Puerto Rican boy names carry the island’s layered history in a single word, with Spanish, Taino, African, and North American threads all pulling on the same list. The 100 names below run from household classics to names you may never hear called across a playground.
Eighteen of them still ranked inside the U.S. top 100 for boys in 2025, led by Mateo at number 8 (1). Others are so rare that federal records skip them entirely, because a name is only published once at least five boys are given it in a year.
Every entry gives the meaning, the origin, a plain pronunciation guide, real namesakes where they exist, and where the name actually stands in U.S. birth data. If you want the names babies born on the island are given today, the Social Security Administration keeps a Puerto Rico list of its own (2).
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Mateo, Lucas, Benjamin, Luca and Sebastian.
100 Puerto Rican Names for Boys
Every one of these Puerto Rican boy names has a tale to tell, which you’re sure to enjoy.
Adolfo
Adolfo is the Spanish take on the German Adolf, built from adal, meaning noble, and wulf, meaning wolf. Put together it describes a highborn protector with a little bite to him. The name traveled out of Germany through Spain and settled comfortably across Latin America. It suits parents who want something formal without reaching for the obvious.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Noble, majestic wolf
- Pronunciation: Ah-DHOWL-fow
- Variations: Adolph, Adolphe
- Namesakes: Adolfo Sardiña (known as Adolfo), a Cuban-American fashion designer who won the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award. Adolfo Hernández, a Mexican footballer for UNAM.
- Popularity: Adolfo ranked #1,887 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 83 births that year.
Alano
Alano also carries the sense of noble and bright, and it sometimes stands in as a short form for Spanish names that open with Al. It is the Spanish cousin of Alan, which reads as handsome, and its three soft syllables ending on a warm vowel give it a gentler feel than most of the names around it here.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Precious
- Pronunciation: Ah-LAA-now
- Variations: Aluino
- Namesakes: Alano Miller, an American actor appearing on the series Underground. Alano Montanari, an Italian motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1953 250cc world championship.
- Popularity: SSA records put Alano at #12,088 in 2025, below its best of #6,269 in 2003.
Alejandro
Alejandro is the Spanish stand-in for Alexander and means defender of men. It goes back to the Greek Alexandros, formed from alexein, meaning to defend, and aner, meaning man. Few names promise that much and still sound this good saying it. It also shortens easily in everyday use, which takes the weight off four syllables.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Defender, warrior
- Pronunciation: Ael-ley-HAAN-Drow
- Variations: Alehandro
- Namesakes: Alejandro Toledo, the President of Peru between 2001 and 2006. Alejandro Luis Alvizuri, a Peruvian swimmer and bronze medalist at the 1987 Pan American Games.
- Popularity: Alejandro has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1885 and ranked #195 in 2025.
Alex
Alex is the gender-neutral short form of Alexander, meaning defender of humankind. It descends from the Greek Alexandros, often read as defending warrior. Plenty of families use it as a nickname first and a legal name second. It crosses languages without changing shape, which is why it turns up in Puerto Rican households as readily as English-speaking ones.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Defender
- Pronunciation: AEL-ahks
- Variations: Aleks
- Namesakes: Alex Rodriguez, an American baseball player for the New York Yankees. Alex Brooker, an English TV presenter who co-hosted The Last Leg since 2012.
- Popularity: About one in every 1,127 American boys born in 2025 was named Alex, good for #232.
Andres
Andres means strong, manly, and warrior, and it is the Spanish equivalent of Andrew. It began as the Greek Andreas, and the same root gives Andre for boys and Andrea for girls. The accented Andres spelling is the traditional one, though both sound identical out loud. It is a sturdy, unfussy pick with centuries of use behind it.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Warrior
- Pronunciation: AAN-Dreys
- Variations: Andrez, Andrés
- Namesakes: Andrés Jiménez Hernández, the most famous Puerto Rican composer of folk music today. Andres Ilves, an Estonian-American journalist who headed the Somali Service at BBC Africa.
- Popularity: Andres ranked #200 in the U.S. in 2025 and has held roughly the same share of births over the past decade, drifting within about 8 percent either way.
Angel
Angel comes from the medieval Latin Angelus. That in turn traces to the Greek angelos, meaning messenger. In English it leans feminine, while in Spanish it is firmly a boy’s name, said AHN-hehl rather than AYN-jel. That gives it two separate lives depending on which language is doing the talking.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Messenger
- Pronunciation: AHN-hehl
- Variations: Angelo
- Namesakes: Angel Bermudez, the Aruban Minister of Finance between 2014 and 2017. Angel Medina, an American comic book artist who worked with Marvel Comics.
- Popularity: Angel ranked #67 in 2025, with 265,886 American boys given the name since 1888.
Antonio
Antonio grows out of the Latin Antonius and carries the sense of beyond praise, making it a classic among Puerto Rican names for boys. It has the rhythm Spanish gives its favorites, four syllables that never feel long, and it has never really gone out of fashion in Hispanic families, handling a christening and a job interview equally well.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Priceless
- Pronunciation: Aen-TOW-niy-Ow
- Variations: Anthonio, Antonnio, Antonyo
- Namesakes: Antonio Rafael Barceló, the first President of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1917 to 1929. Antonio Broccoli Porto, an American artist awarded a UNESCO Medal in December 2000.
- Popularity: Antonio ranked #176 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 2,058 births that year.
Armando
Armando means armed man as the elaborate Spanish form of the German Herman. The pieces are heri, meaning army, and man, meaning man. A soldier sits right in the middle of it once those two pieces come together. It sounds bolder than any of its English relatives ever managed.
- Origin: Italian, Portuguese
- Meaning: Soldier
- Pronunciation: Aar-MAAN-dow
- Variations: Armondo
- Namesakes: Armando Dobra, an Albanian-English footballer for Chesterfield. Armando Manzanero, a Mexican Mayan musician receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
- Popularity: SSA records put Armando at #556 in 2025, below its best of #205 in 1997.
Axel
Axel traces back to a medieval form of the Hebrew Absalom and is also tied to the Old Norse Asketill, read as God kettle. Nordic in origin, it found its way into Spanish-speaking homes anyway and stayed, and its two crisp syllables and hard X leave nothing decorative about it.
- Origin: German, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Father of peace
- Pronunciation: AHKS-eyl
- Variations: Aksel, Axl
- Namesakes: Axel Augis, a French artistic gymnast who competed at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Axel Anderson, a German actor appearing in the Puerto Rican sitcom Qué Pareja.
- Popularity: Axel has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1880 and ranked #79 in 2025.
Benigno
Benigno comes from the Latin Benignus, meaning kind and friendly. It spread through Spanish-speaking countries on the strength of the many saints who carried it. The meaning is unusually plain for such a formal name, which is the appeal. It says something about the boy rather than about his ancestors.
- Origin: Latin, Italian
- Meaning: Kind, well-born
- Pronunciation: Beh-NIYG-Now
- Variations: Benignio, Benygnio, Benygno
- Namesakes: Benigno Aquino Sr., the Speaker of the National Assembly in the Philippines from 1943 to 1944. Benigno Perez, a Filipino actor appearing in the variety series It’s Showtime.
- Popularity: Benigno last cleared the SSA five-birth reporting line in 2024, at #12,581, after its best showing of #1,652 in 1972.
Benjamin
Benjamin is one of many Puerto Rican male names with biblical roots. Jacob’s son Benjamin founded the Israelite tribe that took his name, and the name itself means son of the right hand. It works in English and Spanish with only the stress moving, which makes life simpler in a bilingual house.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Son of the right hand
- Pronunciation: BEHN-haah-Mihn
- Variations: Benjaman, Benjamen
- Namesakes: Benjamin Britten, an English composer known for The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (1945). Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel since 2022.
- Popularity: Benjamin ranked #11 in 2025 and has held roughly the same share of births over the last decade.
Bonifacio
Bonifacio means auspicious by way of the Latin Bonifatius, built from bonum, meaning good, and fatum, meaning destiny. It is the Spanish form of Boniface and reads as decidedly old-fashioned now, which is exactly the argument for it if you like a name with some dust on it.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Fortunate
- Pronunciation: Bow-niy-FAA-Syow
- Variations: Bonfecio, Bonifaco, Bonifaceo
- Namesakes: Bonifacio Herrera, the Deputy of the LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress from 2009 and 2012. Bonifacio Ávila, a Colombian boxer who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Bonifacio last cleared the SSA five-birth reporting line in 2024, at #10,050, after its best showing of #1,194 in 1930.
Braulio
Braulio means shining and torch, from the German brahuila, meaning bright. It can also point to a flaming sword. It doubles as well as the name of a liqueur made in Valtellina, Italy. Not many names manage fire, light, and a digestif all at once.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Fire
- Pronunciation: BRAW-liy-Ow
- Variations: Brauleo, Braulo
- Namesakes: Braulio Luna, a Mexican footballer for UNAM Pumas. Braulio Guerra, a Mexican politician and a member of the Chamber of Deputies.
- Popularity: Braulio ranked #2,129 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 68 births that year.
Bruno
Beyond the German brun, meaning brown, Bruno connects to brunna, meaning armor and coat of mail. It can also suggest a bear, which hands a small boy a fairly large shadow to grow into, and the strong opening vowel makes it carry across a room without ever needing a nickname.
- Origin: German, Spanish
- Meaning: Brown
- Pronunciation: BRUW-Now
- Variations: Brunow, Brunowe
- Namesakes: Bruno Ganz, a Swiss actor who collaborated with film director Wim Wenders. Peter Hernandez (known as Bruno Mars), an American musician with over 130 million records sold.
- Popularity: SSA records put Bruno at #740 in 2025, below its best of #259 in 1915.
Carlos
Carlos comes from the German cheorl, meaning free man. It serves as the Spanish counterpart to Charles, carried across Latin America for generations. It is one of the plainest and most durable names on this list, the kind that fits a toddler and a grandfather with no adjustment. Say it once and nobody asks how it is spelled.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Strong
- Pronunciation: KAAR-Lows
- Variations: Charlos, Carlo
- Namesakes: Carlos Mencía, a Honduran-American comedian and the host of the Comedy Central Mind of Mencia (2005 to 2008). Carlos Correa, a Puerto Rican baseball player for the Minnesota Twins.
- Popularity: Carlos has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1880 and ranked #150 in 2025.
Celestino
Celestino belongs to Spanish and Italian tradition alike, taken from the Latin caelestis, meaning heavenly. It became a revered Christian name used by more than a few popes, and while five syllables is a lot to hand a newborn, what you get back is a name that sounds like a hymn.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Heavenly
- Pronunciation: Seh-leh-STIY-now
- Variations: Selestino
- Namesakes: Celestino Rocha da Costa, the prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1988 to 1991. Celestino Caballero, a Panamanian boxer and the WBA (Regular) Featherweight Champion from 2011 to 2012.
- Popularity: About one in every 62,500 American boys born in 2025 was named Celestino, good for #3,860.
Christian
Christian arose from the Latin Christianus, meaning follower of Christ or anointed one. It attached itself to the early Christians. The association has never really loosened its grip on the name since.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: KRIHS-Chahn
- Variations: Chriztian
- Namesakes: Christian Bale, an English actor, ranked among the highest-paid actors in 2014. Christian Villanueva, a Mexican baseball player for the San Diego Padres.
- Popularity: Christian ranked #96 in the U.S. in 2025, down about 47% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Cleto
Cleto reaches back to the Greek Cletos and means calling forth, with the fuller sense of calling a spirit while praying. It probably gained ground through Pope Anacletus, known as Cletus, an early bishop of Rome, and with two syllables and clean edges, there is almost no chance of a second Cleto in the class.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Summoned
- Pronunciation: KLEH-Tow
- Variations: Clete
- Namesakes: Cleto L. Rodríguez, a Mexican-American recipient of the Medal of Honor during World War II. Cleto González Víquez, the President of Costa Rica from 1906 to 1910.
- Popularity: Cleto last cleared the SSA five-birth reporting line in 2004, at #11,678, after its best showing of #2,240 in 1933.
Cordero
Cordero rests on the Latin cordarius, from cordus, meaning young, and it refers to a new lamb. It has mostly lived as an occupational surname for a shepherd. That trade is where the warmth in the name comes from. As a first name it is gentle without going soft.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Lamb
- Pronunciation: Kaor-DARE-oh
- Variations: Corderro, Cordereo
- Popularity: Cordero ranked #6,884 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 12 births that year.
Daniel
Daniel is known from the biblical Book of Daniel and joins the Hebrew din, meaning to judge, with El, meaning God. It arrived in England with the Normans and has served as a first name since the twelfth century, though Spanish moves the stress to the end, dah-nee-EL, turning the familiar name into something else.
- Origin: Hebrew, English
- Meaning: God is my judge
- Pronunciation: DAEN-Yahl
- Variations: Danial, Danyal
- Namesakes: Daniel Burley Woolfall, an English football president of FIFA from 1906 to 1913. Daniel Kaluuya, a British actor best known for the horror film Get Out.
- Popularity: SSA records put Daniel at #22 in 2025, below its best of #5 in 1985.
Dario
Dario stands in for Darius in Spanish and Italian, and some trace it to the Persian Darayavahus. It means he who holds firm to good. That comes from daraya, meaning to possess, and vahu, meaning good. The meaning is a small piece of advice wearing a name.
- Origin: Spanish, Persian
- Meaning: Possessing goodness
- Pronunciation: DAAH-riy-Ow
- Variations: Darius
- Namesakes: Dario Šarić, a Croatian basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Darío Villanueva, a Spanish literary theorist and director of the Royal Spanish Academy since 2007.
- Popularity: Dario ranked #760 in the U.S. in 2025; the name has appeared in the national data since 1909.
David
David first appeared as the Hebrew Dawid, from dod, meaning beloved. Its earliest famous bearer was King David, the second king of Israel in the Bible, and the Spanish reading puts the weight on the second syllable, dah-VEED, giving a very old name a different shape entirely.
- Origin: Hebrew, English
- Meaning: Beloved
- Pronunciation: DEY-Vihd
- Variations: Davyd
- Namesakes: David Huertas, a Puerto Rican basketball player for the Puerto Rican national team. David Lynch, an American filmmaker and a recipient of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Popularity: About one in every 251 American boys born in 2025 was named David, good for #35.
