6 Letter Boy Names

One of the hot two-syllable T names of the nineties (along with Tyler, Trevor, and Taylor), and well represented on soap operas; Tanner is still widely used, but its popularity is declining. 

Tanner

With the prevailing popularity of Samuel, some parents are considering this more (literally) powerful biblical name, which shares the desirable nickname of Sam.
 Samson was, of course, the supernaturally strong champion of the Israelites against the Philistines who was betrayed by Delilah, as dramatized in more than one technicolor epic. But the more it is used for children today, the more the name is able to move away from that image.
Sampson is a variant spelling--Sampson Brass is a character in the Dickens novel The Old Curiosity Shop, Samzun is the interesting Celtic spelling, Sansone the Italian version.
 The story of Samson has been translated into a number of works of art, including Milton's poetic drama Samson Agonistes, an oratorio by Handel, an opera by Saint-Saens, and paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens.

Samson

Thanks to its dashing British image and c-initialed two-syllable sound, Colin/Collin has enjoyed a long run of popularity. 

Collin

Popular in the first half of the 20th century, Leland briefly fell out of favor in the late 90s. After a short break from the US charts, it returned in the mid-2000s, with actor Brendan Fraser choosing it for his youngest son, possibly making it feel cool again. Given to around 500 boys each year, Leland is in the Top 600.
 
Deriving from the English place name and surname, Leyland, meaning "untilled or fallow land", it can also mean "meadow land" from the Old English word Leah. Both serious and sporty in feel, the name is reminiscent of Leroy and Leonard, but also Landon and Liam, somehow managing to feel a little dated but right on trend simultaneously. 
 
 Leland Stanford was the founder of Stanford University and one-time Governor of California

Leland

Armani is catching on along with other brand names, and this one is among the most gender-neutral, with a recent year seeing the name split 47:53 towards boys. Similar in sound to the likes of Amari, Amani, Akari, and Ari, it manages to sound a little less designer than Fendi, Versace, or Rolex.
 Literally meaning "son of Ermanno", Ermanno being the Italian form of Herman, it could be interpreted as meaning "son of the army man" or "son of the soldier". Alternatively, some may be using it as a spelliing variation of Amani, an Arabic name meaning "wishes". 
Given to around 600 boys in recent year and just making the US Top 500, the name has been appearing in the US stats since the mid-80s, and the Top 1000 since 1994.

Armani

Josiah, but with a bit of Jasper, Jasiel, and Jamar thrown in. With Josiah entering the Top 100 in 2008, Jasiah has also seen increased popularity since it entered the US Top 1000 back in 2006. Given to nearly 600 babies in a recent year, it is nine times less popular than its counterpart, Josiah, but it is nevertheless significantly used.


Jasiah

Actor Pierce Brosnan brings a strong helping of charm to this name. Pierce was actually a popular name long before Mr. Brosnan came along, from 1880 to the end of the 1930s.

Pierce Brosnan inspired the return of the name in the 1980s, and it's still going strong. Pierce is actually pronounced differently from father name Piers, which has more of a z sound at the end.

About 500 baby boys were named Pierce in the US last year....and about 30 baby girls.

Pierce

The kind of nouveau macho name favored by NRA-leaning parents, Gunner could appeal to those who like other more military or gun inspired names, such as Hunter, Remington, and Cannon. It got a boost up the charts in 2009 when The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers gave it to his son.
 
Inspired by the Scandinavian Gunnar meaning "bold warrior", and by the word gunner itself, the name had been on the up until 2016. It began a slow decline in 2017, but in 2024, it was one of the fastest falling names of the year with parents turning to more peaceful options like Truce and Shiloh.
 
If you do like the idea but don't want to commit to associating your son heavily with weaponry, the Gunnar spelling makes the name a bit less militaristic.

Gunner

Alonzo is dashing and debonair, with a large measure of Latin flair.
 You may be surprised to know that Alonzo has been on the Most Popular list since 1880, when such records began to be kept, at which point it was Number 110. The same is true for nickname Lon, which was 193 at the time.
 Alonso Quijano was the real name of Don Quixote--Alonso being the Spanish version of the name. In the old Judy Garland musical Meet Me in St. Louis, Alonzo/Lon was the name of both her father and brother. 
 Horror film star Lon Chaney was christened Leonidas, but Lon Chaney, Jr. was Creighton at birth. Alonzo Mourning is a former basketball star who goes by the nickname Zo--much more modern sounding than Lon or Lonnie.

Alonzo

Corbin, the name of the castle where the Holy Grail was said to be hidden, came to the fore in the 1980s via actor Corbin Bernsen when he was the high profile star of LA Law, but its use is only now escalating as part of the mania for two-syllable names starting with c or k, as well as from the more youthful image of Corbin Bleu, the attractive actor-model-dancer-singer who was one of the stars of the Disney hit High School Musical. 
 Bruce Willis's character name in The Fifth Element was spelled Korben Dallas.

Corbin

This name leapt into the female column via vixen Alexis Carrington on 'Dynasty" in the 1980s. It's more popular for girls, but it's still a widely used boys' names and is one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a> in the US today.

Alexis is an ancient (male) saints' name as well as the name of a third century BC comic poet. In the Alexios version, it was the name of several Byzantine emperors.

