Cool Boy Names

Stokes is ultimately an English surname, although it's been used in Ireland and Scotland for generations as well. It's a variation of Stoke, a habitational surname, as there were many towns named Stoke in England. The origin of the word stoke, however, is contested. Some say it simply means "place," while others contest it designated a small hamlet. There's also evidence that connects it to the Old English word stocc, meaning "tree trunk."

Stokes

Benno is a cool name in its own right -- there was a tenth century Saint Benno -- though it is also used as a lively nickname for Benjamin. Saint Benno of Meissen is the patron saint of anglers and weavers and, strangely enough, alliteration.
 Benno came to attention in the U.S. via the father and son duo of Benno Schmidt Sr. and Jr. Senior was the venture capitalist who invented the term venture capitalist and Junior was the president of Yale University. Benno is also the appellation of a student character in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Benno

Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a punch, but also has a endearing quality about it thanks to its similarity to the word care. Sometimes used as a short form of the more popular Kieran, it could be derived from the Irish ciar meaning "black, dark".
 
Alternatively, it may be viewed as a variation of the Scottish Kerr, itself from the Old Norse kjarr, linking it to thicket, marshland, and brushwood. Other sources identify it with keir, an Old Scots word referring to a fort.
 
Notable bearers include Keir Dullea, an American actor who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Sir Keir Starmer, a British politician who was the head of the Labour Party between 2020 and 2026 and the Prime Minister of the UK between 2024 and 2026. 
 
The name ranked in the UK charts back in the 90s and 2000s, but fell out of the stats in 2024, coinciding with Starmer's election. In the US, it has been quietly used since the 1960s and saw a small spike in popularity between 1968 and 1972, around the time of Dullea's star role in 2001: A Space Odyssey. A more recent year saw it given to 7 boys, with Kieran or Kyaire being the preferred options.

Keir

This crisp, tailored surname has caught the eye of several parents over the years, but may appeal for different reasons. In sailing, a ketch is a boat with two masts. Daniel Ketch is the name of Ghost Rider, a character in the Marvel Universe who may have inspired some namesakes.

Ketch

A cool, unique surname name with debated origins. Some sources say Rigden is a lost habitational name, as evidenced by a significant number of bearers in Kent, England. In this case, Rigden would mean "valley by the stream," from ric, "stream," and denu, "valley." Another theory suggests Ridgen derives from Ricdun, via Ricardun, an Old English pet form of Richard, making this a nice option to subtly honor an ancestral Richard.

Rigden

A Middle Eastern name rarely heard here, but with a certain swashbuckling charm. 

Zahavi

There is a whole new species of bird names open to the baby namer, from the light and feminine Lark to the sleek and powerful Falcon. 

Falcon

Sladen

A name that looks intriguing and masculine on paper, but is, unfortunately, a homonym for a girl's name. 

Quay

This snappy nickname may remind some of the 1985 Chevy Chase movie of the same name.
 
Writer and actress Jill Kargman has a son called Fletch.

Fletch

This Irish name of a saint from the Isle of Aran also appears in myth and fantasy fiction, giving it an intriguing, mystical air. 
 Some modern parents are attempting to update the spelling, as in the actor Breckin (middle name Erin) Meyer or the most popular form of the name, Brecken.

Breccan

This rare but meaningful name is bestowed upon the children of Boston Red Sox fans in honor of their home ballpark, Fenway Park. Fenway Park is the oldest in the MLB. It was named after the neighborhood in which it is located, Fenway-Kenmore.
 
In the past decade, Fenway has been given to an average of five baby boys each year. It peaked in 2013, the year the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.

Fenway

While Ivy Blue has made the color a more popular choice for girls, Blues — as in the musical style — could feel more masculine. While some may find it a sad and gloomy choice, thanks to the phrase "having the blues", the musical connection gives it greater potential. It could make for a laid-back name that oozes cool and works as an alternative for those wanting to avoid more obvious choices like Indigo or Hendrix.
 
 In August 2024, Justin and Hailey Bieber announced the birth of their son, Jack Blues Bieber, which could draw people's attention to the name in coming years.

Blues

This unusual surname name has been made famous by Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario, and probably derives from a Slavic name meaning "triad; trinity". A notable male bearer is American visual artist Vasile Troian.

Troian

An interesting choice for the child of an architect.

Truss

Many of us name babies based on who we want them to grow up to be, and all of these names nudge your son toward cool guy status. 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 guy 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.

 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 guy image.

Cool names for baby boys, including cool boy names Finn and Rhett, along with meaning, origin, and popularity (Page 11)