Baby Boy Names: 529 Picks With Meanings and 2025 Ranks

The Most Popular Baby Boy Names of 2025

Liam was the most popular baby boy name in the United States in 2025, given to 20,818 boys, and it has now held first place for seven years in a row. Noah was a close second with 20,358 births, only 460 behind, and the two names have traded places near the top for most of the decade. In England and Wales, Muhammad took first place for 2025, with Noah second and Leo third.

This list collects 529 boy names, and the first 200 are the names American parents used most in 2020 to 2025, with official birth counts and a meaning for each. The rest are grouped by origin and style, with every name checked against the others so none appears twice. Each group also has a short note on how the names are used and three picks with a reason.

Smiling father playing with his baby — Photo: Pexels

The table shows the 2025 top 50 with each name’s US birth count, and its rank across 2020 to 2025 so you can see which names are climbing. The 2025 counts are taken from the year’s ranked list of Social Security card applications.

2025 rank	Name	US births in 2025	Rank for 2020 to 2025	Origin	Meaning
1	Liam	20,818	1	Irish	short form of William, “resolute protector”
2	Noah	20,358	2	Hebrew	“rest” or “comfort”
3	Oliver	14,939	3	Latin/French	linked to the olive tree, a symbol of peace
4	Theodore	13,355	9	Greek	“gift of God”
5	Henry	12,020	7	Germanic	“ruler of the home”
6	James	11,945	4	Hebrew	from Jacob, “supplanter”
7	Elijah	11,111	5	Hebrew	“my God is Yahweh”
8	Mateo	11,045	11	Spanish	form of Matthew, “gift of God”
9	William	10,545	6	Germanic	“will” plus “helmet”, read as “resolute protector”
10	Lucas	10,219	8	Latin/Greek	“from Lucania”, often linked to light
11	Benjamin	9,762	10	Hebrew	“son of the right hand”
12	Levi	9,642	12	Hebrew	“joined” or “attached”
13	Elias	8,837	38	Greek/Hebrew	Greek form of Elijah, “my God is Yahweh”
14	Luca	8,759	34	Italian	Italian form of Luke
15	Jack	8,748	14	English	pet form of John, “God is gracious”
16	Sebastian	8,605	13	Greek/Latin	“venerable” or “from Sebaste”
17	Hudson	8,583	27	English	surname meaning “son of Hudde”
18	Samuel	8,334	19	Hebrew	“name of God” or “God has heard”
19	Leo	8,173	24	Latin	“lion”
20	Ezra	8,126	23	Hebrew	“help”
21	Michael	8,094	16	Hebrew	“who is like God?”
22	Daniel	8,085	15	Hebrew	“God is my judge”
23	John	8,027	21	Hebrew	“God is gracious”
24	Ethan	7,852	18	Hebrew	“firm” or “enduring”
25	Julian	7,603	31	Latin	from the Roman family name Julius
26	Santiago	7,554	47	Spanish	“Saint James”
27	Cooper	7,472	54	English	occupational surname for a barrel maker
28	Asher	7,456	22	Hebrew	“happy” or “blessed”
29	Joseph	7,303	28	Hebrew	“he will add”
30	Alexander	7,230	17	Greek	“defender of the people”
31	Owen	7,190	20	Welsh	possibly “well born” or “noble”
32	Matthew	7,003	35	Hebrew	“gift of God”
33	Luke	6,948	33	Greek	“from Lucania”
34	Thomas	6,917	43	Aramaic	“twin”
35	David	6,794	29	Hebrew	“beloved”
36	Jackson	6,582	25	English	“son of Jack”
37	Gabriel	6,569	39	Hebrew	“God is my strength”
38	Wyatt	6,480	36	English	from the medieval name Wyot, “brave in war”
39	Mason	6,291	26	English	occupational surname for a stoneworker
40	Bennett	6,268	68	English	medieval form of Benedict, “blessed”
41	Dylan	6,208	40	Welsh	“great tide” or “son of the sea”
42	Roman	6,162	62	Latin	“citizen of Rome”
43	Jacob	6,152	30	Hebrew	“supplanter” or “held by the heel”
44	Miles	6,072	49	Germanic/Latin	uncertain; often linked to “soldier” or “gracious”
45	Carter	6,024	44	English	occupational surname for a cart driver
46	Anthony	5,967	46	Latin	from the Roman family name Antonius
47	Isaac	5,953	42	Hebrew	“he will laugh”
48	Charles	5,898	50	Germanic	“free man”
49	Maverick	5,894	45	American English	“independent one”, from rancher Samuel Maverick
50	Thiago	5,835	87	Portuguese	form of Saint James (Tiago)

Ten names took 136,355 births between them in 2025, and the top 50 took 427,807. Even Liam, the most-used name of the decade, went to about 1.1% of the 11.1 million boys counted in 2020 to 2025. A name at the top of the chart is still rare inside any one school year.

