The ultimate list of baby boy names: 1000 ideas with meanings and origins

Looking for a great name ideas for your baby boy? We’ve selected 1,000 top boy names and listed them, with their origins and meanings, so you can choose the best name for your newborn

Published: May 30, 2024 at 9:32 AM

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Choosing a good name for your baby boy can be trickier than you think. There are so many nice first names for boys but, of course, you want to pick the right one for your baby boy – and, whether it's a traditional name, an unusual name or a name inspired by a particular theme or culture, a name that your boy will bear proudly as he grows from newborn to child to teenager to grown-up.

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We've created here a list of 1,000 top baby boy names, including the most popular boy names in the UK right now and also more unusual, classic or different options, sourced from a wide range of themes and countries all around the world. For every boy name, we've listed its origin and meaning, so you can find out more about it and what it signifies. Happy name-hunting!

Also, discover our list of cultural heritage baby girl names which offer rich inspiration. Our Korean girl names list contains a mix of two-syllable style names, Italian girls names evoke charm and romance, and Japanese girl names incorporate culture and history. Looking for the perfect name for a new four-legged family member? We also have guides to the best dog names, including girl dog names and boy dog names!

Here's our list of 1000 baby boy names to inspire you...

Popular baby boy names | Traditional baby boy names | Irish baby boy names | Strong baby boy names | Scottish baby boy names | Cool baby boy names | Welsh baby boy names | Cute baby boy names | English baby boy names | Royal baby boy names | Seasonal baby boy names | Japanese baby boy names | Unusual and unique baby boy names | African baby boy names | Celebrity baby boy names | American baby boy names | Gender-neutral baby names | Indian baby boy names | Nature-inspired baby boy names | French baby boy names | Baby boy names that mean love | Ancient Greek and Roman baby boy names | Muslim baby boy names | Italian baby boy names | Biblical baby boy names | Animal-inspired baby boy names | Short baby boy names

Popular baby boy names

baby on winners podium

These baby boy names all appear in the list of the top 100 boy names registered in England and Wales in 2022 – the latest popular baby-name list for boys from the Office for National Statistics (the list for 2023 is due to be released in late 2024 or early 2025). Noah has held on to the top spot for a second year running, with the ever popular Oliver moving down to 4th place. There are still plenty of names that are regular fixtures in the top 100 list, such as George, Muhammad, Leo, Harry, Jack, William and Isaac. But there are some more unusual or less traditional options which have shot up the the top 100 chart – or even made their debut – including Leon, Elias, Musa, Axel and Ibrahim.

1. Noah

2. Muhammad

3. George

4. Oliver

5. Leo

6. Arthur

7. Oscar

8. Theodore

9. Theo

10. Freddie

11. Archie

12. Luca

13. Henry

14. Jack

15. Harry

16. Charlie

17. Alfie

18. Arlo

19. Thomas

20. Teddy

21. Finley

22. Jacob

23. Tommy

24. William

25. Lucas

26. Isaac

27. Mohammed

28. Alexander

29. Albie

30. Roman

31. Edward

32. Jude

33. Elijah

34. James

35. Joshua

36. Reuben

37. Max

38. Rory

39. Sebastian

40. Louie

41. Adam

42. Mason

43. Ethan

44. Hudson

45. Harrison

46. Ezra

47. Hugo

48. Louis

49. Reggie

50. Joseph

51. Benjamin

52. Ronnie

53. Daniel

54. Logan

55. Jaxon

56. Oakley

57. Albert

58. Hunter

59. Zachary

60. Samuel

61. Rowan

62. David

63. Toby

64. Dylan

65. Frederick

66. Jesse

67. Mohammad

68. Otis

69. Sonny

70. Gabriel

71. Grayson

72. Kai

73. Frankie

74. Caleb

75. Carter

76. Liam

77. Felix

78. Jaspar

79. Riley

80. Bobby

81. Alfred

82. Finn

83. Elliot

84 (equal). Brody

84 (equal). Rupert

86. Ralph

87. Milo

88. Michael

89. Blake

90. Ellis

91. Chester

92. Stanley

93. Yusuf

94. Jackson

95. Leon

96. Elias

97. Myles

98. Tobias

99. Musa

100 (equal). Axel

100 (equal). Ibrahim

Traditional baby boy names

traditional teddy bear

These names are wonderful if you’re a fan of tradition and our list includes classic options which could be passed down from generation to generation. As the list of most popular boys' names (above) confirms, old-fashioned names continue to be favourites among new parents of baby boys, and it's a fair bet that some of the vintage names on this list will have been popular choices for newborn boys when your parents were born. Here are some timeless, traditional names to consider:

101. Alan

102. Anthony

103. Archibald

104. Arnold

105. Barry

106. Bernard

107. Bob

108. Brian

109. Christopher

110. Derek

111. Donald

112. Douglas

113. Peter

114. Mark

115. Duncan

116. Ernest

117. Edgar

118. Edmund

119. Ferdinand

120. Francis

121. Garnet

122. Geoffrey

123. Gerald

124. Gerard

125. Graham

126. Giles

127. Godfrey

128. Gregory

129. Herbert

130. Howard

131. Hugh

132. Jeremy

133. Jonathan

134. Keith

135. Laurence

136. Leonard

137. Lewis

138. Martin

139. Maurice

140. Montague

141. Mortimer

142. Neil

143. Norman

144. Paul

145. Raymond

146. Reginald

147. Robert

148. Rodney

149. Roger

150. Roland

151. Russell

152. Scott

153. Seymour

154. Spencer

155. Terence

156. Vincent

157. Wilfred

Irish baby boy names

baby with shamrock headband

Baby boy names with an Irish origin are growing in popularity throughout the UK with Finley, Riley, Liam and Finn all making the ONS list of most-chosen baby boy names. And the success of Irish shows like Normal People and Kin is expected to inspire even more parents to turn to the Emerald Isle for inspiration in the future. Here are some Celtic boy names that should get you sucking baby-name-inspiration diesel, to paraphrase the wonderfully Irish Hastings in Line of Duty:

158. Aidan

159. Brendan

160. Broderick

161. Caley

162. Calhoun

163. Cary

164. Casey

165. Cashel

166. Cathal

167. Cavan

168. Cian

169. Ciaran

170. Colm

172. Colman

173. Conan

174. Conn

175. Connall

176. Conor

177. Colin

178. Corcoran

179. Corey

180. Cormac

181. Conroy

182. Dacey

183. Daley

184. Darren

185. Declan

186. Dermot

187. Derry

188. Desmond

189. Devlin

190. Donal

191. Eamonn

192. Ennis

193. Eoghan

194. Eoin

195. Farrell

196. Fergal

197. Fergus

198. Gallagher

199. Galvin

200. Garret

201. Gillespie

202. Keegan

203. Keenan

204. Kevin

205. Kian

206. Malone

207. Niall

208. Patrick

209. Ronan

210. Seamus

211. Sean

212. Strachan

213. Tyrone

Strong baby boy names

baby with barbell

These baby boy names ooze strength and intensity. They're not everyone's cup of tea – there's no subtlety in meaning here – but many parents do really like the idea of choosing a boy name that signals a powerful presence and someone who's likely to make an impact on the world. Brace yourselves for the fierce impact of this strong boy name selection:

214. Absko

215. Archer

216. Armstrong

217. Arsenio

218. Ayele

219. Baron

Top tips for choosing your baby boy name

Your baby boys's name is with him for life so that can mean narrowing your choice down to just one can feel like a daunting process. To make it feel a little easier, follow these top name-picking tips:

220. Bruce

221. Burl

222. Caesar

223. Canute

224. Eric

225. Griffin

226. Hercules

227. Hyam

228. Idris

229. Imre

230. Kawan

231. Kenzo

232. Lincoln

233. Luther

234. Maxim

235. Olaf

236. Prabhu

237. Qadir

238. Rayner

239. Reynard

240. Rex

241. Roald

242. Siegfried

243. Sterling

244. Swithin

245. Takeshi

246. Thane

247. Thor

248. Thurstan

249. Tyson

Scottish baby boy names

baby in tartan bonnet

While the National Records of Scotland's list of most popular baby boy names is similar in many respects to the ONS list of most popular baby boy names in England and Wales, it does contain, as you would expect, some great, traditionally Scottish Gaelic boy names that have been inspired by the nation’s landscape and history, and passed down from generation to generation. Here are some of our favourites:

250. Alastair

251. Angus

252. Annan

253. Athol

254. Bryce

256. Callum

257. Cameron

258. Campbell

259. Carmichael

260. Carrick

261. Clyde

262. Craig

263. Dempsey

264. Errol

265. Ewan

266. Fingal

267. Fraser

268. Gordon

269. Hamish

270. Ian

271. Irvine

272. Kenneth

273. Kyle

274. Lachlan

275. Murdoch

276. Murray

277. Ramsey

278. Ronald

279. Ruairidh

280. Sinclair

281. Taggart

282. Wallace

For more baby-boy name inspiration from north of the Border, check out our 230 Scottish boy name ideas

Cool baby boy names

cool baby wearing shades

Some baby boy names are steeped in tradition and culture; other just channel cool. Of course, what's cool and what's not on the boy-name front does vary as the years turn but, right now, the coolest boy names are often those that started out as last names and have now become properly hipster first names. Don your shades and check out our pick of the cool baby boy names:

283. Bailey

284. Baldwin

285. Brigham

286. Burton

287. Calvin

288. Conrad

289. Dalton

290. Deacon

291. Emmett

292. Fletcher

293. Hamilton

294. Jefferson

295. Jenson

296. Jett

297. Lawson

298. Lennox

299. Maxwell

300. Mayer

301. Miller

302. Radcliffe

303. Rafferty

304. Ransom

305. Rider

306. Ridley

307. Rigby

308. Ryan

309. Sacha

310. Snowdon

311. Stig

312. Teo

313. Tristan

314. Urban

315. Warner

316. Wilson

317. Woodrow

318. Xavier

319. Xeven

Welsh baby boy names

baby with daffodils

The poetic cadences of the Welsh language has produced some amazing boy names, often with a proud Celtic backstory featuring battles, castles, nobility and bravery. Cymerwch gip (take a look) at our boy baby-name list from the valleys and mountains of Wales:

320. Aneurin

321. Bryn

322. Cadell

323. Cadfael

324. Cadoc

325. Caradoc

326. Carey

327. Ceinwen

328. Cynan

329. Dafydd

330. Dai

331. Deinol

332. Emlyn

333. Evan

334. Floyd

335. Gareth

336. Geraint

337. Griffith

338. Gwyn

339. Gwynfor

340. Howell

341. Kendrick

342. Llewellyn

343. Lloyd

344. Madoc

345. Owen

346. Rhys

347. Rhodri

348. Vaughan

Cute baby boy names

cute baby with bunny ears hood

Cute baby boy names weren't really a thing in the past; it was all about serious, formal boy names with solid overtones of masculine heft and gravitas. But recently, boy names have been getting cuter and cuter – or at the very least being given cuter shortenings/endings, with Charlie and Albie, for example, all making it into the 100 most popular baby boy names list ahead of the more straight-faced forebears Charles and Albert. Here are some of more adorably cute baby boy names we could find:

349. Ace

350. Billy

351. Bruno

352. Caspar

353. Cooper

354. Digby

355. Diggory

356. Dougal

357. Garfield

358. Jace

359. Jake

360. Jax

361. Grover

362. Herman

363. Huxley

364. Manny

365. Marmaduke

366. Marvin

367. Miles

368. Monty

369. Mungo

370. Quincy

371. Remy

372. Waldo

373. Walter

374. Zebedee

375. Zeke

English baby boy names

baby boy wearing flat cap

While traditionally English names feature heavily in the top baby boy name list for England and Wales, there are many other boy names with English or Anglo-Saxon origins or derivations to discover and consider. Many English baby names for boys have meanings that reference traditional English occupations, English landscape or English places. Here are some of our favourites:

376. Ashton

377. Aubrey

378. Burn

379. Carlton

380. Carver

381. Cerdic

382. Chapman

383. Chauncey

384. Clayton

385. Clifford

386. Clifton

387. Crawford

388. Dale

389. Darwin

390. Darnell

391. Dennison

392. Denton

393. Edwin

394. Ellison

395. Elgar

396. Elmer

397. Elmore

398. Elvin

390. Hayden

400. Keane

401. Leighton

402. Nelson

403. Piers

404. Randolph

405. Royston

406. Ryland

407. Sawyer

408. Selwyn

409. Sherlock

410. Talbot

411. Turner

412. Tyler

413. Warren

414. Willis

415. Winston

Royal baby boy names

baby boy wearing crown

Most of the baby boy names you’d associate with the British royal family – William, Harry, George and Louis – are already in the top 100 most popular boy names list, proving that regal boy names have a real attraction for today's parents. And there are plenty of other royal boy names to choose from, whether they're inspired by previous British kings and princes, such as Philip or Harold, by modern-day members of the wider British royal family, such as Charles or August (Princess Eugenie's son, born in February 2021), or by royal dynasties from other lands and cultures. Please be upstanding for the baby boy names that are fit for a king:

416. Andrew

417. August

418. Carl

419. Charles

420. Clarence

421. Harold

422. John

423. Malcolm

424. Philip

425. Regan

426. Richard

427. Stephen

428. Stuart

429. Tor

430. Tudor

431. Umberto

432. Victor

433. Xerxes

Seasonal baby boy names

baby with sun

Lots of parents-to-be like the idea of choosing a boy baby name that reflects the time of year their baby's due to be born. And there are many really great – and often unusual – boy names connected to spring, summer, autumn and winter, as well as boy names that reference months of the year and seasonal festivities (such as harvest-time and Christmas). Here are some of our boy baby names picks inspired by highlights in the yearly calendar:

434. Aviv

435. Aquilo

435. Cyrus

436. Elfed

437. Haru

438. Izumi

439. Jaroslav

440. Jora

441. Noel

442. Nicholas

443. Octavian

444. Pascal

445. Sharad

446. Sharadchandra

447. Winter

Japanese baby boy names

japanese baby boy

Japanese baby boy names are slowly becoming more popular in the UK, as parents-to-be learn about their sonorous rhythms and lovely, auspicious and usually nature-based meanings. We write and say the names in a Romanised version of kanji, the characters in Japanese script – and, in actual fact, the same Japanese name can often be written in multiple variations of kanji, giving it a different meaning each time. Here, we've chosen Japanese boy names that translate most easily to Western culture and language, and given them their most common meanings:

448. Aito

449. Akio

450. Akito

451. Benjiro

452. Chibi

453. Chiko

454. Daichi

455. Daiki

456. Daisuke

457. Hakaku

458. Haruki

459. Haruma

460. Haruto

461. Hayato

462. Hiro

463. Hiroshi

464. Hiroto

465. Kaito

466. Reo

467. Yuma

Unusual and unique baby boy names

surprised baby boy

Some of us find boy names we love and either accept or simply aren't bothered that other parents-to-be will love and choose them, too; for others, it matters that the baby boy name they pick is so unusual – or even unique – that no other baby boy for miles will be called the same thing. Unusual names for boys tend either to be traditional names that have fallen out of fashion many years ago and are getting a deserved new outing, or more modern names, often invented by combining two boy names together into a new hybrid. Here are some brilliantly unusual names to inspire you:

468. Abelard

469. Aera

470. Aldous

471. Aldwyn

472. Algernon

473. Braylon

474. Chaim

475. Cree

476. Granville

477. Hallam

478. Havelock

479. Jolyon

480. Kapono

481. Leopold

482. Lian

483. Peregrine

484. Riggs

485. Sabin

486. Salathiel

487. Tabbai

488. Torquil

For more unusual boy names ideas, check out this list of 100 top unique boy names

African baby boy names

african baby boy

It's impossible to capture here the sheer range and diversity of African baby boy names – after all, there are 54 different African countries, each with their own long lists of classic boy names, influenced by a mix of Christian, Muslim and Arabic traditions. In many African countries, baby names are chosen at special ceremonies following the birth – and the name will often indicate the baby's position in the family or, in some parts of Ghana in particular, the day of the week they were born. Here are just some of our favourites:

489. Ajani

490. Amadi

491. Ayan

492. Azizi

493. Barack

494. Chidi

495. Dakari

496. Khari

497. Kofi

498. Kato

499. Kwaku

500. Kwame

501. Obi

502. Omari

503. Odion

504. Sekani

505. Shango

506. Tafari

507. Taye

508. Yared

509. Zuri

Celebrity baby boy names

baby boy with shades and hat

When it comes to baby boy names, celebs tend to lead the field in selecting – or inventing – something truly quirky, attention-grabbing and unusual. If you'd like your baby boy's name to stand out from the crowd, then the names of the little (and not-s0-little) sons of the rich and famous – or indeed the rich and famous fathers themselves – can provide some brilliant, surprising, properly distinctive inspiration. Here's our pick of the celebrity baby names that we'd actually quite like to steal for our own baby boys:

510. Adler

511. Apollo

512. Blaze

513. Blu

514. Bronx

515. Bode

516. Bowie

517. Denzel

518. Drake

519. Elton

When do you have to choose your baby boy's name by?

New parents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have 42 days to register their baby’s name once he is born. If you live in Scotland, you will be expected to register your baby’s birth (and name) within 3 weeks of his birth. Once you have picked a name, contact your local register office for an appointment to go in and register your baby’s birth.  You will need to take some identification with you to prove who you are and some registrars may ask to see your baby’s red book, which is their personal health record. When you register the birth, you will be asked your baby’s full name as well as details about when and where he was born. The birth must be registered by the baby’s mother or father and if you are unmarried and go to the register office alone, you will have to take a declaration of parentage form signed by the other parent with you.

520. Elvis

521. Gene

522. Jaden

523. Jarvis

524. Maverick

525. Orlando

526. Pilot

527. Psalm

528. Racer

529 Rhodes

530. Rocket

531. Saint

532. Storm

533. Ziggy

American baby boy names

baby with usa flag

Baby boy names that are popular in the US tend to be short, bold and confident and – though many of them are in use in the UK – they do have an informal ring to them that could appeal if you find traditional British boy names a little stuffy or old-fashioned-sounding. The American baby names listed here don’t necessarily have a modern-US or Native American origin but they're all ones that appear regularly on US popular baby name lists for boys:

534. Booker

535. Bo

536. Bradley

537. Brandon

538. Buck

539. Buddy

540. Chad

541. Chase

542. Cade

543. Cody

544. Colby

545. Colton

546. Dwayne

547. Earl

548. Franklyn

549. Helaku

550. Huck

551. Hudson

552. Houston

553. Leroy

554. Mitchell

555. Namid

556. Paco

557. Seth

558. Troy

559. Wade

560. Wyatt

For more baby-boy name inspiration from across the pond, check out our 200 American baby name ideas

Gender-neutral baby boy names

gender neutral baby

Yes, it sounds like a contradiction in terms – how can a name for a boy be gender-neutral? – but, within the increasingly popular trend for names that let children escape from outdated gender stereotypes, there are some unisex names that parents of baby boys tend to particularly favour. The gender-neutral baby names that really caught our eye include:

561. Alex

562. Alexis

563. Artemis

564. Ashley

565. Avery

566. Blair

567. Brooklyn

568. Carol

569. Cassidy

570. Dallas

571. Darcy

572. Denver

573. Devon

574. Harlow

575. Hollis

576. Jamie

577. Jordan

578. Kay

579. Kelly

580. Kennedy

581. Marlow

582. Monroe

583. Morgan

584. Parker

585. Quinn

586. Rida

587. Ripley

588. Shea

589. Sheridan

590. Sidney

591. Skye

592. Taylor

593. Tierney

Indian baby boy names

indian baby boy

Naming a baby in India is usually accompanied by a big family ceremony and a lot of care is taken with the name selection, with parents sometimes calling on a 'pandit' (a wise man) to cast the baby boy's astrology chart and select a letter of the alphabet that the name should begin with. Great weight is also placed on the meaning of the name and, for that reason, Indian baby boy names, whether modern or traditional, Hindi or Urdu, tend to have powerful, auspicious, light-strewn meanings and origins based in Sanskrit, or sometimes Persian or Arabic. Here are some of the most popular and interesting Indian boy baby names to choose from:

594. Aarav

595. Ajay

596. Amit

597. Anand

598. Arjun

599. Arun

600. Bhaskar

601. Chandan

602. Chander

603. Chandrakant

604. Chetan

605. Darshan

606. Deepak

607. Devdan

608. Dhani

609. Dilip

610. Gautam

611. Gopal

612. Gulab

613. Gyan

614. Hari

615. Hitesh

616. Inderjit

617. Kamal

618. Ketan

619. Kiran

620. Kumar

621. Kunal

622. Kushal

623. Milan

624. Mohan

625. Nayan

626. Nikhil

627. Poojan

628. Pratik

629. Rajan

630. Rajesh

631. Rajnish

632. Rama

633. Rishi

634. Rohan

635. Ronak

636. Rupak

637. Sagar

638. Sahil

639. Shayan

640. Sunil

641. Suraj

642. Sujan

643. Vijay

644. Vikesh

645. Vishal

Nature-inspired baby boy names

baby boy with flowers

Nature-inspired baby boy names are becoming more widespread, with parents opting for names that reflect the beauty of the landscape around them and a desire to feel more connected to the natural world. Nature names for baby boys tend to focus on streams, trees, herbs and rivers – feel the freshness of the breeze in your hair as you consider these name picks for baby boys inspired by the great outdoors:

646. Basil

647. Beck

648. Bergren

649. Brook

650. Cedar

651. Daven

652. Dean

653. Derwent

654. Flint

655. Forrest

656. Garth

657. Glen

658. Glyn

659. Holden

660. Itsuki

661. Ivor

662. Kelvin

663. Ocean

664. Ollie

665. Roscoe

666. Sheldon

667. Sorrel

668. Thorne

669. Wesley

670. Yves

French baby boy names

baby in beret

Many people think French baby boy names have a certain 'je ne sais quoi' – bestowing a distinct aura of charm, sophistication and romance. French baby boys (and girls) traditionally had to be named after the saint on whose 'day' in the Roman Catholic calendar they are born but, since 1993, French parents have been able to choose any name they like – meaning chic, modern-sounding French boy names are now just as widespread. Here are our current French baby boy names de choix:

671. Antoine

672. Beau

673. Bertrand

674. Blaise

675. Bonamy

676. Carvel

677. Chandler

678. Chevy

679. Curtis

680. Darrel

681. Etienne

682. François

683. Gaston

684. Harvey

685. Henri

686. Jacques

687. Jules

688. Lancelot

689. Laurent

690. Matthieu

691. Olivier

692. Pierre

693. Raoul

694. Remi

695. René

696. Sébastien

697. Seeley

698. Vernon

Baby boy names that mean love

baby boy with love heart

We've all heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve but what about bearing your heart in your name? Baby boy names with meanings that signify love, desire and romance have origins in many languages and cultures and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK – where once you'd rarely see more than the odd Valentine, named for a 14 February birth day. Prepare to be smitten by these love-themed baby boy names (we've got a big crush on several of them):

699. Amias

700. Adonis

701. Byron

702. Carwyn

703. Cupid

704. Didier

705. Eros

706. Fidel

707. Hashu

708. Heathcliff

709. Lennon

710. Romeo

711. Sevilen

712. Valentine

For more love-themed name inspiration, check out our megalist of 200 baby names that mean love

Ancient Greek and Roman baby boy names

boy with victory garland

The gods and goddesses of classical Greece and Rome were powerful, passionate and impressive – as were the mortal Greek and Roman heroes and rulers who built temples in their honour. So, if you're looking for baby boy name with authority, majesty and a wonderful, legendary aura, you'd do well to turn to Ancient Greece or the Roman Empire for inspiration. These baby boy names have a timeless, heroic quality that have stood the test of centuries:

713. Adrian

714. Alpheius

715. Ambrose

716. Augustus

717. Cadmus

718. Cassius

719. Cato

720. Cecil

721. Claud

722. Clement

723. Constantine

724. Cosmo

725. Crispin

726. Daedalus

727. Damian

728. Damon

729. Decimus

730. Demetrios

731. Denis

732. Deus

733. Dion

734. Erasmus

735. Eugene

736. Eustace

737. Fabian

738. Hadrian

739. Hector

740. Homer

741. Horace

742. Ignatius

743. Jason

744. Jerome

745. Julian

746. Justin

747. Lysander

748. Leander

749. Magnus

750. Marcus

751. Marius

752. Maximilian

753. Myron

754. Nero

755. Nestor

756. Nicodemus

757. Octavius

758. Orban

759. Orestes

760. Orion

761. Orsan

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762. Paris

763. Pius

764. Quentin

765. Remus

766. Silas

767. Silvester

768. Titus

769. Ulysses

770. Vidal

771. Virgil

772. Xanthus

773. Xenophon

774. Xylon

Muslim baby boy names

boy in a taqiyah

Muslim baby boys are traditionally named in a ceremony that takes place on the 7th day after their birth and the name is always chosen carefully as it's thought to influence a boy's personality as he grows up. Muslim baby boy names tend to have wonderful, strong, steady, spirtual meanings and, while fewer than 15% of Muslims worldwide are ethnically Arab, most Muslim boy names have a firmly Arabic origin. Here are some of our favourites:

775. Aadil

776. Aalam

777. Abdullah

778. Adil

779. Ahmed

780. Ali

781. Amin

782. Arsalan

783. Ashraf

784. Ayaan

785. Azaan

786. Azim

787. Badiah

788. Bilal

789. Burhan

790. Faisal

791. Haseeb

792. Hakeem

793. Hamal

794. Hamzah

795. Hani

796. Harun

797. Hasan

798. Ismail

799. Jalal

800. Jamal

801. Junayd

802. Kabir

803. Kamil

804. Kashif

805. Kedar

806. Musa

807. Muhsin

808. Munir

809. Murad

810. Mustafa

811. Nabil

812. Nadim

813. Naim

814. Nasser

815. Omar

816. Osman

817. Qasim

818. Rahim

819. Raja

820. Raqib

821. Rashad

822. Sajjad

823. Salah

824. Salim

825. Salman

826. Samir

827. Shahid

828. Shahin

829. Sharif

830. Suhayl

831. Syed

832. Tahir

833. Umar

834. Usman

835. Waqar

836. Wasim

837. Zahid

For more Muslim baby-boy name inspiration, check out our 300 Muslim and Arabic names for boy and girls

Italian baby boy names

baby with pasta

Italian baby boy names have lately been making more of a constant appearance in the UK's list of most popular names for boys – with Luca currently ranking highest in the list. Italian boy names with their bouncy, singsong 'o' or 'a' endings often convey a touch of confidence and charm that's hard to resist. We've picked out a lovely little list of Italian baby boy names that are all definitely cute enough to consider for your bambino-to-be:

836. Aldo

837. Alessandro

838. Alfredo

839. Alonzo

840. Angelo

841. Antonio

842. Armando

843. Arturo

844. Carlo

845. Dante

846. Emiliano

847. Emilio

848. Enzo

849. Francesco

850. Gerardo

851. Giacomo

852. Gianni

853. Giovanni

854. Giuseppe

855. Giraldo

856. Guido

857. Leandro

858. Leonardo

859. Lorenzo

860. Luciano

861. Mateo

862. Marco

863. Mario

864. Mauro

865. Maximo

866. Renato

867. Roberto

868. Rocco

869. Salvatore

870. Santino

871. Sergio

872. Tiziano

Biblical baby boy names

angel baby boy

Baby boy names taken from the Bible have long been popular in Britain, and many of them still dominate the most popular names list. Most biblical boy names are of Hebrew origin and while some, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are now commonly associated with the Christian tradition (they're the names of the writers of the 1st books of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus), the majority are linked to the Jewish faith. Here are our top biblical baby boy names from both the Old and New Testaments:

873. Aaron

874. Abba

875. Abel

876. Abner

877. Abraham

878. Absalom

879. Amos

880. Asa

881. Barnabas

882. Bartholomew

883. Benedict

884. Cephas

885. Christian

886. Cyrus

887. Dominic

888. Ebenezer

889. Elias

890. Enoch

891. Ephraim

What if I choose the wrong baby boy name?