Dereck
Dereck is a particular spelling of Derek. The name was inspired by the German Theodoric, meaning power of the tribe. It also relates to Diederik, which, like Dereck, means ruler of the people. The extra C is the whole difference, so expect to spell it out at every appointment.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: People ruler
- Pronunciation: DEH-Rehk
- Variations: Derrek, Derrick
- Namesakes: Dereck Rodríguez, an American baseball player for the Minnesota Twins.
- Popularity: Dereck ranked #688 in the U.S. in 2025, up about 58% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Diego
Diego is said to come from Tiago, a short form of Santiago, meaning Saint Jacob. The variant Diago turned up in the Middle Ages and never overtook it, leaving Diego short, warm, and unmistakably Spanish, with the rare trick of sounding friendly and serious in the same breath.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Saint Jacob
- Pronunciation: Diy-EY-gow
- Variations: Diago
- Namesakes: Diego Luna, a Mexican actor known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Hypólito, a Brazilian gymnast and silver medalist at the 2016 Olympic Games.
- Popularity: Diego ranked #158 in 2025, with 126,160 American boys given the name since 1887.
Donatello
Donatello means given and gift from God, and it is tied above all to the Italian Renaissance sculptor. Your boy may care more that it belongs to one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the nineties. Either way it is a big, ornate name. It commits you to four syllables every time you call him in for dinner.
- Origin: Latin, Italian
- Meaning: To give
- Pronunciation: Daw-naa-TEH-Low
- Variations: Donato
- Namesakes: Donatello, a 15th-century Italian sculptor famous for helping create the Renaissance style.
- Popularity: Donatello ranked #4,580 among U.S. boy names in 2025, the year it went to 22 American boys.
Edelira
Edelira is a masculine form of the Spanish Edelmira, and it carries the sense of honorable and great. It also names a town in Paraguay, which is part of why it gets used there for boys and girls alike, and being rare, soft, and vowel-heavy, it is the sort of name that sounds like it was borrowed from a song.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Noble, famous
- Pronunciation: Eh-dh-LIH-Rah
- Popularity: Edelira never clears the U.S. Social Security Administration reporting line, which publishes a name only once at least five boys are given it in a year.
Eduardo
As the Spanish version of Edward, Eduardo goes back to the Old English Eadweard, meaning rich protector. It took hold in Spain during the reign of Edward, King of Portugal. From there it spread across the Spanish-speaking world. The Spanish version is warmer than the English one and keeps every syllable open.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Wealthy guard
- Pronunciation: Ah-DHWAAR-Dow
- Variations: Edoardo, Edwardo
- Namesakes: Eduardo Piccinini, a Brazilian swimmer and bronze medalist at the 1991 Pan American Games. Eduardo Galeano, a Uruguayan journalist who wrote Open Veins of Latin America (1971).
- Popularity: SSA data on Eduardo stretches back to 1890, and the name most recently ranked #410 in 2025.
Emiliano
Emiliano reads as work in Spanish but as eager and rival in the original Latin. It descends from the Roman Aemilianus, itself from Aemilius, and has belonged to more than a few saints, and though five syllables make it a mouthful on paper, it moves quickly when spoken.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Work
- Pronunciation: Eh-Miy-liy-AH-Now
- Variations: Emilio
- Namesakes: Emiliano Ortega, the Chilean Minister of State from 1994 to 2000. Emiliano Romay, an Argentine footballer for Santiago Wanderers.
- Popularity: About one in every 461 American boys born in 2025 was named Emiliano, good for #94.
Enrique
Enrique is the Spanish variant of Henry, which rests on the German Henrich. It joins haim, meaning home, and ric, meaning ruler. Put together, the boy is quietly in charge of the house. The surname Enriquez grew out of it and means son of Enrique.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Home ruler
- Pronunciation: Ahn-RIY-keh
- Variations: Enrico
- Namesakes: Enrique Iglesias, a Spanish singer with over 70 million records sold worldwide. Enrique Peña Nieto, the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018.
- Popularity: Enrique ranked #571 in the U.S. in 2025, down about 32% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Estefan
Estefan is a Spanish form of Stephen, originating with the Greek Stephanos, meaning garland. It also carries the sense of renown and fame, though it is far more familiar as a surname than a first name, which makes choosing it for a boy a genuinely unusual move.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Crown
- Pronunciation: Eh-steh-FAHN
- Variations: Estevan, Estebon
- Popularity: Estefan ranked #11,080 in 2025, with 337 American boys given the name since 1988.
Eufrasio
Eufrasio comes from the ancient Greek euphron. That word is made up of eu, meaning well, and phren, meaning soul. A well-souled boy is a fine thing to name outright. It remains one of the lesser-known Puerto Rican boy names, which is either the drawback or the whole point.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Well spoken
- Pronunciation: Yuw-FRAH-ziy-Ow
- Popularity: Eufrasio never clears the U.S. Social Security Administration reporting line, which publishes a name only once at least five boys are given it in a year.
Fabian
Fabian was once the Latin Fabianus, meaning of Fabius. It also ties to the Latin faba, the fava bean, and belonged to a third-century pope, and few names manage to sound noble and agricultural at the same time the way this one does.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Noble
- Pronunciation: FEY-biy-Ahn
- Variations: Fabiane
- Namesakes: Fabian Beqja, an Albanian footballer for Gjilani. Fabian Uziell-Hamilton, a British Member of Parliament since 1997.
- Popularity: Fabian ranked #468 in 2025, down from a peak of #253 back in 2007.
Felix
Felix means fortunate. It started life as a nickname for the ancient Roman general Sulla, who believed himself a lucky man. Saints and popes have carried it since. The meaning sits right on the surface, so the name doubles as a small wish for the boy wearing it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Happy
- Pronunciation: FIY-Lihks
- Variations: Felyx, Filix
- Namesakes: Felix Silla, an Italian actor appearing in The Addams Family series. Félix Trinidad, a Puerto Rican boxer and Lineal Welterweight Champion in 1999.
- Popularity: Felix has been a fixture in U.S. birth records since 1880; in 2025 it ranked #175.
Fidel
Fidel derives from the Latin ficles, meaning faith. It first appeared as Fidelis or Fidelius before shortening, and it is inseparable now from the most famous Cuban leader in history, an association worth thinking through even though the name itself is simply about being faithful.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Faithful
- Pronunciation: Fiy-DEHL
- Variations: Fidele
- Namesakes: Fidel Castro, a Cuban revolutionary, and leader from 1959 to 2008. Fidel Negrete, a Mexican runner who competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: About one in every 20,408 American boys born in 2025 was named Fidel, good for #1,875.
Francisco
Francisco was the Latin Franciscus, meaning Frenchman. From it came Francisco, then Francis, and eventually plain Frank. It is popular through the north and south of the Americas. It also hands a boy several usable short forms without you having to choose one at birth.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: Fraan-SIYS-kow
- Variations: Francesco
- Namesakes: Francisco Vidal Salinas, the Chilean Minister of National Defense from 2009 to 2010. Francisco Cabrera, a Chilean cyclist who competed at the 1999 Pan American Games.