Names Climbing and Falling in the US Chart

We compared each name’s 2025 rank with its rank across the six years from 2020 to 2025. A name that ranks higher in 2025 than across the whole period is gaining ground, and one that ranks lower is fading. This is our own comparison of two official tables, so treat a move of one or two places as noise.

Bizolaunch chart comparing 2025 US ranks with 2020 to 2025 ranks for boy names, showing Thiago, Bennett, Cooper, Elias and Santiago climbing and Alexander, Owen, Jacob and Mason falling — Chart: Bizolaunch

Name	Rank for 2020 to 2025	Rank in 2025	Places gained or lost (our calc)
Thiago	87	50	+37
Bennett	68	40	+28
Cooper	54	27	+27
Elias	38	13	+25
Santiago	47	26	+21
Luca	34	14	+20
Roman	62	42	+20
Hudson	27	17	+10
Thomas	43	34	+9
Alexander	17	30	-13
Mason	26	39	-13
Jacob	30	43	-13
Owen	20	31	-11
Jackson	25	36	-11
Daniel	15	22	-7
Ethan	18	24	-6
Asher	22	28	-6
David	29	35	-6
Logan	32	Outside top 50	Fell out of the top 50
Aiden	37	Outside top 50	Fell out of the top 50
Grayson	41	Outside top 50	Fell out of the top 50
Jayden	48	Outside top 50	Fell out of the top 50

The climbers share two sounds that parents seem to want right now: Elias, Luca, Santiago and Thiago are soft Spanish, Italian and Greek forms, and Hudson, Cooper and Bennett are English surnames that sound like first names. The fallers are mostly names that were already common earlier in the period, and Logan, Aiden, Grayson and Jayden all sat in the decade’s top 50 but are missing from the 2025 top 50.

Theodore is the name to watch in the next few releases, because it ranked ninth for the period and fourth in 2025, and its short form Theo sits at 105 on its own. Families who like Theodore but want something less common could look at the Greek names further down this page.

The Top 10 Boy Names in England and Wales Compared With the US

England and Wales publish their own list each year from birth registrations, and the 2025 table came out on July 9, 2026. Five names are in both countries’ top tens or top 50s, which tells you which choices will feel familiar on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rank in England and Wales, 2025	Name	US rank in 2025	US rank for 2020 to 2025	Meaning
1	Muhammad	Outside top 50	Outside top 200	“praised” or “praiseworthy” (Arabic)
2	Noah	2	2	“rest” or “comfort” (Hebrew)
3	Leo	19	24	“lion” (Latin)
4	Luca	14	34	Italian form of Luke (Italian)
5	Arthur	Outside top 50	129	possibly “bear” (Celtic)
6	Oliver	3	3	linked to the olive tree, a symbol of peace (Latin/French)
7	George	Outside top 50	134	“farmer” (Greek)
8	Oscar	Outside top 50	Outside top 200	“deer friend” (Irish)
9	Theodore	4	9	“gift of God” (Greek)
10	Freddie	Outside top 50	Outside top 200	pet form of Frederick, “peaceful ruler” (English)

Freddie is the new entry in the England and Wales top 10, taking Archie’s place. Muhammad, Freddie and Oscar do not appear in the US top 200 for 2020 to 2025, which makes them good picks for American families who want a name that feels British without being unusual there.

The Fastest-Rising Boy Name in the US

Kasai was the fastest-rising boy name in the US in 2025, jumping 1,108 places to 639th and entering the top 1,000 for the first time. The name means “fire” in Japanese and Swahili, which gives it an easy story for parents in many countries. The next four fastest climbers were Akari, Eziah, Jasai and Neithan.

Fast risers usually come from music, television, sport or a global trend, and they can fall as quickly as they rise. A name that jumps hundreds of places in one year tells you about a moment more than a long-term pattern, so weigh it against how the name will sound at 30 or 60.

US Boy Names Ranked 51 to 200 for 2020 to 2025

These are the next 150 names from the official ranking for 2020 to 2025, with total births across the six years. Names in this range are familiar to most people but much less likely to be shared by two boys in the same class.

