By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 71 pages
of 71
English surname
"boundary gate"
Merritt is an old-style surname name that could be seen as a positive virtue name. It was used in the late 19th and early 20th century for boys, reaching the Top 400 in 1899, and is notable today for…
English
"dweller near the burnt land"
One of several blunt B names just this side of the gender divide. While its short and to-the-point sound may feel modern, it has been declining steadily since the 1980s. David Brent is Ricky…
English word name
"highest point of a mountain"
An especially adventurous word name that conjures up mountain expeditions. As names like Everest and Zenith continue to climb, so too should Summit.
English; Hebrew
"universal; truth"
Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered…
Variation of Bennett, English form of Benedict, Latin
"blessed"
This spelling of Bennett is typically seen as a surname, but gets moderate use as a first name for baby boys and girls.
English surname and place-name
"edge"
Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.
Jhett is a masculine name representing a modern spelling variation of Jett, which itself emerged as a given name from the deep black gemstone and the English word describing something fast-moving.…
Variation of Coast, English word name
"land near the sea"
Breezy, beachy Coast began to climb the charts back in 2020 when Covid gave some parents a hesitation over Cove. By 2021, a handful of parents were also using the spelling Koast, following the trend…
"dry wood + river bend; true and strong"
More popularly spelled as Truett, this form has also been climbing the charts, given to 92 boys in the US in a recent year. Derived from Old Norse and English, it's related to the place name…
"son of the unspoiled forests"
Has that blunt masculine feel -- à la Cole and Kyle -- that many modern parents are drawn to.
"white"
Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names .
Word name
About 40 baby boys were named Artist -- not Picasso, not Art -- in the US in one recent year. But not so odd, when you consider all the occupational names, from Sawyer to Sergeant, stylish today. The…
Diminutive of Chester, English
"fortress, walled town"
Chet is an old-fashioned short form of Chester, that like Ned, Mac, Ted, and Wes, it has the potential to sound cool again. Country singer Luke Combs and his wife Nicole, certainly thought so as they…
Latin
"mild, merciful"
Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather." Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from St.…
Variation of Everett, English, Germanic
"brave as a wild boar"
Most likely used as a spelling variant of the popular Everett, you might also consider this name as a blend of Rhett and Ever or even of Eve and Rhett. Most straightforwardly, it comes from the…
German, diminutive of Kurtis
"courteous, polite"
A name that defines itself, a bit more curt in the harder K version.
"born near outcrop of flint"
Flint is one of the new macho names on the rise today, part old-school tough guy, part rebel. You won't find a tougher, steelier-sounding name; it's part of a genre on the rise along with cousins…
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of Elias
"Yahweh is God"
Eliott is a masculine name representing a variation of Elliott, which originated as an English surname derived from the Hebrew name Elijah, meaning 'my God is Jehovah' or 'the Lord is my God.' This…
Spelling variation of Riot
"violent civil disorder"
Ryett feels like a trendy name, bringing to mind picks like Ryder and Ryker, as well as rhyming name Wyatt. However, being a homophone for "riot" might give some people pause. Ryatt is the most…
English, diminutive of Clinton
As flinty and steely as Mr. Eastwood.
