English Names for Boys

Usually reserved as a term of endearment, Sugar has occasionally been used as a given name in the US, with at least 135 girls and 46 boys receiving the name since records began in the 1880s. It was recently used by singer Anne-Marie and rapper Slowthai for their son's middle name, born in 2024 but not announced until 2025. 
 The singer revealed she chose the name because she developed gestational diabetes when carrying her second baby, Forever Sugar, and went on to describe how that made it the perfect middle name for him. 
 
While Sugar could be a generic nickname for any baby, if you want a name that connects to the pet form, you could always go for Hugh or Hugo, which would lead you to the the Scottish nicknames Shug and Shuggie, or try a name with a sweet meaning (Myron, Pollux, Amai). Alternatively, Seamus, Shay, Shiloh, Samuel, and Sawyer contain some of the sounds.

Sugar

Chosen by influencer India Blue (also known as Indy Blue) for her son's middle name in 2025, Severe may be viewed as a word name, with various meanings, including "stern, strict", "great, intense", or "plain, restrained" (usually in regards to someone's appearance". As such, it may link to the "very demure" trend that year, though the content creator may have also chosen it as a nod to brother's name, Seven. 
 
Alternatively, Severe is a spelling variation of Sévère (SEH-VEHR), a French form of Severus, a Latin name meaning "stern, strict".

Severe

Given to six boys in a recent year, Eternal is a spiritual choice, often associated with an everlasting spirit (such as God) or an infinite time (such as the afterlife), though it equally connects to eternal love more generally and to something timeless and enduring. 
 
A big name to carry, though potential nickname Ernie might ground it a little.

Eternal

A modern sounding choice, Shaidan is in fact an Arabic name, meaning "high ranking", and not simply a member of the Brayden, Hayden, or Aidan family — although it may be used as such. In that case, it would likely mean "little hawk; fine and little" or "gift" from its Irish and Hebrew roots.
 
Other Arabic spellings include Shaydan, Shaidaan, and Shaydaan, while as a modern invention, it may be spelled as Shaiden, Shayden, Shaeden, and so on.

Shaidan

A rare, surname style choice, with a hint of Saul, Sol, and Sully about it, Sewall has been notably borne by geneticist Sewall Wright and automobile pioneer Sewall K. Crocker, who made the first successful cross-country automobile trip. It was also the middle name of Louisa May Alcott's younger sister (and the inspiration behind Beth of Little Women), Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, chosen because it was her maternal grandmother's maiden name.
 
Also spelled as Sewell, this English surname likely came from the Middle English given names Saeweald and Sigeweald, meaning "sea power" and "victorious authority" respectively. Another possibility however is that it was adapted from a place name, which likely meant "seven springs".

Sewall

The Italian form of the classic Biblical name, appearing in the Old Testament as the second son of Adam and Eve, Abele also doubles up as a word name, referring to the white poplar tree. From its Hebrew roots, it means "breath", while the name of the tree ultimately comes from the Latin albus meaning "white".
 
As an Italian name, it would be pronounced as a-BEH-leh and has been notably borne by mountaineer Abele Blanc. As a nature name, it is said as uh-BIHL, uh-BAYL, or as AY-bl (like Abel in English), depending on region.
 
It is also the name of a small village in Belgium.

Abele

While Dawn feels dated for girls having had its heyday back in the seventies, could this word name make a fresh and unexpected option for boys, as a spin on the likes of Dan, Don, Shawn, Dean, and John? 
 
Some parents certainly through so in 2024, when the name reappeared in the stats for boys for the first time in thirty years. Given to six boys compared to 108 girls, five percent of all Dawns born were boys. 
 
Dawn for boys isn't an entirely novel concept, as implied above, and it has been occasionally given since the 1920s. During 60s and 70s, there were even two occasions when more than 50 boys received the name, however, due to just how popular it was for girls at the time, boys made up less than 1% of all Dawns born in the US.
 
With its nature related meaning and its associations with new beginnings and fresh starts, Dawn does hold some appeal. Time will tell if it catches on as a gender neutral word option.

Dawn

Given to at least 89 boys since the 1950s, word name Pride might be viewed as either a virtue name or an anti-virtue name, depending on how you look at it.
 
On one hand, it has the positive associations of being proud of yourself and of celebrating your own achievements, qualities and successes. Parents might also refer to their child as their pride and joy: someone that their proud of.
 On the other hand, however, pride is linked to vanity, self-conceit, and feelings of superiority. It is associated with an excessive kind of self-love that turns to arrogance and vanity.
 
We suspect it was the more positive associations parents who chose this name had in mind when they picked it, though there's always the possibility it was family surname too.
 Other things this word name brings to mind include: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the name for a group of lions, and LGBTQ+ Pride, both the celebratory parades and the promotion of rights and equality. 
The name most recently appeared in the charts in 2020, when it was given to 6 boys, though celeb couple KJ Smith and Skyh Black named their daughter Pryde in 2025.