Rank	Name	Births, 2020 to 2025	Origin	Meaning
51	Josiah	34,599	Hebrew	“God supports”
52	Caleb	33,903	Hebrew	often read as “whole-hearted” or “faithful”
53	Lincoln	33,535	English	place name, “lake colony”
54	Cooper	33,528	English	occupational surname for a barrel maker
55	Ezekiel	33,114	Hebrew	“God strengthens”
56	Isaiah	32,963	Hebrew	“God is salvation”
57	Christopher	32,696	Greek	“bearing Christ”
58	Joshua	31,854	Hebrew	“God is salvation”
59	Nathan	31,755	Hebrew	“he gave”
60	Andrew	30,959	Greek	“manly” or “strong”
61	Nolan	30,357	Irish	“descendant of the champion”
62	Roman	30,269	Latin	“citizen of Rome”
63	Cameron	29,421	Scottish	“crooked nose”
64	Adrian	29,281	Latin	“from Hadria”
65	Angel	28,990	Greek	“messenger”
66	Waylon	28,366	English	from Wayland, “land by the road”
67	Wesley	27,885	English	“western meadow”
68	Bennett	27,444	English	medieval form of Benedict, “blessed”
69	Jaxon	27,421	American English	modern spelling of Jackson
70	Aaron	27,346	Hebrew	often read as “high mountain” or “exalted”
71	Kai	26,927	Hawaiian/Scandinavian	“sea” in Hawaiian
72	Brooks	26,835	English	“of the brook”
73	Axel	26,475	Scandinavian	Danish form of Absalom, “father of peace”
74	Christian	26,297	Latin	“follower of Christ”
75	Eli	26,169	Hebrew	“ascended” or “high”
76	Ian	26,113	Scottish	Scottish form of John, “God is gracious”
77	Ryan	25,959	Irish	“little king”
78	Weston	25,855	English	“western town”
79	Jonathan	25,386	Hebrew	“God has given”
80	Beau	25,086	French	“handsome”
81	Rowan	24,763	Irish	“little red one”; also the rowan tree
82	Everett	24,478	Germanic	“brave as a wild boar”
83	Silas	24,464	Latin/Greek	from Silvanus, “of the forest”
84	Leonardo	24,361	Italian/Germanic	“brave lion”
85	Robert	24,325	Germanic	“bright fame”
86	Colton	24,244	English	“coal town” or “Cola’s settlement”
87	Thiago	24,140	Portuguese	form of Saint James (Tiago)
88	Jeremiah	24,091	Hebrew	“God will exalt”
89	Easton	23,634	English	“east town”
90	Landon	23,240	English	“long hill”
91	Jose	23,075	Spanish	Spanish form of Joseph, “he will add”
92	Micah	22,651	Hebrew	“who is like God?”
93	Parker	22,420	English	occupational surname for a park keeper
94	Jordan	21,955	Hebrew	“flowing down”, after the river
95	Jameson	21,927	English	“son of James”
96	Gael	21,645	Breton/Spanish	often read as “generous”
97	Adam	21,571	Hebrew	“man”, or “of the earth”
98	Dominic	21,362	Latin	“of the Lord”
99	Hunter	21,341	English	occupational name for a hunter
100	Xavier	21,282	Basque	“new house”
101	Walker	21,234	English	occupational surname for a cloth fuller
102	Austin	21,071	English/Latin	short form of Augustine, “great”
103	Nicholas	20,988	Greek	“victory of the people”
104	Enzo	20,965	Italian	short form of names such as Lorenzo
105	Theo	20,784	Greek	short form of Theodore, “gift of God”
106	Greyson	20,762	English	spelling of Grayson, “son of the steward”
107	Jace	20,444	American English	short form of Jason, “healer”
108	Carson	20,375	Scottish	surname of uncertain meaning
109	August	20,323	Latin	“great” or “venerable”
110	Amir	20,129	Arabic	“prince” or “commander”
111	Luka	20,094	Slavic	Slavic form of Luke
112	Myles	19,975	English	spelling of Miles
113	Damian	19,855	Greek	“to tame”
114	Emmett	19,429	Germanic/Hebrew	“universal” or “truth”
115	Kayden	19,425	American English	modern name, often linked to Caden, “spirit of battle”
116	River	19,236	English	word name for a flowing body of water
117	Connor	19,074	Irish	“lover of hounds”
118	Declan	18,742	Irish	from Saint Declan, “full of goodness”
119	Vincent	18,653	Latin	“conquering”
120	Atlas	18,576	Greek	the Titan who held up the sky; “to endure”
121	Harrison	18,397	English	“son of Harry”
122	Ryder	18,395	English	“horseman”
123	Jaxson	18,171	American English	modern spelling of Jackson
124	Adriel	18,150	Hebrew	“flock of God”
125	Sawyer	17,914	English	occupational surname for a wood cutter
