English Names for Boys

Associated with a historic region of Europe, a luxury hotel group, and to a type of cabbage, Savoy comes from the Latin sappinus, via the French Savoie. Meaning "fir (tree)", it has appeared sporadically in the US charts for boys since the 20th-century, though it has only ever been given in small numbers.

Savoy

A grand English surname that could get you to stylish short form Cove. 

Covington

An old nickname for Andrew, created by adding or swapping first initials, as in the case of Bobbie for Robert, Ted for Edward, and Bill for William. Also used as a surname, it made a brief appearance in the US Top 1000 at the end of the 19th-century and has been given in small numbers since then. It has been more notably used for girls, however, possibly as a spelling alternative to the Xhosa Thandie. 

Tandy

Tristan meets Trust (and Dustin and Justin too) to form this contemporary looking choice, with a hint of virtue about it. Also spelled as Trustin, Trusten, and Truston, this form has been used occasionally since the 2000s.

Trustyn

Less than 10 percent of the babies named Raven are boys, and none of those with the Ravyn spelling are male. But there's nothing intrinsically gender-identified about the name. The early 2000s show That's So Raven, with a female protagist named Raven and starring Raven-Symoné, undoubtedly made parents identify the name as feminine.

Ravyn

Layden and its little brother Leyden are both used quietly in the US. Layden was given to about 20 baby boys last year, while Leyden was used for five. 

Both names are more commonly found as surnames and owe their lives as first names to the trend for the popular Aiden or Ayden enhanced with different first letters: Cayden, Brayden, Zayden etc. But Layden and Leyden are Anglicizations of the old Irish Gaelic name Loideain and may be considered its relatives.

Leyden Lewis is a prominent interior designer.

Laydon

A variation of the Irish surname Mac Aodh (also McKee), meaning "son of Aodh, son of fire" or an alternative to Kay, ultimately from the Latin Gaius, meaning "rejoice", Key could equally be a word name, referring to something that unlocks or forms an essential element. Influencer Kenedy Brown Cradic chose this name for one of her sons in 2024.

Sutton has been on the rise for boys and girls in recent years, and though it may be used almost twice as often on girls, it was still given to a not insubstantial 712 boys in a recent year. This variation made its debut to the US stats in 2024 when 9 boys (and 64 girls) received the name, making it seven times more likely to be heard on girls. 


Suttyn

A surname style choice that might appeal as a way to honor a Nicholas or a Colin, Colley could also work as a rare alternative to Colton, Colby, Callum, and Corey. 
 
The name has a number of possible origins which include: the Irish Kelly meaning "bright-headed" or "war-strife"; the Scottish Macaulay meaning "son of righteousness"; the classic given name, Nicholas meaning "people of victory"; the Old Norse Koli meaning "black, dark, coal"; the bird name, Colly, referring to a blackbird; or possibly as a combination of the Norse word and the suffix ley, giving it the meaning "dark clearing". 
 
Some may find the sound a little too close to that of the dog breed (Border Collie), but spelling variation Coley could lead to the KO-lee pronunciation instead.

Colley

An unusual surname-style name, Wister may be a spin on Wester ("westerly, one who lives in the west") or a play on the archaic word "wist", relating to "wit", "knowledge", and "awareness". Borne by writer Owen Wister, known as the "father of Western fiction", having help make the cowboy into a hero figure, it is also the name of a mountain in Wyoming, named for the author.

Wister

Likely used as a spin on the name Tristan, with a hint of virtue, truth, and dependability about it, thanks to the influence of word name Trust. Also spelled as Trustin and Truston, this form has been used quietly and occasionally since the 2000s.  



Trusten

Either a virtuous option, adapted from Latin and English, or a woodsy, nature related surname, via the French Chastain. 

Chastin

Currently more popular for girls, Winsley could easily work as a unisex option, similar in sound to Winston and Finley. Literally meaning "Wine's clearing" and more figuratively meaning "friend's clearing", it briefly appeared in the US stats for boys in 2009.

Winsley

While the Waverly spelling is far more popular (for girls at least), Waverley is linked more closely to Walter Scott's popular 1814 novel, whose hero is a young English soldier named Edward Waverley. It is believed that Scott named the novel after the model of pen he used to write it, though as a place and surname, it actually means "from the quivering meadow" or "clearing with quivering aspen trees". 
 
Used occasionally for boys in the early 19th century, the link to the classic novel gives it more substance as a unisex choice.

Waverley

A surname style name that may have emerged from either the Old English elements grene and beorg, meaning "green hill", or from grene and berie, associating it perhaps with gooseberries or green berry nightshade. Very occasionally used as a given name in the US, it may have once been chosen in honor of the 17th-century governor of Maryland, Colonel Nicholas Greenberry, and later as a family name.

Greenberry

A quirky and unexpected nickname, used by jazz musician, Dizzy Gillespie (born John), baseball player Dizzy Dean (born Jay), and by rapper Dizzee Rascal, albeit a different spelling (born Dylan). While it has been used nearly exclusively as a nickname and stage name, 19 boys were given the name in the US between 1935 and 1937, likely following Dizzy Dean's success in 1934, when he won 30 games in one season. 



Dizzy

There are many routes to the word name Journey, and this is one of them. More popularly used for girls (albeit in small numbers), Jerney has also been given to a handful of boys since it first debuted in the US stats in 2007. 

Jerney

Also spelled as Stratton and Stratten, this surname style name is succinct and strong but may lead to confusion as to whether it's said STRAYT-uhn or STRATT-uhn. Appearing sporadically in the US stats, it is less popular that Stratton which was given to 70 boys in a recent count. 


Straton

Derived from the Old English déma or démere, Deems may translate to "judge", as in, the occupational kind in a court of law. Other sources suggest it could equally come from Delamare, a Norman French name meaning "from the pond"; from Dymphna, an Irish name meaning "calf"; or from the Anglo-Saxon Deormann, meaning "dear-beloved man" or "fierce man". 
 
Rare as a first name, it has never the less been given very occasionally and might just appeal to lovers of plural names like Banks, Hayes, and Reeves. Composer (Joseph) Deems Taylor who worked on Disney's Fantasia is one notable bearer.

Deems

An alternative spelling of Lovett, a surname-style name that comes from the French lou via the English Lovell or Lowell, Lovette means "little wolf" or "wolf cub". Recent years have seen this spelling used predominantly (though quietly) on girls.

Lovette

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 46)