Boy Family Names - Grandpas

William

German

"resolute protection"

William is one of the most enduring of classic names for boys. It's also among the most popular boys' names, as American parents see it as being ideally conservative yet contemporary, and hands-down…

George

Greek

"farmer"

Iconoclasts though we may be, we like Fred, we like Frank, and we like George, which was among the Top 10 from 1830 to 1950, when the number of little Georges started to decline. Solid, strong, royal…

Leon

Greek variation of Leo

"lion"

Currently overshadowed by the bright and lively Leo, Leon feels a slightly more serious, more quietly confident than its short and trending counterpart. Just as leonine as Leo and Leonardo, Leon is…

Paul

Latin

"small"

Paul is an ancient name for boys -- popular in Roman and medieval times -- that's not very fashionable now, which can work in its favor, scarcity balancing simplicity. To the thousands of girls who…

Clayton

English

"place with good clay"

Clayton is one of those names that feels like it could be recently popular but does in fact have a long history of use. It has made the US Top 400 every year since the records began, and though more…

Brian

Irish

"strong, virtuous, and honorable"

The origins of the name Brian are not entirely clear, but it is suspected that it evolved from an Old Celtic word related to nobility. In Ireland the name is associated with Brian Boru, the most…

Lewis

English variation of Louis

"renowned warrior"

Lewis is the best spelling to choose if you want this pronounced with the S. It was a Top 100 name in the US from 1880 to 1930, reaching Number 30 in 1880 and while it has declined in use, it has…

Johan

Scandinavian and Dutch variation of John

"God is gracious"

With Old European vibes, Johan is a variant of the classic John, similar to the Latin, Hebrew, and Germanic forms, Iohannes, Yohanan, and Johannes. Conjuring up the image of the classical composer…

Roger

German

"famous warrior"

In the World War II era, Roger had nothing but the most positive associations, actually used by military personnel to mean 'Received and understood'--or A-OK, and though it is now on extended…

Leroy

French

"the king"

Leroy's heyday was in the early twentieth century, when it was in the US Top 100 until 1949. As a result, it's now more frequently seen as a father or grandfather name. Nevertheless, it remains in…

Darwin

English

"dear friend"

Enough parents have found naturalist Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, a worthy hero to keep Darwin relatively consistently in the Top 1000. It has a lovely meaning too—"dear…

Curtis

French

"courteous, polite"

Curtis is an attractive if somewhat dated surname name that has been borne by several significant musicians and athletes--think Curtis Mayfield, Curtis James Jackson III--aka 50 Cent, and also…

Ralph

English from German

"wolf-counsel"

Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…

Randy

Diminutive of Randall, Randolph

Ever since Austin Powers enlightened Americans that "randy" meant "horny," it's been hard to take this name seriously, and Randy has declined in popularity since.

Trent

English

"the flooder"

This strong single-syllable boys’ name has been finding favor with parents since the fifties, though it's been slipping in recent years; it fell out of the Top 500 for the first time since 1959 in…

Karl

German and Scandinavian variation of Charles

Manly almost to the point of macho.

Glen

Scottish

"a narrow valley"

Former cool-boy name now in middle-aged limbo, but with a nice naturey meaning to endear it to modern parents.

Wilbur

English, German

"wild boar"

Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…

Ole

Ole is a masculine name with strong Scandinavian roots, functioning as the Danish and Norwegian form of Olaf. Derived from the Old Norse name Óláfr, comprised of 'anu' meaning 'ancestor' and 'leifr'…

Elbert

English variation of Albert

Rocking out on the porch with buddies Hubert, Norbert, and Osbert.