126	Giovanni	17,879	Italian	Italian form of John, “God is gracious”
127	Milo	17,747	Germanic/Slavic	“gracious” or “dear”
128	Archer	17,566	English	“bowman”
129	Arthur	17,519	Celtic	possibly “bear”
130	Evan	17,014	Welsh	Welsh form of John, “God is gracious”
131	Lorenzo	17,011	Italian	“from Laurentum”, linked to the laurel
132	Jasper	16,944	Persian	“treasurer”
133	Jonah	16,935	Hebrew	“dove”
134	George	16,661	Greek	“farmer”
135	Emiliano	16,562	Spanish/Latin	from the Roman family name Aemilius, “rival”
136	Luis	16,432	Spanish	Spanish form of Louis, “famous warrior”
137	Diego	16,414	Spanish	possibly from Santiago, “Saint James”
138	Bryson	16,371	English	“son of Brice”
139	Nathaniel	16,088	Hebrew	“God has given”
140	Kingston	15,867	English	“king’s town”
141	Jason	15,733	Greek	“healer”
142	Zion	15,693	Hebrew	a hill in Jerusalem; “highest point”
143	Legend	15,594	English	word name, “a story handed down”
144	Calvin	15,419	French/Latin	“bald”
145	Carlos	15,181	Spanish	Spanish form of Charles, “free man”
146	Graham	15,179	English/Scottish	“gravelly homestead”
147	Chase	15,097	English	“huntsman”
148	Juan	15,028	Spanish	Spanish form of John, “God is gracious”
149	Cole	14,823	English	from Nicholas, or “dark”
150	Malachi	14,631	Hebrew	“my messenger”
151	Dean	14,496	English	“valley”
152	Brayden	14,487	Irish	“salmon” or “broad hill”
153	Braxton	14,215	English	“Bracca’s town”
154	Jude	14,212	Hebrew	“praised”
155	Matteo	14,188	Italian	Italian form of Matthew, “gift of God”
156	Elliot	14,126	English/Hebrew	from Elijah, “my God is Yahweh”
157	Leon	14,110	Greek	“lion”
158	Ivan	14,080	Slavic	Slavic form of John, “God is gracious”
159	Ashton	13,993	English	“ash tree town”
160	Jayce	13,879	American English	modern spelling of Jace
161	Rhett	13,652	Welsh	“ardent” or “fiery”
162	Max	13,641	Latin	short form of Maximilian, “greatest”
163	Ace	13,624	English	“number one”
164	Elliott	13,551	English/Hebrew	double-t spelling of Elliot
165	Hayden	13,512	English	“hay valley”
166	Dawson	13,322	English	“son of David”
167	Jesus	13,238	Hebrew/Spanish	“God is salvation”
168	Zachary	13,208	Hebrew	“God remembers”
169	Arlo	13,151	English/Spanish	possibly “fortified hill”
170	Ryker	13,150	Dutch/German	“rich” or “powerful”
171	Tyler	13,134	English	occupational surname for a tile maker
172	Maxwell	13,016	Scottish	“Mack’s stream”
173	Emmanuel	12,863	Hebrew	“God is with us”
174	Ayden	12,804	Irish	spelling of Aiden, “little fire”
175	Bentley	12,662	English	“meadow with coarse grass”
176	Charlie	12,649	English	pet form of Charles, “free man”
177	Antonio	12,619	Italian/Spanish	Italian and Spanish form of Anthony
178	Judah	12,583	Hebrew	“praised”
179	Kaiden	12,561	American English	spelling of Kayden
180	Amari	12,427	African/Hebrew	often read as “strength” or “eternal”
181	Beckett	12,283	English	“bee cottage” or “little stream”
182	Alan	12,170	Breton/Celtic	possibly “little rock” or “handsome”
183	Camden	12,139	Scottish	“winding valley”
184	Emilio	12,063	Italian/Spanish	from Aemilius, “rival”
185	Matias	12,024	Spanish	Spanish form of Matthias, “gift of God”
186	Kevin	11,946	Irish	“handsome at birth”
187	Maddox	11,843	Welsh	“son of Madoc”, “fortunate”
188	Nicolas	11,843	Greek/French	“victory of the people”
189	Finn	11,805	Irish	“fair” or “white”
190	Justin	11,799	Latin	“just”
191	Tucker	11,688	English	occupational surname for a cloth fuller
192	Barrett	11,675	English	“bear strength” or “quarrelsome”
193	Felix	11,654	Latin	“lucky” or “happy”
194	Messiah	11,617	Hebrew	“anointed one”
195	Jesse	11,600	Hebrew	“gift”
196	Miguel	11,530	Spanish	Spanish form of Michael
197	Zayden	11,327	American English	modern rhyming form of Jayden
198	Alejandro	11,274	Spanish	Spanish form of Alexander
199	Beckham	11,175	English	“Becca’s homestead”
200	Alex	11,154	Greek	short form of Alexander

