UK Boy Names

As sturdy as Oak, but with stronger roots as a first name, Oakley ticks lots of boxes for modern trends. With its unisex vibe, its nature-based meaning, its surname-y feel, and its popular -lee ending, it's not wonder Oakley is on the rise. 
 
In the US, it's been in the Top 1000 consistently since 2011 and now sits comfortably in the US Top 400 for boys and in the Top 200 for girls. Meanwhile, across the globe, Oakley is Top 100 boy name in the New Zealand and a Top 50 choice in the UK. 
 
Though it may sound like a modern unisex invention, Oakley was actually used as a boys' name in the US at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. While it did become an obscure choice until it was revived in the 2000s, it was nevertheless consistently but quietly used in the intervening years
 
Right now, for boys, Oak variations Oakland, Oaklen, and Oaklee are also quite popular and S-ender Oaks or Oakes are gaining in popularity too. Combine this with all the girls called Oakley, Oaklynn, and Oaklee, and it begins to feel much more popular than its ranking might first suggest.

Oakley

A modern, multifaceted name, Sage is short, sweet, and strong. A unisex possibility, it is also a virtuous word name associated with wisdom, and a nature name linked to a fragrant herb. 
 
Currently, Sage leans more feminine in the US, but around a third of all Sages born in a recent year were boys. Across the pond in the UK, Sage is one of the fastest rising boy names.

Sage

Mack, when "formalized" with the final k, makes an engagingly amiable choice, a far more uncommon alternative to the ubiquitous Max and Jack, with a nice, every-guy feel. Mack entered the popularity list in 2009 for the first time since 1989 and continues to climb. However, it's still far from its peak — it was a Top 100 name in 1900.
 Mack (born Michael) Sennett was the innovator of slapstick comedy in silent films. The name is also suggestive of Mack the Knife and a whole family of computers. Kevin Kline, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Eric Roberts and Snoop Dogg have all played characters named Mack.

Mack

An update of Tyson for parents who prefer the Ky nickname to Ty. It was the middle name of a character on Heroes.

Kyson

The long association to the Ford Motor Company doesn't stand in the way of this being a strong, independent, single-syllable name. 
 Owen Wilson named his son Robert Ford—although the baby's name was first released as Ford Linton.
 Among notable namesakes are writer Ford Madox Ford, author of The Good Soldier, who was born Ford Hermann Hueffer but changed his Germanic name to honor his grandfather, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Madox Brown. Sportswriter Ford Frick was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
 There are many more outstanding surnamed Fords, including the presidential Gerald (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr) and his wife Betty, industrialist Henry, and actor Harrison, to name a few.
 Ford can work on its own or be a short form of other names such as Clifford.

Ford

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

Even less subtle than Duke or Earl, this name shot up the popularity charts in 2013, the same year young Prince George was born and the craze for all things royal (and Royal) began. Today, it's a leading boys' name on Nameberry's own popularity charts.

While Royal ranks on the US Top 1000 list for both girls and boys, It's rising precipitously for boys but softening for girls. There are currently nearly three times as many boy babies named Royal as girls..

Pop culture references: the hit Lorde song "Royals.", the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums (in which the paterfamilias was named Royal), and most recently, the Amazon Prime series Outer Range, a supernatural neo-Western starring Josh Brolin as Royal Abbott.

The name's resemblance to the more classic Roy doesn't hurt either.

Royal

Edgar is an Old English name historically associated with the tenth century English king known as Edgar the Peaceful. There was also a King Edgar of Scotland.
 Edgar has been a stalwart on the US <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> lists, not dipping below the Top 400 until 2022, and is especially popular (as is Edgardo) with Latino families.
 Edgar plays a key role in King Lear and has had several distinguished namesakes, including artist Degas, Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, and author and poet Edgar Allan Poe. In terms of style, however, most would rate it a distant third to Edward and Edmund. 
 Trivia tidbit: Joan Rivers' daughter Melissa named her son Edgar after her father, but he is called by his middle name Cooper.

Edgar

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

It may seem like an indecisive cross between Roy and Reece, but Royce was fairly popular in the 1930s and '40s. It has seen a resurgence in recent years, helped by some well-known athlete bearers. The Latin pop singer Prince Royce also has brought renown to the name. And some aspirational parents may see the name as a way to associate with the Rolls-Royce brand.

Royce

Damon is a name with a strong, pleasing aura (much like the persona of Matt D.) and extremely positive ancient associations. From the classical myth, Damon and Pythias have become symbols of true friendship, as Damon risked his life to save his friend from execution. And Damon of Athens was the fifth century philosopher who taught both Pericles and Socrates.
 Other interesting associations: Damon Runyon wrote Guys and Dolls, Damon is one of the funny Wayans brothers, Damon Dash is a high-profile music exec, and Damon Salvatore is a key figure in The Vampire Diaries.

Damon

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

Kyle is still appreciated by thousands of parents each year for its combination of simplicity, strength, and style; it was in the Top 20 for most of the nineties. As a Scottish surname, it dates back to the fifteenth century. 
 Kyle Broslofski is one of the enduring kid characters on South Park, and Kyle MacLachlan is a busy actor.

Kyle

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

Ridge may be the quintessential daytime drama name, but it's still better than most. This is one word name rising rapidly through the ranks, reentering the US Top 1000 in 2015 for the first time since 1989.

Ridge

As parents were finding too many Tylers at the neighborhood playground, they began looking to Tyson as an alternative, no longer concerned with possible connections to Mike Tyson or Tyson chicken. 

Tyson

A cool, windswept, surfer babe-magnet in 1965, a nice dad -- or even granddad -- today. 

Scott

This punchy surname has some favor in the last couple of decades—potentially due to rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was one of the quickest rising boy names in 2013 when it reached its high point at #318. It has since declined in popularity, but as of 2024, it remains in the US Top 500 and in the UK Top 1000.
 
The name has a number of origins and meanings, one of which is from the Welsh Cynwrig meaning "champion". Alternatively, it can derive from the Anglo-Saxon name Cyneric, meaning "royal ruler" or "king", and from the Scottish and Gaelic surnames, MacEanraig or <Machendrie, which ultimately mean "son of Henry", or "son of the home ruler".
 
Given to 641 boys in a recent count, notable bearers include baseball player Kendrick Nunn, footballer Kendrick Norton, drummer and bandleader Kendrick Scott and science writer Kendrick Frazier.

Kendrick

UK names for baby boys originate from all the languages and cultures of the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, along with Cornwall and the Isle of Man. UK boy names range from the top names for boys throughout the English-speaking world, such as Edward, Jack, and James, to thousands of unique boy names like Kelso, Mungo, and Rowley.

Browse this list of UK boy names that originate in the Nameberry database that originate in the English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, Cornish and Manx languages and cultures. 

UK names for baby boys originate from all the languages and cultures of the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, along with Cornwall and the Isle of Man. UK boy names range from the top names for boys throughout the English-speaking world, such as Edward, Jack, and James, to thousands of unique boy names like Kelso, Mungo, and Rowley.  (Page 8)