Jett is the black mineral, jet, whose name goes back to the Latin gagitis, a stone from Gagai. A second reading gives it excellence. Joan Jett made the two-t spelling look like rock and roll, and the basketball player Jett Howard and the Filipino musician Jett Pangan have kept it there.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Black stone
- Pronunciation: JHEHT
- Variations: Jet, Jette
- Namesakes: Jett Howard, an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines. Jett Pangan (born Reginald Pangan), a Filipino musician and member of the rock band the Dawn.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Jett since 1892; it ranked #169 in 2025 on 2,167 births.
Joel
Joel comes from the Hebrew Yoʾel, and the prophet Joel carried it into every branch of the Bible. It has stayed in ordinary use for centuries rather than being revived, which makes it an unfussy male name that starts with J. The comedian Joel Hodgson and the soccer player Joel Waterman are two current bearers. It peaked in the early 1980s and still ranks comfortably inside the American top 250.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is God
- Pronunciation: JHOWL
- Variations: Joell, Jole
- Namesakes: Joel Hodgson, an American comedian and creator of the program Mystery Science Theater 3000. Joel Waterman, a Canadian soccer player for the Canadian national team.
- Popularity: Joel reached its best U.S. rank of #65 in 1981 and stood at #219 in 2025.
John
John is the root behind several other names on this page: Jack, Sean and Hans are all the same name in different languages, alongside the Hebrew Johanan, the Greek Ionnes, the German Johan and the English Ian. It was the number one American boy name in 1913 and still sat at #23 in 2025, more than a century later.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: JHAAN
- Variations: Jon, Jhon
- Namesakes: John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the U.S. from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. John Cage, an American composer and prominent musician in the post-war avant-garde music movement.
- Popularity: John appears at #23 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 8,027 births.
Judd
Judd came out of medieval England as a form of Jordan, and Hebrew gives it a second reading of praised. The director Judd Apatow and the actor Judd Nelson are the two bearers most people can name. Four letters and one syllable leave no room for a nickname to take over.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: To flow down
- Pronunciation: JHUDD
- Variations: Jud
- Namesakes: Judd Apatow, an American director of the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). Judd Nelson, an American actor known for the film The Breakfast Club.
- Popularity: The national count for Judd was 96 births in 2025, good for #1,704.
Jude
Jude is the short form of Judah and Judas, and it also carries the reading servant of Jesus Christ. The Beatles put it in everyone’s ear with Hey Jude, and the actor Jude Law has held it since. It has been climbing quietly for years and now sits inside the American top 200.
- Origin: Greek, Hebrew
- Meaning: Praised
- Pronunciation: JHUWD
- Variations: Jud
- Namesakes: Jude Law, an English actor and recipient of an Honorary César in 2007. Jude Aneke, a Nigerian footballer for Ikorodu United F.C.
- Popularity: Jude ranked #155 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1912.
Kai
Kai means sea in Hawaiian and king in Persian, and it also turns up as a Dutch form of Kaimbe, meaning “warrior.” Keeper of the keys is another reading it collects along the way. Few names manage to belong to that many languages at once. It reached its best American rank in 2022 and is one of only seven names on this list still inside the top 100.
- Origin: Hawaiian
- Meaning: Sea
- Pronunciation: KAEY
- Variations: Kae, Kaie, Kye
- Namesakes: Kai Compagner, a Dutch rower who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Kai Lehtinen, a Finnish actor in the Finnish TV series Raid.
- Popularity: Kai ranked #93 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 3,768 births recorded that year.
Kane
Kane means little battler in Irish, and Hawaiian, Japanese and Welsh each add a reading of their own, from man of the eastern sky to golden. The actor Kane Hodder, who played Jason Voorhees, and the footballer Kane Ferdinand carry it. It sounds like Cain without the biblical baggage, which is most of the appeal.
- Origin: Welsh, Japanese
- Meaning: Warrior
- Pronunciation: KAYN
- Variations: Kaen, Kayne
- Namesakes: Kane Hodder, an American actor known for portraying Jason Voorhees in the film franchise, Friday the 13th. Kane Ferdinand, an Irish footballer for Maidenhead United.