A few patterns show up in this range once you read the table closely. Spelling variants count as separate names, which is why Jaxon, Jaxson and Jackson appear apart, and so do Kayden, Kaiden and Ayden. If you add up every spelling of a sound, some names would rank higher than their single spelling suggests. Our list of boys’ names starting with A covers Asher, August, Atlas and the other A names in more depth.

Biblical and Hebrew Boy Names Beyond the Top 200

Old Testament names have carried the US chart for a decade, and Noah, Elijah, Levi, Ezra and Asher all sit in the 2025 top 30. Parents who like that sound are now reaching a step further into the same books. Every name below is outside the US top 200 for 2020 to 2025.

Gideon has the same two-syllable rhythm as Hudson and Julian, with a clear Old Testament story behind it.
Tobias gives a family the short form Toby while keeping a longer name for school and work.
Solomon is rare on birth certificates yet instantly recognized in most languages.

Name	Meaning and origin
Abel	“breath”
Abraham	“father of many”
Amos	“carried by God”
Asa	“healer”
Barnabas	“son of encouragement”
Boaz	“swiftness” or “strength”
Jethro	“abundance”
Eden	“delight”
Eliezer	“God is my help”
Enoch	“dedicated”
Ephraim	“fruitful”
Gideon	“one who cuts down”
Hosea	“salvation”
Ira	“watchful”
Japheth	“enlarged”
Joel	“Yahweh is God”
Jonas	Greek form of Jonah, “dove”
Joab	“Yahweh is father”
Lazarus	“God has helped”
Moses	possibly “drawn out of the water”
Nehemiah	“comforted by God”
Obadiah	“servant of God”
Reuben	“behold, a son”
Seth	“appointed”
Simeon	“he has heard”
Solomon	“peace”
Tobias	“God is good”
Uriel	“God is my light”
Zebedee	“gift of God”
Zechariah	“God remembers”
Ezequiel	Spanish form of Ezekiel, “God strengthens”
Benaiah	“Yahweh has built”
Raphael	“God heals”

Irish, Scottish and Welsh Boy Names

Irish, Scottish and Welsh names travel well, but spelling and pronunciation are the main trade-off. Oisin is said OH-sheen and Tadhg is said like “tige”, so parents outside Ireland should expect to spell them out. Osian, the Welsh form of Oisin, ranked 10th for boys in Wales in 2025 without making the England top 100.

Rory is easy to say in any English-speaking country and has a clear meaning, “red king”.
Lachlan is well known in Scotland and Australia but still uncommon in the US.
Rhys is short, Welsh and pronounced “reese”, which helps on forms.

Name	Meaning and origin
Aled	Welsh, “offspring”
Angus	Scottish, “one strength”
Caolan	Irish, “slender”
Brennan	Irish, “descendant of Braonán”
Callum	Scottish, “dove”
Cian	Irish, “ancient”
Cillian	Irish, “church” or “bright-headed”
Conall	Irish, “strong wolf”
Dara	Irish, “oak”
Darragh	Irish, “oak tree”
Desmond	Irish, “from south Munster”
Dewi	Welsh form of David, “beloved”
Eoin	Irish form of John
Euan	Scottish form of Ewan, “born of the yew”
Fergus	Scottish and Irish, “man of vigour”
Fionn	Irish, “fair”
Gethin	Welsh, “dark-skinned”
Hamish	Scottish form of James
Iolo	Welsh pet form of Iorwerth, “handsome lord”
Kieran	Irish, “little dark one”
Lachlan	Scottish, “from the land of lakes”
Lorcan	Irish, “little fierce one”
Niall	Irish, possibly “champion”
Oisin	Irish, “little deer”
Osian	Welsh form of Oisin, “little deer”
Padraig	Irish form of Patrick, “noble”
Rhys	Welsh, “ardour”
Ronan	Irish, “little seal”
Rory	Irish, “red king”
Seamus	Irish form of James
Tadhg	Irish, “poet”
Tiernan	Irish, “little lord”
Struan	Scottish, “stream”
Emrys	Welsh form of Ambrose, “immortal”

Latin, Italian and Spanish Boy Names

Spanish and Italian names are rising faster than any other group in the US data. Mateo, Santiago and Thiago are all in the 2025 top 50, and Thiago climbed 37 places compared with its rank across the whole decade. The names below follow the same sounds but remain far less common.

Joaquin shares the soft ending of Julian and Santiago and works in English and Spanish.
Elio is short and bright, with a simple meaning, “sun”.
Rafael gives a family the nickname Rafa in Spanish and Raffi in English.

Name	Meaning and origin
Alonso	Spanish form of Alfonso, “noble and ready”
Andres	Spanish form of Andrew, “manly”
Aurelio	Latin, “golden”
Bruno	Germanic, “brown”; common in Italy and Brazil
Cassius	Latin, “empty” or “vain”, a Roman family name
Cesar	Spanish form of Caesar
Cristiano	Italian, “follower of Christ”
Dante	Italian, “enduring”
Elio	Italian, “sun”
Fabian	Latin, “bean grower”
Fausto	Italian, “fortunate”
Flavio	Latin, “golden-haired”
Gianni	Italian pet form of Giovanni
Ignacio	Spanish, from Ignatius, “fiery”
Joaquin	Spanish form of Joachim, “raised by God”
Lucio	Italian and Spanish, “light”
Marcelo	Spanish and Portuguese, “little warrior”
Marco	Italian form of Mark, “warlike”
Massimo	Italian, “greatest”
Nico	Italian short form of Nicholas
Octavio	Spanish, “eighth”
Pablo	Spanish form of Paul, “small”
Rafael	Spanish form of Raphael, “God heals”
Remy	French, “oarsman”
Rocco	Italian, “rest” or “rock”
Salvador	Spanish, “saviour”
Severino	Italian, “stern”
Tomas	Spanish form of Thomas, “twin”
Valentino	Italian, “strong” or “healthy”
Vittorio	Italian, “victor”
Alessandro	Italian form of Alexander
Ramiro	Spanish, “famous counsel”
Dario	Italian and Spanish form of Darius, “possessing goodness”

Greek, Persian and Mythology-Inspired Boy Names

Theodore’s jump to fourth place in the US in 2025 has made Greek names feel current again. The list mixes saints’ names that have been used for centuries with figures from myth that only recently moved onto birth certificates.

