Two Syllable Names for Boys

Salem is a Biblical place name in Canaan, believed to be the same as Jerusalem, as well as the Massachusetts town famous for its late 17th century witch trials. Salem is also a popular first name in its own right throughout the Arabic world.

In the US, about 400 babies of both genders were named Salem last year, but it's difficult to say how many of those were given the Biblical place-name and how many the Arabic version of the name. About 40 percent of the Salems were boys, with a significant number of baby boys given an alternate spelling of the Arabic name, Salim. 

One negative association of the name, the menthol cigarette, went out of business in 2019

Salem

Trevor, a British standard, took a long time to cross the Atlantic, but finally began its rise here in the 1980s. It is now a thoroughly naturalized citizen, though it still retains a touch of Anglo class. 

Trevor

Jasiel and its alternate spelling Yasiel are gaining a following thanks to superstar baseball player Yasiel Puig, a Cuban native who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Biblical Jasiel was a warrior in David's army. As of 2023, Jasiel is amongst the newest additions to the US Top 1000, given to over 200 baby boys that year.

Jasiel

Peyton is the most-used spelling of this popular name, thanks to football star Peyton Manning. It rose to fame in the 90s and was solidly - or statistically - unisex in the early 2000s, however, the 2010s saw it shift to a more feminine leaning option. Nevertheless, with its surname-style and gentle sounds, Peyton could still fit in with the likes of Grayson, Everett, and Cameron.
 
Derived from an English place name, Peyton means "Pæga's town" or "fighting man's estate", though other sources associate it with Patton and Patrick, giving it the meaning "nobleman's town". Given to a not-insubstantial 500 boys each year, Peyton ranked at 604 in the US charts in 2023. 
 
Besides Peyton Manning, there are a number of other sport stars with the name, including footballers Peyton Hillis, Peyton Thompson, and Peyton Siva. Actors Peyton Meyer and Peyton Clark are other notable bearers, while historically, the name was borne by Founding Father, Peyton Randolph.

Peyton

Taylor was much more popular throughout the 1990s for both genders than it is today. Close to the Top 50 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a> in the mid-1990s, Taylor recently fell out of the Top 500 for boys and out of the Top 100 for girls, and is predicted to continue on a downward trajectory for both genders. Similar but more stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com">baby names</a> today include Sawyer, Sayer and Thayer.

Taylor

This word name entered the US Top 1000 for both genders in 2015, though it premiered a little higher for girls. There are still more baby girls named Briar than baby boys -- 594 vs. 361 in 2021 -- but it's rising in popularity for both.

Briar fits the trend for <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>, and it also offers a fresh option for honoring a Brian.

Briar

80s sensation Derek brought several spelling variations along for the ride, including Derick, Derrick, and Dereck. While this spelling fell off the charts in in '93, it has resurfaced in 2023 after rising a whopping 238 places. Also a fast-rising choice in 2024, Dereck ranked at #664, placing it below Derek (#258), but above Derrick (#817).
 
The name itself derives from the Old English Dederick, a variation of Theodoric, meaning "the people's ruler". The revival of Dere(c)k as a baby name (in all its various spellings) is also happening in Spain and it remains a familiar choice in Puerto Rico. In the UK, New Zealand, and Canada however, Dere(c)k would be a rarer choice. 
 
American basketball player Dereck Lively II may have inspired people to use this spelling, given that its rise up the charts coincides with the beginning of the sport star's professional career.

Dereck

A spelling variation of Weston most associated with the Westin hotel chain. To avoid looking like an advertisement, we think it’s best to stick with the more traditional spelling.

Westin

Donald has been used for centuries in Scotland, where the Macdonald clan is one of the most ancient and where there have been six early Scottish kings by that name. Donald was a Top 20 name throughout most of the early twentieth century. 
 
But first there was the quacking Donald Duck, introduced in 1934, to affect its image, and then there was The Donald Trump, leaving it drained of much baby appeal. Trump's runs to presidency didn't save Donald's decline on the baby name charts: over the last decade it has fallen around 200 places in the US, and a recent year saw it rank at #672 when it was given to around 400 boys. 
 
Across the pond, it is now out of favor in Scotland too and the latest count revealed just 16 boys were called Donald in England and Wales. Nicknames Donnie and Donny preferred, given to around 60 boys collectively, with the -ie spelling in the Top 1000, distant enough from the Trump association to work there. 
 Aside from Donald Sutherland, most contemporary real and fictive Donalds go by nicknames — as in Donny Osmond, Donnie Wahlberg, Don Rickles and Don Draper. More promising and more authentically Celtic sounding is Donal, which is quite commonly used in Ireland, or surname cousins Donnelly or Donovan.

Donald

The most common form of Thomas in various European languages, although some Anglophone parents also use this as a phonetic spelling of the classic name. Tomas is usually pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable -- toe-MAHS -- though you might not succeed in getting other people to go along with that in the US, where your exotically named Tomas may quickly devolve into just plain Tom.

Tomas

The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism. 

Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter Haven, the witty Cary Grant character in The Philadelphia Story; Dexter Green, the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald story "Winter Dreams"; great jazz tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the boy-genius protagonist of cartoon Dexter's Laboratory; and the most recent TV series Dexter based on the books by Jeff Lindsay, whose lead happens to be a genial but sociopathic serial killer.
 Dexter was chosen by hip musical couple Diana Krall and Elvis Costello for one of their twin boys, and by singer Charlotte Church.
 Dex is an equally appealing nickname, now sometimes used on its own.

