1900+ Four Letter Boy Names

Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games, it has new force for boys.

Any number of Fitz names -- Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, Fitzroy, Fitzwilliam -- have been used as Christian names, in fact Fitzwilliam was the given name of the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Fitz can be a short form of any of them and is often, like Mac, a nickname drawn from a surname.

Makes the jaunty Remy a little more nicknamey and feminine. Remi is on the rise for both girls and boys, having entered the Top 1000 for boys in 2019.

Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names.

Frey is the handsome Norse fertility god, a worthy namesake. Frey remains rare in the US even as the similar Freya picks up in popularity.

So much more worldly than Danny.

Cyan is a highly unusual blue-green color name, a classmate of Celadon and Cerulean. It does come with the homey nickname Cy.

A light and breezy nature name that's currently in style limbo, despite its pleasant meaning.

The classic strong-yet-friendly nickname name, much used for charming movie characters.

With Ares trending upwards, this modern spelling is following in its footsteps, most notably in the UK where it climbed 200 places in a recent year. Also in the charts in France, it can be considered a variation of Ares, the Greek god of war, whose name means "ruin, bane", however, it that meaning doesn't appeal, it is considered a short for of Aristoteles, meaning "the best purpose".

Kade falls into the trend of using a letter K at the beginning of a traditionally C-starting name, perhaps to give it a sharper edge. Trending since the 90s, Kade is currently in the Top 400, while Cade ranks nearly around 70 places ahead. Given to 933 babies in 2023, it is a consistently used name.

Quin is a concise, gender-neutral name with multiple origins. Most commonly, it's considered a shortened form of Quincy, Quinton, or Quintus, all deriving from the Latin 'quintus' meaning 'fifth.' It can also be an anglicized version of the Irish name Conn or Cuinn, meaning 'wisdom' or 'intelligence.' For boys, Quin presents a strong, straightforward option with a modern feel despite its ancient roots. The name has gained modest popularity in recent decades as parents gravitate toward brief, gender-flexible names. Quin's simplicity gives it cross-cultural appeal and easy pronunciation. The distinctive initial 'Q' adds character while the overall name remains unfussy and clean. It works well independently or as a nickname for longer Q-names, offering versatility that appeals to contemporary naming preferences.

Jago is a dashing alternative to overused favorite Jacob.

A fairly common nickname in England that has never caught on in America. The rise of acronyms like MILF and DILF probably won't help its prospects going forward.

Malo, the name of an important sixth century Breton saint who founded St. Malo, the charming port town in Brittany -- is considered quite au courant in France right now, ranking firmly in the Top 100.

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.

Although we prefer Drew to the old Raggedy Andy, Andy has overtaken Drew as a name in its own right. About twice as many baby boys are named Andy, just Andy -- though about eight times as many parents go with the full Andrew.

Many parents seeking a return to more basic values and a simpler lifestyle are turning to such virtuous girls' names as Grace, Faith, and Hope, but there are a handful that work just as well on boys, including True.

Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.