One Syllable Names for Boys

Ryatt — which may be a combination of names like Ryan and Wyatt — gives you the sound of Riot without the violent connotations. Naturally, it's almost twice as popular among baby boys than Riot, even cracking the Top 1000 in 2022.

A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.

Espn made its debut on the American baby name charts in 2004 and has ranked for at least one sex ever since. It's a uniquely American take on the Scandinavian name Espen, influenced by the basic cable sports channel ESPN. So while you can interpret Espn's meaning as "god bear," a case could also be made for "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network."

A masculine name from the Old Testament, but would likely be confused for Amy.

While there is some disagreement over the origins of this name, it's clearly fashionable and a new idea, for English speakers, of a way to spin either an old classic or a familiar favorite. Still, Loic is one of those French names for boys that is rarely heard outside its native land.

The final -e takes this from a daring word name to a literary honor name, for the inimitable Irish author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, infamous for his wit and flamboyance.

In demonology, Bael is a shapeshifting evil king who can appear as a cat, a toad, or a man.

A half-man, half-wolf character in the Elden Ring video game franchise bears this name, which fittingly is the Welsh word for "wolf".

Raf is a raffish short form that many a cool boy would love to call his own.

With the rising popularity of Kai, this more phonetic spelling has been gaining traction as well. Kye debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015, and was one of the fastest-rising names of the year in 2016.

Intriguing, when seen as a water name a la River and Ocean, but too close to cultural appropriate if used as a reference to the Creek tribe of Native Americans. Another downside is its resemblance to creak, as in creaky bones or floorboards, and to unappealing words like creep and creak.

The Rhone (or Rhône) river flows through southeastern France, and could make a strong and picturesque name for a baby boy. The root of the river's name is believed to be a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "to flow".

Tim is a boyish short form very rarely given on its own.

Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.

If Holland works for a girl, why not Dutch for a boy? Gavin Newsom, Lt-Governor of California, kept up his geographical baby name theme when he called his 4th child Dutch William, (his other children are named Hunter, Montana and Brooklyn.)

Along with August, March is one of the month names perfectly suited to boys. This brisk single-syllable name – which derives from the name of Mars, the Roman god of war – is worth considering as either a first or middle option. As a surname, it brings warm memories of the girls of Little Women, and of twentieth century actor Fredric.

The sleek French form of Cosmo, which has leapt out of relative obscurity to well within the Top 100 boy names in France in the last decade, but still retains a sophisticated, vaguely aristocratic air. Pronunciation is like the English word comb.

Sounds exactly like Ray—but with an on-trend royal vibe. The central protagonist in the newest Star Wars trilogy is a woman named Rey.

Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname.

A fresh, green, rising nature name for girls that would make a cool possibility for a baby boy as well. It has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys a handful of times since naming records began.