If you get cold feet and decide you’ve made a mistake with the name you've picked and registered, don't worry: in the UK, you can get the name changed relatively easily at your local register office – as long as you do so within a year of your baby's birth. You can read more about how to do this – and what to do if you want to change it after a year – in our guide to changing your baby's first name.

892. Esau

893. Ezekiel

894. Gideon

895. Hiram

896. Ira

897. Isaiah

898. Ishmael

899. Jared

900. Jedidiah

901. Jeremiah

902. Jethro

903. Joab

904. Joachim

905. Job

906. Joel

907. Jonah

908. Josiah

909. Judah

910. Laban

911. Levi

912. Luke

913. Malachi

914. Matthew

915. Micah

916. Moses

917. Naboth

918. Nahum

919. Nathaniel

920. Nehemiah

921. Obadiah

922. Rachamin

923. Raphael

924. Samson

925. Saul

926. Simeon

927. Simon

928. Solomon

929. Timothy

930. Uriah

931. Zabdi

932. Zacchaeus

933. Zedekiah

934. Zephaniah

Animal-inspired baby boy names

baby and puppy

Baby boy names with an animal theme are strong and beautiful – with a touch of both the cuddly and a healthy respect for the natural world. Animal-themed baby boy names can either be the actual name of an animal, such as Bear, Tiger and Wolf, or can have meanings that link them to a particular animal – or bird. Here is our pick of the best baby boy names with a real animal side:

935. Ari

936. Averett

937. Bear

938. Bertram

939. Björn

940. Bram

941. Delvin

942. Everett

943. Gavin

944. Irwin

945. Lionel

946. Lowell

947. Marlon

948. Marshall

949. Namir

950. Oberon

951. Ofer

952. Orson

953. Phoenix

954. Robin

955. Rolf

956. Rudolf

957. Tiger

958. Tipu

959. Todd

960. Ulmar

961. Wilbur

962. Wolf

963. Wren

Short baby boy names

baby boy with love heart

Sometimes you just want to keep it short and sweet. Neat, friendly, straightforward, one-syllable baby boy names are increasing in popularity – not only are they quick to say and (usually) easy to spell, they're super-simple for your little boy to recognise, as he gets old enough to spot the patterns in letters and words, and, eventually, to write as he enters the school-age years. When it comes to naming babies, less is often more. Here's our pick of baby boy names that are small in size but big in impact:

964. Ash

965. Baird

966. Ben

967. Boyd

968. Brett

969. Carr

970. Clark

971. Clint

972. Clive

973. Dev

974. Drew

975. Eli

976. Frank

977. Gray

978. Grant

979. Gus

980. Guy

981. Hal

982. Jay

983. Jed

984. Kane

985. Keir

986. Kent

987. Kit

988. Lee

989. Lyle

990. Nir

991. Nye

992. Odo

993. Ross

994. Sam

995. Tate

996. Tam

997. Ted

998. Tom

999. Uzi

1000. Zeb

About the author Helen Brown

Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums, the author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17.99). She has been a judge for the Bookstart Awards and written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she's also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys – all with names that she and her husband eventually agreed on! – and a heavy-duty washing machine.

About the '100 most popular names' list

Every year, the Office of National Statistics publishes a list of the most popular names in England and Wales for both girls and boys. Because of the time needed to collect and process all the data, each new list is always based on names registered up to 2 years ago. So, the the most recent list is based on names registered in 2022. Scotland's National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland's Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency also each release their own list every year, gathered in the same way.

Pics: Getty Images

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Authors

Helen BrownHead of Content Delivery

Helen is author of the classic advice book Parenting for Dummies and a mum of 3. Before joining MadeForMums, she was Head of Community at Mumsnet and also the Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby.

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