1900+ Four Letter Boy Names

  1. Earl
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "nobleman, warrior"
    • Description:

      Earl is a title name - brought to England by the vikings - that's out of fashion right now, unlike King and Duke. Its peak popularity was in the 1920s, which gives it a dusty great-grandpa feel, but there are also younger Earls in pop culture, like the reformed criminal in "My Name is Earl".
  2. Niam
    • Origin:

      Hindi or Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "law; given by God; blessing"
    • Description:

      With Liam at the top of the boys' popularity list, parents might discover the still-rare Niam. A name with various origins, Niam can be a Hindi name, deriving from the word niyam meaning "rule" or "law"; an Arabic name - often used on girls - meaning "blessings" or "given by God"; and an Irish name, an form of Niamh.
  3. June
    • Description:

      June is a masculine name derived from the month of June, which was itself named for the Roman goddess Juno, the protector of women and marriage. While predominantly used for girls since the early 20th century, June has historical usage as a male name, particularly as a nickname for Junior. As a masculine name, June has never been common in the United States but represents the tradition of month names used for boys (like August and March). The name carries associations with early summer, warmth, and new beginnings. For men, June offers a gentle, nature-connected alternative to more conventional masculine names. Its simplicity, single syllable, and familiar quality make it accessible despite being unconventional for males in contemporary usage.
  4. Rook
    • Origin:

      English nature name, Persian
    • Meaning:

      "crow; chariot"
    • Description:

      Rook is a choose-your-own-adventure type of name. It has so many meanings and associations, that you have the freedom of choice to decide what resonates with you.
  5. Shai
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "gift"
    • Description:

      Shai, pronounced like shy, might morph to rhyme with may among native English speakers. This simple and attractive name is sometimes confused with or anglicized as Shay or even the Irish Shea.
  6. Hans
    • Origin:

      German, Dutch, and Scandinavian, diminutive of Johannes
    • Description:

      Though familiar to all via such childhood icons as Hans Brinker, Hans(el) and Gretel, and Hans Christian Andersen, few Americans have chosen this name for their sons because of its intractably Old Country image.
  7. Coen
    • Origin:

      Dutch diminutive of Coenraad, variation of Cohen, or Australian place name, "bold advisor; priest; thunder"
    • Meaning:

      "bold advisor; priest; thunder"
    • Description:

      Like many short forms now popular as full names in the Netherlands, Coen—also spelled Koen—originated as the diminutive of the more old-fashioned Coenraad, the Dutch Conrad. In this case, it would be pronounced as KOON, with a short oo sound.
      Alternatively, it may be used in the US as a variation of Cohen, which stems from the Jewish surname designating a priest, and thus pronounced as CO-uhn. Additionally, it may also relate to the Irish surname McCown ("of Connacht") or to the Australian place name, Coen, meaning "thunder" from its Indigenous roots.
  8. Oslo
    • Origin:

      Norwegian place name, Old Norse
    • Meaning:

      "meadow at the foot of a hill"
    • Description:

      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.
  9. Kylo
    • Origin:

      Variation of Kyle, Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "narrow spit of land"
    • Description:

      The original Kyle has sparked many variations, including Kylie, Kyler, and Kylo, after Kylo Ren, the villain played by Adam Driver in the seventh Star Wars movie, released in December 2015.
  10. Fenn
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "wetland, marsh"
    • Description:

      A fen is an English marshland, and Fenn came into use as a habitational surname for a person who dwelt near one. Now, it's a rarely used first name too, a handsome alternative to Finn.
  11. Boaz
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "swiftness"
    • Description:

      Now that such Old Testament patriarchs as Elijah and Moses fill the playground, Boaz seems downright baby-friendly, having more pizzazz than many of the others, perhaps as a successor to Noah.
  12. Will
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of William
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protector"
    • Description:

      Will has definitely replaced Bill, not only as a nickname for William but as a stand-alone name as well, partly thanks to England's Prince William, also known as Wills. Currently outside the Top 1000 in the US and the UK, it wouldn't feel totally out of style.
  13. Dion
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dionysius, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "child of heaven and earth; of Zeus"
    • Description:

      A variation of Greek Dionysius, itself derived from the name of the god of wine, revelry, and dance, Dion gives a nod to mythology while also having historical ties to a student of Plato, to a Greek mathematician and to 1st century writer and historian.

      As a contemporary name, it came into popular use in the late 1950s and remained in the Top 1000 until 2006. It has dipped in and out of the charts since then, and is still given to a not insignificant 200 boys each year.
  14. Bill
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of William
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"
    • Description:

      Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.
  15. Fern
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "plant name"
    • Description:

      A fresh, green, rising nature name for girls that would make a cool possibility for a baby boy as well. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys a handful of times since naming records began.
  16. Jade
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "gemstone"
    • Description:

      When Jade first took off as a given name back in the 1970's, it was in fact considered unisex. It ranked in the US Top 1000 first for boys, then for girls, 7 years later. By the 80's however, Jade was more familiar as a girls' name and by the 2000's, it was gone from the charts for boys.
  17. Colt
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "young horse"
    • Description:

      Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns. A rent study of voter names by political party found that more than 80 percent of the voters named Colt vote red.
  18. Keir
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "dark, black"
    • Description:

      Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a lot of punch, might suggest -- thanks to its similarity to the word care -- a caring person. Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is a British politician and head of the Labour Party since 2020. Keir Dullea is an American actor who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  19. Kent
    • Origin:

      English surname and place-name
    • Meaning:

      "edge"
    • Description:

      Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.
  20. Bodi
    • Origin:

      Hungarian, Slavic diminutive; variant of Bodhi "God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"
    • Meaning:

      "God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"
    • Description:

      Bodi is a succinct and friendly looking name, with a number of possible origins. One one hand, it could be a diminutive of the Hungarian Boldizsár, which ultimately derives from the Babylonian Belshazzar or Balthazar, in turn lending it a regal quality.

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