User-created list
80s high school names - Boys
Across 5 pages
of 5
Darren
Irish
"little great one"
Darren and wife Sharon shop for fifties memorabilia on eBay. The Connecticut place-name Darien might offer an update.
Darrin
Darrin is a masculine name that originated as a variant of Darren, which itself derived from the Irish surname Ó Darragh, meaning "descendant of Daire" (from an Irish personal name meaning "oak tree"…
Darryl
Darryl is a masculine name with ancient Celtic origins, derived from the Irish name 'Dáire' or 'Daire,' meaning 'fruitful' or 'fertile.' It entered common usage in English-speaking countries as both…
Gary
English
"spearman"
When Gary cracked the Top 10 in 1950, it was one of the first nonclassic boys’ names to do so, largely due to Gary (born Frank) Cooper, who was renamed after Gary, Indiana, his agent's hometown. Now,…
Gerald
English and Irish from German
"ruler with the spear"
Both a saint's name and a presidential one via Gerald Ford—who was born Leslie—Gerald is a quintessential 1930s-40s name, when it ranked as high as Number 19. Hence all those nice middle-aged and…
Glenn
Scottish
"valley"
Glenn appealed to a lot of post-World War II parents for its cool, leafy image, also calling up the Big Band sounds of Glenn Miller and the calm, composed image of actor Glenn Ford, whose name at…
Hans
German, Dutch, and Scandinavian, diminutive of Johannes
Though familiar to all via such childhood icons as Hans Brinker, Hans(el) and Gretel, and Hans Christian Andersen, few Americans have chosen this name for their sons because of its intractably Old…
Howard
German, English
"high guardian; brave heart"
Howard, once hugely popular in the Top 50 from the 1870s to early 1950s, hitting Number 24 in 1920 -- has been stuck in Dad-Grandad limbo for decades, but is showing some signs of stirring back to…
Ignatius
Latin
"fiery"
The striking Ignatius is making a truly surprising comeback, sparked by its selection by not one but two celebrities — Cate Blanchett and Julianne Nicholson. With its fiery qualities and magical…
Kurt
German, diminutive of Kurtis
"courteous, polite"
A name that defines itself, a bit more curt in the harder K version.
Laszlo
Hungarian
"glorious ruler"
The Hungarian classic Laszlo, with its zippy 'z' middle and energetic 'o' ending, has become something of a hipster option, beginning to be considered by cutting-edge parents. A name with a royal…
Lester
Variation of Lester, English
"military camp by the river Ligore"
A popular choice in the US in the early 20th-century, Lester made the Top 100 consistently for 46 years between 1886 and 1931. It then remained in the Top 500 until the mid-80s before dropping out of…
Marc
French, Welsh and Catalan variation of Mark
Designer (as in Marc Jacobs) form of Mark. An international classic, but long falling in popularity as a boys' name.
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…
Todd
English
"fox"
A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.