One Syllable Names for Boys

Calm, straightforward, patrician sounding: Pace is one new-style name that's well-grounded.

Military word names, from Cannon to Major, are in, but Tank might push things a bit too far.

Simplicity and pleasant associations give the word Bell real possibility as a first name -- but somehow it seems better for a girl, a la Belle.

Not even for the child who wreaks havoc.

Brixi was a Saxon lord thought to have erected a stone boundary of an ancient meeting place on the site that is now Brixton, a suburb in south London. Brixton is a newly fashionable boys' name and shortened form Brix was used for more than 40 baby boys in the US last year.

No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic, statistics, and computer science.

Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.

Parks is a rare member of the fashionable single-syllable, S-ending surname crowd, which includes trending choices like Brooks, Banks, Hayes and Wells.

This short form of Jesse has an androgynous, cowperson feel. It's Jess rather than Jesse or Jessie that can be considered among the truly androgynous baby names

Laid-back and humble, with a distinctive down-home charm.

Has a sharp investigative quality that's not a bad thing to impart to a child.

A saintly surname that is used steadily for boys and occasionally for girls, mainly by Catholic parents. The Polish Franciscan priest St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe offered himself in place of another who was sentenced to death in Auschwitz, and was canonized for his martyrdom.

Newswoman Paula brought the surname Zahn to the public eye. It makes a dramatic, unusual Zane alternative -- though you may not want to enlighten your child as to its prosaic meaning.

Newer than Zac, cooler than Ed, Ned, or Ted.

Middle name possibility for a nature-loving family -- Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke used it for their son's middle name.

A straightforward, down-to-earth nickname many Walters, from Whitman to Disney, have chosen to go by.

Feels akin to Brooks and Rivers, two other boys' names that double as plural nouns. It's been used as a first name for centuries, including by a two time governor of Virginia.

Part of the wave of virtuous word names that has appeared in the 21st century, Truce has a harmonious meaning... and could be a way to update Bruce.

Aza's similarity to the biblical name Asa makes it ripe for adaptation. If you want something more elaborate, you might consider Azariah. Something simpler? It doesn't get much simpler and that is the beauty of Aza (or Asa).