Pride

Slightly rugged and windswept, Hindley notably appears in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, borne by the elder son of the Earnshaw family. The name of two English towns, it combines the Old English elements leah and hind meaning "meadow, clearing" and "female deer" respectively. 
 
While it could appeal as an alternative to Linden, Hadley, Hartley, and Harley, in the UK at least, it would be heavily associated with the infamous Myra Hindley, one of the Moors Murderers.

Hindley

A word name, a color name, and a brand name, Damson is associated with a type of fruit, a shade of purple and the fashion brand, Damson Madder. While some may find it far too close to the word damn to be used as a name, others may find the wordy feel and the stylish -son ending appealing.
 
Currently a rare choice, it is borne by actor Damson Idris, though in his case, it is a short form of Adamson, a surname style choice, meaning "son of Adam" or more figuratively, "son of the red earth". 
 
As such, it could be pronounced like the fruit (DAM-zuhn) or more like the end of Adamson (DAM-suhn).

Damson

Possibly inspired by the Welsh feminine name, Liliwen, Liliwin is a masculine name, notably appearing in the seventh novel of the The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters. In the 1983 book The Sanctuary Sparrow, Liliwin is a travelling performer who is accused of theft, robbery, and murder, but goes on to become the hero of the story.
 
If Liliwin does derive from Welsh, it could mean "white lily" or "blessed lily"; however, if it is from Anglo-Saxon origins, it may mean "friend's lily" instead. A very rare choice, it has seen little real-world use.

Liliwin

A surname-style choice with two cool nickname options — retro Hal and on-trend Ford — Halford is an Anglo-Saxon place name that appears on the map in various places across England. It is made up of the element ford, meaning "shallow place in a river", combined with either halh meaning "nook, remote recess" or haforce meaning "hawk". 
 
The name was notably borne by geographer Halford Mackinder, considered one of the founding fathers of geopolitics and geostrategy, while as a surname, musician Rob Halford, footballer Greg Halford, and actor Charles Halford.
 
Used occasionally in the US in the first half of the 20th-century, it might feel fresh today, though in the UK, it will likely just be associated with the car and bike store, Halfords.

Halford

Appearing in Mark Lawrence's high fantasy novel, The Book That Wouldn't Burn, Evar is a contemporary, literary creation. Borne by a character raised outside of time, in a mysterious library, Evar may be a play on the word "ever".
 
Alternatively, it may be inspired by the Greek name Evaristus, meaning "well pleasing" or by Scandinavian Ivar, meaning "yew wood" or "archer". It is, however, also the abbreviation for a type of surgery called Endovascular Aneurysm Repair, used to fix abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Evar

A simple yet multicultural choice with a surname-y feel, Varen can be considered a Sanskrit name meaning "gifts" or "brave", a Scandinavian choice borrowed from the Old Norse element herr meaning "warrior, army", or an English and Dutch choice, relating to words for travelling and sailing.
 
Additionally, it might have its origins in the Slavic Varenka and Vavara, both forms of Greek Barbara. Meaning "foreign", Varen might just be a masculinization. Additionally there's the Latin verus meaning "true, truth".
 
Predominantly used as a surname, it has appeared in the US stats as a given name as recently as 2020.

Varen

A spelling variation of Casey, more popular for girls thanks to its similarity to classic Katie. Kayce and Casey itself are more popular for boys, though Kacie has been given in small numbers over the years, with five boys receiving the name in a recent year (compared to 120 girls). 

Kacie

Predominantly used for girls, Annie did rank in the US Top 1000 in the 1930s, perhaps owing to data entry errors. Nevertheless, it could make an unexpected nickname for Andrew, Antonio, or Anthony. 

Annie

In line with Sunny, Happy, Joy, and Lucky, Smiley is a upbeat, happy feeling choice. Best known as a description for someone with a smile ever on their face, it is also a surname meaning "small clearing", though it's unlikely that's what people would be thinking about on hearing it.
 
Used quietly for boys throughout the 20th-century, it is more likely reserved as a nickname or perhaps as a middle.

Smiley

A playful name, reminiscent of buzzy bees and names like Ziggy, Ozzy, and Bobby, Buzzy is less popular than the (also rare) Buzz. It was however used occasionally in the US between the 1930s and 60s. 

Buzzy

While Anniston and Aniston may be used more often for girls in the US, this spelling has also appeared in the stats for boys over the years, albeit in very small numbers. Connected to a city in Alabama (named for the founder's daughter-in-law, Annie), to an English surname meaning "town of Anis" or "town of Agnes", and to the F.R.I.E.N.D.S actress, Jennifer Aniston, it sounds similar enough to Anderson, Addison, and Ashton that it could make an interesting possibility. 

Aniston

A surname style choice with a nature-related meaning, Graylin was given to six boys in the US in a recent year.  Alternative spelling Graylen is about five times as popular. 

Graylin

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 45)