Boy names

Ethan

Hebrew

"strong, firm"

Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive. Given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible…

Owen

Welsh

"young warrior; well-born"

Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now trending ever-so-slightly downhill, good news for Owen-lovers who might rightly have feared…

Carter

English occupational name

"transporter of goods by cart"

Carter has ranked in the Top 100 since the the turn of the millennium, but despite its recent popularity, it's not a trendy new name. In fact, Carter is one of those names that just misses ranking in…

Logan

Scottish

"small hollow"

According to exclusive Nameberry data, Logan is officially the Number 1 gender-neutral name in the US, but that statistic is somewhat misleading given that nearly 90 percent of the baby Logans born…

Camden

American and British place-name, Scottish

"winding valley"

Camden is a surprise hit, probably as a result of some star baby cred: it has been chosen by no less than four celebrity parents since 2012. Gentle but not flimsy, Camden could be an updated spin on…

Joel

Hebrew

"Jehovah is his God"

In the Old Testament, Joel was one of King David's 'mighty men' and the name was taken up by the Puritans of the sixteenth century. In the mid 1960s, Joel entered the Top 100, and stayed there for…

Tyler

English occupational name

"maker of tiles"

The presidential Tyler rocketed up popularity charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s (it ranked Number 9 for that entire decade), along with cousin Taylor, becoming almost pandemic across the…

Colt

Word name

"young horse"

Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns. A rent study of voter names by political party found that…

Blake

English

"fair-haired, dark"

Blake -- an early unisex option -- dropped out of the Top 100 in 2017 for the first time since 1988, but remains a sophisticated choice. And yes, both conflicting meanings of Blake are accurate. It…

Colin

Diminutive of Nicholas or Irish and Scottish

"people of victory; pup"

Thanks to its dashing Anglo-Irish image — due partly to Colins Firth and Farrell — and its C-initialed two-syllable sound, Colin and its cousin Collin have enjoyed a long run of popularity, reaching…

Damien

French from Greek

"to tame, subdue"

Converting Damian to Damien – or Julian to Julien or Lucian to Lucien – adds a certain je ne sais quoi to names. But most people in English speaking areas will still pronounce this the same as the…

Tanner

English occupational name

"leather tanner"

One of the hot two-syllable T names of the nineties (along with Tyler, Trevor, and Taylor), and well represented on soap operas; Tanner is still widely used, but its popularity is declining.

Donovan

Irish

"dark"

One of the first of the appealing Irish surnames to take off in this country, this boys’ name has long outgrown its "Mellow Yellow" association, which came via the single from a sixties…

Damon

English variation of Damian

Damon is a name with a strong, pleasing aura (much like the persona of Matt D.) and extremely positive ancient associations. From the classical myth, Damon and Pythias have become symbols of true…

Layton

Old English

"settlement with a leek garden"

This first name was once a surname derived from Old English. Used quietly a century ago, the current fashion for two-syllable boy names ending in n makes this one a new hit.

Vance

English and Irish

"someone who lives near marshland"

Short and sharp with a nature related meaning, Vance was trending upwards in recent years thanks to the musicians Foy Vance and Vance Joy. 2024 saw it take a downwards dip however, likely due to its…

Talon

French word name

"large claw of a bird of prey"

Rough and rugged, Talon is often associated with birds of prey, though more generally, it refers to any large claw, whether that's physical, metaphorical, or fantastical. The name has appeared in the…

Harper

English

"harp player"

Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have…

Camron

Spelling variation of Cameron, Scottish

"crooked nose"

With the increasing popularity of Cameron, we've seen more and more creative spellings—including this one, which may be influenced by rapper Cam'ron. It rose up the US charts during the 90s, however…

Camryn

Spelling variation of Cameron, Scottish

"crooked nose"

Cameron is starting to fall slightly since its peak in the early 2000s, but is still comfortably in the Top 100. The Camryn spelling has historically been more popular on the girls' side, though it…