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275+ Cute One-Syllable Middle Names for Boys

Updated
These short, one-syllable middle names for boys pack a punch!

Congratulations on your new baby! Are you wondering which middle names will perfectly balance with the first name you’ve chosen? Take it from us — boys’ middle names with one-syllable pair well with just about anything!

That’s why we’ve collected short middle names for boys from around the world. From classics like Jack, to cool picks like Ash, there’s something for everyone. Discover the meanings, origins, and etymologies behind these cool one-syllable middle names for boys.

If you want your baby’s name to pack a punch, we’ve got the heavy-hitters, too. So sit back, relax, and join us as we list over 200 of them!


70 Popular One-Syllable Middle Names For Boys

Here are some of the most common short middle names for boys.

  1. An – means “peaceful” or “quiet” in Chinese, “safe” in Vietnamese, and “sky” in Sumerian.
  2. Bao – is a unisex Chinese name and may mean “jewel, treasure, precious,” honor, praise” or “bundle.”
  3. Ben – means “son” and is an English diminutive of the Hebrew Benjamin and the Dutch Bernhard.
  4. Blaine – is a Scottish surname from the Old Irish root “blá” (yellow) and a diminutive suffix.
  5. Blake – comes from a surname derived from the Old English “blæc” (black), or “blac” (pale).
  6. Bo – rooted in the Old Norse nickname Búi, from “bu” (to live), and is Chinese for “wave.”
  7. Bryce – is a gender-neutral Scottish name from the Celtic “brych,” meaning “speckled, freckled, blemished.”
  8. Cain – is a biblical Hebrew boy’s name meaning “something produced.”
  9. Chad – from the Old English Ceadda, possibly based on the Old Welsh “cat,” meaning “battle” or “defender.”
  10. Chang – as a male forename, is Chinese for “flourish, prosper,” “sunlight,” “long,” or “smooth, free.”
  11. Charles – is a classic French and English form of Carolus, from the Germanic Karl meaning “(free)man.”
  12. Che – likely stems from an Argentine expression meaning “hey!”.
  13. Chen – can mean “dawn, morning” in Chinese and “charm, grace” in Hebrew.
  14. Chin – a variant of the Chinese Jin, meaning “gold, money, metal,” “ferry,” “embroidery, tapestry,” or “pound grain.”
  15. Chris – an English diminutive of the Greek Christopher (bearing Christ) and Christian (follower of Christ).
  16. Clark – comes from the Old English “clerec,” meaning “priest, scribe,” or “clerc,” meaning “cleric, clerk.”
  17. Clay – is English for someone living near or working with “clay,” and a diminutive of Clayton (clay town).
  18. Cole – means “swarthy,” “black,” or “coal” in English and is also a medieval diminutive of Nicholas.
  19. Cruz – comes from a surname meaning “cross” in Spanish and Portuguese.
  20. Da – is a unisex Chinese forename using the characters for “big, vast, great,” or “achieve, intelligent.”
  21. Dai – is Sino-Vietnamese for “noble,” Japanese for “large,” Swahili for “demand,” and a Welsh diminutive of Dafydd (beloved).
  22. Dane – a variant of the English surname Dean, referring to someone “from Denmark.”
  23. De – comes from Sino-Vietnamese characters, meaning “virtue, morality,” “favor,” or “mind.”
  24. Dirk – a Dutch-German diminutive of Diederik, rooted in the Gothic language, meaning “ruler of the people.”
  25. Frank – is Old German for a Frankish person and a short form of Francis and Franklin.
  26. Guy – an Anglo-Norman version of Wido (wood) and a variant of the Hebrew Gai (ravine/valley).
  27. Hans – is a classic German diminutive of Johannes, meaning “Jehovah is gracious.”
  28. Hao – means “open-minded,” “perfect,” or “vastness (of the heavens),” or refers to an ancient location in Chinese.
  29. Hong – comes from the Chinese characters for “rainbow,” “wild swan,” “expand,” or “great, vast.”
  30. Jacques – is the French form of Iacobus/James, ultimately from the Hebrew Ya’aqov (Jacob), meaning “supplanter.”
