One Syllable Middle Names for Boys

Shaw

English

"dweller by the wood"

With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big…

Hawk

Nature name

"hawk, a bird"

Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname,…

Moss

English

"descendant of Moses"

This evocative green nature name, heard much more frequently as a surname, is associated with playwright Moss Hart (born Robert), who co-wrote (with George S. Kaufman) such enduring Broadway comedies…

Hyde

Medieval measure of land, or English surname

"hide"

Hyde, of course, is most familiar as a surname -- as in Mr. Hyde, evil alter ego of Dr. Jeckyll. Unless Hyde is a family name or you have some other excellent reason for using it, we think you could…

Sal

English, diminutive of Salvador or Salvatore, Latin

"savior"

The sidekick in almost every movie or TV show with an Italo-American setting, this once common name has now fallen onto the endangered list, given to fewer than 50 baby boys each year.

Zeb

Diminutive of Zebediah or Zebulon, Hebrew

"gift of God, exaltation, or little dwelling"

Short and to-the-point, it turns an ancient biblical name into a friendly cowboy.

Yann

French/Breton variation of John

"God is gracious"

This might be a better choice than the similarly pronounced Jan, to avoid gender confusion.

Bond

English

"peasant, farmer; connection"

For 007 fans, a great middle name choice -- or even a first, Bond fits into the trend of one-syllable surname-style names like Banks, Brooks, Boone, Beck, and Briggs. As an English surname, it comes…

Tay

Scottish place-name

This name of the largest river in Scotland, renowned for its salmon fishing, is usually thought of as a nickname for Taylor.

Dodge

English, diminutive of Roger, German

"famous warrior"

This old short form might be seen as a little dubious by some, though it could make for a fun pet name, honor name, on update on the still-stodgy Roger. In a recent film, Seeking a Friend for the End…

Pike

American animal name

"pike, a fish"

The field of nature names is constantly expanding to include all species of flowers and trees and animals and birds and even fish. In addition to its appeal for anglers, Pike recalls Zebulon Pike,…

Win

Diminutive of Winslow, Winthrop, or Winston, English

"friend's hill or friend's village or wine town"

Win is an upbeat, can-do name that can be a short form of one of the buttoned-up British choices above or can stand on its own. Welsh Wyn is another possibility. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell…

Eames

English

"son of the uncle"

An upscale surname with a nice modern design connection to the creators of the Eames chair and other midcentury furniture classics, Charles and Ray Eames.

Sid

Short form of Sidney, French

"Saint-Denis"

Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk…

Vern

Diminutive of Vernon, English

"place of alders"

Until recently, Vernon and its short form Vern seemed like grandpa names not ready for revival, but now we can see it happening. Never the popular, Vern works particularly well as a middle name.

Day

English word name

"the time of light between one night and the next"

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Nai

Slovenian, invented name of unknown meaning

Both Naj and Nai rank in the Slovenian Top 100 as of 2023, along with similar options, Tai, Taj, Mai, and Kai. The exact etymology of Naj and Nai is unknown, but, given that the feminine Naja is…

Birch

Tree name

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree. The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator…

Kier

Diminutive of Kieran or alternate spelling of Keir, Irish, Scottish

"little black-haired one; thicket, marsh"

Succinct and snappy, this name is both an alternative form of Keir and a short form of Kieran. It could therefore stem from the Irish ciar meaning "black" or the Scottish Kerr (via Norse kjarr ),…

Nguyen

Vietnamese

"sleep"

One of the most familiar Vietnamese names, yet still hard on the Western tongue.