Alexis

Callen is a unisex Gaelic name growing in popularity here.  Its newfound trendiness is possibly related to the Chris O'Donnell character on "NCIS: Los Angeles", known only as G. Callen.  Jazz musician Cal Tjader's full name is Callen.

Callen

Another culture's slant on Mark, sometimes associated with former president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos and his shoe-collecting wife, Imelda. 

Marcos

Before there was Aspen, Denver was the Colorado city name of choice, and it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after a 14 year absence as a stylish two-syllable boy name with its trendy -er ending. Its decade of greatest use was the 1920s, when it reached as high as Number 422, though the 2020s have seen it rise up to the #518 mark, given to nearly 580 boys.
 
One noted Denver was actor Denver Pyle, who played Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard. The state capital was named for politician James W. Denver, and others who bore the surname include singer John (born John Deutschendorf), and actor Bob, the face of Gilligan's Island.

Denver

A name which strikes the balance between gentle and strong, Truett has been a fast rising option in the 2020s. Given to 131 American boys in 2019, a more recent count saw it given to 578, placing it just outside the Top 500. 
 
Ranking alongside Tru and Truce, Truett likely comes from the English place name Trewhitt, which takes its meaning from the Old Norse tyri meaning "dry resinous wood" and the Old English whit, which means "river bend". As such, it's an outdoorsy, nature-connected choice, with the additional appeal of sounding adjacent to the virtue Truth.
 
In fact, it is also considered a variation of the Germanic Treuhardt, meaning "true, faithful" and "strong, brave", reinforcing the more virtuous associations.
 
Some may well relate the name to the Baptist church in the Southern USA due to former leader George Truett. Others may think it sounds like "truant" or, more favorably, "truest".

Truett

Chozen was the second fastest-rising boys' name of 2023, adding a new spin to word name Chosen, also increasing in popularity. 
Leaping from obscurity to firmly within the Top 1000, Chozen could be seen as a way to make a baby feel even more special and wanted, or, it might be a way to make Chosen feel less wordy and more name-y, with added coolness and spikiness from that trending 'Z'. 
Alternatively, however, it might make for a lifetime of slight irritation, of always needing to spell out a name that in the US at least, would likely be written down as Chosen.
 
Given to over 300 boys and 60 girls in 2023, Chozen joins the 500 babies called Chosen, the 100 called Chozyn, and the 90 called Chosyn in the same year.

Chozen

Gianni, the Italian equivalent of Johnny, sounds more substantial and fresh. Like many names starting with "Gian", it is on a rising trend (for both boys and girls, though it leans more male). TV star Jill Hennessey's son is named Gianni Mastropietro.

Gianni

Philip, the name of one of the 12 apostles, is still favored by parents in search of a solid boys' classic that is less neutral than Robert or John and more distinctive than Daniel or Matthew and has many historic, royal ties. 
 Famous bearers include Saint Philip and King Philip the Great, who was the father of Alexander the Great, plus there have been numerous other French and Spanish rulers named Philip.
 Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh, though, Philip has a certain built-in reserve, somewhat straight and staid.
 When it comes to nicknames, you're not limited to the midcentury Phil -- more lively ones include Pip and Flip.
 The name can also be spelled Phillip; that spelling is consistently used almost exactly as much as this spelling, and in 2017 there were exactly as many baby Phillips as there were baby Philips.
 Some other modern Philip namesakes are writer Roth, late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, architect Johnson, and composer Glass. Model Eva Herzigova named her baby Philip.
 Philip comes via Latin from the Greek and was a Top 100 choice for a century, before fading in the late-1980s. In literature, Philip Pirrip is the full name of Pip from Great Expectations. Other Philips appear in the novels of Jane Austen, George Eliot, and William Thackeray -- not to mention Raymond Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe.

Philip

Azriel is more masculine than Ariel, more unusual than Israel. Also spelled Asriel and Azrael, Azriel is the name of the Angel of Death in Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Azriel

The Dorians were an ancient Greek tribe, one of the three major pre-Spartan tribes. It literally means "of Doris," a Greek district, or "of Doros," referring to the son of Helen of Sparta. Dorian derives from the Greek doron, meaning "gift," along with related names such as Dorothy and Dora.
 
Dorian was introduced as a first name by Oscar Wilde in his 1890 novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the story of a narcissistic character who retains his youthful good looks while his portrait in the attic ages grotesquely. Despite this negative reference, Dorian's attributes have kept it consistently on the boys' list since the 1960s.
 Dorian also has a musical reference, being the name of one of the modes.
 Actor Dorian Harewood has been a familiar presence in movies and on TV.
 Rhythmic and unusual, Dorian makes a distinctive choice.

Dorian

Six letter names for boys are led by some 

: Oliver, Elijah, Daniel, Samuel, and Joseph.

. Boy names with six letters make up a full third of the Top 1000.

 to be explored too. Our favorites include Booker, Harbor, and Laszlo.



Here, the full list of Nameberry's six letter names for boys, ordered by their current popularity among our visitors.

Six Letter Boy Names with meanings, origins, and popularity, including top six letter male names and unique boy names with 6 letters. (Page 8)