196 cool boy names

Cool names for boys

Abel is the name of a biblical character. Rooted in Hebrew, this name means "breath" and "vanity."

Ace is rooted in a Latin word meaning "unity, "one," or "a unit."

Aiden has roots in Ireland, and is the name of a mythical Celtic god of the sun. It means "fiery one." In Persian, Aydin means "enlightened."

Anakin is inspired by Star Wars. Broken down into its Latin root words, it means "without family" (an is "without" and kin is "family"). Anakin also is a Germanic surname, meaning "son of Anno" or "son of the eagle."

Anders is a Scandinavian version of Andrew. It means "manly" and "brave."

Albert is a classic English name that's rooted in German. It means "noble" and "bright."

Alonzo is a variant of Alphons, a Spanish name with Germanic roots. It means "noble," "eager," and "brave."

Amadeus is both musical and spiritual. It's a combination of the Latin words for "love" and "God." The musical tie-in is that it's the middle name of renowned composer Wolfgang Mozart.

Amari is an Arabic name that means "long-lived."

Amos is a champion of the poor in the Old Testament. It comes from the Hebrew verb "to carry" and means "borne by God."

Archer is of Teutonic heritage. It's an occupational name that means "bowman."

Asa means "healer" in Hebrew, "morning" in Japanese, "hope" in Indonesia, "wing" in Portuguese, and "hawk" in the West African Yoruba language.

Asher is a lucky biblical name. It's rooted in Hebrew and means "happiness."

Ashton is derived from Old English and means "from the ash tree" or "ash tree town."

Axel is a Scandinavian name that derives from Absalom, a Hebrew name meaning "father of peace."

Austin has Latin origins and means "majestic dignity." It's also a derivative of the Old French name Augustine, which means "venerable."

Avery is a variation of the Old English name Alfred – which means "wise," "ruling with elf wisdom" in French, and "counselor" in English.

Banjo is a stringed instrument invented by people from West and Central Africa. The history of its name is uncertain, but it's thought to come from the Mandinka language.

Banks is a place name-turned-surname that refers to "those who lived on riverbanks."

Barack is a presidential name that means "blessed" in Arabic and "lightning" in Hebrew.

Bennett is rooted the medieval Anglo-Norman name Benedict, which means "blessed" in Latin.

Beckett is a literary name, has English origins, and means "stream."

Benjamin is a biblical name. It translates to "son of the south" and possibly "son of my old age" in Hebrew.

Bentley is an Old English surname that means "grassy wood clearing."

Blaine has Gaelic roots and means "thin" or "lean."

Blaze comes from an Old English word that means "bright, glowing flame."

Bo is a Scandinavian-rooted name. It means "to reside."

Boaz is a Hebrew-rooted name with several meanings, including "swiftness," "strength," and "of sharp mind."

Bodhi is a Sanskrit name that means "enlightenment."

Boone derives from the French word bon, meaning "good." In English, boon means "a blessing."

Booker is an English occupational surname for someone who was a scribe or "learned man."

Brando is an Italian surname derived from the ancient Germanic name. This Hollywood name means "sword."

Briggs is a surname that comes from the Old Norse word bryggja, which translates to "bridge."

Burke is rooted in the Old English word burg. It means "fortification."

Caleb is a name with Hebrew roots. It means faithful, and some say that it's connected to the Hebrew word kelev, which means "dog-like."

Carter is an Irish occupational surname for people who sold goods from a cart or wagon. In Irish Gaelic, the word cairtear loosely translates to "tourist" or "sojourner."

Cedar is a tree name derived from the Greek word kedros and shares roots with citrus fruits. 

Cedric was a fictional character (Cedric the Saxon) invented by Scottish author named Sir Walter Scott in his romantic novel Ivanhoe. It's thought to mean "beloved" or "spectacular bounty."

Chance can be a nickname for Chauncey. Originally an Old French surname, it means "fortune."

Charlie, which comes from the French name Charles, means "free man." Linked to the Latin name Carolus, it was also slang for "fellow."

Clarence comes from the Latin word clarus, meaning "bright" and "clear."

Clem is a nickname-name, short for Clement and Clemence. Derived from the Late Latin name Clemens, it means "merciful."

Clay comes, literally, straight from the earth and from the Old English word claeg, which means "sticky earth." 

Clyde is the name of a Scottish river named after the Celtic goddess of the area, Clota.

Cormac is an Old Irish name that most likely means "son of a chariot driver."