Leander has the same “Leo” start as a top-20 name but is used far less.
Evander sounds familiar next to Everett yet is rarely heard on a playground.
Orion is easy to spell and has a built-in story in the night sky.

Name	Meaning and origin
Achilles	Greek hero of the Trojan War
Ajax	Greek hero, possibly “of the earth”
Apollo	Greek god of music and light
Ares	Greek god of war
Aristotle	“best purpose”
Cosmo	“order” or “universe”
Cyrus	Persian, “sun” or “throne”
Demetrius	“follower of Demeter”
Evander	“good man”
Hector	“holding fast”
Icarus	figure from Greek myth
Leander	“lion man”
Lysander	“liberator”
Nikos	Greek short form of Nikolaos, “victory of the people”
Orion	hunter of Greek myth and a constellation
Perseus	Greek hero who slew Medusa
Philip	“lover of horses”
Phoenix	mythical bird reborn from fire
Castor	one of the twins of Greek myth, and a star
Stavros	“cross”
Theon	“godly”
Timothy	“honouring God”
Titus	Latin, possibly “title of honour”
Xander	short form of Alexander
Zeno	“gift of Zeus”
Zephyr	“west wind”
Andreas	Greek form of Andrew
Damon	“to tame”
Ambrose	“immortal”
Kostas	Greek short form of Konstantinos, “steadfast”
Stefanos	Greek form of Stephen, “crown”

Old English, Germanic and Norse Boy Names

Several of these names were common a century ago and are now coming back. Arthur and George are already in England’s 2025 top 10, and Alfred, Edmund and Walter follow the same pattern of short, solid English names with old roots. The Norse names are a separate trend, often picked for their strong consonants.

Otto is a palindrome, four letters long and easy to say in most European languages.
Magnus has a clear meaning, “great”, and is well known across Scandinavia.
Conrad gives the friendly nickname Con while sounding formal on paper.

Name	Meaning and origin
Alfred	“elf counsel”
Anders	Scandinavian form of Andrew
Bjorn	Norse, “bear”
Conrad	Germanic, “brave counsel”
Edmund	Old English, “rich protector”
Edwin	Old English, “rich friend”
Emil	Germanic and Latin, “rival”
Erik	Norse, “eternal ruler”
Frederick	Germanic, “peaceful ruler”
Gunnar	Norse, “battle warrior”
Harold	Old English, “army ruler”
Hugo	Germanic, “mind” or “spirit”
Ingram	Norse, “Ing’s raven”
Ivar	Norse, “archer warrior”
Leif	Norse, “heir”
Magnus	Latin, “great”, popular in Scandinavia
Nils	Scandinavian form of Nicholas
Odin	chief god of Norse myth
Oswald	Old English, “god power”
Otto	Germanic, “wealth”
Ragnar	Norse, “warrior of the gods”
Rolf	Germanic, “famous wolf”
Soren	Danish, “stern”
Sven	Norse, “young man”
Thor	Norse god of thunder
Ulrich	Germanic, “prosperity and power”
Walter	Germanic, “ruler of the army”
Wilfred	Old English, “desiring peace”
Alaric	Germanic, “ruler of all”
Leopold	Germanic, “brave people”
Bernard	Germanic, “strong as a bear”
Gustav	Swedish, “staff of the Goths”

Arabic and Muslim Boy Names

Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales in 2025, ahead of Noah and Leo. Several names below are also the Arabic forms of names already in the US top 200, such as Yusuf for Joseph and Ibrahim for Abraham.

Idris is short, works in English and Arabic, and has a clear meaning, “interpreter”.
Zain is three letters in sound, easy to spell and means “beauty” or “grace”.
Omar is used across the Arabic-speaking world and is easy to say in English.

Name	Meaning and origin
Ahmed	“highly praised”
Ali	“exalted”
Ayaan	“gift of God”
Bilal	“moisture” or “freshness”
Faris	“knight”
Hamza	“strong” or “steadfast”
Harun	Arabic form of Aaron
Hassan	“handsome”
Ibrahim	Arabic form of Abraham
Idris	“interpreter”; also a prophet
Imran	“prosperity”
Ismail	Arabic form of Ishmael, “God will hear”
Kareem	“generous”
Khalid	“eternal”
Mustafa	“chosen”
Nasir	“helper”
Omar	“flourishing” or “long-lived”
Rayan	“gate of heaven”
Salman	“safe”
Sami	“elevated”
Tariq	“morning star”
Umar	“life” or “long-lived”
Yahya	Arabic form of John
Yasin	name of a chapter of the Quran
Yusuf	Arabic form of Joseph
Zain	“beauty” or “grace”
Zakariya	Arabic form of Zechariah
Anas	“friendliness” or “companionship”
Rahim	“merciful”
Karim	“noble” or “generous”
Jibril	Arabic form of Gabriel

Indian Boy Names With Sanskrit and Regional Roots

Indian parents increasingly pick names that are short and easy to say abroad, and many of the names below are two syllables. Most have Sanskrit roots and several are names of Hindu deities or sages. Spellings vary by region, so a name like Ishaan may also appear as Ishan.