  31. Jake – a medieval variant of Jack taken from John and a nickname for Jacob (supplanter).
  32. James – is the 27th most common forename worldwide, originating from a Latinization of the Hebrew Ya’agov (supplanter).
  33. Jean – is the French form of Jehan and the Old French form of Iohannes (Jehovah is gracious).
  34. Jin – from the Japanese character for “compassionate” and is Chinese for “gold, money,” “tapestry,” or “ferry.”
  35. Joel – stems from the Hebrew Yo’el, meaning “Yahweh/Jehovah is God.”
  36. John – is a classic English option from the Hebrew Yochanan/Yehochanan, meaning “Jehovah has been gracious.”
  37. Juan – is feminine in Chinese, meaning “beautiful, graceful,” but is the Spanish form of Iohannes/John.
  38. Jun – means “moisture, clean, simple” in Japanese, “ruler,” “army,” or “talented” in Chinese, and “handsome” in Korean.
  39. Kai – means “sea” in Hawaiian and “victory, triumph” in Chinese; also a Frisian diminutive of several names.
  40. Karl – is the German and Scandinavian form of Charles, meaning “(free) man.”
  41. Keith – comes from a Scottish surname rooted in the Celtic “kayto,” meaning “wood,” or “cat,” meaning “battle.”
  42. Kyle – from a Scottish surname originating with the Gaelic “caol” (slender/strait), meaning “narrows, strait.”
  43. Lars – is a Scandinavian form of Laurence, from the Roman cognomen LaurentiI, meaning “bearer of laurels.”
  44. Lee – originates from a surname derived from the Old English “leah,” meaning “clearing, meadow.”
  45. Lin – is Chinese for “fine jade, gem” or “forest” and is pronounced “LEEN.”
  46. Ling – a unisex Chinese forename meaning “spirit, soul,” “dawn,” “sound of jade,” or “chime, bell.”
  47. Long – an Old English nickname for someone tall and lanky and is Chinese for “dragon” or “abundant.”
  48. Luke – derives from the Greek Loukas (from Lucania), a region in Italy.
  49. Mark – means “consecrated to/follower of the god Mars” in Latin, or possibly “warlike.”
  50. Matt – a diminutive of the English Matthew, from the Greek Matthaios, meaning “gift of Jehovah” in Hebrew.
  51. Max – a diminutive of the Latin Maximilian, from Maximus (greatest) or Maxwell (Mack’s stream).
  52. Mike – stems from Michael, originating with the Hebrew Mikha’el, meaning “Who is like God?”
  53. Noel – a unisex English form of the French Noël/Noëlle (Christmas), pronounced “NOH-el” or “NOHWL.”
  54. Noor – is a unisex variant of the Arabic and Urdu Nur, meaning “(divine) light.”
  55. Nur – originates with Islamic tradition, meaning “(divine) light” in Arabic.
  56. Paul – comes from the Roman Paulus, meaning “little, small, humble,” and is a Western classic.
  57. Prince – stems from an English royal title, from the Latin word “princeps.”
  58. Ray – a diminutive of Raymond, rooted in the Germanic Raginmund, meaning “safe counsel, advised protection.”
  59. Rex – is English, directly derived from the Latin word “rex,” meaning “king.”
  60. Sam – a unisex English diminutive of names with this element, also meaning “fire” in Persian.
  61. Saul – is Hebrew for “inquired/asked (of God).”
  62. Sean – the Anglicized form of the Irish Seán, from John, meaning “Jehovah is gracious.”
  63. Shane – derives from the Irish Seán, a form of John, meaning “Jehovah is gracious.”
  64. Shin – may mean “genuine, real” or “faith, belief” in Japanese, depending on the characters used.
  65. Shu – is feminine in Chinese but masculine in Japanese, meaning “autumn,” “scent,” “circuit,” or “mastering.”
  66. Shun – is unisex in Chinese and means “submit, obey,” and is Japanese for “talented” or “fast.”
  67. Taj – means “crown” in Arabic and is the 1,820th most common name worldwide.
  68. Troy – denotes someone from Troyes or the ancient city of Troy; from the Irish, “troightheach,” meaning “footsoldier.”
  69. Tu – is from the Chinese character for “chart, map,” and is Sino-Vietnamese for “luxuriant, beautiful, elegant.”
  70. Yu – ranks 37th worldwide, originating with the Chinese characters for “jade, gem,” “delightful, pleasant,” or “rain.”

