Fastest-Rising Boy Names 2025

Actor Pierce Brosnan brings a strong helping of charm to this name. Pierce was actually a popular name long before Mr. Brosnan came along, from 1880 to the end of the 1930s.

Pierce Brosnan inspired the return of the name in the 1980s, and it's still going strong. Pierce is actually pronounced differently from father name Piers, which has more of a z sound at the end.

About 500 baby boys were named Pierce in the US last year....and about 30 baby girls.

Pierce

A name which strikes the balance between gentle and strong, Truett has been a fast rising option in the 2020s. Given to 131 American boys in 2019, a more recent count saw it given to 578, placing it just outside the Top 500. 
 
Ranking alongside Tru and Truce, Truett likely comes from the English place name Trewhitt, which takes its meaning from the Old Norse tyri meaning "dry resinous wood" and the Old English whit, which means "river bend". As such, it's an outdoorsy, nature-connected choice, with the additional appeal of sounding adjacent to the virtue Truth.
 
In fact, it is also considered a variation of the Germanic Treuhardt, meaning "true, faithful" and "strong, brave", reinforcing the more virtuous associations.
 
Some may well relate the name to the Baptist church in the Southern USA due to former leader George Truett. Others may think it sounds like "truant" or, more favorably, "truest".

Truett

Chozen was the second fastest-rising boys' name of 2023, adding a new spin to word name Chosen, also increasing in popularity. 
Leaping from obscurity to firmly within the Top 1000, Chozen could be seen as a way to make a baby feel even more special and wanted, or, it might be a way to make Chosen feel less wordy and more name-y, with added coolness and spikiness from that trending 'Z'. 
Alternatively, however, it might make for a lifetime of slight irritation, of always needing to spell out a name that in the US at least, would likely be written down as Chosen.
 
Given to over 300 boys and 60 girls in 2023, Chozen joins the 500 babies called Chosen, the 100 called Chozyn, and the 90 called Chosyn in the same year.

Chozen

This variation of the popular Arabic name has now been in the Top 500 for several years. It wasn't even in the Top 1000 before the 1980s.

Mohamed

Azriel is more masculine than Ariel, more unusual than Israel. Also spelled Asriel and Azrael, Azriel is the name of the Angel of Death in Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Azriel

A cool, windswept, surfer babe-magnet in 1965, a nice dad -- or even granddad -- today. 

Scott

One of many Aidan variations — all stemming from the original Gaelic Aodhán — Eiden was the third fastest-rising boy name of 2023 and a new entry to the US Top 1000. Interestingly, despite this spelling's current success, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, and Aden are all on the downswing.

Eiden

This distinguished name still feels a bit ancient, but with the rise of such former graybeards as Jeremiah and Elijah, it also sounds child-friendly again, as does the Latin-Greek form Zacharias. 
 Zachariah is a name that was in fairly regular use by the Puritans of the sixteenth century, then was eventually and completely overtaken by the more modern sounding Zachary. But strange as it may seem, Zachariah and Zacharias now seem more au courant than Zachary (even though that name remains more popular).
 In the Bible, spelled Zechariah, it is the name of about 30 different personages, one of whom gave his name to the book of Zechariah.
 Zarachiah Hobson is a character in the Thackeray novel, The Newcomes. 
 Zakkai, a Hebrew abbreviation of Zachariah, is another interesting option.

Zachariah

Akari took the spot as most popular name in Japan back in 2018 and while it's no longer in top place, it does remain familiar — for girls, that is. Meaning "bright, light village" or "vermillion + white jasmine", depending on what kanji is used, how exactly did this come to be one of the fastest rising names for American boys in 2025? 
 
While it is used occasionally as a masculine name in Japan (video game producer Akari Uchida being one such bearer), in the US, its rise may be down to its similarity to names such as Jakari, Dakari, Amari, Kamari, Zakari, and Jamari, with the additional international twist of Kenji and Kenzo.
 
It made its US debut in 2025 when it jumped straight in at #542 having been chosen for 554 boys — five times more than it was used the year prior. 104 girls also received the name. 
 
The traditional Japanese pronunciation would be A-KA-REE, while in the US, uh-KAHR-ee is more likely.

Akari

Cal is a nickname style name that feels as friendly and calm as it does cool and breezy. While its longer forms have proved more popular over the years, Cal as a stand alone has dropped on and off of the US Top 1000 since the 1880s.
 
Traditionally, Cal derives from the Biblical Caleb, giving it the meaning "dog" or "the whole of". Alternatively, it comes from the English name Calvin, meaning bald. There are however a multitude of other origins, including Callum, Callahan, Callan, Pascal, Connally, Calix, and Macauley, which gives you the chance to pick whichever meaning you like best, some of which are listed above.
 
You could go for one of these long forms if your prefer something more formal or with a more solid meaning, but Cal as a standalone name has a long history of use. Since US records began, there has never been a year when it wasn't given to at least 5 babies, and. as of 2020, it is back in the US Top 1000 and on the rise.
 
Given to around 370 babies each year, Cal fits in with other nickname style names, like Leo, Jack, Finn, Ty, Drew, and Mack.

Cute but cool, fresh but familiar, Ozzy was one of the fastest-rising boy names of 2021 and has continued to rise in the US and the UK ever since. While hard-core rocker Ozzy Osbourne might not be everyone's idea of a role model, his nickname name, along with others like it (think Iggy, Ziggy and Izzy) are forging their own way up the charts. 
 