Crew is borrowed from an Old French word meaning "a company of people," and also "reinforcement" and "to grow."

Connor is a kingly Scottish and Irish Gaelic name that means "lover of hounds" or "wise."

Crosby is an English, Scottish, and Irish surname. It comes from the word "cross" and is a place name for people who lived at or near a junction.

Cyan is a color name and the hue that falls between green and blue. It's rooted in the Greek word kyanos, meaning "dark blue."

Cyril is a Greek-rooted name that means "masterful" and "lordly."

Daniel is a classic name of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge."

Darius has roots in Persia and Greece and carries the auspicious meaning of "possessing goodness."

Dax is an invented nickname, possibly derived from a town in the southwestern region of France. Its meaning is unknown.

Deacon is a Greek name that means "servant" or "messenger."

Dean is an Anglo-Saxon word that means "valley."

Declan dates back to the 5th century. The English version of the Irish name Deaglan, it means "man of prayer" or "full of goodness."

Dion is Greek. This name may derive from words meaning "of Zeus" or "god." It also connotes "follower of Dionysus," the Greek god of wine.

Dov is a short name with a big meaning. It means "bear" in Hebrew.

Drake is an English surname and the term for a male duck. This name shares roots with the word "dragon."

Drew is often short for Andrew, the English version of the Greek name Andreas. It means "manly" or "courageous."

Duke is a label of nobility. It comes from the French word duc (from the Latin word dux), meaning "leader."

Duncan is a Scottish and Irish Gaelic boy's name and means "dark-haired chief" or "brown noble."

Dustin is an English surname. Its origins lie in the Old Norse name Torsten, meaning "Thor's stone."

Dylan is a Welsh name rooted in the Celtic word for "sea" and means "son of the sea."

Eben is a diminutive of Ebenezer, and means "stone of help" in Hebrew. In German, the adverb eben means "just" or "exactly."

Eden is a word for "delight" or "pleasure" in Hebrew and is the name of a biblical paradise.

Edison is an English name considered to mean "son of Edward" or "son of Adam."

Eli can be a nickname for the biblical Elijah (meaning "Yahweh is my God").

Elliott is a name with many spellings, many origins, and unknown meaning. It started as a clan name in Scotland, a surname in England and Ireland, and even appeared in France. 

Ellison means "son of Elias" in Scandinavian languages.

Emmett is a vintage name linked to a Hebrew word meaning "truth."

Ernest is a literary name, thanks to Ernest Hemingway. It's rooted in a German word meaning "serious."

Ethan is a biblical name. Rooted in Hebrew, it means "firm, enduring, strong, and long-lived."

Evander means "good man." Some say it's of Greek origin, and others see it as an anglicized version of the Norse name Ivor.

Ever is a word name. From the adverb ever, it means "at any time" or "always."

Ezra is the name of an Old Testament prophet. It means "help" in Hebrew.

Fable is from the Old French word, meaning "story," and – reaching further back to Latin – fabula, which represents "a story with a lesson."

Felix stems from the Latin word felix or felicis, meaning "happy" or "lucky."

Fender is an English and Scottish surname. It means "defender" or "protector."

Finn is a name with quite a few origins. One is that it's derived from the Irish name Fionn, which means "light" or "fair." It also comes from Old Norse and translates to "laplander."

Fitz comes from the Old French prefix filz or fiz, meaning "son of." It's a common nickname for the Irish names Fitzgerald and Fitzpatrick.

Flynn is an Irish surname, meaning "descendant of Flann," "ruddy," or "red."

Franklin is an Anglo-Norman word fraunclein, meaning "freeholder." It was used to describe men who were landowners, but not of noble birth.

Fraser is a Scottish surname of uncertain origin. It could be rooted in a French place name, or in the French word for strawberry: fraise.

Gabriel is Hebrew-rooted and means "God is my strength."

Galen is an ancient Greek name that means "calm."

George is Greek and comes from the words for "earth" and "soil." It means "farmer."

Grady means "noble" or "renowned" and comes from the Gaelic clan name O'Grady.

Grayson is a surname with English origins. It means "Gray's son."

Garrison is an English surname and means "son of Gerard."

Gus is a nickname for the Celtic name Angus and for the Latin-rooted Augustus. It means "one choice" or "majestic."

Hamilton is a Scottish place name. In Old English, it means "crooked hill."

Harrison is an English surname. It means "Harry's son."

Harley is topographical English surname that means "hare's meadow."

Harlow is an English place name, meaning "army hill" or "rock hill."