73 Unique Boy Middle Names With One-Syllable

Peruse 73 rare short middle names for boys.

  1. Alp – means “hero” in Turkish and is rare worldwide.
  2. Banks – is a modern transfer of the English surname for someone living near a riverbank.
  3. Bash – means “chief, commander” in Turkish and is primarily masculine.
  4. Bay – is derived from the Middle English “baye” (berry) and the Russian word “bayat” (to speak).
  5. Bem – is a gender-neutral name of African origin, meaning “peace.”
  6. Biff – comes from an English nickname and onomatopoeia (word sound), meaning “strike, hit, punch.”
  7. Bing – is German for “pot-shaped hollow,” but may also be a diminutive of Bingham (hollow homestead).
  8. Birch – means “bright, shining” and “birch tree” in Old English.
  9. Bran – has Celtic roots and means “raven” in Irish and Welsh.
  10. Brick – from the English slang “brick,” originally denoting a “good fellow” or someone “strong” and “reliable.”
  11. Burke – means “fortified settlement,” from a surname based on the Old English “burg,” meaning “fortress.”
  12. Cash – stems from an English surname for a box maker, from the Norman “casse,” meaning “case.”
  13. Ceel – is a Dutch diminutive for the Latin Marcellus, derived from Marcus, meaning “of Mars.”
  14. Chief – originates from the English word “chief,” meaning “leader,” also used as a nickname.
  15. Count – stems from the Anglo-Norman “counte,” meaning “count, nobleman.”
  16. Cree – derived from the Native American word “kiristino,” meaning “furtrader” or “huntsman.”
  17. Crue – is an extremely rare French variant of the English Crew, meaning “team, group.”
  18. Côme – a French variant of Cosmo, meaning “order, decency,” most popular in Congo.
  19. Des – is a diminutive of Desmond, from the Irish Deasmhumhain, meaning “South Munster.”
  20. Dix – is a variant of Dicks and a German-Dutch diminutive of Benediktus/Benedictus, meaning “well-spoken” from “dict.”
  21. Duff – is English, from the Scottish or Irish Gaelic “dubh,” meaning “dark.”
  22. Falk – has roots in the Middle High German “valke” (falcon), possibly denoting a falconer.
  23. Fu – comes from the Chinese characters for “rich, abundant,” “man, father,” “hibiscus,” and “lotus.”
  24. Fulk – is an Anglo-Norman diminutive of names with the Old Frankish element “fulk” (people).
  25. Gad – an uncommon Hebrew classic, meaning “good fortune.”
  26. – a unisex Sino-Vietnamese name meaning “river,” which was originally a surname.
  27. Hayes – originates from place names in England, taken from the Old English “hæg,” meaning “enclosure, fence.”
  28. Ing – denotes a Norse fertility god, derived from Ingwaz, meaning “ancestor.”
  29. Ja – is of African origin, meaning “magnetic,” and is Korean for “child.”
  30. Job – means “object of hostility” from the Hebrew Iyyov (persecuted, hated).
  31. Jove – comes from the Latin Iovis, a form of the Indo-European Dyēws-pətēr, meaning “sky father.”
  32. Keb – is of African origin, meaning “earth.”
  33. Kemp – stems from the Middle English “kempe,” meaning “champion, warrior, athlete.”
  34. Knox – is English, based on locations called Knock, from the Scottish-Gaelic word “cnoc” (round hill).
  35. Leaf – stems from the Scandinavian Leif, meaning “heir,” and the Old English “lēof,” meaning “dear, beloved.”
  36. Leith – stems from a surname based on a Scottish town, from the Gaelic “lìte” (wet, damp).
  37. Lord – comes from the Old English word for “loaf-keeper” and is also a title of respect.
  38. Loupe – is a French form of the Latin Lupus, meaning “wolf.”
  39. Lux – is unisex, from the Latin word “lux,” meaning “light.”
