When it comes to choosing a baby name, the options can be overwhelming. Is it better to go with a classic name or a trendy one? Honor a past family member, or invent something new? How popular is too popular when it comes to a baby name?
If you want to check how common a name is before you decide, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is the first stop. It keeps a list of the top 1,000 baby boy names every year. It also tracks data about names that are rising and falling in rank, so you can see how the use of a name has changed over time. From there, we can also see trends, which are confirmed through lists made by baby-naming sites that know which names its users are looking up and settling on more and more often.
So, what names did we see more of in the last year, and what trendy boy names do we expect to be on the rise for the future? When we scoured the popular naming trends for this year and next, these were the ones that rose to the top.
Most Popular Boy Names (With Meanings)
In May, the SSA released its list of the most popular names, and these are the names used most often:
- Liam, "resolute protector"
- Noah, "rest"
- Oliver, "olive tree planter"
- Theodore, "gift of God"
- James, "supplanter"
- Henry, "ruler of the estate"
- Mateo, "gift of God"
- Elijah, "Yahweh is God"
- Lucas, "bringer of light"
- William, "resolute protector"
They should look pretty familiar — they're exactly the same group of 10 as the year before. Theodore and Henry have moved up a little, James and Elijah have moved down a little, but there are no huge upsets or surprises here.
Trendy Boy Names (With Meanings)
In addition to keeping track of the most-often-used names, the SSA also looks at which names took the biggest leaps in popularity. These names are rising fastest through the ranks:
- Truce, "a temporary agreement to stop arguing"
- Colsen, "son of Nicholas"
- Bryer, "a thorny patch"
- Halo, "a circle of light"
- Azaiah, "my strength is Yahweh"
- Noa, "rest"
- Azai, "strength"
- Eliam, "God of the people"
- Kolter, "herder of young horses"
- Eliel, "my God is God"
- Zymir, "singer"
- Rocky, "rock"
- Evren, "universe" or "cosmos"
- Kace, "vigilant"
- Kyaire, "noble"
- Jettson, "son of Jett"
- Yeshua, "God saves"
- Heath, "land of heather and grass"
- Bode, "command"
- Kenai, "flat land"
Looking at the list, it's interesting how many are English word names, like Truce, Halo and Rocky. Adjectives seem to be particularly popular. Royal, Loyal, Chosen and Sincere — these sound like good qualities to have in a son. No wonder why they make good baby names. At the moment, Royal is No. 427 on the SSA list, Sincere is No. 604, Chosen is No. 619 (a big jump from last year) and Loyal is No. 877. Even Legend, which is really a noun but is sometimes used as an adjective, is No. 157 on the list — the highest of all!
Genres Rule Over Boys' Names
When you look over the larger list, you can see lots of names plucked from sci-fi and fantasy. Cassian, currently No. 616 on the SSA list, does double-duty, being a named used in both A Court of Thorns and Roses and Star Wars. Speaking of Star Wars, Kylo is No. 373 on the SSA list, a good match for Rey at No. 821. And, having just passed the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin is No. 592 on the list.
Go West, Young Man Names
Whether it's Yellowstone or Cowboy Carter making the trends, Western names are here to stay. Nameberry, a baby-naming site that keeps track of baby name trends, says that parents aren't holding back when it comes to "country rebrand" names, going beyond the usual to names that once might've been considered "too much," like Abner or Hiram. Some cowboy names to try on include these handles:
- Austin
- Cash
- Dutton
- Enoch
- Harlan
- Nash
- Shiloh
- Silas
- Tate
- Wyatt
"Baby You're a Rich Man" Names
Nameberry also sees a rise in what it calls "old money names." These names pull together a few trends that have been rising for a bunch of years now: they're classic (and not too trendy), many of them originated as last names, and there's also a gender-neutral component, since some of the names — like Aubrey and Courtney — have also become popular as girls' names. Other old-money boys' names Nameberry has identified include these moneyed monikers:
- Alistair
- Ansel
- Conrad
- Evelyn
- Guy
- Lysander
- Penn
- Sidney
- Sinclair
- Ward
Plural-Noun Names
Another trend that Nameberry has spotted is the use of names that are really plural nouns. Think of the middle name given to the son of Justin and Hailey Bieber: Jack Blues Bieber. These names kind of sound like last names (again), and kind of sound like nicknames, which are two trends that have been around for a while. Some others to consider:
- Banks
- Bridgers
- Briggs
- Brooks
- Crews
- Miles
- Mills
- Piers
- Rivers
- Woods
Outdoorsy Names
Boy names are looking more and more to the great outdoors. Both Nameberry and BabyCenter, which also keeps track of the baby names its users pick, have found an uptick in names that feel at home in the wilderness, like Forest (or Forrest), River, and Reef. Maybe it's time to plan that trip you've been putting off? Or go even further: BabyCenter dug into its baby-name data and found a rise in space-themed names, like Eclipse, Orion and Sol. For parents who want to commune with nature, these names are inspired by the land and sky.
- Apollo
- Atlas
- Cove
- Creek
- Elio
- Everest
- Ocean
- Skyler
- Stone
Animal Names
Speaking of names found in nature, what do Zooey Deschanel, Kylie Jenner, Lauren Conrad, rapper Eve and Jason Momoa all have in common? They all named their sons Wolf, though often it was a middle name (and Jenner changed her son's name to Aire). And Wolf isn't the only animal in the pack. Look for Fox, Bear, Falcon, Lynx and Tiger to show up in the future.
Short Boy Names
They say brevity is the soul of wit; Babylist users tend to agree. When Babylist put out its list of predictions for the most popular up-and-comers, short names rose to the top of the class. Keep things short and sweet with these names:
- Ace
- Asa
- Eli
- Hugo
- Ian
- Kai
- Leo
- Max/Mack
- Ozzy
- Tru
The Current Top 1,000 Baby Boy Names
According to the Social Security Administration, these are the most popular names for baby boys in the United States.
- Liam
- Noah
- Oliver
- Theodore
- James
- Henry
- Mateo
- Elijah
- Lucas
- William
- Benjamin
- Levi
- Ezra
- Sebastian
- Jack
- Daniel
- Samuel
- Michael
- Ethan
- Asher
- John
- Hudson
- Luca
- Leo
- Elias
- Owen
- Alexander
- Dylan
- Santiago
- Julian
- David
- Joseph
- Matthew
- Luke
- Jackson
- Maverick
- Miles
- Wyatt
- Thomas
- Isaac
- Jacob
- Mason
- Gabriel
- Anthony
- Carter
- Logan
- Aiden
- Grayson
- Caleb
- Cooper
- Charles
- Roman
- Josiah
- Ezekiel
- Thiago
- Isaiah
- Joshua
- Wesley
- Jayden
- Bennett
- Christopher
- Nathan
- Angel
- Nolan
- Waylon
- Cameron
- Brooks
- Andrew
- Beau
- Weston
- Rowan
- Adrian
- Lincoln
- Enzo
- Ian
- Kai
- Christian
- Axel
- Aaron
- Theo
- Silas
- Walker
- Jonathan
- Leonardo
- Everett
- Micah
- Ryan
- August
- Gael
- Robert
- Jose
- Eli
- Jeremiah
- Luka
- Amir
- Jaxon
- Parker
- Colton
- Myles
- Adam
- Atlas
- Xavier
- Easton
- Jordan
- Arthur
- Landon
- Austin
- Dominic
- Adriel
- Damian
- Vincent
- River
- Emiliano
- Jace
- Archer
- Lorenzo
- Jameson
- Nicholas
- Emmett
- Milo
- Harrison
- Giovanni
- Carson
- George
- Kayden
- Jonah
- Greyson
- Hunter
- Graham
- Luis
- Declan
- Sawyer
- Jasper
- Ryder
- Carlos
- Connor
- Juan
- Matteo
- Dawson
- Calvin
- Leon
- Dean
- Evan
- Nathaniel
- Diego
- Arl
- Bryson
- Jason
- Malachi
- Elliot
- Zion
- Emilio
- Ivan
- Hayden
- Stetson
- Jude
- Legend
- Matias
- Callum
- Hayes
- Jett
- Cole
- Elliott
- Jesus
- Ace
- Beckett
- Alan
- Beckham
- Jayce
- Braxton
- Jaxson
- Amari
- Chase
- Rhett
- Max
- Charlie
- Felix
- Kingston
- Judah
- Antonio
- Emmanuel
- Maxwell
- Ryker
- Alejandro
