50+ Compound Boy Names
Updated Thu Aug 29 2024
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Compound names are formed by combining two separate names together in order to create a brand new one. Also known as combined names or smoosh names, these portmanteau monikers are less used for boys than they are for girls.
While this can make looking for compound names for boys a little more tricky, it also means there are a number of unique, and unexpected options.
Smoosh names for boys are more familiar in Italy, where options such as Gianluca and Giancarlo were once on trend. There are also a number of Hebrew names that combine seamlessly to make the likes of Lior and Dovber.
Other combination names require a little more blending and chopping to become a new name, such as the African American Jamarion, a mix of James and Marion, or the Manx Finlo, which combines Finn and Lugh.
Biblical names provide inspiration for several compound names for boys, including Zakai, Ethaniel, and Noadiah, while less traditional options blend words and on-trend sounds to make Ryatt, Oakwell, and Westland
From historical Leoluca to contemporary Rylo we've collected together some of the best and some of the newest compound names for boys, ordered below by their popularity on Nameberry.
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- Bowen
Origin:
Welsh, ChineseMeaning:
"son of Owen; wave of writing, wave of literature"Description:
Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic strains, one Welsh and one Irish, and entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011.
- Lior
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"I have a light"Description:
Lior is a unisex name frequently heard in Israel, capturing the popular light theme through its meaning. For English speakers, the one down side is possible pronunciation confusion with "liar," though it's really lee-OR, with a long e sound and emphasis on the second syllable.
- Kyler
Origin:
DutchMeaning:
"victory of the people"Description:
Kyler was once a creative solution for 90s parents who enjoyed the sounds of Kyle and Tyler but didn't want to use anything so popular. Now a well-established name on the US charts, it is given to more than 1000 babies every year.
- Kamari
Origin:
Variation Qamar, ArabicMeaning:
"moonlight"Description:
A melodic name, popular among the African-American community, where it joins sound-alikes Amari, Jamari, and Damari. It ultimately derives from the Arabic Qamar, meaning "moon", and is also used by Swahili speakers and those from Comoros and Somalia. It could also be considered a Greek place name, from a coastal village in Santorini.
- Brooklyn
Origin:
Place-name from DutchMeaning:
"marshland"Description:
It may be the hippest of hispter neighborhoods, but as a baby name Brooklyn is now on the decline: down from a peak of 120 births for boys in 1999, and over 7000 births for girls in 2011.
- Finlo
Origin:
ManxMeaning:
"fair Lugh"Description:
Finlo is a name from the Isle of Man, deriving from that island's pagan sun god, Lugh. Given the popularity of all Finn names right now, Finlo could be a great alternative for people who love the "Fin" sound but want a more unusual name.
- Rylo
Origin:
Compound name blending Ryan and Milo, ScottishMeaning:
"rye clearing + soldier; rye meadow"Description:
With cool, on-trend sounds and a hint of Star Wars about it, Rylo is an up-and-coming name that has only seen notable use since 2016. It can be considered a Scottish diminutive of Ryland and an Irish surname, but also a compound name made up of Ryan and Milo. Given to nearly 130 babies in 2023, it has been rising in use every year since the mid 2010s.
- Rhysand
Origin:
Literary nameDescription:
Created by Sarah J. Maas for the handsome High Lord of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of fantasy romance novels. Rhysand is based on the Welsh name Rhys, meaning "ardor".
- Heathcliff
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"cliff near a heath"Description:
Heathcliff is the name of the original passionate macho hero of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and also of the cartoon cat. It was chosen by fashionista Lucy Sykes for her son, and inspired the late Heath Ledger's name. But otherwise it's barely used, and perhaps a bit much of a namesake. For a modern boy we'd recommend Heath....or Cliff.
- Jimothy
Origin:
Invented name, combination of Jim and TimothyMeaning:
"supplanter who honors God"Description:
Jimothy is a combination of two 'dad' names: Jim, a form of James, meaning "supplanter", and Timothy, meaning "honoring God". This name is best associated with Timothy Gonzales, a British rapper and musician who used Jimothy as a stage name.
- Ellsworth
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"nobleman's estate"Description:
One of the many El- names for boys that boomed in the 1910s and 1920s, but has long been out of fashion. This surname/place name has an aristocratic flavor, and a creative namesake in the artist Ellsworth Kelly. Polar explorer Lincoln Ellsworth also gives it an adventurous connection.
- Jebediah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"beloved friend"Description:
Like its better known cousin Jedidiah, Jebediah is one of those four-syllable Old Testament names that is being shorn of its long white-bearded image, with the help of its modern-sounding Jeb nickname.
- Thorfinn
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"Finn of Thor"Description:
An ancient Norse name that is still in regular use in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. A famous historical bearer is Thorfinn Sigurdsson (or Thorfinn the Mighty), an 11th century Earl of Orkney.
- Oakland
Origin:
American nature name or place nameMeaning:
"oak land"Description:
Oakland is a place name associated mainly with the city near San Francisco, pretty obviously meaning "oak land". Theoretically unisex but used mainly for boys, Oakland is one of a trending group of oak-related names, led by Oakley for both genders, with Oakland and Oaklen trending for boys while baby girls are more often given spellings Oaklynn and Oaklyn.
- Penrose
Origin:
Cornish and Welsh place name and surnameMeaning:
"top of the heath"Description:
Penrose – an ancient locational surname derived from several villages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Welsh border country of England – might work as a first name, although the "Rose" syllable might lead the uninitiated to assume it's a female name. As a middle name, however, it would make for a surprising and distinguished choice. A male Penrose could be called Pen/Penn, Ross or Roe for short.
- Elikai
Origin:
Hawaiian variant of ElishaDescription:
A well-established (if rare) Hawaiian name that combines two trendy names: Elijah and Kai.
- Gianluca
Origin:
Italian, Combination of Gian and LucaDescription:
This is one of the attractive smoosh names heard frequently in Italy, but rarely in the US. A particularly appealing example due to the stylishness of Luca.
- Zakai
Origin:
Variation of Zaccai, HebrewMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Zakai bears a lot of resemblance to the ancient Hebrew name Zaccai, but many modern parents are using it as an elaboration of the popular name Kai, blending it with Zack.
- Neymar
Origin:
Brazilian inventionDescription:
Neymar was unheard of before Brazilian football sensation Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior came to fame. It is thought to be a "smoosh" name of Netuno (Neptune) and Mar (Mars).
- Elidor
Origin:
Welsh or HebrewMeaning:
"steel, or generation of god"Description:
As a Welsh name, Elidor is a modern form of Elidur, an ancient British king name. It was used by British author Alan Garner for the eponymous hero of his children's fantasy novel Elidor (1965).