  40. Moore – from the Middle English “mor” (bog), Old Irish-Gaelic “mordha” (noble), and the Latin “maurus” (Moorish).
  41. Niel – an Afrikaans/Flemish name of uncertain meaning and a variant of the Irish-Gaelic Niall (champion).
  42. Ode – denotes a lyric poem and is the medieval English form of Odo, from Otto (wealth/fortune).
  43. Pace – from the Middle English “pace” (PAYS) and Italian Pace (PA-CHEE), meaning “peace,” and is Hebrew for “Passover.”
  44. Park – stems from the Middle English-Old Scottish “parc, parke, perk,” meaning “park, enclosure”; also Chinese for “cypress.”
  45. Piers – a medieval form of Peter, from the Greek word for “rock, stone.”
  46. Pryce – a Welsh variant of Price, derived from ap Rhys, meaning “son of Rhys.”
  47. Psalm – from the Greek “psalmos” from “psallo” (to pluck/strum), denoting hymns or poems of worship.
  48. Quon – originates from the Chinese character for “shining, bright” and is pronounced “CHON.”
  49. Redd – a variant of the nickname Red, from the English-Scottish word for a ruddy color.
  50. Reign – a unisex English forename meaning “rule, sovereign” and “royal power.”
  51. Reth – is a masculine Swahili name meaning “the king/ruler.”
  52. Ried – stems from the Middle High German “riet,” meaning “damp area, swamp, wetland” or “reeds.”
  53. Rise – is English for “lift up” and Japanese (pronounced “REE-SEH”) for “dignified” or “beautiful star,” among others.
  54. Rook – means “crow,” based on Rochus/Rocus/Rokus, derived from the Germanic “hruoh.”
  55. Sage – is a unisex English forename from the Latin-derived “sage,” denoting a spice or wise man.
  56. Sarge – a diminutive of Sergeant, from the Old French “sergent,” meaning “common soldier, officer.”
  57. Shams – means “sun” in Arabic and is gender-neutral.
  58. Shaw – comes from the Old English “sceaga,” meaning “thicket/wood,” and the Scottish-Gaelic nickname Sitheach (fairy-like/wolf).
  59. Shem – means “name (reputation), fame” in Hebrew, and was one of Noah’s sons in the Bible.
  60. Side – originates from the Middle English word “side” (slope/hillside), used as a topographical surname.
  61. Sir – from the Old French “sire” (master, lord), used as an aristocratic title and term of respect.
  62. Sixte – the French form of the Latin Sixtus, from “sextus” (sixth) or the Greek Xystos (polished/scraped).
  63. Slate – denotes a “slater” or “slate stone,” from the Middle English word for a fine-grained greenish rock.
  64. Stone – originates from the Old English word “stan,” meaning “stone, rock.”
  65. Teague – an Anglicized version of the Irish Tadhg, meaning “poet.”
  66. Thane – comes from a Scottish and English noble title, from the Old English “thegn” (landholder).
  67. Thoth – the Greek form of the Egyptian “ḏḥwtj” (Djehuti), denoting a moon and magic deity.
  68. Trace – a diminutive of the Anglo-Norman Tracy (domain of Thracius) and Irish Treacy (brave/warlike/fierce).
  69. Tripp – from the Middle English “trippen” (to dance), but also denotes the English word “trip, stumble.”
  70. Xiao – a variant of Xián, is Galician for Julian (downy-bearded), and Chinese for “dawn, skyline, sunrise.”
  71. Zed – is a diminutive of the Hebrew Zedekiah, meaning “Jehovah is righteousness/justice.”
  72. Zen – from the Japanese reading of the Chinese “chán,” denoting the Sanskrit “dhyāna” (absorption/meditative state).
  73. Zo – is Japanese for “warehouse, storehouse,” and West African of Igbo origin, meaning “save, protect.”

46 Cool One-Syllable Middle Names For Boys

These are the trendiest boys’ middle names with one-syllable.

