Two Syllable Names for Boys

More unusual than Justin, less word-like than Justice, this New Testament name could make an intriguing choice. After being off the popularity lists from 1904 to 1993, it is now being used in steady numbers.
 There have been three notable saints named Justus: St. Justus of Canterbury, who was instrumental in the conversion of Anglo-Saxons to Roman Christians and became the fourth Bishop of Canterbury, and the martyred St. Justus of Beauvais and St. Justus of Lyons.

Justus

Two beloved, fashionable names combined to make one: Kai, a simple and serene Hawaiian name meaning "ocean" and Kylo, created for Star Wars character Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. With Kailo, you get the best of both worlds.

Kailo

This Ashkenazi Jewish name is derived from the Hebrew Shalom — a greeting word conotating peace and well-being. Shulem Lemmer — known professionally as just "Shulem" — is a rising classical musical artist. Shulem is the first born-and-raised Charedi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label.

Shulem

A modern combination of the cool Cy- beginning and -aire ending sounds, given to 22 baby boys in 2022. May also be a creative spelling of Sire.

Cyaire

Giorgio as is rich in meaning and history as George, but with more Italian flair. It's a consistent Top 50 hit in Italy, and with Italian boy names like Gianni and Lorenzo rising through the charts, could be another one to add to the mix.
The best-known modern bearer is fashion designer Giorgio Armani.

Giorgio

Spelling variation of Grayson. Entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

Greysen

The American appetite for new names ending in the letters "yn" knows no bounds. This one, a close relative of popular Jaxson, was among the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017.

Jaxtyn

Trendy spelling of the Cash + Ashton hybrid.

Kashtyn

Lior is a unisex name frequently heard in Israel, capturing the popular light theme through its meaning.  For English speakers, the one down side is possible pronunciation confusion with "liar," though it's really lee-OR, with a long e sound and emphasis on the second syllable.

Lior

Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto and leads to cool nickname Ozzie. One Berry has already used it and we predict others will follow; in fact, stats suggest it is used eight times more often than it was a decade ago.

Oslo

Tough, cool, and rugged, Ramsey is a Scottish and English surname that has plenty of potential as a given name. Similar in style to Murray, Murphy, and Rafferty, it was chosen for around 90 boys and 70 girls in the US in a recent year.
 
Also written as Ramsay, the surname comes from an Old English place name, meaning "garlic island", likely owing to the growth of wild garlic in the area. Today, it is perhaps best associated with chef Gordan Ramsey and actor Bella Ramsey, though other bearers include physicist Norman Foster Ramsey, radio personality Dave Ramsey, and footballer Aaron Ramsey, among many more. 
 
Villainous Ramsay Bolton in the series A Song of Ice and Fire and its adaptation Game of Thrones may however have tainted the name for some, and it should be noted that the Ramsay spelling is rarely used.

Ramsey

A modern choice with plenty of gravitas, Rexton blends regal Latin Rex with English suffix -ton. In tune with Kingston, Weston, Luxton, Ashton, Preston, Boston, and similar, it was a fast rising choice in 2025, given to 78 babies compared to 21 the year prior. 
 
Also the name of a hearing aid brand and a model of car, it may continue to rise in coming years thanks to its popular sounds and nickname Rex.

Rexton

Tyrell is kind of part Tyrone and Tyler, part Terrell, though it has never made the US Top 1000. As a form of Terrell it means "to pull", from the French tirel and from here, it gets the additional meaning "stubborn", Terrell being given to an obstinate. Alternatively, it may mean "land", from terre.

Tyrell

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.
 
The Yiddish variation of Usher is commonly used in the Hasidic community.

Usher

Combine the Aiden trend with the ever-cool letter X, and you'll get something like Xayden.

Xayden

Words are not always easy to translate into <a href="https://nameberry.com/">baby names</a>, but the implications of being straight and swift lend this one great potential as a name. It also has the popular o-sound ending, which brings it further into the realm of possibility. Rising rock star Aja Volkman pulled a gender switch when she named her daughter Arrow Eve.

Arrow

This is a name that deserves more attention. Cordell is an occupational name that, through its similarity in sound to Cornell, Denzel, Dashiell,  Boswell and Maxwell, feels both on-trend and upmarket.

Cordell

Though it may have a slightly different pronunciation than Devin, this name is struggling to gain momentum.

Davon

Donte

Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have sons called Harper.

Other high-profile Harpers, like author (Nelle) Harper Lee and starbabies Harper Burtka-Harris and Harper Beckham, are female, but it makes a handsome choice for either sex (and is in the US Top 1000 for both boys and girls).

Harper

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 70)

15,000+ Two-Syllable Boy Names