- Popularity: In 2025, Kane sat at #451 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #319 in 2018.
Kent
Kent is the English county first, and behind it sits the Celtic cant, the border or rim of a circle, which likely traced the edges of tribal land. Gaelic reads it as chief and Old English as radiant. The conductor Kent Nagano and the actor Kent McCord are its best-known bearers. It had a strong run in the early 1960s and is genuinely uncommon now.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Edge
- Pronunciation: KEHNT
- Variations: Kennt
- Namesakes: Kent Nagano, an American conductor and Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera since 2015. Kent McCord, an American actor appearing in the TV series Adam-12.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Kent since 1885; it ranked #1,659 in 2025 on 101 births.
Kurt
Kurt was first the short Germanic form of Conrad, meaning “advisor.” It also means “courteous” and “polite.” In Turkish, Kurt stands out, meaning “wolf,” the ultimate animal guide.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Counselor
- Pronunciation: KURDT
- Variations: Curt
- Namesakes: Kurt Cobain, an American musician and founder of the rock band Nirvana. Kurtis Loder, an American journalist best known as an anchor for MTV News.
- Popularity: The national count for Kurt was 62 births in 2025, placing it #2,271.
Lev
Lev is a uniquely Russian form of Leo. It’s sometimes associated with the German surname Löwe and has been used by German Levite Jews.
- Origin: Russian, Hebrew
- Meaning: Lion
- Pronunciation: LEHV
- Variations: Liev
- Namesakes: Lev Polugaevsky, a Soviet chess player, made an International Grandmaster by FIDE in 1962. Lev Yashin, a Soviet footballer and the deputy chairman of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union.
- Popularity: Lev is at its highest U.S. rank on record, #1,001 in 2025, on 227 births.
Luke
Luke is the English form of the Latin Lucas, originally a man from Lucania in southern Italy. Star Wars gave it a lift in the late 1970s, but its best American rank came much later, in 2014, and it is still inside the top 50. The Dubliners founder Luke Kelly and the actor Luke Perry gave it two different decades of familiarity.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Man from Lucania
- Pronunciation: LUWK
- Variations: Lucc, Luk
- Namesakes: Luke Kelly, an Irish musician who helped found The Dubliners band. Luke Perry, an American actor known for the Beverly Hills series 90210 (1990 to 1995).
- Popularity: The national count for Luke was 6,948 births in 2025, good for #33.
Mack
Mack is the Irish and Scottish prefix meaning son of, pressed into service as a first name, and it doubles as a short form of Maximilian, greatest. The ballplayer Mack Jones and the songwriter Mack David wore it in its first era. It had all but vanished by the mid 1990s and has come back nearly ninefold since.
- Origin: Celtic, Irish
- Meaning: Son of
- Pronunciation: MAEK
- Variations: Mak, Mac
- Namesakes: Mack Jones, an American baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds. Mack David, an American songwriter known for Alice in Wonderland.
- Popularity: Mack ranked #463 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Mark
Mark carries a Roman and a Christian history at once: it ties to Mars, the god of war, and to the evangelist who wrote the second gospel. It was the sixth most popular American boy name in 1959 and belongs to a whole generation of men born around then, the comedian Mark McKinney and the singer Mark McGrath among them. It has drifted down the charts since without ever sounding dated.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: War-like
- Pronunciation: MAARK
- Variations: Marc, Markk
- Namesakes: Mark McKinney, a Canadian actor and member of The Kids in the Hall comedy troupe between 1989 to 1995. Mark McGrath, an American singer for the band Sugar Ray.
- Popularity: Mark ranked #245 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 1,416 births recorded that year.
Max
Max is the shortest road to Maximilian, whose root Maximus means the greatest, and it serves Maxwell, a stream of Maccus, just as well. It works in German, French, English and Dutch without changing shape, which few names manage. The silent film actor Max Schreck is its most striking bearer.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Greatest
- Pronunciation: MAEKS
- Variations: Maxx
- Namesakes: Max Schreck, a German actor known for the film Nosferatu (1922). Max Mathiasin, a French member of the National Assembly since 2017.
