Full Favorite Boys Names

Cody

English

"helpful, pillow"

In the early 1990s, Cody was in the Top 25 most popular boys' names in the USA; but it has been in decline since then. It retains a greater degree of popularity in the UK, however. Cody might be…

Desmond

Irish

"one from south Munster"

Desmond is a sophisticated and debonair name, with noble ties to 1984 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Desmond Tutu, and with some great nicknames: Des/Dez, Desi/Dezi. Another notable Desmond is…

Sam

English, diminutive of Samuel

"told by God"

Sam has long been used on its own for boys, as accepted standing by itself as it is as a short form of Samuel. Straightforward and down-to-earth, Sam is the name of the son of the co-stars of The…

Quincy

French

"estate of the fifth son"

Quirky in the way that all Q names are quirky, Quincy was once a buttoned-up, patrician New England name, an image countered in recent years by the talented and ultracool musician Quincy Jones…

Niall

Irish

"cloud"

Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool. This is an ancient name borne by several of the high kings of Tara, the most…

Marius

Latin, from a Roman family name related to Mars, the god of war

Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius…