Two Syllable Names for Boys

Zamir in its various forms is becoming more familiar in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal, its zippy Z beginning and its uplifting meanings. From its Hebrew and Albanian roots, it is a musical choice, meaning "singer" or "nightingale", while following its Arabic origins gives you the meaning "heart" or "conscience."
 
Though the more traditional Zamir is still the more popular option in the US currently, 2024 saw it decline in popularity, while Zymir saw a huge leap up the charts. The contemporary looking spelling entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2024, when it was given to 240 boys.

Zymir

With its sharp Z initial and similar sound to Ryan, Zion has shot up the charts in singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son in 1997. Following on in its footsteps, spelling variant Zyon entered the Top 1000 in 2019 and was given to around 270 babies in a recent year. 
 
Combining an on trend sound with religious significance, the name comes from the Old Testament in which it is the name of a citadel in Jerusalem. It is also used to refer a Jewish homeland and heaven, and is the source of the word Zionism. 
 
While the Zion spelling is currently used 10 times more often than Zyon, time will tell if this gap narrows in coming years as more parents consider alternative spellings to popular names, or decide on this option to side step the political associations of the classic form.

Zyon

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

Ricky

An attractive, surprisingly uncommon variation of Josiah. To give you an idea of how comparatively rare Josias is, there were about 200 baby boys named Josias in the US last year, versus nearly 6000 named Josiah.

But Josias might pick up steam as s-ending names from Atticus to Brooks become more and more popular. Josias is a biblical name in some variations of the New Testament.

Josias

Jethro, though the biblical father-in-law of Moses, has suffered for a long time from a Beverly Hillbilly image, but some really adventurous parents might consider updating and urbanizing it and transitioning it into the hip o-ending category. 
 The 60s rock group Jethro Tull was named for an eighteenth century British agricultural reformer and inventor.

Jethro

Mitchell has had something of a roller coaster ride, showing some panache in the forties and fifties, when it was seen as a sharper alternative to Michael with its cool Mitch nickname, slipping a bit, then resurfacing in the 90s when it reached as high as Number 71. Mitchell Pritchett is one of the leading characters on the TV sitcom Modern Family.
 Mitchell is an English/Scottish surname name, derived from a medieval nickname of Michael.

Mitchell

A royal name in Spain, Felipe could make a lively alternative to the English sounding Philip. It has ranked on the US Top 1000 almost every year since the beginning of the twentieth century, but has never risen above the Top 300, making it a familiar without being overused.
 
 Popular in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, it is in the latter half of the US Top 1000, given to 250 boys in 2024, while Phillip and Philip are given to three times as many babies.
 
Racing driver Felipe Massa, football player Felipe Monteiro (known simply as Felipe), and Youtuber Felipe Neto are just a few of the notable bearers.

Felipe

This once perfectly respectable surname has suffered decades of abuse, not least by Jerry Lewis's character in the fifties. NFL running back Melvin Gordon stars for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Melvin

A spirited German name very popular in Italy and occasionally used here, Aldo is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/unique-names">unique baby names</a> with international flair. And <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/128/boy-baby-names-that-mean-wise">names that mean wise</a> have an enduring appeal.

Aldo

Enough parents have found naturalist Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, a worthy hero to keep Darwin relatively consistently in the Top 1000. It has a lovely meaning too—"dear friend."
 
A notable first name bearer is footballer Darwin Núñez.

Darwin

Most parents would choose the more contemporary Simon. 

Shimon

Wallace is so square could almost be ripe for a turnaround, especially with the hipness imparted by the British Claymation series Wallace & Gromit. And Wally makes an adorable Leave it to Beaver retro-style nickname. 
 A Top 100 name in the 1920s, as reflected in early film stars Wallace Beery and Wallace Reid, Wallace hung on in the Top 1000 until the early 1990s. A notable modern namesake is poet Wallace Stevens.
 Wallace stems from the names first given to the native British people as distinct from the Anglo-Saxons, later applied to the people living in Wales. Wallace is classically a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/428/scottish-baby-names">Scottish name</a>, popularized in the last century in honor of the medieval hero of the Scottish War of Independence. William Wallace--leading character in the film Braveheart.

Wallace

This variation of Aryan has a slightly less racist connotation, making it a bit more acceptable. Arian debuted on the Top 1000 in 2011, but didn't have a sustained rise on the charts. This is likely due to the Aryan connection and the popularity of all things Aria among girls.

Arian

This cousin to Colton, a very widely used name, never matched its popularity and is now losing ground. One place where Colten does rank highly is on a list of names most popular among Republican voters. More than 80 percent of voters named Colten vote red.

Colten

Quentin, an offbeat name with lots of character, relates to the Latin for the number five and is by far the subtlest and most usable of the Latin birth-order names, masculine as well as stylish and distinctive. It was borne by a third-century saint and came to England with the Normans.
 Sir Walter Scott wrote the novel Quentin Durward in 1823, about a young, upper-class Scotsman, and Quentin Compson is both a male and a female character in William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Real-life bearers include movie director Quentin Tarantino; eccentric British author Quentin Crisp (born Denis); and Quentin Blake, illustrator of Roald Dahl books. Theodore Roosevelt had a son named Quentin.
 Trivia tidbit: St. Quentin is the protector against coughs.

Quentin

A Quranic name especially popular in South Asia, it is also used across Europe, from Bosnia to France, from Spain to England. It appears in the Quran as the name of Maryam's (the Virgin Mary) father, and as the father of Moses, making it a counterpart to Hebrew Joachim or a variant of Hebrew Amran. The meaning of Imran isn't listed in the Quran, however, from its Hebrew roots, it could mean "exalted nation", or it could come from the Arabic word eimran meaning "prosperity".
 
Imran entered the US Top 1000 in 2018, dropped out of it by 2019, then reappeared in 2022. As of 2023, it is still on the charts and given to around 240 boys.

Imran

A fanciful way to spell the popular Beau, Beaux is also the plural form of the French adjective. Appealing to those who love Margaux or the letter X in general, it entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2025, when it was given to 236 babies, having been on the rise since the 2010s. 
 
American footballer Beaux Collins is a notable bearer.

Beaux

With Brooklyn, Trenton, and Camden on the rise, Harlem is one to watch out for. It has lingered down the lower end of the US Top 1000 since 2018 but has been trending upwards. It's already been picked by one celebrity, and it certainly has a stronger historical and cultural identity -- and it could work as an alternative to Harvey or Harley.
 The Harlem Renaissance saw this New York neighborhood become a center of Black American art and culture, where works from Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were produced and jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington made their mark. Also known for its theaters, soul food, baseball, and R&B, it is an important place within the Civil Rights movement. Named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, Harlem, as a name, has its origin in Old Dutch. It's meaning can be translated to "home on a forested dune", owing to the original city's location on a sand dune. Rapper The Game named his son Harlem back in 2003, and the name has been given to an increasing number of babies ever since. A unisex choice that leans slightly more to the masculine side, Harlem was given to 220 boys in 2024, meaning 55% of baby Harlems were boys.

Harlem

One of many spelling variations of Cason, Caysen, Kasen, and so on, Kaycen made its debut in the US charts in 2025 when it was one of the fastest rising choices for boys. Climbing 241 places, it may have been propelled up the charts by the rise of Kayce, which appeared in the hit TV show Yellowstone. Chosen for 235 boys in the latest count, compared to 167 the year prior, it ranks significantly below Kasen, Kayson, Kason, and Kaysen, but not too far below Cayson, Casen, and Cason.
 
Likely created as mix of popular sounds, it may additionally have its roots in the surnames Cawston ("calf town") or Casey ("brave in battle").

Kaycen

There was a time in the early twentieth century when Matthew and Mathew were closer together in terms of popularity; today, Matthew is America's clear preference.
Mathew is also the standard Welsh spelling.

Mathew

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 34)

15,000+ Two-Syllable Boy Names