- Popularity: In 2025, Max sat at #180 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #96 in 2011.
Mitt
Mitt means a settlement with a mill, and it began as a surname for the family that came from one. It also works as a nickname for Milton, which is how both famous Mitt Romneys, the senator and the 1920s footballer, arrived at it. American records have not listed it since 2019.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Mill town
- Pronunciation: MIHT
- Namesakes: Mitt Romney, an American senator representing Utah since 2019. Mitt Romney, an American football player for the Chicago Bears from 1925 to 1928.
- Popularity: Mitt last appeared in the U.S. national data in 2019, at #13,488 on 5 births, after a best rank of #4,032 in 1919.
Nash
Nash is a misdivision that stuck: the Middle English atten ash, at the ash tree, slid into one word and became the surname of the family living beside it. The director Nash Edgerton and the jockey Nash Turner have carried it. It has risen sharply over the past decade and now sits inside the American top 300.
- Origin: Hebrew, English
- Meaning: By the ash tree
- Pronunciation: NAESH
- Variations: Nashe
- Namesakes: Nash Edgerton, an Australian film director with the movie-making collective Blue-Tongue Films. Nash Turner, an American jockey and winner of the 1900 Belmont Stakes.
- Popularity: Nash reached its best U.S. rank of #233 in 2021 and stood at #255 in 2025.
Neil
Neil is the Anglo spelling of the Irish Niall, from the Gaelic niadh, champion, though the old sources read it as everything from cloud to passionate to victory. The astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and the songwriter Neil Young give it range. It fell from #146 in 1953 to #851 in 2025.
- Origin: Gaelic, Irish
- Meaning: Champion
- Pronunciation: NIYL
- Variations: Neale, Neal, Neill
- Namesakes: Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, and host of the PBS TV show NOVA ScienceNow from 2006 to 2011. Neil Young, a Canadian-American musician inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
- Popularity: Neil appears at #851 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 288 births.
Paul
Paul is the Latin paulus, small, and the apostle who carried it turned a modest word into one of the most used names in the West. Paul McCartney and Paul Newman are proof that it never needed decoration. It ranked twelfth in the United States in 1916 and has settled into the middle of the list, familiar without being everywhere.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Small
- Pronunciation: PAWL
- Variations: Paol
- Namesakes: Paul McCartney, an English musician and member of the Beatles. Paul Newman, an American actor and recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
- Popularity: The national count for Paul was 1,316 births in 2025, good for #262.
Pax
Pax is peace, plainly, and in Roman religion it was a goddess. The phrase Pax Romana still names the long stretch of quiet the empire imposed on its territory. As a first name it stays rare, which suits a word that small.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Peace
- Pronunciation: PAHKS
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Pax since 1974; in 2025 it ranked #2,074 with 72 births.
Pierce
Pierce is the Norman form of Peter, rock, and as a surname it meant the son of Piers. Pierce Brosnan has held it in public view since the nineties, and the Sinn Fein founder Pierce McCann held it long before. It reads more formal than most one-syllable names, so it pairs well with a casual nickname for everyday use.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Rock
- Pronunciation: PIHRZ
- Variations: Pearse
- Namesakes: Pierce Brosnan, an Irish actor known for playing James Bond from 1995 to 2002. Pierce McCann, an Irish founding member of Sinn Féin in 1905.
- Popularity: Pierce ranked #505 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 598 births recorded that year.
Prince
Prince is a title before it is a name, from the Latin princeps, first. The Ghanaian boxer Prince Amartey and the Balochistan legislator Prince Ahmed Ali Ahmedzai both wear it as a given name, and the musician Prince turned it into a one-word signature. Your son will not have to be famous to carry it, though he will be asked about it.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Leader
- Pronunciation: PRIHNZ
- Variations: Prinse, Prinze
- Namesakes: Prince Amartey, a Ghanaian boxer, and bronze medalist at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Prince Ahmed Ali Ahmedzai, a member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan from 2013 to 2018.