  1. Ace – means “highest ranked” in English, from Latin for “one,” and is a Macedonian diminutive of Aleksandar.
  2. Ash – refers to the “ash tree” in English and stems from the Hebrew Asher, meaning “happy.”
  3. Blaze – means “fire” in English and is a modern form of Blaise from the Latin Blaesus (lisping).
  4. Brant – is German for “sword,” “torch,” and “beacon, fire,” from the Old Norse nickname Brandr.
  5. Butch – has Old English roots, meaning “butcher” and possibly also “illustrious.”
  6. Cade – comes from a surname originating from the Old English nickname Cada, meaning “round” and “lumpy.”
  7. Chase – was a nickname for a huntsman turned surname, stemming from the Middle English for “hunt.”
  8. Chet – is a diminutive of the English surname Chester, from the Latin “castrum” (fortress/soldier’s camp).
  9. Crew – comes from the English word for an “(armed) group,” and Crewe, from the Old Welsh “criu” (weir).
  10. Dash – derives from the English word for “run, sprint” but is also a diminutive of Anglo-French Dashiell.
  11. Dax – from an English surname denoting a town in France or from Old English Dæcca.
  12. Dex – short for Dexter, meaning “dyer” in Old English, a cognate of the Latin “dexter” (right-handed/skilled).
  13. Drake – from the Old English nickname Draca or Old Norse Draki, meaning “dragon,” from the Greco-Roman “drakon.”
  14. Drew – a diminutive of Andrew, stemming from a Greek root meaning “male, man, manly.”
  15. Fang – is Chinese for “fragrant, virtuous, beautiful,” also from the Old English “fengtōþ” (canine/snag-tooth/catch-tooth).
  16. Gage – from Old French, meaning “measure,” denoting an “assayer” or “oath, pledge,” for a “moneylender.”
  17. Hart – denotes the Germanic element meaning “hardy, strong,” the Old English “heorot” (stag), or Basque “hartz” (bear).
  18. Heath – is an English surname for someone dwelling near or on a heath (uncultivated scrublands).
  19. Jace – is an English diminutive of Jaso, from the Greek Iason, meaning “healer.”
  20. Jude – can be a diminutive of the Hebrew Judah (praise) or Judas, another form of Judah.
  21. King – means “ruler, monarch,” from the Old English word “cyning.”
  22. Kyo – a unisex Japanese option pronounced “KYOH,” meaning “unite, cooperate,” “village,” “city, capital,” or “apricot.”
  23. Loup – comes from the Old French “lope” (grimace/sticking-out tongue), derived from the Roman Lupus (wolf).
  24. Mars – may mean “male” in Latin, and was the ancient Roman god of war.
  25. Pierce – originates with Piers, a medieval form of Peter (stone/rock), possibly meaning “son of Piers.”
  26. Price – comes from the surname ap Rhys, meaning “son of Rhys,” from Old Welsh Ris (ardor, enthusiasm).
  27. Rafe – a variant of Ralph and a diminutive of the Old Norse Ráðúlfr and Norman Radulf (wolf counsel).
  28. Rain – from the Old English “regn” (rain) and a diminutive of Germanic names incorporating “regin” (counsel).
  29. Reed – from the Old English “read” (red), denoting a redhead or ruddiness; also refers to wetland grasses.
  30. Rei – a unisex Japanese option meaning “lovely,” “bell,” “order, decree,” “clever,” or “tinkling of jade.”
  31. Reid – is a Scottish version of Reed, from the Old English nickname “read” (red).
  32. Rhett – comes from an Anglicized form of the Dutch de Raedt, using the root “raet” (advice/counsel).
  33. Rome – is used in several languages but is ultimately Italian for “from Rome.”
  34. Russ – is a diminutive of the Norman Russell, which means “little red one.”
  35. Ryo – comes from the Japanese characters for “cool, refreshing,” “reality,” or “distant,” and is pronounced “RYOH.”
  36. Spike – an English nickname from the word for a long nail, possibly denoting someone with spiky hair.
  37. Tate – originates from an English surname derived from the Old English and Scandinavian Tata, meaning “cheerful.”
  38. Thor – is rooted in the Scandinavian-Old Norse Þórr (thunder), denoting the god of storms and war.
  39. Tsar – means “emperor” in Russian and is a royal title.
  40. Ulf – derives from the Old Norse nickname Úlfr (wolf) and is a German and Scandinavian classic.
  41. Vance – has roots in the Old English “fenn,” meaning “marsh, marshland,” and was originally a surname.
  42. Wade – derives from the Old English “wæd” (ford), or Wada, using the root “wadan” (to go).
  43. Wolf – a diminutive of names with the Proto-Germanic element “wulf/wulfaz” or the German-English “wolf.”
  44. Zane – also spelled Zayne, from an English surname of unknown meaning.
  45. Zeke – a diminutive of Ezekiel, meaning “God strengthens,” with renewed popularity today.
  46. Zeus – is based on the root “dyēw-,” meaning “sky” or “shine,” and denotes the chief Greek god.

