English Names for Boys

Berold is one of the more obscure boy names meaning bear, which also include Arthur, Orson, and (in a different vein) Teddy.

Berold

Beresford

Might be an honorific for novelist Saul Bellow, although bellowing is not the gentlest of sounds. Consider Saul instead. 

Bellow

Simplicity and pleasant associations give the word Bell real possibility as a first name -- but somehow it seems better for a girl, a la Belle. 

Bell

Belden is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.

Belden

Try telling the kids it really means "pretty face" and not "burper". 

Belcher

A spelling variation of Winston that appears more often as a last name than as a given name.

Winstonn

One of those short, travelling-lite names with a variety of possible meanings, Evo could be considered: a variation of Ivo, which means "yew" from its Germanic roots and "God is gracious" from its Slavic ones; a masculine form of Eva or Eve meaning "life"; a short form of names such as Evan, Evander, Evren, Everett, and so on; a play of the word "evolve" meaning "to develop, grow". 
 
Borne by former Bolivian president, Juan Evo Morales "Evo", it hasn't appeared in the US stats since 2009.

A famous seventh-century saint and church historian whose name has not survived as well as his works. Known as the Venerable Bede, this Benedictine monk is considered the first known writer of English prose, and highly influential via his The History of the English Church and People.

Bede

Might make a good middle name for the child of a musician, though people could think you were honoring your BMW. 

Beamer

This occupational choice is less appealing than such brethren as Baker and Baxter. 

Beaman

Traditionally spelled as Iarlaithe, Iarfhlaith, or Iarlaith, this is the English form of the regal, rugged Irish name. Familiar but distinctive in Ireland, it was given to 6 boys in a recent year, while Iarlaith entered the Top 100, given to 56 babies.
 
The name of a saint from Galway whose monastery became a center of learning, Jarlath is an undiscovered Gaelic gem with notable bearers including actor Jarlath Conroy, comedian Jarlath Regan, and footballer Jarlath Burns.

Jarlath

Could be a possible and more modern, namesake for Uncle Neal. 

Beal

An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse. Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin is a contemporary bearer of this unusual and evocative name.

Bayard

Ocie is an antiquated nickname name, fairly popular for both genders in the US a century or more ago.   Derived from Oceanus  (a male god), Ocean (unisex nature name), or possibly Ociel (Spanish, "from the sky"), Ocie is a rare choice today, given to 8 boys and 15 girls in a recent count. 




Ocie

Sour or sweet? Enough like Lennon, Leonard, and Clement to work, or best left in the fruit basket? That's up to you to decide, but Lemon has been appearing in the US charts for boys since the 1880s. 
 
Currently more popular for girls (given to 50 in 2021, and 29 in a more recent year), Lemon has been out of the charts for boys since the 90s, but that's not to say it won't ever return, given the interest in wild word names in recent years.
 
One thing to bear in mind is that Lemon is sometimes used as a slang term with a couple of meanings. It may refer to: a defective and faulty car or gadget; to an unhelpful person who won't take action (as in, standing there like a lemon); and, in a more niche (and perhaps slightly outdated?) way, for explicit content in fanfiction. Make of that what you will.
 
Lemuel, Lemoine, and Lonan might be similar sounding options,

Lemon

A more unusual, if slightly snooty, masculine Bailey alternative. 

Baxley

Similar in style to Beckett, Everett, Beckett, and Barrett, Lovett is a surname that likely started out as a nickname. Ultimately drawn from the French lou, this diminutive comes from the English Lovell and Lowell, giving it the meaning of "little wolf" or perhaps "wolf cub".
 
Associated with musicians Lyle Lovett and Ben Lovett, and the character of Mrs. Lovett in the story of Sweeney Todd, it was used in small numbers in the first half of the 20th-century.

Lovett

An update on Manfred perhaps, with a cool literary tie to Jane Austen's novel, Mansfield Park, Mansfield is an English surname, borrowed from a variety of places in England. It may be interpreted in two ways: as a blend of manu and feld meaning "man" and "open country or field" respectively, or as a mix of Maun (a Celtic river name), again with the aforementioned feld.
 
Most likely to be chosen by those honoring it as a family name, it does come with both the stylish nickname Fields and the friendly, more classic option of Manny. It has been appearing in the US stats since the 20th-century and was given to a small handful of boys up until the 60s when it fell (mostly) out of use.
 
Content creator Hayley Belle Mullins chose this name for her son born in 2025, which may spark new interest.

Mansfield

Bassett

English names for boys dominate the popularity lists of the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries, with William and James ranking highly in the US, and Jack, Oscar, and Charlie reigning in the UK.



Many English names for boys drawn from surnames are currently trending in the United States: Jackson, Cooper, Lincoln, Hunter, and Landon, for instance. And then there are English word names from Royal to Loyal that have become fashionable for baby boys.

 include Carter, Grayson, Julian, Mason, Parker, Robert, Sawyer, and Wyatt. Trending English names for boys include surname names such as Reeve and Miller and antique names such as Auberon and Anson.

Baby boy names of English origin popular in the UK

 include Oliver — a top name throughout the United Kingdom — Harry, Leo, and Alfie. The English name Tom ranks highly in France, while James is favored in The Netherlands and Oliver is popular in Spain.



Some of the straightforward boys’ names we think of as English — like the royal Charles, William, Henry, George, and Louis — all have non-English roots but may carry nicknames like Charlie or Bill that are distinctively English.

English Names for Boys rank highly throughout the English-speaking world, including William, James, Jack, Oscar, and Charlie. (Page 40)