English Names for Boys

Udell

Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.

Upton

Upwood

This British river name sounds sleek and strong but perhaps a bit too energetic. 

Dart

Vane

No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic, statistics, and computer science.

Venn

Upper-class surname in England that might be prime for adoption here. 

Vere

It's a hat, it's a race, and it's even been known to be a name. In Britain, it would be pronounced darby. 

Derby

Dancer feels like a name ready to leap into the charts with its sense of life and joy; and if names like Hunter and Archer can be used, why not Dancer. There will be some danger of other kids relating this one to Santa's reindeer and it might make a good <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">name for a Christmas baby</a>, but that might be a positive connotation for a child.

Dancer

Unusual and simple nature name worthy of further consideration.

Vine

A surname style name that could make an alternative to Wayne or Wyatt.

Wainwright

Place names for boys are few and far between; this one would make a singular choice. Prince William of Wales uses this as a surname when required, as in his military life; Jimmy Wales is the entrepreneur behind Wikipedia, Clint Eastwood played the eponymous character Josey (!) Wales in the 1976 The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Wales

Forever the hapless cartoon husband of Blondie. 

Dagwood

Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from becoming more wearable? Bertie is a cute (and very fashionable) nickname option for this grand old name, though Curt and Kit might work too. 
 
Meaning "famous, brilliant" or "familiar, bright", Cuthbert is an Old English name, notably borne by a 6th century saint who lived as a hermit on an English island and was able to perform miracles.
 
The name notably appears as the surname of Anne Shirley's guardians, Marilla and Matthew, in L.M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, while in The Adventures of Tintin comics, there's a Professor Cuthbert Calculus. It's also used in the long-running British comic, The Beano, in which Cuthbert Cringeworthy is the "teacher's pet" of The Bash Street Kids.
 
Cuthbert last appeared in the US stats back in the 1950s, however, in England and Wales, the name has been given to 17 boys since 2020 and in the most recent data, it ranked alongside Crewe, Corby, and Crispin.

Cuthbert

Has a fresh occupational name feel, combined with old-fashioned Currier & Ives charm. 

Currier

Lincoln, Tyler, Taylor, Jackson, Jefferson, Harrison, McKinley, Grant, Kennedy, Carter -- yes. Washington -- probably not. 

Washington

In the currently popular solid, serious, two-syllable mold. 

Culver

Although it connotes a sense of well-being, not likely to be a popular choice. 

Welby

A surname associated these days with Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston.

Cranston

Westbrook

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 62)