Vihaan means “dawn” and works for families living in India and abroad.
Kabir is short, carries the name of a 15th-century poet and saint, and is easy to pronounce.
Advait has a meaning rooted in philosophy, “non-dual”, with a modern sound.

Name	Meaning and origin
Aarav	“peaceful”
Advait	“unique” or “non-dual”
Arjun	“bright” or “white”
Aryan	“noble”
Atharv	“knower of the Atharva Veda”
Dhruv	“pole star” or “steadfast”
Ishaan	“lord of the north-east”; a name of Shiva
Kabir	“great”
Kian	“ancient” (Irish) or “grace of God” (Persian), common in India
Krish	short form of Krishna, “dark”
Lakshay	“aim” or “goal”
Madhav	a name of Krishna, “sweet like honey”
Neel	“blue”
Nirav	“quiet”
Om	sacred syllable in Hinduism
Parth	a name of Arjuna, “son of Pritha”
Pranav	“sacred syllable Om”
Reyansh	“ray of light”
Rohan	“ascending”
Rudra	“roarer”, a Vedic name of Shiva
Sai	“divine” or “flower”
Shaurya	“bravery”
Shiv	“auspicious”
Shlok	“verse” or “hymn”
Tanish	“ambition”
Utkarsh	“excellence”
Vedant	“end of the Vedas”
Vihaan	“dawn”
Vivaan	“full of life”
Yash	“fame” or “glory”
Agastya	name of a Vedic sage
Anay	“without a superior”
Hrithik	“from the heart”
Darsh	“sight” or “vision”

Japanese, Chinese and Korean Boy Names

Japanese names are usually written in kanji, so the same spoken name can carry several meanings depending on the characters chosen. The meanings below are common readings, and families should check the characters with a relative or a dictionary. Korean names are mostly two syllables, and Chinese names are listed here as the given name only.

Haruto is a frequent pick for Japanese boys and is easy for English speakers to say.
Ren is one syllable, means “lotus” in one common reading and travels well.
Min-jun is a familiar Korean name built from two syllables meaning “quick” and “talented”.

Name	Meaning and origin
Akira	Japanese, “bright” or “clear”
Daiki	Japanese, “great radiance”
Haru	Japanese, “spring” or “sun”
Haruto	Japanese, “sun flying”
Hiro	Japanese, “generous” or “prosperous”
Kaito	Japanese, “ocean flying”
Kenji	Japanese, “intelligent second son”
Minato	Japanese, “harbour”
Ren	Japanese, “lotus”
Riku	Japanese, “land”
Ryo	Japanese, “cool” or “refreshing”
Sora	Japanese, “sky”
Sota	Japanese, “great” plus “flourishing”
Takumi	Japanese, “artisan”
Yuki	Japanese, “snow” or “happiness”
Yuto	Japanese, “gentle person”
Bao	Chinese and Vietnamese, “treasure”
Chen	Chinese, “morning” or “great”
Hao	Chinese, “vast” or “good”
Jun	Chinese and Japanese, “truthful” or “handsome”
Kang	Chinese, “healthy”
Lei	Chinese, “thunder”
Ming	Chinese, “bright”
Wei	Chinese, “great” or “power”
Yong	Chinese, “brave”
Zhi	Chinese, “wisdom”
Do-yun	Korean, “way” plus “allow”
Ha-jun	Korean, “summer” plus “talented”
Ji-ho	Korean, “wisdom” plus “great”
Min-jun	Korean, “quick” plus “talented”
Seo-jun	Korean, “auspicious” plus “talented”
Joon	Korean, “talented”

Nature, Place and Word Names for Boys

Word names grew with River, Atlas and Legend, all now inside the US top 200 for 2020 to 2025. The names below go further into the same idea, and some, like Wren, have been used more for girls, while Fox, Bear and Wolf lean strongly to boys.

Rowan is already in the top 100, so Hollis or Cedar give a similar feel with less overlap in a classroom.
Bowie has a Scottish meaning, “yellow-haired”, and a link to a music legend.
Jett is four letters long and pairs well with a longer middle name.