- Popularity: Francisco ranked #322 in the U.S. in 2025, down about 32% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Gabriel
Gabriel can be read as hero of God, especially with the Archangel Gabriel in mind. It stays common across Latin countries in this form rather than the more Spanish Gabrielo, and the name is soft in the middle and firm at both ends, a rare balance.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is my strength
- Pronunciation: GEY-briy-Ahl
- Variations: Gabrielo, Gabryel, Gaybriel
- Namesakes: Gabriel Byrne, an Irish actor awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Gabriel Davis, an American football player for the Buffalo Bills.
- Popularity: Gabriel ranked #37 in 2025, with 395,778 American boys given the name since 1880.
Gael
Gael is a Welsh and Breton name that first meant Gaelic. It was applied to Gaelic foreigners living in the UK. The word itself comes from goidel, meaning stranger. One syllable, no ambiguity, and it lands the same way in Spanish and English.
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: Strong man
- Pronunciation: GAYL
- Variations: Gaele, Gaell, Gall
- Namesakes: Gael Esono, an Equatorial Guinean footballer with the Equatorial Guinea national team. Gaël Leforestier, a French TV host of En juin, ça sera bien from 1998 to 2000.
- Popularity: Gael ranked #86 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 3,860 births that year.
Galo
Galo means from Gaul, the old name for France, and it also means rooster. In the ancient world it marked someone from Galilee. As a surname it connects to the English Galloway. Two syllables, three meanings, and none of them boring.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: From Gaul
- Pronunciation: GAA-Low
- Variations: Gallo
- Namesakes: Galo Plaza, the President of Ecuador from 1948 to 1952. Galo René Pérez, an Ecuadorian writer awarded the 2004 “Premio Eugenio Espejo” Prize in Literature.
- Popularity: SSA records put Galo at #9,182 in 2025, below its best of #2,580 in 1972.
Garcia
Garcia works as a surname meaning descendant or son of Garcia, but as a given name it is a Spanish version of Gerald. It also carries rule of the spear and sometimes bear, so there are plenty of meanings to pick from, and surname-first names read modern even when they are anything but.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Warrior
- Pronunciation: Gaar-SIY-ah
- Variations: Garcea
- Popularity: Garcia’s most recent appearance in the SSA’s five-birth threshold was 2015 at #12,710, well off the #2,209 it reached in 1958.
Gerardo
Gerardo is the Spanish equivalent of the German Gerard, which first appeared as Gerhart. It means brave with the spear and belongs to the long line of Puerto Rican names for boys with German roots underneath the Spanish surface.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Spear strength
- Pronunciation: Jheh-RAAR-dow
- Variations: Gerard
- Namesakes: Gerardo Greco, an Italian correspondent for RAI since 2001. Gerardo Mejía, an Ecuadorian-American rapper called “Latin Elvis.”
- Popularity: About one in every 4,255 American boys born in 2025 was named Gerardo, good for #678.
Guillermo
Guillermo means with gilded helmet as the Spanish version of William. Like William it also reads as resolute protector. Both names trace back to the German Wilhelm. The double L gives it that soft Y sound in the middle, which is what separates it from every English relative it has.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Strong-willed warrior
- Pronunciation: Giy-YEHR-mow
- Namesakes: Guillermo del Toro, a Mexican filmmaker known for Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Guillermo Rodriguez, a Mexican-American sidekick for the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Popularity: Guillermo ranked #902 in 2025; births have fallen about 30 percent over the last decade compared with the decade before.
Gustavo
Gustavo is a traditional Spanish boy’s name based on Gustav. It is built from the Old Norse gautr, meaning Goths or gods, and stafr, meaning staff, and a Scandinavian name that became thoroughly Latin is a fair description of a lot of this list.
- Origin: Spanish, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Royal staff
- Pronunciation: Guw-STAH-vow
- Variations: Gustave
- Namesakes: Gustavo Poyet, a Uruguayan head coach of the Greece national football team. Gustavo Noboa, the 42nd president of Ecuador from 2000 to 2003.
- Popularity: Gustavo ranked #625 in 2025; SSA records show 40,357 American boys given the name since 1911.
Hernán
Hernan is a shortened variant of Hernando, which rests on Ferdinand. Ferdinand began as a Latin name taken from fard-nanth, meaning a gentle traveler. That traveler is one ready for a journey, which is fitting for a name that moves so easily between Hernando and Hernan. The accent on the second syllable is doing real work here, so keep it.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Adventurous
- Pronunciation: Ehr-NAAN
- Variations: Hernando
- Namesakes: Hernan Behn, a Puerto Rican businessman who co-founded the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (today ITT) in 1933. Hernán Toro, a Venezuelan cinematographer known for 100 años de perdón (1998).
- Popularity: Hernán does not turn up in the SSA payload under its accented spelling; the agency’s records track the unaccented Hernan instead, and this precise form has not cleared the five-birth reporting line in recent years.
Hilario
Hilario means happy as the Spanish form of Hilary. It draws on the Greek goddess Ilaria and became a masculine name during the Middle Ages, and cheerful names age well, this one having had several centuries to prove it.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Cheerful
- Pronunciation: Iy-LAAR-iy-Ow
- Variations: Hilare
- Namesakes: Hilario Barrero, a Spanish writer, and columnist with The New York Times. Hilario Zapata, a Panamanian boxer and the WBA Flyweight Champion from 1985 to 1987.
- Popularity: SSA records put Hilario at #3,688 in 2025, below its best of #840 in 1929.
Hugo
Hugo rests on the German Hugi. That root comes from hugu, meaning heart and mind. It gets used everywhere from Spain and Portugal to both American continents. Four letters, two syllables, and no version of it that anyone stumbles over.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Mind
- Pronunciation: HHYUW-Gow
- Variations: Hugh
- Namesakes: Hugo Chávez, the president of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. Hugo Sofovich, an Argentine screenwriter known for Amante para dos in 1988.
- Popularity: In 2025, Hugo ranked #378 nationally, continuing a run in the SSA data that goes back to 1880.
Humberto
Humberto is the Spanish equivalent of Humbert and Hubert, meaning famous and renowned warrior. It is also a German surname made from hun, meaning warrior, and berht, meaning famous, and two words for glory stacked into one name is a lot to live up to.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Shining intellect
- Pronunciation: Um-BEHR-Tow
- Variations: Humbert
- Namesakes: Humberto Cruz, a Chilean footballer for Santiago Morning. Humberto Ramos, a Mexican comic book penciller known for The Amazing Spider-Man.
- Popularity: About one in every 20,408 American boys born in 2025 was named Humberto, good for #1,876.
Ian
Ian sits oddly among Puerto Rican male names because its roots are English rather than Spanish. It is the Anglo form of the Hebrew Yohanan. That same root is also where the name John comes from. Three letters, one syllable, and it fits neatly beside a long Spanish surname.
- Origin: English, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: IY-ahn
- Variations: Iain, Iann
- Namesakes: Ian Poulter, an English golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. Ian Fleming, a British writer who created the James Bond book series.
- Popularity: Ian ranked #83 in the U.S. in 2025, with births holding fairly steady over the past decade, moving within about 12 percent of where it stood ten years earlier.
Ignado
Ignado comes from the Latin Ignatius, meaning fiery and ardent. It gets used far less than Ignacio and is one of the few names beginning with I on this list, so if you want the fire without the more familiar spelling, this is the version to consider.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Fire
- Pronunciation: Ihg-NAA-dow
- Variations: Ignacio
- Popularity: Ignado stays below the SSA’s five-birth-a-year threshold, so the agency has never published a count for it.