Haroun has Arabic origins and is related to the Hebrew name Aaron. Its meanings include "warrior lion" and "mountain of strength."

Haven is a word from Middle English that describes someone who lived by the harbor. This name symbolizes a "place of safety" or "refuge."

Helm is a word name rooted in an Old English word that means "protection." It's also the root of the word "helmet."

Hendrix is a pop culture-related name, inspired by guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It means "son of Hendrick or Hendrik" and has Dutch and Low German origins.

Heinrich is a German name that means "home ruler."

Heron is a nature name. It's derived from the Greek word for "hero" and refers to the eponymous wading bird.

Holden is an Old English surname that means "deep valley."

Holt is an English place name with Proto-Germanic origins. It means "grove of trees" or "small wood."

Hopper is borrowed from an English surname. It was borne by people who were acrobats or dancers.

Hudson is a Germanic-rooted family name. It means "Hudd's son" or "Hugh's son," giving it the further meaning of "mind and spirit."  

Ian is the Scottish form of John, also spelled Iain. It means "God is gracious."

Idris means "studious" or "smart" in Arabic and "fiery lord" in Welsh. 

Ike is a nickname for the Hebrew name Isaac. It means "laughing one."

Ilan is a Hebrew name and an alternative spelling for Elon, which means "tree."

Indigo is a color name that comes from the Greek word for "from India."

Ira means "watchful" in Hebrew.

Jagger means "carter" or "peddler" and is an occupational family name with Middle English origins.

James is a classic biblical name. Derived from Hebrew, it's a variation of Jacob and means "one who takes by the heel" or "supplanter."

Jasper dates back to the Bible and is a form of the name Saint Caspar, who is thought to be one of the three wise men who visited Jesus after his birth. It likely derives from the Hebrew and Persian words meaning "treasure."

Jayce is a variation of Jason and is derived from a Greek word meaning "to heal."

Jax came from Jack, which itself originates as a nickname for John. John is the English version of a Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious."

Jedediah means "God's friend" or "beloved of God" in Hebrew.

Jeremiah is a prophet in the Old Testament. In Hebrew, this name means "God will exalt."

Jesse means "gift" in Hebrew.

Jett or Jet comes from Old French. A color name, and a stone name, it describes a type of deep-black, soft sedimentary rock called lignite.

Job is a biblical character of steadfast faith in spite of great hardships. This name means "persecuted" in Hebrew.

Josiah is a name borne by a biblical king. It means "God has healed" in Hebrew.

Judah is rooted in Hebrew. It means "praise."

Kai is a nature name with Japanese and Hawaiian roots, meaning "sea" or "ocean."

Kane is a Gaelic-rooted name meaning "warrior" or "son of the warrior."

Kareem is Arabic and means "noble" and "generous." It's also spelled Karim.

Keanu has Hawaiian roots and has the refreshing meaning of "cool breeze."

Keir is a name of Irish descent – from Ciar – and means "black" or "dark."

Kendrick is a surname rooted in both a Welsh name meaning "greatest champion" and also an Anglo-Saxon name meaning "king" or "ruler."

Kermit has Gaelic roots, meaning "son of Dermot," and it's an Irish name believed to mean "without restraint" and "without envy."

Lael is a Hebrew-rooted name that means "belonging to God."

Langston is an English name and a literary name that combines "long and tall" and "stone."

Lazarus comes from a story in the Bible. This immortal name is derived from another Hebrew name meaning "God has helped."

Leander is a romantic from Greek mythology for whom love knows no bounds. It means "lion man."

Ledger has Norman French and Germanic roots. It's a surname that combines words that mean "people" and "ready" or "spear."

Leon comes from the Greek word for "lion." Often, it's a shortened form of the name Leonard.

Liev means "heart" in Yiddish.

Loyal, a virtue name, means "faithful allegiance" in English. It has Latin and French roots that also mean "law."

Lyle is a Scottish surname name that means "island."

Luca is a gender-neutral name with Italian and Romanian roots. It means "bringer of light" or "from Lucania."

Mason is an occupational surname with English origins that means "one who works with stone."

Matteo is an Italian variation of the biblical name Matthew, meaning "gift of God."

Moss means "bog" and "damp" in English.

Murray is a Scottish and Irish surname that means "sea settlement."

Nash is a surname derived from a Middle English phrase meaning "at the ash tree."

Ned is short for Edward, which comes from two Old English words meaning "wealth" or "fortune" and "guardian" or "protector." 

