Boy Names Lists · Name Image · Cool Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
Word name
"royalty; father, senior"
Historically, Sire was a formal term for addressing male royalty, particularly a king. Sire can also mean "father" or "senior" as both a noun and a verb. Now, like Prince, Sir, Messiah, and Saint,…
Nature name
"one who lives by the woods; area covered in trees"
Woods is a nature name that is a cousin to the stylish Brooks and Forest, evoking the entire world of trees. Sometimes used as a diminutive of Woodrow or Edward, Woods is rugged and outdoorsy, with a…
German, diminutive of Siegfried and Sigmund
"victorious peace; victorious protection; victory"
Perhaps the ultimate nicknamey name, Ziggy manages to sound cool, cutesy, spiky, and energetic all at once. It brings to mind the glam-rock of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the cool vibes of reggae…
English
"wood carver"
Carver is an occupational name with an artistic bent, associated with wood carving predominantly, though it could also be linked to those who carve from stone, marble, ice, and pumpkins. More…
German occupational name
"roofer"
Brawny name chosen for his son by rocker Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue.
Italian variation of Lazarus and Eleazar
"God is my helper"
This sleek Italian name was raised from the dead by Mexican Mozart in the Jungle star Gael Garcia Bernal, who chose it for his son (he also has a daughter named Libertad). For athletic inspiration,…
German word name from Slavic
"zeppelin; flail"
In a baby name landscape where word names and names that start with Z are infinitely cool, there are few options for parents who want to combine trends. Zeppelin is one of the best names at the…
Word name or diminutive of Lincoln
"ring, loop, connection; town by the pool"
Perhaps best associated today with the character from The Legend of Zelda game franchise, Link also has ties to the retro crime drama, The Mod Squad , to the presidential surname Lincoln, and of…
French
"forest guardian"
The list of occupational boys' names continues to expand, and this is one of the latest to ride onto the range. With a hint of cowboy and Western, a sprinkle of preppy surname, an outdoorsy,…
Roman mythology
"god of war; male; red planet"
Mars is a name with interesting potential, ticking the boxes as a mythological name, a space name, and a single syllable choice ending in -s. For parents wanting something unexpected, Mars could work…
Modern invented name or variation of Zayd, Arabic
"increase, growth"
You might think of this as the zesty brother of Cade and Slade. Or Zade might appeal to you as an anglicized spelling of the Arabic Zayd or Zaid, the name of an enslaved man that Muhammad adopted as…
Variation of Kendrick, English and Scottish
"royal ruler, champion; home ruler"
This modern mash up of Kendrick and Hendrix felt almost bound to happen. Perfect for parents wanting something cool and contemporary but also familiar, Kendrix has in fact been quietly used since the…
Arabic
"crown"
Taj is a cool-sounding name reflecting the magnificence of the seventeenth-century Indian Taj Mahal, chosen by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler for his son. The musician known as Taj Mahal was born Henry…
"shield's son"
Ransom may be rakish and handsome, but it carries an unavoidable association with holding someone for ransom. But that kind of bad boy image might be exactly what attracts you to Ransom in the first…
"rocky water"
A cool, rugged sounding name, Calder is connected to an ancient Scottish clan, an English village, and a Scottish River, along with the sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile (as in,…
Turkish
"very rare"
This popular Turkish name has a very on-trend sound and is familiar to English speakers thanks to Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi novel Ender’s Game . The book has recently been turned into a movie,…
English place name from Dutch
"sea land"
Sunny and energetic, but with a hint of cool cowboy, Zealand has been sparingly used since the 2000s, Zealand but shot up the charts in 2021 after YouTube family The Labrants gave it to their son the…
German and Swedish
"secret"
Name with connotations both mystical and tragic, newly popular in Europe. For English speakers, though, this name might be ruined by its homonym ruin.
"red meadow"
Radical Bradley. Radley is also the surname of one of the heroes of To Kill a Mockingbird . Boo Radley is a reclusive and mentally challenged neighbor who saves the Finch children.
Hebrew
"pure"
Cool biblical name that could get you to the nicknames Zac or Cai.
