Trending Boy Names

The original form of the Hebrew Meyer.

Looking for a Texas name more distinctive than Austin and Dallas? Houston is a lanky, roguish place-name, right in style with its Texas accent and cowboy image.

Sounds exactly like Ray—but with an on-trend royal vibe. The central protagonist in the newest Star Wars trilogy is a woman named Rey.

This name directly translates to the way most parents feel about their sons. It's rising quickly in popularity, along with many other names from the Indian subcontinent.

A brisk and unconventional name that could be a style stand-in for confederates Casey, Chase, Cale, and Cade.

Renly Baratheon was a fairly minor character in A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones, mostly remembered as the one of the show's few prominent LGBT characters. He played a major part in season 2 of the show, when he challenged the Lannisters and his older brother Stannis for control of the Iron Throne.

A Quranic name especially popular in Muslim South Asia.

Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.

Its most famous bearer was Prince Osman the First, founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Brixton, a formerly rough but now cool-and-gentrified area of London, is also gaining notice as a baby name, especially for boys. About 20 baby girls were given the name in the US in the most recent year, vs. about 300 baby boys. Its similarity to the trendy Braxton and the x in the middle place help make it appealing to contemporary parents.

Kannon, the name of actor Kevin James' son born in 2011, seems at first glance to be a kre8if spelling of bad boy name Cannon. But Kannon is also the name of the Buddhist god (and sometime goddess) of mercy and compassion, a very different image from the big gun. Either way, it made its way into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, and was one of the year's fastest-rising names.

Rising biblical name without the demonic undertones of Azrael.

A less common — and biblical — alternative to Liam. Eliam joined the Top 1000 for the first time in 2021. In Puerto Rico, it's a Top 50 choice.

Knowledge is a word name that's on an upward trend for boys, in 2021 hovering just below the Top 1000 in the US. And if Maverick, Legend, and Justice can be popular baby names, why not Knowledge? It's an important quality for any child to possess, via their name as well as their brain.

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.

Coolly attractive African name, with distinguished representatives in sports and literature. Jabari has been on the rise recently, returning to the US Top 1000 in 2023.

Kabir is the 37th name of God in Islam. Kabir is also the name of an Indian poet and mystic saint. In the US, Kabir is on the rise as a boys' name, favored by Muslim parents.

Wilder not wild enough for you? You may need to go all the way to Wylder or Wylie in your search for unique baby names.

A spelling variation of Weston most associated with the Westin hotel chain. To avoid looking like an advertisement, we think it’s best to stick with the more traditional spelling.

Up-and-coming surname name that may evoke thoughts of ballet dancer Misty Copeland or one of the many towns called Copeland.