New Baby Boy Names

This twist on the popular Everett takes it to lofty heights and gives it a geographical and nature-inspired link. The snow-capped Everest could make a name that stands out without feeling too out there, and it may be seen more often in the classroom (that is, outside of the textbooks) in coming years.
 
Mount Everest is named after George Everest, a British surveyor, whose surname means "from Évreux", a place in Normandy. As a given name, it entered the Top 1000 in 2020, though it has been used sporadically since the beginning of the 20th century. Chosen for 290 American boys in 2024, it is a unisex option, also given to 80 girls.

Everest

Raylan, one of an uncountable number of two syllable, surname-like <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ names</a> end in n that are in style these days, is inspired by Raylan Givens, the cowboy hat-wearing U.S. Marshall created by writer Elmore Leonard and starring in the television series Justified. The Ray part of the name is of course a traditional choice -- it's usually said to mean "wise" -- but the lan takes it out of Old School Raymond territory. Other variations include Raylen, Raylon, Rayden and so on. The name is also sometimes given to girls, but not nearly as often as it is for boys.

Raylan

One of many Irish and Scottish surnames starting with Mac and Mc that also feel usable as given names, McCoy has a jaunty and energetic sound. The name entered the US Top 1000 in 2020, and was given to around 220 boys in the US in a recent year, along with 6 girls. 
 
McCoy ultimately derives from the Irish MacAodh, via the alternative Anglicization MacKay. Meaning "son of Aodh", the 'OI' sound in -Coy could come from the Scottish pronunciation of the Gaelic name. A relative to the popular Aiden, Aodh means "fire", giving McCoy the potentially more poetic interpretation of "son of fire"> 
 
McCoy Tyner, the well-known jazz pianist, is one of the few to use this very cool name, while a fictional bearer is Dr. Leonard H. McCoy '"Bones" of Star Trek. 
 
With the bonus of nickname Mac, McCoy might work as a familiar but not overused choice in the US and elsewhere, though UK-based parents may want to consider that it is a brand of potato crisps.

Mccoy

A growing number of high-profile (and other) parents are choosing to honor their musical idols, such as Hendrix, Presley, Jagger, and now Lennon. 
 
Lennon first came to notice when Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit used it for their son in 1999, and singer-musician Adam Pascal followed their lead in two years later. Thanks in part to female singer and actress Lennon Stella, it's now used about four times as much for girls than for boys.
 Lennon made it onto the popularity list in 2008. 
 In addition to its obvious Beatles connection, Lennon has a nice lemony feel.

Lennon

This name, with its great meaning, has seen a notable rise for boys since the mid-2010s. It debuted on the US charts for girls in 2021, while for boys, it was one of the fastest rising choices of 2024, when it entered to Top 1000 for the first time having climbed more than 280 places. 

Azai

This quintessentially common last name makes a distinctive if  first, given to more than 230 babies in the US in the most recent year counted. It has doubled in use over the last decade.

Jones

As Tyler has begun to recede, a number of parents, including the Wayne Gretzkys, have cut straight to the livelier short form. One thing that may be holding the name back is the tarnished legacy of baseball hall of famer Ty Cobb, who gained a reputation for racist and violent behavior.

This phonetic spelling of Drew feels particularly distanced from the original classic Andrew. Jrue, along with other phonetic "Jr" names such as Jream, is on the rise in the US — even cracking the Top 1000 in 2022. 

Jrue

Flynn, a charming Irish surname, is still used only quietly, despite its easygoing, casual cowboy charm, unlike Finn which is a star of this genre. Flynn was the choice of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr for their baby boy, and is also the middle name -- used as his first -- of a son of Miranda's fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson, of Gary Oldman's son Gulliver and Marley Shelton's daughter West.
 Flynn Rider (born Eugene Fitzherbert) is the dashing animated hero of the Disney film "Tangled." On TV's "Breaking Bad", Flynn was what young Walter Jr. tried to rename himself. The name was long associated with the swashbuckling Errol Flynn, inspiration of the phrase "in like Flynn." Some may connect this name to controversial former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
 Flynn entered the U.S. Top 1000 in 2011, and is a highly popular choice in Australia and New Zealand.

Flynn

Bjorn is one of the most recognizable <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/173/scandinavian-names">Scandinavian names</a>, thanks in large part to tennis great Björn Borg, winner of five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French opens and something of a rock star figure.
 
