Modern Baby Boy Names
Updated Mon Apr 01 2024
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Modern baby boy names are names used mostly since the start of the 21st century, names that break the traditional masculine mold for baby boys.
Modern names for baby boys can be drawn from several different genres. Word names such as Journey and Wilder are popular modern baby boy names. Place names such as London and Kenya fit the category of modern names for boys.
Other modern names for boys defy old gender stereotypes by being unisex or gender neutral names. These may be nature names such as Fox or Sage, or last names used as firsts, such as Palmer or Peyton.
Newly-invented names can be classified as modern male names. These might include respellings or entirely new names: Jaxon, Shai, Ryatt.
The modern baby boy names here are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Arlo
Origin:
Irish or EnglishMeaning:
"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.
- Atlas
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"bearer of the heavens"Description:
Atlas is one of those names that was previously thought too powerful for a baby boy, who would have to be strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Now Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek and Roman god and goddess names in the realm of possibility, along with Mars, Zeus and Apollo.
- Wesley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"western meadow"Description:
Reminiscent of the Old West, with rugged charm and a gentle, easy-going feel, Wesley has long been a staple on the US charts.
- Wren
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"small bird"Description:
Wren may not be as time-honored a bird name choice as Robin or even Lark, but it's more fashionable and fresh, with a gentle and earthy vibe.
- Rhodes
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"where roses grow"Description:
This is a name we've seen the potential of for some time now — A Greek island and a prestigious scholarship make for a preppy first name with the uber-stylish S ending. Needless to say we were not surprised that Rhodes cracked the Top 1000 in 2022, and we expect it to keep rising. Rhodes was recently chosen by actress Emma Roberts for her son, born in 2020.
- Phoenix
Origin:
Arizona place-name and GreekMeaning:
"dark red"Description:
Effortlessly cool with a hint of the mystical, Phoenix rolls a lot of trends into one: it's a place-name and a bird name, it ends in the stylish letter x, it's got in-built nicknames, and it's unisex too. Familiar but not over-popular, Phoenix ranks in the US and UK Top 1000s.
- Sawyer
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"woodcutter"Description:
Sawyer is a surname with a more relaxed and friendly feel than many others, and is one of the hottest occupational names right now, with the Nameberry seal of approval. Sawyer is becoming one of the top unisex names. Both Sara Gilbert and Diane Farr used Sawyer for their daughters, while it was given a boost as a boys' name by the character Sawyer on Lost, an alias for the character really named James Ford.
- Maverick
Origin:
AmericanMeaning:
"independent, nonconformist"Description:
It's ironic that the name Maverick is not such a maverick anymore. Heard first in a 1950s James Garner western TV series, and then as the Tom Cruise character in Top Gun, Maverick symbolizes an unfettered, free spirit.
- Lane
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a small roadway or path"Description:
Lane is a recent hit name, that could be used for either gender, but is much more popular for boys. It's a surname that projects the pleasant picture of narrow, tree-lined country roads.
- Nova
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"new"Description:
Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.
- Wilder
Origin:
Surname or word nameMeaning:
"wild, untamed, uncontrolled"Description:
Rugged, outdoorsy, and full of energy, Wilder entered the US Top 1000 back in 2015. Part bad boy, part Western, part preppy, and part nature-loving, Wilder is given to nearly 800 babies each year.
- Emerson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Emery"Description:
Emerson is a dignified, somewhat serious name associated with transcendental thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson. Much more popular now for girls since Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher used it for her daughter, it is definitely still a viable boys name.
- Jett
Origin:
Mineral or word nameDescription:
Short, sharp, and cool, Jett is a contemporary choice that connotes both gemstones and jet engines. Rarely used before the 90s, John Travolta, and then George Lucas, helped to put the name on the map by choosing it for their sons.
- Cade
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"round, barrel; battle"Description:
Strong and modern, Cade shot up the popularity lists around the millennium—it was as high as Number 201 in 2001. Now, it has declined in popularity slightly, but nevertheless remains in the US Top 300, given to around 1200 babies each year. Combined with all the baby Kades, Cadens, Kaidens and Kaydens however, it might feel even more popular that it actually is.
- Collins
Origin:
Surname derived from Nicholas or ColinMeaning:
"people of victory or pup"Description:
Collins is a surname name that has made the girls' Top 1000 thanks to its use for the daughter of the real-life Blind Side heroine. As of 2019, Collins climbed into the US Top 500. This derivation of the Greek Nicholas—which means "people of victory"—or the Irish and Scottish Colin—which may itself be a Nicholas derivation or an Anglicization of the word for pup—has a stylish feel made more so by that final s.
- Hayes
Origin:
English surname and nature nameMeaning:
"hedged area"Description:
One of those simple, straightforward English surnames -- and with a presidential pedigree -- that's easy to translate into a first. Chosen by both Kevin Costner and Jessica Alba for their sons, it has been climbing the US charts since 2009.
- Grayson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the son of the bailiff"Description:
Grayson, which you might think of as a Jason-Mason substitute, has been rising through the US Top 1000 since 1984 and has ranked in the Top 100 since 2011.
- Knox
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"round hill"Description:
Knox is an old Scottish surname that Brad Pitt (whose great-great-grandfather was named Hal Knox Hillhouse) and Angelina Jolie took out of the back cupboard, dusted off, and elevated to coolness--to the point where it entered the popular baby names list in 2009. Knox now ranks among the most influential celebrity baby names.
- Callahan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"bright-headed"Description:
Callahan, the simpler spelling of Callaghan, is a rhythmic jig of a name whose history harks back to the ancient King of Munster. In the Dirty Harry movies, the Clint Eastwood character is Harry Callahan.
- Boone
Origin:
English from FrenchMeaning:
"blessing, lucky"Description:
Boone is one of the advancing herd of lean and lanky cowboy names with a laid-back, backwoods, Western feel—and surprising French roots. It's inevitably linked with legendary frontiersman Daniel, and also with the positive connotations of the word boon. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.