Isaac
Isaac has traveled a long way from the Hebrew Yitzchak, meaning one who rejoices. In the Bible he is the only son of Abraham and Sarah. The double A in the middle is the part people misspell. It is also what gives the name its shape on the page.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: One who laughs
- Pronunciation: AY-Zahk
- Variations: Isaack, Isaak, Isack, Issac
- Namesakes: Isaac Herzog, the 11th president of Israel since 2021. Isaac Alarcón, a Mexican-American football player for the Dallas Cowboys.
- Popularity: Isaac ranked #47 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 5,953 births that year.
Jadzia
Jadzia is traditionally a girl’s name and also carries battle and female warrior. As a Polish name it means princess and works as a nickname for Jadwiga, the Polish Hedwig, and using it for a boy is a deliberate break with all of that, which some parents will like.
- Origin: Spanish, Polish
- Meaning: Glory of his people
- Pronunciation: Jaad-ZIY-ah
- Popularity: SSA records put Jadzia at #9,113 in 2025, below its best of #3,381 in 1995.
Jaime
Jaime is the Spanish spelling of James and also carries the sense of may God protect. It descends from the Hebrew Yaaqov, meaning to supplant. It sometimes doubles as an unusual spelling of Jamie, which comes from the same place. Said the Spanish way, HHAY-Meh, it sounds nothing like the English name it shares a page with.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: HHAY-Meh
- Variations: Jaimey
- Namesakes: Jaime Maussan, a Mexican journalist for Televisa. Jaime Camil, a Mexican actor known for La Fea Más Bella.
- Popularity: Jaime’s SSA history opens in 1916 and runs through 2025, when it ranked #657.
Javier
Javier came about through Saint Francis Xavier and names the village where he was born. It also carries the sense of castle. That gives it a faintly noble air few other names on this list can claim. The J is pronounced like an H, so the name opens on a breath rather than a consonant.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: New house
- Pronunciation: HHAEV-iy-Ehr
- Namesakes: Javier Bardem, a Spanish actor and winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Javier Báez, a Puerto Rican baseball player for the Detroit Tigers.
- Popularity: About one in every 1,364 American boys born in 2025 was named Javier, good for #274.
Jesús
Jesus is one of the most recognizable Puerto Rican boy names with a religious background, coming from the Hebrew Jeshua. In Spanish-speaking Catholic countries it is a name like any other, given freely and used daily, and said hey-SOOS, it lands very differently than an English speaker expects.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is salvation
- Pronunciation: HHEY-suws
- Variations: Jessus, Jesues
- Namesakes: Jesús García, the U.S. representative since 2019. Jesús Vallejo, a Spanish footballer for Real Madrid.
- Popularity: Jesús does not appear in the SSA payload under its accented spelling; the agency’s data tracks the unaccented Jesus, a name with deep roots among Puerto Rican boys, and this precise accented form has not cleared the five-birth reporting line in recent years.
Joaquin
Joaquin derives from the Hebrew Yehohanan, meaning established by God. It is the Spanish spelling of the German Joachim. That name belongs to the biblical saint considered the Virgin Mary’s father. The silent-looking QU is doing something entirely different than it would in English, so it rewards one round of practice.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God will judge
- Pronunciation: Hwaa-KIYN
- Variations: Joachim, Joachin, Joaquim
- Namesakes: Joaquin Phoenix, an American actor called one of the greatest actors of the 21st-century in 2020. Joaquín Balaguer, the President of the Dominican Republic from 1986 to 1996.
- Popularity: SSA records count 35,601 American boys named Joaquin since 1886, with the name ranking #355 in 2025.
Jorge
Jorge is the Spanish styling of George, which began as Georgios. It holds the root georgos, meaning farmer or earth-worker, and remains common through Hispanic culture. The pronunciation, HHOWR-hey, is the whole appeal, since the English George never sounded this good.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Farmer
- Pronunciation: HHOWR-hey
- Namesakes: Jorge Garbajosa, the current president of the Spanish Basketball Federation. Jorge Sampaio, the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006.
- Popularity: Jorge ranked #323 among U.S. boy names in 2025, when 1,069 boys received the name.
José
Jose reads as raised and who pardons as the Spanish form of Joseph. It turns up constantly in compound names, and pairing it with a second name is the traditional move, which is why so many men answer to something ending in Jose.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: He shall add
- Pronunciation: HHow-ZEY
- Namesakes: José Hernández, a Puerto Rican baseball player for the Texas Rangers. Jose Pablo Cantillo, an American actor appearing on the FX series Sons of Anarchy.
- Popularity: José does not appear in the SSA payload under its accented spelling; the agency’s records track the unaccented Jose, and this precise accented form has not cleared the five-birth reporting line in recent years.
Juan
Juan is the most typical Spanish version of John, a common name since the medieval era. It began as the Hebrew Yehanan and gives Puerto Rico’s capital its name, San Juan. Juans are found all over that city, from the neighborhood of La Perla to Condado. One syllable, centuries deep.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: God’s gift
- Pronunciation: HHWAAN
- Variations: Juane
- Namesakes: José Rizal, a Filipino writer known for Noli Me Tángere (1887). José Huizar, a Mexican-American member of the Los Angeles City Council from 2005 to 2020.
- Popularity: Juan ranked #159 in the U.S. in 2025; the name has appeared in the national data reaching back to 1880.
Julian
Julian derives from the Latin Julianus, which also carries the sense of Jove’s child. The ancient Roman Julianus family produced multiple emperors, Julius Caesar being the one everybody remembers. It works as a boy’s or a girl’s name, and the Spanish pronunciation, HUW-liy-Ahn, keeps it firmly masculine.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Youthful
- Pronunciation: HUW-liy-Ahn
- Variations: Julio
- Namesakes: Julian Austin, a Canadian country music singer with a gold album, What My Heart Already Knows released in 1997. Julian Bushoff, a Dutch member of the House of Representatives since 2022.
- Popularity: About one in every 225 American boys born in 2025 was named Julian, good for #25.
Julio
Julio is the more Spanish-sounding version of Julius and Julian, and it carries the odd meaning downy bearded. The Roman Julianus family started it all, and Julio Iglesias probably explains more of the modern ones than the Romans do. Two syllables, easy on the ear, and impossible to shorten.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Jove’s child
- Pronunciation: HHUW-Lyow
- Variations: Julian
- Namesakes: Julio Mannino, a Mexican actor appearing on the series La fea más bella in 2006. Julio Santana, a Dominican baseball player for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
- Popularity: Births of Julio have dropped roughly 39 percent over the past decade, leaving it at #641 in 2025.
Kemen
Kemen means courage and vigor in Basque. It is unrelated to the Hungarian Kemeny despite the resemblance, and it stands for everything strong in Spanish culture. Basque names bring sounds that Spanish alone does not, which is what makes this one worth a look.
- Origin: Spanish, Basque
- Meaning: Strong
- Pronunciation: KEH-Mehn
- Variations: Keman, Kemin, Kemyn
- Popularity: Kemen has only ever cleared the SSA’s five-birth threshold once, landing at #11,510 in 2017.
