Boy Names Like Carter
Updated Sat Jan 20 2024
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Carter is cool as they come. A surname name and occupational name, Carter fits into two of the hottest boy name trends today. But after nearly 10 years of ranking in the US Top 100, it may be time for some fresh alternatives.
Last names as first names include Truman, Jennings, Ledger, Ryland, and Calder. Occupational names include Porter, Miller, Carver, Baylor, and Collier.
Other cool boy names include Griffin, Lennox, Rhys, Killian, and Clark.
Here are 50 alternatives to Carter, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Rhys
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"ardor"Description:
Rugged but gentle, Rhys is the traditional Welsh spelling of this name, which can also be anglicized as Reese or Reece. Up until 2010, Reese was the preferred spelling in the US, perhaps because parents were concerned about mispronunciation. However, Rhys has since taken over for boys and is now used twice as often as Reese.
- Jude
Origin:
Latin diminutive of Judah, Hebrew, ArabicMeaning:
"praised; to be generous, to be good to others"Description:
Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity, in the US at least. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
- Archer
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"bowman"Description:
Archer is an Anglo-Saxon surname that feels more modern than most because of its on-target occupational and Hunger Games associations. And it's a nice way to bypass the clunky Archibald to get to the cool nickname Archie.
- Beckett
Origin:
English and IrishMeaning:
"bee hive, little brook or bee cottage"Description:
Beckett is one of the big baby name hits of the decade.
- Griffin
Origin:
Welsh, variation of GriffithMeaning:
"strong lord"Description:
Griffin is one of the newer and most appealing of the two-syllable Celtic surnames. In English, griffin is the name of a mythological creature, half eagle, half lion. It re-entered the list in 1983 after an absence of 75+ years.
- Lachlan
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"from the fjord-land"Description:
Lachlan is as Scottish as haggis and tartan plaid kilts—a favorite used throughout England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand—and just beginning to be noticed in the US: it reached the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013. An ancient name, Lachlan was originally used to describe the Viking invaders of Scotland, those from the land of the lochs.
- Fletcher
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"arrow-maker"Description:
Fletcher is a common surname with a touch of quirkiness; it definitely fits into the So Far Out It's In category--and moving further in all the time along with other occupational names from Parker to Forester.
- Hayes
Origin:
English surname and nature nameMeaning:
"hedged area"Description:
One of those simple, straightforward English surnames -- and with a presidential pedigree -- that's easy to translate into a first. Chosen by both Kevin Costner and Jessica Alba for their sons, it has been climbing the US charts since 2009.
- Clark
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"scribe, secretary, cleric, scholar, clerk"Description:
Clark seemed to have been Gone with the Wind, but parents looking for a short, strong boy's name are now beginning to appreciate its cool combination of Gable charm with Superman power.
- Killian
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"war strife or church"Description:
Killian – aka Cillian – is a spirited yet resonant Gaelic name that was borne by several Irish saints and could make a distinctive replacement for the dated Kelly. Kylian is another spelling that's gaining traction, thanks to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Possible downsides: an unsavory first syllable and a connection to the trendy brew.
- Quincy
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"estate of the fifth son"Description:
Quirky in the way that all Q names are quirky, Quincy was once a buttoned-up, patrician New England name, an image countered in recent years by the talented and ultracool musician Quincy Jones (middle name: Delight; nickname: Q).
- Maddox
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"son of Madoc"Description:
Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in the middle of the Top 1000, and it has risen since.
- Holden
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hollow valley"Description:
Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the name of its hero, Holden Caulfield -- not coincidentally in tune with the Hudson-Hayden-Colton field of names.
- Rhett
Origin:
English from DutchMeaning:
"advice"Description:
Rhett has been more tied to Gone with the Wind than even Scarlett, but now we're hearing rumblings of its finding new and independent favor among parents, perhaps emboldened by the growing popularity of Scarlett.
- Miller
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"grinder of grain"Description:
Miller is an up-and-coming choice in the stylish occupational genre, among the fastest-rising names for both boys and girls in the US in 2023.
- Lennox
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"elm grove"Description:
Lennox is an aristocratic and powerful Scottish surname name made truly special by that final x. The worldwide fame of British boxer--World and Olympic champion--Lennox Claudius Lewis brought the name into the spotlight as a first name, while as a last it's tied to Eurythmics singer Annie L.
- Ryland
Origin:
Old EnglishMeaning:
"place where Rye is grown"Description:
Similar to popular Riley and Ryan and the origin of Rylan, this Old English surname has been in the US Top 1000 since the early 2000s. While it has declined in recent years, it was still given to around 360 boys in 2024 — and to 30 girls.
- Barrett
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"bear strength"Description:
Barrett is one of many surname names that are up and coming for boys in recent years. Barrett joints Bennett, Beckett, and others in the trend of "-tt" ending boy names taking over the charts.
- Jensen
Origin:
Spelling variation of Jenson and Danish surnameMeaning:
"son of Jens"Description:
A variation of Jenson, which is actually more popular than the original in the United States. This spelling also holds the distinction of being the most common surname in Denmark.
- Auden
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"old friend"Description:
The poetic, soft-spoken Auden has recently started to be considered as a first name option, used for both sexes, appreciated for its pleasing sound as well as its link to the distinguished modern Anglo-American poet W.H. Auden.
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