- Nicolas
- Barrett
- Jesse
- Ashton
- Miguel
- Brayden
- Tyler
- Peter
- Camden
- Zachary
- Tatum
- Kevin
- Andres
- Finn
- Justin
- Tucker
- Bentley
- Zayden
- Messiah
- Abraham
- Alex
- Adonis
- Kaiden
- Timothy
- Knox
- Tate
- Caden
- Ayden
- Nico
- Victor
- Maddox
- Xander
- Oscar
- Colter
- Joel
- Abel
- Patrick
- Rafael
- Griffin
- Brody
- Jaziel
- Rory
- Eithan
- Edward
- Riley
- Brandon
- Milan
- Richard
- Malakai
- Ismael
- Kyrie
- Louis
- Elian
- Kairo
- Cohen
- Nash
- Grant
- Callan
- Dallas
- Harvey
- Muhammad
- Mark
- Javier
- Karter
- Zayn
- Crew
- Eric
- Simon
- Aziel
- Cyrus
- Gavin
- Marcus
- Ronan
- Derek
- Avery
- Omar
- Lane
- Warren
- Lennox
- Paul
- Blake
- Jeremy
- Tristan
- Lukas
- Steven
- Emerson
- Walter
- Cade
- Ellis
- Otto
- Phoenix
- Colt
- Atticus
- Kaleb
- Israel
- Tobias
- Holden
- Saint
- Romeo
- Kenneth
- Jorge
- Angelo
- Remington
- Paxton
- Cody
- Finley
- Kayson
- Koa
- Kash
- Josue
- Ares
- Hendrix
- Bryce
- Maximiliano
- Zyaire
- Reid
- Brian
- Bodhi
- Cruz
- Kaden
- Bryan
- Zane
- Francisco
- Martin
- Brady
- Casey
- Shepherd
- Aidan
- Baker
- Malcolm
- Jax
- Cash
- Clayton
- Kohen
- Leonel
- Cristian
- Bowen
- Dante
- Ali
- Jaylen
- Orion
- Briggs
- Jensen
- Dakota
- Preston
- Maximus
- Gideon
- Erick
- Archie
- Colin
- Sonny
- Shiloh
- Mathias
- Ezequiel
- Sullivan
- Joaquin
- Wade
- King
- Niko
- Damien
- Kade
- Bodie
- Dariel
- Luciano
- Cayden
- Andre
- Manuel
- Fernando
- Colson
- Rhys
- Cairo
- Anderson
- Kyler
- Onyx
- Ibrahim
- Cesar
- Travis
- Santino
- Callahan
- Bradley
- Baylor
- Banks
- Russell
- Desmond
- Killian
- Grady
- Rylan
- Sterling
- Kylo
- Eduardo
- Ricardo
- Wells
- Stephen
- Zander
- Raymond
- Hector
- Eliam
- Edwin
- Titus
- Iker
- Franklin
- Kamari
- Marco
- Spencer
- Julius
- Khalil
- Marshall
- Wilder
- Jared
- Jaden
- Kashton
- Jay
- Karson
- Mario
- Ari
- Remy
- Pedro
- Sergio
- Hugo
- Prince
- Winston
- Pablo
- Forrest
- Augustus
- Kobe
- Oakley
- Daxton
- Tadeo
- Sage
- Apollo
- Lawson
- Kian
- Solomon
- Chance
- Kayce
- Raphael
- Reed
- Jake
- Frederick
- Armani
- Hank
- Nehemiah
- Royal
- Kameron
- Malik
- Alijah
- Kane
- Dalton
- Lewis
- Noel
- Benson
- Sean
- Clark
- Miller
- Kyle
- Kieran
- Sutton
- Fabian
- Tanner
- Marcelo
- Rowen
- Isaias
- Zayne
- Nasir
- Raiden
- Francis
- Bo
- Valentino
- Rome
- Damon
- Reece
- Esteban
- Edgar
- Johnny
- Kylian
- Tyson
- Uriel
- Royce
- Cillian
- Koda
- Kyson
- Eden
- Jalen
- Frank
- Conrad
- Jasiah
- Matthias
- Zaire
- Corbin
- Asa
- Yusuf
- Erik
- Callen
- Kendrick