Kevin
Kevin rests on the Irish Caoimhin, built from coem, meaning handsome, and gein, meaning birth. It also carries gentle and kind. Of all 100 names here, Kevin has slid the furthest in U.S. records, down about 63 percent when the last 10 years of births are set against the 10 before them. That makes it feel less like a trend and more like a name whose moment has passed, which is exactly when some parents get interested.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Handsome
- Pronunciation: KEHV-ihn
- Variations: Kevyn
- Namesakes: Kevin Bacon, an American actor with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. Kevin Escamilla, a Mexican footballer for Querétaro.
- Popularity: Kevin ranked #221 among U.S. boy names in 2025, with 1,628 births that year.
Leandro
Leandro originated with the Greek Leandros, meaning lion of a man. It comes with a story attached, the myth of Leander, who fell in love with Hero, one of Aphrodite’s priestesses. Romantic origins and a solid, three-syllable sound make it an easy one to say out loud repeatedly.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: Lion man
- Pronunciation: Leh-AAN-drow
- Variations: Leandre
- Namesakes: Leandro Baccaro, an Argentinian field hockey player who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Leandro dos Santos, a Brazilian footballer for Army United.
- Popularity: Leandro stands at its best U.S. showing yet, #406 in 2025.
Lorenzo
Lorenzo first denoted someone from Laurentum and rests on Laurentius, the Latin form of Lawrence. It has come to stand for laurels, and by extension victory and fame. Few names hand a boy a crown quite this directly.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Crowned with laurel
- Pronunciation: Loh-REHN-sow
- Namesakes: Lorenzo Lamas, an American actor known for the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981 to 1990). Lorenzo Mata-Real, an American basketball player for the UCLA Bruins.
- Popularity: Lorenzo has been a fixture in U.S. birth records since 1880; in 2025 it ranked #117.
Luca
Luca is one of the most international Puerto Rican names for boys that start with the letter L, used across Latin America and well beyond it. It comes from the Latin Lucas, which first meant sacred wood. Two syllables ending on an open A give it that soft landing Italian and Spanish share.
- Origin: Latin, Spanish
- Meaning: Bringer of light
- Pronunciation: Luw-KAA
- Variations: Luka
- Namesakes: Luca Marinelli, an Italian actor appearing in Every Blessed Day (2012). Luca Barbarossa, an Italian singer-songwriter who took part in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.
- Popularity: Luca ranked #14 in 2025, one of the more common names here, going to about one in every 195 American boys born that year.
Lucas
Lucas originally referred to someone belonging to Lucania, a region in southern Italy. It draws on the Latin lucere and first appeared as the Greek Loukas. Today it is thoroughly at home across the Americas as the fuller-sounding relative of Luke.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Bringer of light
- Pronunciation: LUW-Kahs
- Variations: Lukas
- Namesakes: Lucas Zelarayán, an Argentinian footballer for the Armenia national team. Lucas Bryant, a Canadian-American actor appearing on the series Haven (2010 to 2015).
- Popularity: Lucas ranked #10 in the U.S. in 2025, up about 24% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Luis
Luis is the Spanish form of Louis, which began as the German Ludowig or Chlodovech. It also reads as renowned fighter. Short, sharp, and used everywhere Spanish is spoken, it is the kind of name that never needs explaining.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Famous warrior
- Pronunciation: Luw-Iyz
- Variations: Luiz
- Namesakes: Luis Olmo, a Puerto Rican baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican singer known for the song “Despacito.”
- Popularity: Nearly 293,000 American boys have been named Luis since 1880, and the name still ranked #144 in 2025.
Manolito
Manolito is one of the finest and cutest diminutives in the language. It is a nickname for Manuel, the Spanish equivalent of the Hebrew Emmanuel, so it literally means little Immanuel. Naming a baby a diminutive is a gamble, since he will one day be six feet tall and still be little Manuel.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: God is with us
- Pronunciation: MAEN-ah-LIY-Tow
- Popularity: Manolito hasn’t cleared the SSA’s five-birth threshold since 1977, when it landed at #4,433, down from its best of #2,263 in 1968.
Mario
Mario is a more casual version of the Latin Marius, given to a follower of the Roman god Mars, ruler of war. It is just as pretty as Maria and has been a favorite in Spanish, Italian, and Croatian families alike. The war god underneath a gentle sound is a nice piece of misdirection.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Dedicated to Mars
- Pronunciation: MAA-riy-Ow
- Variations: Marrio, Marios
- Namesakes: Mario Draghi, the prime minister of Italy from 2021 to 2022. Mario Andretti, an Italian-American racing driver who won the 1978 Formula One World Championship.
- Popularity: Mario’s #438 ranking in 2025 is well off its high point of #102 in 1980.
Mateo
Mateo is the Spanish version of Matthew, one of the apostles in the New Testament, and it means gift of God. It has become the runaway favorite of this whole list in American birth records. Three syllables, biblical roots, and no pronunciation trouble in either language explains most of that.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: Gift of God
- Pronunciation: Mah-TEY-ow
- Variations: Matteo
- Namesakes: Mateo De Angulo, a Colombian swimmer and the 2010 NJCAA Men’s Swimmer of the Year. Mateo Pumacahua, a Peruvian revolutionary and leader of the Cuzco Rebellion of 1814.
- Popularity: Mateo ranked #8 in the U.S. in 2025, the highest current rank of any name on this list, with SSA records on it reaching back to 1904.
Melo
Melo began as a Portuguese surname taken from merlo, meaning blackbird. It works in Spanish and Italian as a nickname for Carmelo and for anything else ending in melo. It is also the fastest-climbing name on this list in U.S. records, up about 382 percent over the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them, so the surname-as-first-name idea is clearly catching.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Rival
- Pronunciation: MEH-Low
- Namesakes: Carmelo “Melo” Anthony, an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Popularity: Melo ranked #2,297 in 2025, roughly one birth in every 27,778 American boys that year.
Miguel
Miguel is the Spanish version of Michael, taken from the Hebrew Mikael. Miguel was one of the seven archangels in the Bible, which puts a lot of company behind the boy carrying it. The soft G is the only thing English speakers trip on, and they only do it once.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Who is like God
- Pronunciation: Miy-GEHL
- Namesakes: Miguel Ferrer, an American actor appearing on NCIS: Los Angeles (2012 to 2017). Miguel Díaz-Canel, the president of Cuba since 2019.
- Popularity: Miguel ranked #212 in 2025, after a decline of about 37 percent from the decade before.
Neron
Neron comes from the ancient Italian-Sabine neron, meaning vigorous and a warrior. It was an unlikely nickname for the infamous Roman Emperor Nero and would make a striking middle name today. The imperial baggage is real, though the meaning underneath it is all strength.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Sea
- Pronunciation: Neh-RAON
- Variations: Nero
- Popularity: Neron has appeared in SSA data since 2014, most recently at #11,729 in 2016.
Nicholas
Nicholas derives from the Greek Nikolaus, joining nike, meaning victory, with laos, meaning people. Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, sits right inside it. Spanish speakers usually reach for Nicolas with one less H, so decide early which spelling the birth certificate gets.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Victory of the people
- Pronunciation: NIHK-ah-Lahs
- Variations: Nicholaus, Nicholos
- Namesakes: Nicholas Braun, an American actor appearing in the HBO series Succession (2018 to present). Nicholas Latifi, a Canadian racing driver who took part in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.