53 Classic Boy Middle Names With One-Syllable

Here are some beautiful vintage one-syllable middle names for boys.

  1. Art – a diminutive of the English Arthur, rooted in the Celtic element “artos,” meaning “bear.”
  2. Beau – comes from French and means “beautiful” or “handsome.”
  3. Bill – is a short form of William, from the Old High German Willahelm, meaning “desire to protect.”
  4. Bob – is a diminutive of the English Robert from the Germanic Hrodebert, meaning “bright fame.”
  5. Boyce – originates from an English surname taken from the Old French word “bois,” meaning “wood.”
  6. Bram – is a diminutive of the Hebrew Abraham borne by Dracula’s author, meaning “father of multitudes.”
  7. Bruce – is Scottish of Norman origins, referring to a French town and meaning “woods, thicket.”
  8. Burt – is a diminutive of Albert, from the Old English “beorht” and Old German “beraht” (noble/bright).
  9. Cal – comes from Calvin, rooted in the Latin word “calvus,” meaning “naked, bald.”
  10. Carl – is an English variant of the German and Scandinavian Karl, meaning “(free) man.”
  11. Cliff – a diminutive of the English Clifford (ford by a cliff) or Clifton (cliffside settlement).
  12. Clint – is a diminutive of Clinton (town/settlement on a hill/settlement on the River Glyme).
  13. Craig – comes from the Scottish-Gaelic root “creag,” meaning “crag, rock, outcrop.”
  14. Dale – is a popular English pick, denoting someone dwelling near or in a “valley.”
  15. Dave – is a shortened form of the Hebrew David, meaning “beloved.”
  16. Dean – stems from a surname denoting the occupation of a dean, from the Latin “decanus” (chief of ten).
  17. Doc – means “physician” and is a diminutive of the English term doctor.
  18. Dolph – is a diminutive of Adolph and other names using the Germanic element for “wolf.”
  19. Dong – derives from the Chinese characters for “east” and “beam, pillar.”
  20. Doug – is a short form of Douglas, rooted in the Scottish word “dubh,” meaning “dark/black.”
  21. Dutch – refers to people of German descent from the German word “deutsch” (German).
  22. Earl – comes from an aristocratic title based on the Old English “eorl” (nobleman/warrior).
  23. Ford – derives from an Old English surname meaning “ford.”
  24. Fred – is a diminutive of the Germanic Frederick, meaning “peaceful ruler,” from the element “fridu” (peace).
  25. Gene – is an English diminutive of Eugene, from the Greek word “eugenes,” meaning “noble, well-born.”
  26. Geoff – stems from the Norman Geoffrey, using the element “gautaz,” meaning “Geat” (a Northern Germanic tribe).
  27. George – is a highly popular English male name from the Greek word “georgos,” meaning “farmer, earthworker.”
  28. Giles – means “protection” or “kid, young goat,” from an Old French diminutive of the Latin Aegidius.
  29. Grant – comes from an English-Scottish surname based on the Norman “grand,” meaning “large, great, tall.”
  30. Heinz – is a diminutive of Heinrich, the German form of Henry, meaning “home-ruler.”
  31. Hugh – derives from Hugo, based on the Old Frankish and Old German “hugi, hugu,” (spirit/mind).
  32. Ike – is a diminutive of Isaac, pronounced “EYEK,” meaning “laughter, rejoicing.”
  33. Jack – is a form of Jackin, a medieval diminutive of John (Jehovah is gracious).
  34. Joe – a diminutive of Joseph that is declining in popularity, from Josiphiah, meaning “may Jah add.”
  35. Ken – means “healthy, strong” in Japanese, also a diminutive of the Scottish-Irish Kenneth (born of fire/handsome).
  36. Kent – means “from Kent,” rooted in the Brythonic word meaning “coastal district” or the Celtic “cant” (edge).
  37. Kurt – a German diminutive of Conrad (brave counsel) and means “wolf” in Turkish.
  38. Lloyd – stems from the Welsh Llwyd, meaning “gray-haired” and “sacred,” denoting wisdom.
  39. Lyle – is Scottish from the Anglo-Norman surname based on l’isle, meaning “the island.”
  40. Pete – a diminutive of Peter, from the Greek word “petros,” meaning “stone, rock.”
  41. Phil – derives from Philip, which uses the Greek element “filos,” meaning “friend, beloved.”
  42. Rick – is a common diminutive of names with the Old German element “rih,” meaning “ruler, king.”
  43. Rob – comes from the English Robert, derived from the Germanic Hrodebert, meaning “bright fame.”
  44. Sou – from the Japanese for “clear, bright,” “adore,” “large,” “pair,” “idea,” “clever,” and “herb,” among others.
  45. Steve – is a diminutive of Steven (wreath, crown) and the 1,006th most common name worldwide.
  46. Sy – comes from an English variant of Si, a diminutive of Simon (hearing/listening) or Silas (forest).
  47. Thad – means “heart,” from the Aramaic Thaddeus, which is used in English.
  48. Tim – an English diminutive of Timothy (one who honors God) and the German Dietmar (famed people).
  49. Tom – is a contraction of the Aramaic Thomas, meaning “twin,” but also means “innocence” in Hebrew.
  50. Vern – a diminutive of Vernon, a Norman surname based on the Gaulish word “vern,” meaning “alder.”
  51. Walt – is a shortened version of Walter, from the Germanic element “walt,” meaning “power, authority.”
  52. Ward – comes from a surname denoting a “watchman,” from the Old English “weard,” meaning “guard.”
  53. Zeb – is an English diminutive of Zebulun (toleration/lofty abode) or Zebedee (may Jehovah endow).