Neo is a modern name that comes from the Greek prefix for "new."

Oberon is derived from Alberich, an Old High German name meaning "elf king." (Fittingly, Oberon is the king of fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.)

Odin, according to Norse mythology, is a god of wisdom, healing, and more.

Ollie is a nickname for Oliver. Derived from the French name Olivier, it means "olive tree."

Onyx is a mineral made up from tiny crystals. It comes from a Latin and ancient Greek word that means "claw."

Otto means "wealth" or "fortune," and derives from a German word meaning "prosperity." 

Oren is a tree name and means "pine" or "ash" in Hebrew.

Ossian is a name with Irish and Scottish roots. Connected to Gaelic poets and Irish mythology, it's the English variant of Oisin. It means "stag."

Owen comes from medieval times and is the anglicized version of the name Owain. This legendary name means "noble" or "well-born."

Parker is an Old English occupational surname meaning "park keeper."

Phoenix is a place name from Greek mythology and refers to the bird that symbolizes eternal renewal.

Poe is an English surname that comes from the German surname Pfau, meaning "peacock."

Quest is rooted in the medieval Latin word questa. While the poetic version of this word connotes a brave knight, it also means "mission" or "search."

Quinn is Irish for "son of Conn." In Old Irish, it means "head" or "chief."

Ramsey is an English-rooted geographical surname meaning "wild garlic island."

Remy – also spelled Remi – is derived from the Latin word remigius, meaning "oarsman" or "rower."

Reuben is a Hebrew boy's name. It means "behold, a son."

Rex finds its origins in a Latin word meaning "king."

Rodney is a toponymic name for people from a region in southwestern England.

Roy is derived from an Old French word meaning "king." It's also a variation of a Gaelic word that means "red."

Rufus stems from a Roman nickname and the Latin word for "red-haired."

Rumi is the name of a 13th-century Persian mystical poet. His name means "from Rum," which is modern-day Turkey.

Rush is a unique nature name and an onomatopoeic name, referring to the plant that grows in marshes.

Ryan is a name hailing from Ireland, where it's a popular surname commonly thought to mean "little king" or "illustrious."

Sable comes from an animal name (sable martin) and a color name. It means "black," in reference to the dark color of a sable's fur. 

Samuel is an Old Testament name meaning "God has heard" in Hebrew.

Sander is a Scandinavian version of the Greek name Alexander. It means "defender."

Sasha has roots in the eastern and southern regions of Europe and means "protector."

Silas is derived from the Latin name Silvanus, the Roman god of the forests.

Simran is a gender-neutral name of Indian heritage. In Sanskrit, it means "to remember."

Stone is a word name with Middle English and German roots. The surname Stein also means "stone" or "rock" in German.

Sylvan is a variation of the aforementioned Roman god Silvanus. Sylvan, which is also a Latin adjective, means "of the wood or forest."

Theodore (with nicknames Ted, Teddy, or Theo) is rooted in ancient Greek, and it means "gift of God."

Theron is of Occitan origin – a region of Europe that includes parts of France, Spain, and Italy. It may also derive from the Greek word for "to hunt."

Thoreau is a French surname of uncertain meaning. It's considered a literary-inspired baby name that possibly means "strength of a bull."

Tosh is a nickname derived from the Gaelic-rooted surname Macintosh, which means "son of the chief."

Turner is an English occupational name that means "lathe worker."

Walden is a nature name by proxy, thanks to writer Henry David Thoreau. It's an English surname meaning "wooded valley."

Wiley is a name of Old English heritage that combines "idol" and "wood clearing."

Van is a common nickname for Evan, Ivan, or Vance. It shares roots with John and means "God is gracious."

Walker originated as an English occupational surname for someone who strengthened cloth by stepping on it.

Walter is the English version of the French name Gautier. It means "ruler."

Waylon comes from Weyland or Wayland and is rooted in German mythology. It means "smith" or "craftsman." 

Wilder comes from the Old English word wilde, and it's an English surname that means "wild" and "untamed."

Wilf, a shortened form of Wilfred, is an Old English name that comes from the word willa. It means "desiring peace."

Wolfgang is a thoroughly German name that means "path of the wolf."

Wyatt derives from the Old English name Wyot. It means "strong in war."

Xander is an abbreviation of the Greek-rooted Alexander, meaning "defender of man."

Zebulon means "gift," "honor," and "sacrifice" and is a name from the Old Testament.

Zeke is a diminutive for the biblical name Ezekiel. This name means "God strengthens."