- Popularity: Nicholas ranked #112 in 2025, a long way from the #5 it reached in 1999.
Osvaldo
Osvaldo is a distinctly Spanish derivation of the Old German Oswald and also reads as God rules. It is far more at home in Hispanic families than Oswald ever managed to be in English-speaking ones. The V for the W is a small change that transforms the whole name.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: God’s power
- Pronunciation: Ahs-VAEL-dow
- Variations: Oswaldo
- Namesakes: Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado, the president of Cuba from 1959 to 1976. Osvaldo Nieves, a Puerto Rican track and field athlete who competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Osvaldo has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1917 and ranked #1,408 in 2025.
Paco
Paco means eagle in Native American culture and works in Spanish as a nickname for Francisco or Francis. It started as Saint Francis of Assisi’s pet name. It is worth knowing that in parts of Latin America the word is also slang for police, which may or may not bother you.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Free
- Pronunciation: PAH-Kow
- Variations: Pako, Packo
- Namesakes: Paco Lala’s (born Francisco Anaya), a Mexican TV host of “Cada Mañana” from 2000 to 2005. Paco Moncayo, the mayor of Quito, Ecuador, from 2000 to 2009.
- Popularity: Paco’s most recent appearance in the SSA’s five-birth threshold was 2024 at #9,645, a long way from the #3,296 it reached in 1968.
Paz
Paz means peace and also gold as the Spanish form of the Latin pax. It is far more common for girls, since it comes from the title Maria de la Paz. In Catalan dialects it is said PAATH rather than PAHZ, so the region changes the name in your mouth.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: Peace
- Pronunciation: PAHZ
- Variations: Pazz
- Popularity: Paz ranked #7,407 in the U.S. in 2025, up about 32% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Pedro
Pedro is the Spanish form of Peter, the biblical name meaning rock. It also rests on the Latin petra, meaning stone, which makes it one of the most dependable-sounding Puerto Rican male names on offer. Nothing about it is fussy, and that is the point.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Stone
- Pronunciation: PEH-Drow
- Namesakes: Pedro Morales, a Puerto Rican wrestler for the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the President of Peru from 2016 to 2018.
- Popularity: Pedro has gone to roughly 94,000 American boys since 1880 and ranked #455 in 2025.
Peron
Peron is better known as a surname, carried by figures like Eva Peron. It is built on Peter, from the Greek Petros, and shows the influence of the French Peron, itself a nickname for Peter. Choosing it as a first name means accepting that people will hear the history first.
- Origin: Spanish, French
- Meaning: Stone
- Pronunciation: Peh-RAON
- Popularity: Peron has only ever cleared the SSA’s five-birth threshold once, landing at #4,253 in 1955.
Pitin
Pitin is an unexpected Spanish form of Felix, meaning happy. It has also served as a British and Irish surname for a beautiful lad respected by many. It is playful on the page and even more so out loud.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Lucky
- Pronunciation: PIH-tiyn
- Variations: Pito
- Popularity: Pitin has never reached the five-birth minimum the SSA requires before it publishes a count.
Rafael
Rafael is the Spanish and Portuguese spelling of Raphael, which began as the Hebrew Rafael and means God has healed. He is one of the seven archangels in Christian tradition. The name is long enough to feel formal and musical enough that nobody minds saying all three syllables.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: God has healed
- Pronunciation: Raa-faey-EHL
- Variations: Raffael, Raphael
- Namesakes: Rafael Correa, the President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. Rafael L. Silva, a Brazilian-American actor appearing in the series 9-1-1: Lone Star.
- Popularity: SSA data on Rafael stretches back to 1880, and the name most recently ranked #218 in 2025.
Ramón
Ramon is the Spanish equivalent of Raymond, based on the Germanic Raginmund, meaning counsel. Add the sense of mighty protection and you have a name that advises and defends in one breath. The accent falls on the second syllable, raa-MOAN, which is what keeps it from sounding like the English Raymond at all.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Mighty protection
- Pronunciation: Raa-MOAN
- Namesakes: Ramón Rosso, a Dominican baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. Ramón Vinay, a Chilean opera singer best known for performing in Othello.
- Popularity: Ramón does not appear in the SSA payload under its accented spelling; the agency’s records track the unaccented Ramon, and this precise accented form has not cleared the five-birth reporting line in recent years.
Ricardo
Ricardo is the Spanish Richard and carries powerful and hardy with it. It comes from the Germanic ric, meaning ruler, and hard, meaning brave. Three clean syllables, a rolled R if you can manage one, and a meaning that has never needed updating.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Powerful leader
- Pronunciation: Riy-KAAR-Dow
- Variations: Riccardo
- Namesakes: Ricardo Montalbán, a Mexican-American actor known for the series Fantasy Island (1977 to 1984). Ricardo Martínez, a Mexican footballer for Monterrey.
- Popularity: Ricardo’s numbers have slid about 44 percent over the last ten years, putting it at #380 in 2025.
Rio
Rio is one of those offbeat names that works for boys and girls without effort. It calls up the Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro, and it is also a Japanese girl’s name meaning place of the cherry blossoms. Short, geographic, and immediately memorable.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: River
- Pronunciation: RIY-ow
- Namesakes: Rio Ferdinand, an English footballer for the England national team. Rio Waida, an Indonesian surfer and silver medalist at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
- Popularity: Rio ranked #532 in 2025, part of a run of 5,530 American boys given the name since 1920.
Roberto
Roberto is the Spanish version of Robert and means shining glory. It rests on the Old German hruod, meaning fame, and beraht, meaning bright. Between the two, the name is essentially made of light, which is a lot to hand a newborn who mostly sleeps.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Bright fame
- Pronunciation: Row-BEHR-tow
- Variations: Robberto
- Namesakes: Roberto Alomar, a Puerto Rican baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays. Roberto Benigni, an Italian actor/filmmaker best known for Life Is Beautiful (1997).
- Popularity: Roberto ranked #570 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 519 births that year.
Rodrigo
Rodrigo is the Spanish alternative to Roderick, taken from the German Hrodric, meaning famous ruler. A Visigoth king and a Spanish saint both carried it. It sounds like a name from a much older story, and it still fits a kid on a bicycle.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Famous ruler
- Pronunciation: Raod-RIY-gow
- Variations: Roderigo
- Namesakes: Rodrigo dos Santos, a Brazilian water polo player and silver medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games. Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
- Popularity: Rodrigo’s 2025 rank of #492 sits below the #291 peak it hit in 2007.
Rogelio
Rogelio originated with the Latin Rogelius, taken from rogatus, meaning to ask for and to inquire. Put plainly, it is a far more interesting Spanish form of Roger. The G takes the Spanish H sound, so it comes out row-HHEY-liy-Ow and loses every trace of its English cousin.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Request
- Pronunciation: Row-HHEY-liy-Ow
- Variations: Rogeleo, Rogeliyo, Rojelio
- Namesakes: Rogelio Martínez, a Dominican boxer and silver medalist at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games. Rogelio Ordoñez, a Filipino writer known for the 1960s literature anthology Mga Agos sa Disyerto.
- Popularity: Rogelio has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1914 and ranked #1,163 in 2025.