Bjorn has been in use since the days of the Vikings and derives from the Old Norse word for "bear". In Scandinavian countries, it is also spelled Björn and Bjørn.
 
After its boost in popularity when Borg ruled the courts, there have also been other notable Bjorns in various fields in Sweden, Norway and Germany, ranging from the first king of Norway to a member of the pop group ABBA.
 
And if you do pick this name for your son, your baby Bjorn can be carried around in a Baby Bjorn.

Bjorn

Kaiser, as in roll and Wilhelm, appeared for the first time on the US Top 1000 in 2017.  It fits the two-syllable -er ending style that's all the rage, and it lends itself to the short form Kai.  But we hope this Germanic version of what is essentially a title rather than a name doesn't keep rising on the charts.

Kaiser

This name from the Shona language is a new entrant to the Top 1000 in the US.

Dakari

Bear has suddenly lumbered onto the baby name landscape. Perhaps inspired by British adventurer Bear Grylls (born Edward Michael), first celebrity chef Jamie Oliver used it as the middle name for his boy Buddy, and Alicia Silverstone called her son Bear Blu, followed by Kate Winslet's Bear Blaize.

The name Bear is part of a current trend normalizing once aggressive animal names like Wolf, Hawk, and Fox. Bear now ranks in the Top 1000 in both the US and England.

Bear

Santana was most recently heard on a female character on hit television show Glee. Nonetheless, this name ranks higher for boys, which can be credited to Grammy Award-winning musician Carlos Santana.

Santana

There is much disagreement about the origin, meaning, or even existence of this name. Some sources cite Jesiah as the name of several minor Biblical figures, others say it's a variation of Josiah, still others call it a modern conflation of Josiah and Jesse. Whatever it is, it's red-hot. Rising a whopping 256 places in 2023, Jesiah is among the newest additions to the US Top 1000 — an interesting phenomena being that Josiah and Jesse have now both passed their popularity peak.

Jesiah

Zev is a short, simple, animal name that may relate to the Old Testament Ze'ev -- except he was a villainous character.  

Adler is a German-Jewish surname that is beginning to be used occasionally as a first and is among the stylish new <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/805/german-names-for-boys">German names for boys</a>. Among the distinguished bearers of Adler as a last name are Freud colleague Alfred Adler, actress and influential acting teacher Stella Adler and Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler.

Adler

With Levi in vogue and country names on trend, Denim could fit in among the Waylons, Walkers, Coltons, and Rhetts. As a boys name, it brings to mind the qualities of the fabric: hardworking, cool and versatile. Singer Toni Braxton chose this name for her son in 2001, and parents have been using it for boys and girls ever since.
 
While some will see Denim as better off left in the clothing department, the name has been steadily rising in popularity since the 2000s. The latest stats reveal that 190 boys and nearly 90 girls received the name in 2024, making it as popular as Cormac, Toby, Kreed, and Finnick.
 
The word denim comes from the French phrase serge de Nimes translating to "fabric from Nimes", where denim was first produced. Used in the US since the mid-19th century - before it caught on worldwide - it does have an "all-American" feel to it.

Denim

Izan, pronounced with the same vowel sounds and emphasis as Ethan, ranks among the Top 20 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a> in Spain, where it's been popular for two decades. The US is starting to catch onto this energetic variant, as Izan was amongst the fastest-rising boy names of 2023 and one of the newest additions to the US Top 1000.

Izan

Jagger is a swaggering Rolling Stone of a name that's been picked up by a number of fellow celebs, including Lindsay Davenport and Brett Scallions--while Soleil Moon Frye pulled a gender switch when she bestowed it on her daughter. It's edgy with a touch of danger.
 Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee started the ball rolling when they gave their son Dylan the middle name of Jagger in 1997; it entered the popularity list in 2001.

Jagger

, name derived from words or places or nature or surnames, are constantly being added to the lexicon.

New names for baby boys in the US Top 1000

 include the Sanskrit Bodhi, the Greek god name Apollo, and invented 

. Or you might turn a word that isn't a name into a first name. You can also invent a new spelling or an entirely new name.

Here's a list of possible new names for your baby boy, invented or borrowed or rediscovered.

New names for baby boys, including invented names, names from nature and from words, and other boy baby names newly-invented, with meanings, origins, and popularity. (Page 10)

New Boy Names