English names for boys
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Most popular English names in official statistics
United States, 2025
Source: Social Security Administration.
Australia (New South Wales), 2025
Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Australia (Victoria), 2025
Source: Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
Canada (Ontario), 2024
Source: Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General, ServiceOntario).
England and Wales, 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).
New Zealand, 2025
Source: Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Northern Ireland, 2025
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Featured in baby name books
Abraham
Abraham is a Hebrew name meaning “father of many” or “father of nations,” with forms like Abe, Avram, and the Arabic Ibrahim. The biblical Abraham, first called Abram, is regarded as a forefather of both the Jewish and Arab peoples through his sons Isaac and Ishmael.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Adam
Adam is a Hebrew name meaning “man” and tied to the word for earth, often rendered “of the red earth.” In the Bible, Adam was the first man, formed from dust and placed in Eden with Eve as his partner.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Sci-Fi Baby Names
Alexander
Alexander is a Greek name meaning “defender of men” or “protector,” with countless forms worldwide, including Alessandro, Alejandro, Alistair, and Sasha. Alexander the Great made the name a byword for strength and leadership, and it has never been more popular; other famous bearers include Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Andrew
Andrew comes from Greek and means “manly,” “strong,” or “warrior,” with Andy and Drew as nicknames and forms like Andreas and Anders. Andrew was a fisherman who, with his brother Simon Peter, became one of Jesus’s first apostles, and as a saint he is a patron of fishermen.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Arthur
Arthur is a Celtic name usually traced to artos, “bear,” and glossed as “bear-hero” or “rock,” with Arturo and Artur as other forms. The legendary King Arthur made the name famous, and the Duke of Wellington and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King boosted it; it was in the U.S. top fifteen around 1900.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Bartholomew
Bartholomew means “son of the farmer” or “son of the furrows,” and some link it to “son of Ptolemy” or “Talmai’s son.” Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, sometimes identified with Nathaniel, and tradition says he carried the gospel to India.
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, Classic Biblical Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Daniel
Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge,” with Dan and Danny as nicknames. The biblical Daniel was an exiled Israelite who rose in Babylon by interpreting dreams and survived a night in the lion's den.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
David
David is a Hebrew name meaning “beloved,” “cherished,” or “darling.” The biblical David was a shepherd boy who slew Goliath, wrote psalms and music, and became a mighty king of Israel.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Edward
Edward is an Old English royal name meaning “wealthy guardian” or “prosperous protector.” Edward is also glossed as “guardian of property,” and bearers include playwright Edward Albee, painter Edward Hopper, and actor Edward Norton.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book
Elijah
Elijah is a Hebrew name meaning “the Lord is my God,” with Elias, Ellis and Eli among its forms. Elijah was one of the great Old Testament prophets, who fought idol worship, worked miracles, and was carried to heaven in a fiery chariot.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Eric
Eric is a Norse name meaning “eternal ruler” or “ruler of the people.” Erik the Red and several Scandinavian kings bore the name, and it peaked in the 1970s helped by Eric Clapton and speedskater Eric Heiden.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
George
George is a Greek name meaning “farmer” or “one who works the earth.” Despite its humble meaning, George is a proud, royal name, carried by many kings and by Saint George, the dragon slayer and patron saint of England.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Harper
Harper is an English occupational surname for a harp player or minstrel. Used for both sexes but mostly girls, Harper has a Southern, literary air and no negative connotations.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Hector
Hector is a Greek name meaning “steadfast,” “holding fast,” or “restraint.” In The Iliad Hector was the brave, honorable prince of Troy who led its army and was killed by Achilles; in Arthurian legend, a Hector raised the young Arthur.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Badass Baby Names
James
James is a form of Jacob and shares its meaning, “supplanter” or “he who replaces.” James grew out of Jacob through Latin and Greek forms; in the New Testament two disciples bore it, chief among them James son of Zebedee, part of Jesus’s inner circle.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
John
John is a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious” or “God is good,” with forms across Europe such as Juan, Jean, Johann, and Sean. John was a top-five name for centuries until 1980; it remains sturdy and authoritative, evoking leaders like John Kennedy and John Adams as well as artists like John Lennon.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Jordan
Jordan is a Hebrew name meaning “to descend” or “flowing down,” after the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. Jordan caught on during the Crusades, when soldiers brought Jordan River water home to baptize their children.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Joseph
Joseph is a Hebrew name meaning “God will add” or “God will increase.” In the Bible, Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, sold into slavery in Egypt, and another Joseph was the carpenter husband of Mary.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Joshua
Joshua is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my salvation” or “Jehovah saves,” with Made Easy offering “may God help.” Joshua succeeded Moses and led the Israelites into the Promised Land; the name Jesus derives from its Hebrew form, Yeshua.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Joyce
Joyce is usually read as “joyous,” from Latin or French. Joyce originally meant “lord,” from a Breton name that became an Anglo-Norman surname borne by one of the Galway “tribes.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Girls, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Irish Names for Children
Matthew
Matthew comes from Hebrew and is understood as “gift of God” or “gift of the Lord.” Matthew was one of the twelve apostles, a tax collector who followed Jesus when called and is credited with a gospel.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Michael
Michael is a Hebrew name posing the question “who is like God,” and is the name of an archangel. Michael is the archangel who protects Israel in Daniel and leads heaven’s angels against the devil in Revelation; he is also patron saint of soldiers and appears in the Koran.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Paul
Paul is a Latin name meaning “small” or “humble,” with forms around the world such as Pablo, Paolo and Pavel. The apostle Paul, born Saul, persecuted Christians until a blinding vision on the road to Damascus, then became a central figure of the early Church and wrote much of the New Testament.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Peter
Peter comes from the Greek Petros, “rock,” and has countless international forms, including Pierre, Pedro, Pyotr and Pieter. The apostle Peter, a Galilean fisherman born Simon, was renamed by Jesus as the rock of his church and is regarded as the first pope.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Quentin
Quentin is a Latin name meaning “fifth,” with spellings such as Quinton and Quintin. The opening Q makes Quentin sound edgy though its roots are Roman, and it is probably the most common Q name.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Quincy
Quincy is a French surname meaning “estate of the fifth son,” sharing a root with Quentin and the Latin for “fifth.” Quincy has an old New England sound; the Massachusetts town was home to the Adams family, including President John Quincy Adams.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, Unusual Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Girls, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Samuel
Samuel is a Hebrew name meaning “God has heard” or “asked of God.” The biblical Samuel, born to Hannah who had asked God for him, became Israel’s last judge and first prophet.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Taylor
Taylor is an English occupational surname, from the Old French for “tailor,” for someone who cuts and alters clothing. Long a boy’s name, Taylor became a girl’s name around 1979 and rocketed into the top ten by the mid-1990s, and some books expect it to end up mostly feminine.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Tobias
Tobias is a Hebrew name meaning “God is good,” with Toby as its classic nickname and Tobiah and Tobin as related forms. In the Book of Tobit, Tobias travels with the angel Raphael, defeats a demon, and marries Sarah.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Walter
Walter is a German name meaning “ruler of the army” or “army commander,” though some books render it “ruler of the people.” The name was a U.S. top-fifteen pick in the early 1900s and is tied to Walter Scott, Walter Raleigh, Walter Cronkite, and Walt Disney; Walt and Wally may make it fresh again.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book
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These lists are only intended to give you name ideas. Make sure to further research each name, as some may have negative connotations.