- Popularity: In 2025, Prince sat at #447 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #297 in 2019.
Reeve
A reeve was a town official, the bailiff who kept order and collected what was owed, so the name is the job. It sounds formal and faintly literary, and it stays rare in American records. Reeves and Reve are the spellings you will meet elsewhere.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Bailiff
- Pronunciation: REEYV
- Variations: Reve, Reeves
- Popularity: Reeve sits well outside the U.S. top 1,000, at #3,494 in 2025 on 33 births.
Reid
Reid was a nickname before it was a surname, handed to a man with red hair or a fair complexion. The card player Reid Duke and the pitcher Reid Detmers are current bearers. It reached its best American rank in 2013 and has held close to that spot for over a decade.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Red-haired
- Pronunciation: REEYD
- Variations: Reade, Reede
- Namesakes: Reid Duke, an American Magic: The Gathering player and winner of the Magic: The Gathering Online Championship in 2011. Reid Detmers, an American baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels.
- Popularity: Reid reached its best U.S. rank of #259 in 2013 and stood at #293 in 2025.
Rex
Rex is the Latin word for king, used as a title long before anyone used it as a name. The actor Rex Harrison and the broadcaster Rex Murphy gave it a midcentury polish. It is also a very common dog name, which parents should weigh honestly, though it has been creeping back up for boys.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: King
- Pronunciation: REHKS
- Variations: Rexe, Rexs, Rexx
- Namesakes: Rex Harrison, an English actor known for the show My Fair Lady in 1957. Rex Murphy, a Canadian host of CBC Radio One’s Cross Country Checkup.
- Popularity: Rex appears at #859 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 281 births.
Rome
Rome is the city, by way of the Latin Romanus, a citizen of it. Roman is the version most families reach for, but Rome cuts the syllable and keeps the weight. It has risen sharply in the past few years and is close to its best American rank right now.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Power
- Pronunciation: ROWM
- Variations: Roam
- Popularity: The national count for Rome was 694 births in 2025, good for #452.
Ross
Ross began with the Gaelic ros, a headland or promontory, and also exists as a Norman French surname. For a whole generation it belongs to a character on Friends, which is either a plus or a problem. It had its best American run in the mid 1980s and has since dropped out of the top 1,000 entirely.
- Origin: Scottish, Gaelic
- Meaning: Upland, peninsula
- Pronunciation: RAOS
- Variations: Ros, Rosse
- Namesakes: Ross Mathews, an American TV personality appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as “Ross the Intern.” Ross S. Bagdasarian (known as David Seville), an American singer who created Alvin and the Chipmunks.
- Popularity: Ross ranked #1,465 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1880.
Sam
Sam is Samuel worn casually, from the Hebrew for God hears, and the Israelite prophet Samuel is the reason it exists at all. The playwright Sam Shepard and the Sun Records founder Sam Phillips both carried it. It works on a boy or a girl, and nobody thinks twice about it standing alone.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: God hears
- Pronunciation: SAEM
- Variations: Samm
- Namesakes: Sam Shepard, an American actor and playwright who won 10 Obie Awards. Sam Phillips, an American record producer and founder of Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Popularity: Sam ranked #647 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 428 births recorded that year.
Saul
Saul comes from the Hebrew shaul, asked for or demanded, which is why it is often read as prayed for. The first king of Israel carried it, and the novelist Saul Bellow made it modern. It has a directness that the longer biblical names lose.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Prayed for
- Pronunciation: SAWL
- Variations: Sol
- Namesakes: Saul Bellow, an American writer and the only writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times. Saul Katz, an American entrepreneur and the former president of the New York Mets.
- Popularity: In 2025, Saul sat at #557 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #270 in 1997.
Sean
Sean is the most popular Irish form of John, meaning “gracious.” It has many variations, but Sean uses the most traditional Irish spelling.
- Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: SHAON
- Variations: Shawn, Shaun
- Namesakes: Sean Avery, a Canadian ice hockey player for the New York Rangers. Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery), a Scottish actor and the first to play James Bond on film between 1962 and 1983.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Sean since 1925; it ranked #489 in 2025 on 616 births.
Seth
Seth is Adam and Eve’s third son, and the Hebrew sheth is read as appointed, substitute or compensation, the child given after a loss. The basketball player Seth Curry and the animator Seth MacFarlane keep it current. It was a top 100 American name at the turn of the century and has eased off since.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Appointed
- Pronunciation: SEHTH
- Variations: Sethe, Seath
- Namesakes: Seth Curry, an American basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets. Seth MacFarlane, an American animator and creator of the TV series Family Guy.
- Popularity: Seth reached its best U.S. rank of #63 in 2000 and stood at #581 in 2025.
Shane
Shane is an Irish form of John, taken from Sean and spelled the way English speakers say it. As a surname it turns up with Mac, Mc and O in front of it. It was a top 60 American name in 1973 and now sits well outside the top 500.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: SHEYN
- Variations: Shaene
- Namesakes: Shane Meehan, an Irish hurler for Banner. Shane Harper, an American actor appearing on the series Good Luck Charlie.
- Popularity: Shane appears at #636 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 439 births.
Smith
Smith is the occupational surname for a metal worker, from the Old English smitan, to strike. It is also the most common surname in the country: the 2010 Census counted about 6.3 million different surnames in American households, and only eleven of them, Smith at the head of the list, were reported more than a million times (2). As a first name it is a different proposition, rare and deliberate, worn by the naval secretary Smith Thompson and the ambassador Smith Hempstone.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Blacksmith
- Pronunciation: SMIHTH
- Variations: Smithe, Smythe
- Namesakes: Smith Thompson, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy from 1819 to 1823. Smith Hempstone, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya from 1989 to 1993.
- Popularity: The national count for Smith was 120 births in 2025, good for #1,483.
Stone
Stone was a geographical surname for someone who lived “on stony ground.” It also simply means “dweller by the rocks” and is a hardy-sounding moniker for nature-loving boys.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Rock
- Pronunciation: STOWN
- Variations: Stoen
- Namesakes: Stone Phillips, an American journalist and former co-anchor of Dateline NBC. Stone Gossard, an American musician, and member of the rock band Pearl Jam.
- Popularity: Stone ranked #916 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1919.
Tai
Tai also means “vast,” “highest,” and “extreme.” In Chinese, Tai means “too much.” Tai also has Arabic roots related to the Tayy tribe, who perhaps went to “great extremes” as a clan.
- Origin: Chinese, Arabic
- Meaning: Great extreme
- Pronunciation: TAEY
- Variations: Tie, Ty, Tye
- Namesakes: Tai Tura, Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament since 2021. Tai Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Australian actor in the series Heartbreak High.
- Popularity: Tai sits well outside the U.S. top 1,000, at #2,536 in 2025 on 53 births.
Taj
Taj is a crown, specifically the one a prince wears, and it also reads as crown jewel. The Taj Mahal keeps the word in everyone’s vocabulary. The surfer Taj Burrow and the author Taj Matthews carry it as a first name. One syllable, no ambiguity, and a meaning most people already know.
- Origin: Sanskrit, Arabic
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: TAHJH
- Variations: Tahj, Tajh, Taji
- Namesakes: Taj Matthews, an American author of Grandpa was a Preacher: A Letter to my Grandson. Taj Burrow, an Australian surfer and the youngest surfer at 18 years old to win a national title in 1998.
- Popularity: In 2025, Taj sat at #1,667 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #956 in 1998.
Tate
Tate means cheerful, from the Old Norse teitr, bright and glad, and Old English kept a nickname form of it, Tata. The footballer Tate Campbell and the Mississippi governor Tate Reeves are current bearers. It is at its highest American rank on record right now. Tate Reeves put it in front of the country the same years its use kept climbing.
- Origin: English, Norse
- Meaning: Cheerful
- Pronunciation: TEYT
- Variations: Tait, Tayte
- Namesakes: Tate Campbell, an English footballer for Birmingham City. Tate Reeves, the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020.