Rolan
Rolan is usually treated as a surname built from hrod, meaning renown, and land, meaning territory. It also stands as a Russian variant of Roland. Dropping the D makes it lighter than Roland without giving up any of the history.
- Origin: Spanish, German
- Meaning: Land famous
- Pronunciation: ROW-Lahn
- Variations: Roland
- Namesakes: Rolan Bykov, a Soviet-Russian actor, made a People’s Artist of the USSR in 1990.
- Popularity: Rolan ranked #5,568 in 2025, about one in every 100,000 American boys born that year.
Roman
Roman is a Spanish patronymic surname as well as a first name, taken from the Latin Romanus. It first marked a citizen of Rome before it came to carry strong and powerful too. It reads the same in a dozen languages, which is rare for a name this old.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: From Rome
- Pronunciation: RAO-Maan
- Variations: Romun
- Namesakes: Roman Dzindzichashvili, a Soviet-Israeli-American chess player made a FIDE Grandmaster in 1977. Roman Kemp, a British radio host of the Capital FM breakfast show since 2017.
- Popularity: Roman ranked #42 in the U.S. in 2025, up about 114% on the last 10 years of births against the 10 before them.
Salvador
Salvador means messiah and is a favorite Hispanic word for Christ. It comes from the Latin Salvator, from salvare, meaning to save. It has also served as a Spanish surname for the various places in Spain named Salvador. Big meaning, three syllables, no shortage of history.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Savior
- Pronunciation: SAEL-vaa-Daoer
- Variations: Salvadore
- Namesakes: Salvador Espriu, a Spanish poet awarded the Award of Honour of Catalan Letters (1972). Salvador Panelo, the Philippino Presidential Spokesperson from 2018 to 2020.
- Popularity: Since 1888, about 49,605 American boys have been named Salvador, a name that ranked #756 in 2025.
Santiago
Santiago was inspired by Saint James the Great, who is bound up with Spain permanently. It also carries supplanter through the Hebrew Jacob, and St. James was known as Santo Yago and Sant Iago before the two words fused. That fusion is the name, which makes it one of the few here with a visible seam.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: St. James
- Pronunciation: Saen-tiy-YAA-Gow
- Variations: Santago, Santeago, Santiaco
- Namesakes: Santiago Iglesias, the Spanish-Puerto Rican Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the U.S. Congress from 1933 to 1939. Santiago Bernabéu, the Spanish president of the Real Madrid football team from 1943 to 1978.
- Popularity: Santiago ranked #26 among U.S. boy names in 2025, one of eighteen names on this list to land in the national top 100, on 7,554 births that year.
Sebastian
Sebastian derives from the Latin Sebastianus, meaning a man of Sebastia in Greece. Older Greek roots give sebastos, meaning revered. It is the rare long name that never sounds heavy, and it comes with a short form ready whenever a boy decides he wants one.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Venerable
- Pronunciation: Sah-BAES-chahn
- Variations: Sebasten, Sabastian
- Namesakes: Sebastián Piñera, the president of Chile from 2018 to 2022. Sebastian Cabot, a British actor known for the sitcom Family Affair (1966 to 1971).
- Popularity: Sebastian ranked #16 in 2025, just off the #13 peak it reached in 2022.
Sergio
Sergio dates back to the Latin servire, meaning to serve, and the Roman Servus, meaning servant. The modern version is common across Latin America. Humility is an unusual thing to build a name on, and it wears surprisingly well.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Servant
- Pronunciation: SEHR-jiy-Ow
- Variations: Sergi, Serge
- Namesakes: Sérgio Pereira Couto, a Portuguese-Brazilian writer contributing to Discovery Magazine. Sergio Araujo, an Argentine footballer for AEK Athens.
- Popularity: In 2025, Sergio ranked #441 nationally, continuing a run in the SSA data that goes back to 1913.
Servando
Servando means one who is in service to others. It may relate to the Latin Servandus. The heavy middle syllables and formal ending give it an old-world sound that few short, clipped names can match.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: To serve
- Pronunciation: Ser-VAEN-Dow
- Namesakes: Servando Bayo, the governor of Santa Fe, Argentina from 1874 to 1878. Servando Carrasco, an American soccer player for Seattle Sounders FC.
- Popularity: Servando ranked #5,574 in 2025, roughly one birth in every 100,000 American boys that year.
Teyo
Teyo is a Spanish-spelled version of Teo, itself a short form of the Greek Theodore, meaning gift of God. It also works as a nickname for longer names like Mateo. Two syllables, ending on an O, and it fits a toddler and a grown man equally well.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: God
- Pronunciation: TEY-ow
- Variations: Teo
- Namesakes: Teyo Johnson, a Canadian football player for the Oakland Raiders.
- Popularity: Teyo’s most recent appearance in the SSA’s five-birth threshold was 2024 at #10,809, down from its best of #7,212 in 2022.
Venturo
Venturo means good luck and is short for Bonaventura, inspired by St. Bonaventure. The female equivalent is Ventura. Naming a boy after good fortune is about as direct as a blessing gets.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Good fortune
- Pronunciation: Vehn-TUW-row
- Variations: Venturio
- Namesakes: Ventura Pons, a Spanish filmmaker and vice-president of the Spanish Film Academy. Ventura Alvarado, an American soccer player for Juárez.
- Popularity: Venturo sits below the SSA’s five-birth reporting threshold, so no official count for it exists.
Vicente
Vicente is the Spanish version of Vincent, and both come from the Latin Vincentius. The root is vincere, meaning to conquer, which also gives it the sense of prevailing. It is a confident name that manages not to sound aggressive.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Conquering
- Pronunciation: Vih-SEHN-teh
- Variations: Vincente
- Namesakes: Vicente Henriques, a Brazilian water polo player, and silver medalist at the Pan American Games. Vicente Fox, the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006.
- Popularity: Vicente ranked #589 among U.S. boy names in 2025, on 498 births that year.
Vidian
Very little is documented about Vidian beyond a possible link to the Latin Vidianus. It is better known as a Romanian name meaning wise, based on the surname Vidic. A name with gaps in its record leaves room for a boy to define it himself.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: To see
- Pronunciation: VIH-diy-Ahn
- Popularity: Vidian has yet to clear the five-birth minimum the SSA sets before it will publish a name’s numbers.
Ximen
Ximen is a very particular Spanish form of Simon, a biblical male name meaning God had heard. It is also a Chinese surname meaning west gate. Two unrelated traditions landing on the same spelling is the sort of coincidence that makes a name interesting.
- Origin: Spanish, Chinese
- Meaning: Son
- Pronunciation: ZAEY-Mahn
- Popularity: Ximen has only ever cleared the SSA’s five-birth threshold once, landing at #14,179 in 2024.
Zacarias
Zacarias is the Spanish version of the Hebrew Zachariah, meaning God remembers. It joins zakar, meaning to remember, with yah, meaning God. Four syllables and a Z at the front make it the most dramatic entrance on this list, and it closes the alphabet in style.
- Origin: Spanish, Greek
- Meaning: The Lord recalled
- Pronunciation: Zae-KAH-riy-Ahs
- Variations: Zachariah
- Popularity: Zacarias ranked #2,939 in 2025, about one in every 40,000 American boys born that year.