37 Cute and Short Middle Names For Boys

Here are 37 adorable middle names for boys with one-syllable.

  1. Arn – is a Swedish diminutive for Norse names beginning with the element “arn,” meaning “eagle.”
  2. Baer – comes from the Germanic element “beraht,” meaning “bright,” and the Yiddish “ber” (bear).
  3. Bear – stems from the Old English word “bera” (bear), from a root meaning “brown.”
  4. Brooks – is an English surname and variant of Brook, meaning “water, small stream.”
  5. Chance – is a diminutive of Chauncey but also refers to the English word for “luck, fortune.”
  6. Chip – is a vintage diminutive of Charles, meaning “(free) man,” or Christopher, meaning “bearing Christ.”
  7. Colt – comes from the Middle English “colte,” meaning “young male horse.”
  8. Finn – derives from the Old Norse Finnr (Sámi/Finnish) and the Old Irish form of Fionn (fair/blessed).
  9. Fitz – is the short form of several surnames beginning with the Norman element “fitz” (son of).
  10. Flynn – originates with the Anglicized Irish surname Ó Floinn, from Flann, meaning “redhead/ruddy (complexion).”
  11. Gael – is Breton, French, and English for “Celt” or speaker of the “Gaelic” languages, pronounced “GAY-el/GAYL.”
  12. Grey – also spelled Gray, from an English surname meaning “gray,” referencing someone’s hair, age, or wisdom.
  13. Gwyn – means “white, fair, blessed” in Welsh and is a gender-neutral variant of Gwynn and Gwen.
  14. Herb – a diminutive of Herbert from the Old German “heri-beraht” (bright-army) and is a type of plant.
  15. Jay – from the Latin Gaius (to rejoice), a type of songbird, and a diminutive of James/Jason.
  16. Kid – a variant of Kit, from Christopher (bearing Christ), and a Swedish version of Kidd (young goat).
  17. Leif – has Scandinavian origins, from the Old Norse “leifr” (descendent/heir), and is pronounced “LAYF.”
  18. Love – comes from the Old English “lufu” (love) and a Swedish variant of Louis (famous in battle).
  19. Mack – a medieval English diminutive of Magnus and a diminutive of Irish-Scottish surnames starting with Mac/Mc (son).
  20. Miles – stems from the Germanic Milo rooted in “milu” (merciful), associated with the Latin for “soldier.”
  21. Nick – a diminutive of Nicholas, derived from the Greek Nikolaos, meaning “victory of the people.”
  22. Pau – a Catalan-Occitan version of Paul (small/humble), pronounced “POW,” coinciding with the Catalan for “peace.”
  23. Pax – means “peace” in Latin and was the ancient Roman goddess of peace.
  24. Paz – a unisex Hebrew name meaning “gold” and a feminine Spanish name meaning “peace.”
  25. Red – from the Old English “read” (red), and was a nickname for someone ruddy or red-haired.
  26. Reese – is an Anglicized version of Rhys (enthusiasm, ardor) and is considered unisex in modern times.
