15,000+ Two-Syllable Boy Names

  1. Esai
    • Origin:

      Spanish from Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "gift"
    • Description:

      This Hebrew-Latin name, which bristles with electricity, is associated with Esai Morales, who is a junior, carrying on his father's name.
  2. Bailey
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "law enforcer, bailiff"
    • Description:

      Extremely amiable, open-sounding surname that's gradually being taken over by the girls.
  3. Fallon
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "leader"
    • Description:

      Fallon was one of the first of the unisex surname names, but thanks to "Dynasty" in the 1980s it now has a feminine image. For a boy, try Phelan instead.
  4. Rohan
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Rowan, Irish and Scottish, or Hindi
    • Meaning:

      "rowan tree, redhead, or sandalwood"
    • Description:

      From India, but feels like an Irish surname (and can in fact be a variation of Rowan), so a possible cross-cultural choice.
  5. Noadiah
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "meeting with the Lord"
    • Description:

      Noadiah has biblical namesakes both male and female. The male Noadiah is mentioned in the Book of Ezra, and the female Noadiah is a prophetess in the Book of Nehemiah. Noadiah combines popular Noah with the Old Testament ending seen in modern choice biblical names like Jeremiah and Zachariah.
  6. Raiden
    • Origin:

      Japanese, English invented name
    • Description:

      The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to popular baby names Aiden and Jayden, most people will pronounce it RAY-den, but it's more properly RYE-den.
  7. Luther
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "army people"
    • Description:

      Once restricted to evangelical Protestants honoring the ecclesiastical reformer and theologian Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant revolution. In more recent times it has been favored by parents wishing to honor civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. Luther was a Top 100 name at the turn of the last century, but fell off the list in the early 1990s.
      Luther Burbank was an eminent botanist and Luther Vandross was a popular R&B artist. It's the name of a main character on the Disney series Zeke and Luther. The name was given a shot of contemporary energy via Idris Elba's dynamic performance in the eponymous BBC crime drama.
  8. Marley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "pleasant seaside meadow"
    • Description:

      Harley is a tough guy, while the rhyming Marley has a softer, gentler image. The name brings to mind reggae great Bob Marley, as well as the lovable dog from bestseller Marley and Me.
  9. Maxim
    • Origin:

      French variation of Maximus
    • Meaning:

      "greatest"
    • Description:

      Although often connected to the men's magazine title, Maxim is a chic and powerful name for a little boy. It's proving moderately popular too, having been in the Top 1000 in the US since the year 2000.
  10. Tiago
    • Origin:

      Portuguese diminutive of Santiago, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "Saint James"
    • Description:

      Tiago, also spelled Thiago, is a popular Portuguese boys' name derived from the more formal Santiago but these days usually used on its own. English speakers won't intuitively get the pronunciation but this might be a creative way to honor an ancestral James or Diego.
  11. London
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Meaning:

      "Capital city of England"
    • Description:

      In the US, London is popular for both sexes, though as the name has risen for girls, it's levelled off for boys. Currently given to around 200 boys each year, it is nearly five times more popular for girls, however, it been on decline across the board since its peak in 2013. Conjuring up images of Big Ben, red phone boxes, and the London Eye for some, but perhaps the rush hour commute and grey skies for others, London is far less popular in the UK and other English-speaking countries.
  12. Abner
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "father of light."
    • Description:

      This neglected Biblical name--it was the name of the commander of Saul's army and appears twice in the New Testament--is ready to flee Dogpatch. It was regularly used in the nineteenth century, but was pretty much demolished by the long-running hillbilly comic strip L'il Abner, which began in 1934 and ran through 1977. A more respectable namesake is Abner Doubleday, who has been credited with inventing baseball.
  13. Cielo
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "sky"
    • Description:

      Expansive, sunny Italian word name.
  14. Arson
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "deliberately setting fire to property"
    • Description:

      Sure, Arson is a crime, but anecdotally, many of the parents who choose this name do so because Arson = "our son."
  15. Emmet
    • Origin:

      English; Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "universal; truth"
    • Description:

      Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered the list in 2014; Emmett, on the other hand, has never been off the charts.
  16. Sergio
    • Origin:

      Italian and Spanish variation of Sergius, Roman family name
    • Meaning:

      "servant"
    • Description:

      Widely heard in both Italian and Spanish households, Sergio and his many international brothers are rooted in Sergius, one of the original Roman family names. The meaning is unknown, but possibly is related to servant or protector.
  17. Hadley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "heathery field"
    • Description:

      Hemingway readers will recognize this as the name of Papa's first wife (and, eventually, actress Mariel's grandmother). But in Victorian times, Hadley and Hedley were actually more popular for boys.
  18. Ariel
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "lion of God"
    • Description:

      Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in Shakespeare's The Tempest centuries ago.
  19. Kellan
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Kellen
    • Meaning:

      "swamp; slender"
    • Description:

      Kellan Lutz is the attractive young actor who plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.
  20. Conall
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "strong as a wolf"
    • Description:

      Too many Connors in your neighborhood? This name--spelled with one 'l' or two--is equally authentic and much more unusual.