250+ Cool Boy Names
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Tue Nov 21 2023
Cool boy names signal who we want our sons to grow up to be. It’s hard to picture a man named Dash or Rhett as being anything but exceptionally rad, and that’s exactly the point.
Along with Dash and Rhett, other cool boy names in the US Top 1000 include Chase, Finn, Levi, Luke, Miles, Otis, Ryder, and Wyatt. Many cool guy names are also word names, such as Chance, King, Ransom, and West.
Cool names for boys also tend to be the most interesting boy names, They're not just unique, they're surprising and unexpected. When you hear about someone named Lux, McCoy, or Neon, you definitely want to meet them.
These are the cool names of the guys who are good-looking but not pretty, tough but also tender, bad boys but in the best possible way. If this is your prime criteria for a name, forget name style (though many of these are stylish) and focus on names that convey the cool boy image.
The cool names for boys here are listed in order of their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Soren
Origin:
Danish, NorwegianMeaning:
"stern"Description:
This gentle Scandinavian name, soft and sensitive, is being discovered in a major way by parents in the US. It's most closely identified with the nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but there have been modern fictional Sorens as well, in The Matrix Reloaded and the book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Charlie and Lola, and Underworld.
- 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.
- Cassius
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"hollow"Description:
Cassius, a Shakespearean name rooted in antiquity, is trending in a major way. It's one of a raft of Cas-starting names for both boys and girls, including Caspian, Cassian, and Cassia, that are enjoying a new moiment in the sun.
- Jude
Origin:
Latin diminutive of JudahMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity -- for more than a decade now. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
- Finn
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"fair or white"Description:
Finn is a name with enormous energy and charm, that of the greatest hero of Irish mythology, Finn MacCool (aka Fionn mac Cuumhaill), an intrepid warrior with mystical supernatural powers, noted as well for his wisdom and generosity.
- Kai
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"sea"Description:
Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.
- 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.
- Miles
Origin:
English form of MiloMeaning:
"soldier or merciful"Description:
Miles, which has a permanent veneer of cool thanks to jazz great Miles Davis, is a confident and polished boys' name that's an American classic. Always ranking in the US Top 1000, it's been drifting up the charts for the past half century but has never been TOO popular.
- Otis
Origin:
Variation of Otto, GermanMeaning:
"wealthy"Description:
Otis has real appeal for parents attracted to its catchy O initial and combination of strength and spunk. The appealing hero of the British TV show Sex Education has done much to propel Otis into the forefront of cool names.
- Magnus
Origin:
Scandinavian from LatinMeaning:
"greatest"Description:
Magnus is a Latin name, literally meaning “greatest,” that has a Scandinavian feel. It dates back to Charlemagne being called Carolus Magnus, or Charles the Great. Norwegian king Magnus I, named after Charlemagne, introduced it to his culture, and thus Magnus was the name of six early kings of Norway and four of Sweden. It is still a highly popular name in Denmark and Norway.
- Evander
Origin:
Scottish; GreekMeaning:
"bow warrior; strong man"Description:
Evander is a name that could build on the popularity of shorter form Evan, and could work and play well with schoolmates like Zander and Xander.
- Ronan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little seal"Description:
Ronan is the compelling legendary name of twelve Irish and Scottish saints that is now drawing some deserved attention; this cousin of the ascending Roman and Rowan was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller in 1998, and more recently by actress Catherine Bell.
- Roman
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"citizen of Rome"Description:
Roman is an ancient name trending in a major way. A surprise hit name of recent years, Roman now ranks in the Top 100 not only in the US but throughout the English-speaking world, and is rising in other European countries as well.
- Lachlan
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"from the fjord-land"Description:
Lachlan is as Scottish as haggis and tartan plaid kilts—a favorite used throughout England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand—and just beginning to be noticed in the US: it reached the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013. An ancient name, Lachlan was originally used to describe the Viking invaders of Scotland, those from the land of the lochs.
- Beau
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"handsome"Description:
Beau suggests someone devilishly handsome, with a large measure of southern charm—a nice image to bestow on your boy. Often solely a nickname in the past, it's now standing firmly on its own. Beau has been on the Social Security list non-stop since 1969.
- Levi
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"joined, attached"Description:
In the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of Leah and Jacob, from whom the priestly tribe of Levites descended; in the New Testament, Levi was Matthew's given name before he became an apostle. It is suspected that Levi derives from the Hebrew word yillaweh, meaning “he will join.”
- Alistair
Origin:
English spelling of Alasdair, Scottish version of AlexanderMeaning:
"defending men"Description:
With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this name--the British spell it Alistair or Alastair, while the Scots prefer Alasdair--but they're all suave Gaelic versions of Alexander. Adopted by the lowland Scots by the seventeenth century, the name didn't become popular outside Scotland and Ireland until the twentieth century.
- Xavier
Origin:
BasqueMeaning:
"new house"Description:
Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the name of which was derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning “castle” or “new house.” Many Americans pronounce the initial X, as in ex-ZAY-vee-er, but it's equally accepted to pronounce the name ZAY-vee-er, closer to the French pronunciation.
- 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.
- Aziel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my strength"Description:
Aziel is a rarely used name that connotes zeal and may become more familiar thanks to its fashionable initial A and z in the middle.