- Odin
- Brantley
- Rodrigo
- Marcos
- Gianni
- Alexis
- Lucian
- Denver
- Sylas
- Andy
- Collin
- Hezekiah
- Moshe
- Finnegan
- Ronin
- Atreus
- Adan
- Emanuel
- Quinn
- Mack
- Leandro
- Rocco
- Ruben
- Ledger
- Azariah
- Donovan
- Moses
- Kaizen
- Elio
- Leonidas
- Lawrence
- Tripp
- Ariel
- Alonzo
- Kaison
- Lian
- Devin
- Rio
- Johnathan
- Ayaan
- Gunner
- Jeffrey
- Philip
- Samson
- Moises
- Lucca
- Musa
- Camilo
- Hamza
- Ridge
- Kolton
- Morgan
- Troy
- Kylan
- Amiri
- Boone
- Makai
- Johan
- Bruce
- Dorian
- Gregory
- Pierce
- Roy
- Drew
- Clay
- Caiden
- Enrique
- Jamir
- Leland
- Mohamed
- Alessandro
- Deacon
- Augustine
- Dominick
- Roberto
- Kasen
- Zain
- Jonas
- Emir
- Seth
- Saul
- Jamari
- Lionel
- Garrett
- Jaiden
- Fletcher
- Scott
- Armando
- Cassius
- Kason
- Zachariah
- Ford
- Soren
- Zaiden
- Allen
- Louie
- Ronald
- Alden
- Arturo
- Caspian
- Rayan
- Major
- Arjun
- Colby
- Eliel
- Krew
- Ander
- Kenzo
- Maximilian
- Memphis
- Nikolai
- Samir
- Ocean
- Anakin
- Gerardo
- Keegan
- Maximo
- Mohammed
- Kaysen
- Julio
- Mohammad
- Gunnar
- Shane
- Ozzy
- Zakai
- Sincere
- Jaime
- Albert
- Azriel
- Izaiah
- Jaxton
- Raul
- Yosef
- Creed
- Rhodes
- Princeton
- Porter
- Cassian
- Omari
- Tru
- Chosen
- Reese
- Jayceon
- Jayson
- Jamie
- Reign
- Trevor
- Phillip
- Boston
- Kamden
- Crue
- Eliseo
- Colsen
- Keanu
- Mauricio
- Salem
- Dario
- Dax
- Jase
- Shawn
- Vicente
- Gustavo
- Danny
- Mylo
- Kyro
- Wilson
- Davis
- Jakari
- Jakai
- Truett
- Hassan
- Chris
- Sam
- Brixton
- Kyaire
- Uriah
- Azael
- Westley
- Rocky
- Peyton
- Sevyn
- Dilan
- Drake
- Zaid
- Roland
- Dereck
- Braylen
- Harlan
- Taylor
- Riggs
- Ahmad
- Cal
- Marvin
- Donald
- Leonard
- Nathanael
- Aarav
- Abdiel
- Kareem
- Corey
- Emmitt
- Wylder
- Koen
- Junior
- Zyair
- Zayd
- Dustin
- Wayne
- Ahmed
- Madden
- Quincy
- Bellamy
- Lachlan
- Layton
- Amias
- Chaim
- Layne
- Mac
- Amos
- Briar
- Carmelo
- Aries
- Bruno
- Houston
- Julien
- Trace
- Brock
- Yahya
- Conor
- Dennis
- Duke
- Abram
- Jefferson
- Vincenzo
- Izan
- Lee
- Finnley
- Brayan
- Raylan
- Enoch
- Avyaan
- Dexter
- Salvador
- Case
- Misael
- Forest
- Nikolas
- Westin
- Braylon
- Clyde
- Ryland
- Otis
- Tommy
- Zeke
- Yehuda
- Tomas
- Azrael
- Dutton
- Flynn
- Chandler
- Idris
- Zamir
- Ambrose
- Franco
- Huxley
- Wes
- Chozen
- Darius
- Valentin
- Alberto
- Magnus
- Roger
- Benicio
- Brycen
- Marcel
- Ryatt
- Zahir
- Keith
- Rayden
- Jamison
- Teo
- Skyler
- Blaze
- Cayson
- Hugh
- Yahir
- Cannon
- Yousef
- Bjorn
- Noe
- Alonso
- Alvaro