Dexter

A name that crosses cultures, Idris was virtually unknown in the US before the emergence of the charismatic actor Idris Elba, first on The Wire and then for depicting Nelson Mandela. Since then, the name has grown with the actor and is a popular choice in the UK and Belgium, and a familiar one in The Netherlands, France, and the US. 
 
From its Arabic origins, Idris means "to learn or study" and is often linked to being either studious, or to interpretation, as Idris is the name of a prophet mentioned in the Quran, and the equivalent of the Biblical Enoch. As such, it has long been popular among Islamic families, and is a familiar choice across Nigeria, Turkey, and India.

Idris is also a Welsh name, however, with completely different roots and origins, Meaning "ardent lord", it appears in Welsh mythology, where it is borne by Idris Hawr, a legendary seventh-century Welsh giant and magician who gave his name to a well-known mountain, Idris's Fort.

Versatile and magical, Idris makes a wonderful, multicultural choice, pronounced as eed-REES (rhyming with "creed" and "lease") in Arabic and IHD-rihs (rhyming with "did" and "miss") in Welsh. In a recent year, it ranked just outside the UK Top 150, while in the US, it was in the Top 800, given to around 350 boys.

Idris

Sevyn broke into the Top 1000 for girls in 2019, the same year that Seven crossed the threshold for boys. Ys are typically employed to make names more feminine, which is why many more girls were given the Sevyn spelling than boys. However, Sevyn also entered the charts for boys in 2022 and as of 2023, it was among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/truly-unisex-baby-names">most popular gender-neutral names</a> in the US. In fact, it just outranked Seven in the same year.

Sevyn

Marvin has been neglected for so long that it's hard to believe that it has windswept Welsh roots. It also has some strong namesakes going for it -- singer Marvin Gaye, composer Marvin Hamlisch and boxer Marvin Hagler. It's the real name of both Neil Simon and Meatloaf. And let's not forget mention Marvin Gardens on Monopoly. 
 Marvin has made appearances on The Simpsons, Weeds and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- and was more recently bestowed on the baby in How I Met Your Mother.

Marvin

Part Jason, part Jayce, this name has been among the Top 500 names for boys near-consistently since the late 1960s. While it's a reasonable spelling especially if you're naming your son after someone named Jay or another name that starts with the letter J, it's one of those names that will eternally need to be spelled out for people. But then again, so are classics like Elisabeth and Sara and Jon.

Jayson

A recent addition to the Most Popular list, Bridger has the trendy two-syllables and 'er' ending, and a historical reference to Jim Bridger, a foremost nineteenth-century frontiersman, explorer, trapper, scout, and teller of tall tales. 
 Bridger might be a nice name for a baby whose heritage bridges two cultures.

Bridger

A favorite Muslim name, Kareem first appeared on the US Top 1000 list in 1972 (jumping in at Number 405!), coinciding with the early career of basketball great turned writer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Lewis Alcindor). It has continued to chart every year since.
 
Derived from the Arabic karuma, meaning "to be generous", the name encourages charitable and honorabe behaviour. Also transcribed as Karim, it is significant in Islamic tradition, al-Karīm being one of the 99 names of Allah.

Kareem

This variation of Ahmad is one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/156/arabic-names">Arabic names</a> among Muslim families the world over and is now the most used spelling in the USA. It shares the same root as other popular Arabic names, including Muhammad and Hamid.

Ahmed

This spelling of the rising unisex name Briar may strike some parents as more definitively masculine than its source, less Briar-Rose, more last-name-as-a-given-name and cowboyesque. Though it is usually considered a nature name, this spelling has sometimes been used as an Anglicization of the German Breuer or Breyer, an occupational name meaning "brewer".
 
Bryer debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2024 and was one of the fastest rising names of the year. In contrast, the Briar spelling saw a slight drop for boys as parents turn to this form instead.

Bryer

Gentle but solid, as much of a word as it is a name, Robin is a rising star in the US, and a favorite in Belgium, France, Czechia and Switzerland. With memorable namesakes like Robin Hood, Robin Williams, Christopher Robin, and Robin the Boy Wonder, a recent year saw Robin feature as a gender neutral choice in the US, ranking at #703 for boys and #704 for girls.

Traditionally used as a Medieval English diminutive of Robert, Robin is just as likely to bring to mind the bird, and it was likely this that led to its usage as a unisex choice. In the US, its high point for both genders was in the 1950s when it ranked in the Top 150 for boys and the Top 30 for girls.
 
A neutral choice in the Netherlands, it ranks either exclusively or more highly for boys in the UK, France, Switzerland, Estonia, and Belgium.

Robin

Two-syllable boy names are the most prevalent in the complete lexicon of male names in Anglophone cultures, with more than 15,000 choices on this complete list of every boys' name on Nameberry with two syllables.

, with the top two boy names Liam and Noah having two syllables each. Other common choices include Henry, Jackson, and Ethan.

 with two syllables include Orson, Roscoe, and Altan. Click here for a hand-curated list of the 

full list of over 15,000 two-syllable male names

, ordered by their current rank on Nameberry.

Two-Syllable Boy Names with meanings, origins, and popularity, including top two syllable names for boys and unique boy names with 2 syllables. (Page 25)

15,000+ Two-Syllable Boy Names