- Popularity: Tate is at its highest U.S. rank on record, #194 in 2025, on 1,862 births.
Todd
Todd is the Middle English todde, a fox, which is a better meaning than most surname names can claim. It was the twenty-eighth most popular American boy name in 1964 and belonged to boys born right through the following decade, among them the hockey coach Todd McLellan and the designer Todd Oldham. It has fallen out of common use since, so a Todd born today would likely be the only one in his class.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Fox
- Pronunciation: TAAD
- Variations: Todde
- Namesakes: Todd McLellan, the Canadian head hockey coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Todd Oldham, an American designer with a clothing line associated with Batman Forever.
- Popularity: Todd reached its best U.S. rank of #28 in 1964 and stood at #1,618 in 2025.
Trace
Trace began as a short form of Tracy and now leans male. The English Norman surname behind it points to a domain belonging to Thracius, in the old Roman province of Thracia. The football player Trace McSorley and the musician Trace Cyrus carry it. It pairs naturally with a longer, more formal middle name to balance the short first syllable.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Brave
- Pronunciation: TRAYSS
- Variations: Tracy
- Namesakes: Trace McSorley, an American football player for the Arizona Cardinals. Trace Cyrus (born Neil Helson), an American musician and member of the band Metro Station.
- Popularity: Trace appears at #758 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 340 births.
Trent
Trent names the English river and the family that lived beside it, and the Celtic reading, trespasser, refers to how often that river flooded. The musician Trent Reznor and the gymnast Trent Dimas are its best-known bearers. It had a good run in the early 2000s and has dropped off sharply since.
- Origin: Celtic, English
- Meaning: Flooder
- Pronunciation: TREHNT
- Variations: Trente
- Namesakes: Trent Reznor, an American musician and member of the band Nine Inch Nails. Trent Dimas, an American gymnast, and member of UNL’s 1990 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics championship team.
- Popularity: The national count for Trent was 142 births in 2025, good for #1,344.
Tripp
Tripp is what Americans call the third of anything, which is how most Tripps get the name in the first place. The older roots are the Old English treap, an outpost, and a French reading of one who tripped. The judge Tilman Self III and the hockey goaltender Emmet Tracy III both go by it. It is Southern in flavor, and births are up 95 percent over the last decade.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Stronghold
- Pronunciation: TRIHP
- Variations: Trippe
- Namesakes: Tilman “Tripp” Self III, a district judge for the Middle District of Georgia. Emmet “Tripp” Tracy III, an American ice hockey goaltender and the current commentator for the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Popularity: Tripp ranked #522 in the U.S. in 2025. It first turned up in the national data in 1957.
Troy
Troy is the Irish Troightheach, a foot soldier, and also a descendant of Troius. The ancient city and its war are what most people hear, which gives a very short name a very long story. The composer Troy Donockley and the filmmaker Troy Duffy wear it now. It was a top 50 American name in 1967 and is far quieter today.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Foot soldier
- Pronunciation: TROYE
- Variations: Troi
- Namesakes: Troy Donockley, an English composer and member of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Troy Duffy, an American filmmaker who directed The Boondock Saints.
- Popularity: Troy ranked #533 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 563 births recorded that year.
Vance
Vance marked the family living near marshland, from the Old English fenn. A Scottish line traces it instead to the Norman de Vaux. The astronaut Vance Brand and the journalist Vance Packard are its two best-known bearers. It has the polish of a midcentury name without being pinned to one decade.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Marshland
- Pronunciation: VAENS
- Variations: Vanse
- Namesakes: Vance Brand, an American NASA astronaut who piloted the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight in 1975. Vance Packard, an American journalist who authored The Naked Society.
- Popularity: In 2025, Vance sat at #1,080 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #328 in 1969.