Derived from the Old English element os meaning "God" or "divine", or from the Irish oss meaning "deer", Ozzy can also be spelled as Ozzie, or for those outside of Australia, Aussie. It could work as a nickname for oldy-worldy Oswald or Osmond, or for popular Oscar and Biblical Ozias. 
 
Currently in the UK Top 500 and the US Top 650, it was given to 470 American boys in 2024, along with an increasing number of girls.

Ozzy

This Latinate name would have no problem fitting into an American classroom. It has made frequent appearances in the US Top 1000 over the last several decades. Borne by several Spanish saints, it  boasts both a rhythmic sound and popular o-ending.

Eliseo

Chosen is officially a baby name thanks to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who chose (can't resist) the word as the name of his newborn son.
 
While it may inspire bad puns, Chosen is actually a pretty good word name: It's got the two-syllable, n-ending sound that is so fashionable for boys' names, plus a positive, affirming meaning. And if Saint and Messiah can be baby names, why not Chosen? And there's no reason it can't also work for girls.

Chosen

It may surprise you to know that surname name Porter was fairly popular in the US in the 19th and early 20th centuries, then went underground for 40 years only to reemerge at the turn of this century and climb the ladder again.

Now, it's wobbling around the middle of the Top 1000 list for boys, not a bad place to be. Theoretically unisex, Porter is used seven times as often for boys as for girls.

Porter

A variation of Muhammad, the name of the 7th century prophet who founded the Islamic religion. One of the most popular Muslim and Arabic names, it is used across the globe in various forms. This spelling is currently in the UK Top 100, but less popular than Muhammad. 

Mohammad

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.
 
Jakai and Makai are other up-and-coming names along the same lines.

Zakai

Author Colson Whitehead put his name on the map, and now variations such as Colsen and Colsyn are shooting up along with it. With its cowboy style, Colsen was one of the fastest rising boy names of 2024, when it was given to 442 boys — more than four times the number of babies who were given it previous year. 
 
A potential honor name for a Nicholas (or a Cole or a Colin) with a slightly softer feel to it than Colson or Colton, it may appeal to those wanting something rugged but not too rough.

Colsen

A popular choice back in the 50s and 70s, Rocky fell into decline after Sylvester Stallone's battered but not beaten boxer character became the overwhelming association many had with the name. Now, nearly five decades on from when the first Rocky movie was released, this tough yet playful name is back in style, ready to forge an identity of its own. Given to around 420 boys in the US in a recent year, it was one of the fastest rising names in the charts.
 
Rocky can be considered an English word name, referring to an environment with many rocks, or it can be viewed as a nickname-name, derived from Rocco, meaning "rest, repose" or "rook", or from Roderick, meaning "famous ruler". Alternatively, it has been used simply as a nickname for someone strong and rugged.
 
Boxer Rocky Marciano was a notable bearer who helped popularize the name back in the 50s, however, the more resurgence of Rocky is likely down to the actress Sarah Michelle Geller and actor Freddie Prinze Jr. choosing it for their son back in 2012. It subsequently reappeared in the US Top 1000 in 2013 and has been on the rise ever since.

Rocky

Jakai is a cool modern invention, inspired by other -kai names such as Makai and Zakai. Add to this the popular prefix "ja", and it also feels connected to classic nickname Jack, the international Jacques, and modern favorites, Jackson and Jax. 
 
With its Biblical adjacent feel and the multicultural quality of Kai, Jakai feels familiar but less common than its inspirations. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2021 and has been climbing ever since, with 360 boys receiving the name in 2023. 

It could be a fun and fresh way to a honor Jacob, Jack, or Jacques or a more unique way to get to Kai.
 
One disadvantage of using a modern invented names however, is that some lack a definitive meaning. For Jakai, there are a couple of possibilities. As a spin of Kai, it could mean "the sea" from its Hawaiian origins or "warrior" from its Frisian links. As a variation of Jack, it could mean "God is gracious" or "supplanter" depending on whether you take it from John or from Jacob. You could mix these various meanings together if you wanted, to get "supplanter of the sea" for example.

Jakai

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.

Rhodes

 fastest-rising boy names on the most recent US name popularity list

Here's a list of the boy names vaulting the furthest and fastest up the list, including those that have moved up 20 or more places in 2025 compared with 2024. Note that the Social Security Administration issues the official baby name count for the US more than a year later, so 2025 is the most recent year counted.

All of these names are on the official list of 

for 2025, though some moved up from below the line. Some are familiar and many may be new to you. What they have in common is that they're hot right now.

Does that mean they're destined to be the 

Some of the fastest-rising names got that way because of a

 or a celebrity and may fade just as quickly. But some — and these are the names you'll probably want to pay the most attention to — are male names that have been simmering along just below the surface and are ready to pop.

Nameberry favorites such as Caius, Evren, and Soren have become big favorites with the rest of the country, which means they are almost certainly heading to the top of the popularity list. A few of the fastest-rising names are grandpa names rising from the ashes: Roland, Francis, and Wallace.

Landry and Scottie have the distinction of making both the girls' and boys' fastest-rising lists.

Boy names moving fastest up the US name popularity list in 2025, trending stylish names with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 6)