- Evander
- Kenai
- Aurelio
- Jahmir
- Lochlan
- Aron
- Harry
- Nelson
- Ray
- Alfredo
- Abdullah
- Aryan
- Conner
- Lennon
- Bridger
- Westyn
- Jasiel
- Quentin
- Trey
- Yael
- Alvin
- Casen
- Dakari
- Rex
- Damir
- Waylen
- Izael
- Jeremias
- Kaiser
- Kolson
- Ben
- Kyree
- Tony
- Bode
- Jesiah
- Eiden
- Jaxxon
- Jedidiah
- Remi
- Robin
- Santana
- Kyren
- Landen
- Ezrah
- Murphy
- Castiel
- Boden
- Derrick
- Karim
- Mustafa
- Rey
- Rudy
- Emery
- Ignacio
- Jettson
- Bear
- Edison
- Ricky
- Ramon
- Anders
- Gage
- Guillermo
- Santos
- Kolter
- Quinton
- Axton
- Abner
- Alfred
- Darwin
- Rohan
- Lance
- Avi
- Keaton
- Orlando
- Everest
- Jagger
- Elisha
- Heath
- Jones
- Thaddeus
- Allan
- Cason
- Douglas
- Issac
- Kenji
- Matheo
- Ty
- Asaiah
- Jimmy
- Arian
- Ozias
- Leroy
- Neil
- Watson
- Agustin
- Bryer
- Jerry
- Dillon
- Eren
- Eugene
- Ayan
- Melvin
- Nixon
- Reuben
- Stanley
- Grey
- Loyal
- Alec
- Casper
- Dane
- Azaiah
- Byron
- Joe
- Emory
- Zaylen
- Massimo
- Trenton
- Gatlin
- Joey
- Benny
- Jon
- Jrue
- Gian
- Seven
- Colten
- Ernesto
- Fisher
- Teddy
- Kaisen
- Zechariah
- Darian
- Salvatore
- Jericho
- Mitchell
- Alistair
- Calum
- Van
- Zev
- Langston
- Mccoy
- Ulises
- Lucien
- Benedict
- Carlo
- Coleson
- Meir
- Henrik
- Jiraiya
- Kellan
- Alfonso
- Azai
- Campbell
- Kylen
- Felipe
- Leif
- Rowdy
- Curtis
- Ameer
- Kiaan
- Maurice
- Krue
- Shimon
- Zyon
- Damari
- Jairo
- Khalid
- Kabir
- Jireh
- Mathew
- Shepard
- Eddie
- Isael
- Arden
- Cedric
- Nazir
- Alessio
- Khai
- Marcellus
- Wesson
- Yisroel
- Zymir
- Landyn
- Darren
- Legacy
- Devon
- Judson
- Vihaan
- Yitzchok
- Zen
- Dangelo
- Adler
- Aspen
- Brodie
- Kase
- Khaza
- Mordechai
- Dash
- Makari
- Neo
- Zavier
- Evren
- Imran
- Laith
- Cain
- Ira
- Osiris
- Shlomo
- Yaakov
- Ephraim
- Shmuel
- Wallace
- Yeshua
- Kannon
- Kingsley
- Noa
- True
- Ermias
- Harold
- Joziah
- Rene
- Truce
- Aldo
- Dimitri
- Halo
- Ronnie
- Vance
- Aden
- Ishaan
- Kace
- Stefan
Even More Names
Looking for more baby name inspiration? Check out these Good Housekeeping lists:
Nature Baby Names | Disney Baby Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Japanese Baby Names | French Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Irish Boy Names | Irish Girl Names | Long Names for Boys | Long Names for Girls | Short Names for Boys | Short Names for Girls | Gender-Neutral Names | Western/Cowboy Baby Names | 1920s Names | 1930s Names | 1940s Names | 1950s Names | 1960s Names
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