Name	Meaning and origin
Ash	the ash tree
Aspen	a tree with trembling leaves
Birch	a pale-barked tree
Bear	the animal
Canyon	a deep valley
Cedar	an evergreen tree
Cove	a sheltered bay
Crew	a team working together
Cypress	an evergreen tree
Dakota	Sioux, “friend” or “ally”
Denver	English place name, “Danes’ crossing”
Forest	a wooded area
Fox	the animal
Glenn	Scottish, “valley”
Hawk	the bird of prey
Jett	a black gemstone
Lake	a body of water
Marsh	wetland
Oak	the oak tree
Ocean	the sea
Onyx	a black gemstone
Peregrine	“traveller”, and a falcon
Reed	“red”, and a water plant
Ridge	a long hilltop
Sage	a herb, and “wise”
Storm	weather word name
Stone	word name for rock
Sky	word name for the heavens
Wolf	the animal
Wren	a small songbird
Rain	weather word name
Bowie	Scottish, “yellow-haired”
Hollis	“near the holly trees”

Short Boy Names of Three or Four Letters

Short names are often chosen to balance a long surname, or the other way round. Every name here has three or four letters, and several are short forms of longer names, which lets a family put the full name on the birth certificate and use the short one at home.

Kit is short for Christopher and has an old English feel.
Otis has two syllables in four letters and a German meaning, “wealth”.
Rafe is the traditional English way to say Ralph and is rarely used today.

Name	Meaning and origin
Abe	short form of Abraham
Ari	Hebrew, “lion”
Ben	short form of Benjamin
Bo	Scandinavian, “to live”
Cal	short form of Calvin or Callum
Dax	French place name
Eddy	short form of Edward
Gus	short form of Augustus or Angus
Guy	French, “guide”
Jay	“jaybird”, or a short form of names starting with J
Jed	short form of Jedidiah, “beloved of God”
Jon	short form of Jonathan
Kit	short form of Christopher
Lev	Russian, “lion”
Lou	short form of Louis
Mac	Scottish, “son of”
Ned	short form of Edward
Nye	Welsh short form of Aneurin
Rex	Latin, “king”
Roy	Gaelic, “red”, or French, “king”
Sam	short form of Samuel
Ted	short form of Edward or Theodore
Tom	short form of Thomas
Ty	short form of Tyler or Tyson
Vik	short form of Vikram or Viktor
Wes	short form of Wesley
Zev	Hebrew, “wolf”
Ike	short form of Isaac, “he will laugh”
Joe	short form of Joseph
Ravi	Sanskrit, “sun”
Otis	Germanic, “wealth”
Rafe	English form of Ralph, “wolf counsel”

How to Shortlist a Boy Name

Most families start with too many names and narrow the list down slowly over several months, so a short checklist that you can run on every name helps keep the choice fair.

Say the full name out loud with the surname several times, and listen for rhymes, repeated sounds or awkward runs of consonants where one name ends and the next begins.
Write out the initials, including any middle name, and check they do not spell a word your son would rather not carry on luggage tags and school forms.
Look up the name’s rank in your country’s official list, remembering that each spelling is ranked separately, so a name may be more common than its single spelling suggests.
Check the meaning in at least two name dictionaries, especially for names from a language you do not speak, because popular websites often repeat each other’s mistakes.
Think about the short form that teachers and friends will use, because a Theodore will often become Theo or Teddy within a few weeks of starting school.
Try the name in daily use for a week, at the shop, on a coffee order or with close family, before you register it, and notice whether it still feels right.

Planning around a due date can make naming feel more urgent than it needs to be. If you are curious how a birthday month compares with others, our look at the most common birthdays shows how births spread through the year. Our age calculator works out a child’s exact age in years, months and days, which is handy for milestones and forms.

Boy Names Compared With Girl Names Around the World

In the US, Liam and Olivia have both led their charts for seven years, and the top four boy names held their places in 2025, so the very top of the list moves slowly even when the middle changes a lot. For the girls’ side of the chart, our guide to top baby girl names by country lists the top names in each country.

Parents’ Questions About Boy Names

What Is the Number One Boy Name in the US?

Liam is the top name for the seventh year in a row, with 20,818 births in 2025, while Noah was second with 20,358.

What Is the Most Popular Boy Name in the UK?

In England and Wales, Muhammad was first in 2025, followed by Noah, Leo, Luca and Arthur.

What Is the Fastest-Growing Boy Name?

Kasai, which rose 1,108 places to 639th in the US in 2025. The name means “fire” in both Japanese and Swahili.

Which Boy Names Are Popular in Both the US and the UK?

Noah, Leo, Luca, Oliver and Theodore are in the England and Wales top 10 and in the US top 50 for 2025.

Official Name Data and Releases Used

Social Security Administration: 2025 baby names press release, May 8, 2026.
Social Security Administration blog: 2025’s most popular baby names, May 8, 2026.
Social Security Administration: top names of the period 2020 to 2025.
Nancy’s Baby Names: popular baby names in the United States, 2025, with 2025 birth counts from the SSA data.
Office for National Statistics: baby names in England and Wales, 2025, released July 9, 2026.
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine: most popular baby names in England and Wales for 2025.

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