  27. Ren – a highly popular gender-neutral Japanese forename, meaning “lotus” or “romantic love.”
  28. Rhys – is a classic in Wales stemming from the Old Welsh Ris (ardor/enthusiasm), pronounced “REES.”
  29. Rin – a cool unisex Japanese forename meaning “dignified” or “severe, cold (natured).”
  30. Seth – comes from the Hebrew for “appointed, put, set,” and a form of the Egyptian “swtẖ, stẖ.”
  31. Shou – stems from the Japanese for “soar, glide” and “prize, reward,” also written as Sho and Shō.
  32. Sol – is a Jewish diminutive of Solomon (peace) and a North Korean form of the surname Seol.
  33. Tad – an English diminutive of Thaddeus, from the Greek-Aramaic Thaddai (heart) or Theodore (gift of God).
  34. Tao – originates from the Chinese characters for “large waves,” “way,” or “long life.”
  35. Todd – from a surname rooted in the Middle English word “todd,” meaning “fox.”
  36. Wen – is pronounced “WUN” and comes from the Chinese character for “cultured, literate.”
  37. Zack – an English diminutive of Zachary and a form of Zacharias (Jehovah has remembered), and Isaac (laughter).

FAQs

What Is a Cute One-Syllable Boy Name?

Finn is a cute one-syllable boy’s name that is widely beloved, especially popular in Denmark. It is the Old Irish form of Fionn, meaning “white, fair, blessed,” and is considered cute by many netizens and parents alike (1).

Another adorable option is Tripp. This unusual but cute short middle name for boys may mean “to dance” or “to stumble.” However, Tripp might also signify a child is the third (the III) in his family with a particular name, a “triple.” Talk about Daddy’s little boy!

What Are Catchy One-Syllable Names?

Some catchy one-syllable names for boys include Max, Jude, and Bill. Max is a simple, easy-to-remember name with a strong sound. It’s a balanced option, meaning “greatest,” from the Latin Maximilian.

The Hebrew Jude (lauded) has a pleasant appearance and soft sound. It’s associated with the famous Beatles song “Hey Jude” and the song “St. Jude” by Florence and the Machine. Used since Bible times, Jude has lasting appeal.

Bill is an old-school nickname from William (will-helmet), sometimes used independently. It’s also a catchy one-syllable name that’s easy to rhyme and harmonize with.

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About the Author

Leigha Mayers

Leigha-Ceres Mayers is a freelance editor and copywriter from Trinidad and Tobago. Previously a primary school assistant teacher, she went on to acquire a TESOL certification before transitioning to freelancing. Outside of researching baby names, Leigha works alongside her husband, producing and publishing romance sci-fi and fantasy books. As a mum of two, she uses what little spare time she has to create traditional and digital works of art. Her other hobbies include voracious reading, watching anime, and learning new languages.