Boy Names

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…

Wesley

English

"western meadow"

Reminiscent of the Old West, with rugged charm and a gentle, easy-going feel, Wesley has long been a staple on the US charts. Its popularity may have peaked in the 1970s when it reached #66, but…

Emmett

English masculinization of Emma, German

"universal"

Emmett, honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, is on the rise as a male cognate of the megapopular Emma, not to mention being a character in the popular Twilight series. Emmett originated in…

Maddox

Welsh

"son of Madoc"

Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in…

Rowen

Spelling variation of Rowan, Scottish and Irish

"rowan tree; little redhead"

While the Rowan spelling is in the Top 1000 for both boys and girls, this spelling is much more unusual though maintains the same gender split at nearly four boy Rowens for every girl. Rowen climbed…

Theodor

Theodor is a classic masculine name of Greek origin meaning "gift of God," derived from the elements "theos" (God) and "doron" (gift). This spelling variant is particularly popular in Germanic and…

Cedric

Celtic

"bounty; loved"

Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…

Emmet

English; Hebrew

"universal; truth"

Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered…

Dietrich

German

"ruler of the people"

This form of Theodoric, familiar via Marlene, is a possible German import. It is an Anglicized ancestor of Derek and all its variations. A noted bearer was acclaimed classical German baritone and…

Dedric

Dedric is a masculine name with Germanic origins, derived from variations of names like Theodoric or Dietrich, which mean 'ruler of the people' or 'people's ruler.' This uncommon name combines…