Vince
Vince rests on the Latin Vincentius and its root vincere, to conquer. The coach Vince Lombardi made it sound like a man who wins; the actor Vince Vaughn made it sound like a man who talks. Vincent gives you the formal version whenever the occasion calls for it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Victory
- Pronunciation: VIHNS
- Variations: Vinse
- Namesakes: Vince Lombardi, an American football coach of the Green Bay Packers. Vince Vaughn, an American actor who first appeared in the 1996 comedy-drama Swingers.
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Vince since 1882; it ranked #1,364 in 2025 on 137 births.
Walt
Walt is Walter with the ceremony stripped out, built from the German walt, rule, and heri, army. Walt Whitman and the cartoonist Walt Kelly gave it a literary streak the meaning does not suggest. It is rare now and rising, which is where a lot of grandfather names sit just before they return.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Army ruler
- Pronunciation: WAOLT
- Variations: Walte
- Namesakes: Walt Whitman, an American poet best known for Leaves of Grass. Walt Kelly, an American cartoonist known for the comic strip Pogo.
- Popularity: Walt ranked #3,376 in 2025 in the U.S., far from its best rank of #842 in 1959.
Wes
Wes is the short form of Wesley, a wood clearing, and it points west by way of the Old English. The filmmaker Wes Anderson and the actor Wes Studi are the bearers most people name. It is rising, and more American boys were given it in 2025 than in any year on record, even though its best rank came back in 1963.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Meadow
- Pronunciation: WEHS
- Variations: Wess
- Namesakes: Wes Anderson, an American filmmaker with three films in BBC Culture’s 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000. Wes Studi, a Cherokeee-American actor best known for Dances with Wolves (1990).
- Popularity: Wes appears at #716 among U.S. boy names for 2025, on 376 births.
Wolf
Wolf is the animal and, as a surname, a nickname for a man thought to be wolf-like. The Old English wulf carried a sense of a cunning person, and German uses Wolf as the short form of Rudolph, Randolph and Ralph. The journalist Wolf Blitzer and the musician Wolf Van Halen are its two visible bearers. It is a bold choice, and births are up 175 percent over the last decade.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Wolf (animal)
- Pronunciation: WUHLF
- Variations: Wolfe, Woolf
- Namesakes: Wolf Blitzer, an American journalist for CNN since 1990. Wolf Van Halen, an American musician and son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
- Popularity: Wolf sits well outside the U.S. top 1,000, at #1,902 in 2025 on 83 births.
Yates
Yates is the Middle English yates, gates, and it named the family that lived by one, usually the gate of a town or a manor. The spelling Yeats belongs to the poet, but Yates is the older English form and the rarer first name. Fewer than twenty American boys were given it last year.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: The gates
- Pronunciation: YEYTS
- Variations: Yeats
- Popularity: U.S. records have listed Yates since 1914; in 2025 it ranked #6,434 with 14 births.
Zack
Zack is the pet form of Zachariah, read as the Lord recalled, and today it usually belongs to a Zachary. It stretches to Isaac as well, which surprises people. The actor Zach Braff and the track and field athlete Zach Whitmarsh use the ch spelling; the k version is the blunter one.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: The Lord remembered
- Pronunciation: ZAK
- Variations: Zach, Zak
- Namesakes: Zach Braff, an American actor appearing in the series Scrubs (2001 to 2010). Zach Whitmarsh, a Canadian track and field athlete, and bronze medalist at the 1999 Pan American Games.
- Popularity: Zack ranked #1,435 for U.S. boys in 2025, with 126 births recorded that year.
Zane
Zane reads as a gift from God, with Hebrew giving it gracious and Arabic giving it beauty. Zayn and Zain are the same name in different dress. The author Zane Radcliffe and the TV host Zane Lamprey carry it. It closes the list on the coolest sound available in one syllable, and it has held steady in recent years.
- Origin: Hebrew, Arabic
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: ZEYN
- Variations: Zain, Zayn
- Namesakes: Zane Radcliffe, a Northern-Irish author whose book London Irish won the W H Smith People’s Choice Award for New Talent in 2003. Zane Lamprey, an American comedian and host of VH1’s reality show Motormouth.
- Popularity: In 2025, Zane sat at #324 in the U.S. national data, with a best rank of #199 in 2018.
