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Laidback Baby Boy Names

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Mon Jan 29 2024
Laidback Baby Boy Names

Laidback baby boy names feel effortlessly cool, casual, and relaxed. They're simple, warm, and approachable, like an old friend.

But that doesn't mean that laidback boy names are necessarily popular. Some of the best laidback names for boys are actually outside the US Top 1000, like Laurie, Fitz, Rafa, and Monty. Others are friendly favorites, like Eli, Jack, Leo, and Asher. Many of these relaxed names for boys have a nicknamey vibe, or could be short for something more formal — think Gus for Augustus, or Ray for Raymond. But they also work well on their own. The Brits love laidback names for boys: Harry, Noah, Jack, Leo, Charlie, Alfie, Archie, Freddie, and Theo all rank in the Top 20 for boys in England and Wales. Browse our tally of the best cool boy names with a laidback feel here, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Baby Boy Names

Cool Boy Names

  1. Jude

    • Origin:

      Latin diminutive of Judah, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "praised"

    • Description:

      Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity, in the US at least. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
  2. Milo

    • Origin:

      Latin and Old German

    • Meaning:

      "soldier or merciful"

    • Description:

      Milo is most commonly considered to be Germanic name derived from the Latin word miles, meaning "soldier." However, there is evidence to suggest it also may have independently spawned from the Slavic root milu, meaning "merciful." Milo predates brother name Miles, a variation that evolved when the name immigrated to the British Isles in the Middle Ages. Mylo is an alternate spelling.
  3. Finn

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "fair or white"

    • Description:

      Finn is a name with enormous energy and charm, that of the greatest hero of Irish mythology, Finn MacCool (aka Fionn mac Cuumhaill), an intrepid warrior with mystical supernatural powers, noted as well for his wisdom and generosity.
  4. Asher

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, blessed, happy one"

    • Description:

      Asher—an excellent, soft and sensitive Old Testament choice—is a baby boy name on the rise, and is a Nameberry biblical favorite.
  5. Arlo

    • Origin:

      Irish or English

    • Meaning:

      "between two hills"

    • Description:

      Quirky cool Arlo is now well and truly back. Last year it broke into the US Top 200 boy names and consistently ranks among the most popular boy names on Nameberry.
  6. Leo

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "lion"

    • Description:

      Leo is a strong-yet-friendly name that was common among the Romans, used for fourteen popes, and is now at its highest point ever in the US thanks in part to Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio.
  7. Liam

    • Origin:

      Irish short form of William

    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"

    • Description:

      Liam is the top boys' name in the US, holding the Number One spot for the past eight years and also ranking as one of the most popular boys' names around the western world.
  8. Kai

    • Origin:

      Hawaiian, Frisian, Chinese

    • Meaning:

      "sea; warrior; triumph"

    • Description:

      Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.
  9. Noah

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "rest, repose"

    • Description:

      Noah is nearly a patriarch of popular baby names at this point, going from Old Testament graybeard to Top 10 name in 2009, hitting Number 1 in 2013, and now settled into second place in the US for the past eight years.
  10. Owen

    • Origin:

      Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "young warrior; well-born"

    • Description:

      Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.
  11. Ellis

    • Origin:

      English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "benevolent"

    • Description:

      Ellis is a former Old Man Name turned gender-neutral choice for the 21st century. It's one of the less used names in the currently popular El-family.
  12. Levi

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "joined, attached"

    • Description:

      Levi, lighter and more energetic than most biblical names, with its up vowel ending, combines Old Testament gravitas with the casual flair associated with Levi Strauss jeans.
  13. Theo

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Theodore

    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"

    • Description:

      See the popularity graph below for the name Theo? It's been heading straight uphill since 2010, when it hopped back onto the Top 1000 after a 60+ year absence.
  14. Nico

    • Origin:

      Italian diminutive of Nicholas, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "people of victory"

    • Description:

      Nico is one of the great nickname names, full of charm, energy and effortless cool -- a neo Nick.
  15. Jack

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of John

    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"

    • Description:

      Jack may have fallen from its Number 1 place in England, but in the US it's as popular as it was at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. A durable, cheery, everyman form of John, Jack ranks as one of the most popular boy names starting with J.
  16. Bodhi

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "awakening, enlightenment"

    • Description:

      Bodhi is a Sanskrit name translated as "enlightenment" or "awakening" which relates to a Buddhist concept, wherein Bodhi is synonymous with the state of nirvana, being freed from hate, greed and ego. The Bodhi tree is a large fig tree under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment. Spelling variations include Bodie and Bode.
  17. Quinn

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"

    • Description:

      Quinn is an engaging Celtic surname that is still on the rise for girls but beginning to flag for boys. As a female name, Quinn is in the Top 100, used for over 3000 baby girls last year, but toward the bottom of the Top 500 for boys, given to 700 baby boys.
  18. Hayes

    • Origin:

      English surname and nature name

    • Meaning:

      "hedged area"

    • Description:

      One of those simple, straightforward English surnames -- and with a presidential pedigree -- that's easy to translate into a first. It was recently chosen by both Kevin Costner and Jessica Alba for their sons, which can likely be credited for its spike in popularity in the past few years. Surname names and nature names like Hayes, which qualifies on both counts, along with occupational names all make up the new generation of stylish English names for boys that go far beyond Harry and Edward.
  19. Brooks

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "of the brook"

    • Description:

      A nature name, a word name, and a surname name, Brooks has plenty of cool factor. It gives off cowboy vibes and a sporty feel, while also maintaining a smart, collected image.
  20. Charlie

    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Charles, French from German

    • Meaning:

      "free man"

    • Description:

      Charlie derives, of course, from the classic name Charles which, in turn, comes from a German word meaning "free man." Charles became very popular in France during the Middle Ages due to the fame of Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne. Charley is an alternate spelling.