930+ English Names for Boys

Farrar has two separate origins: an occupational name meaning "smith", and a Scottish river name, from a Pictish word meaning "to wind". Barely ever recorded as a first name, Farrar is a blank slate that fits with the surname style that's popular today.

Kenyon is a very engaging British surname name, the middle y giving it a kind of southwestern canyonesque undertone.

One case where a spelling variation improves the name, Britton is used about four times as often as Britain for both genders. Currently, the count of baby Brittons is running at about 4 to 3 in favor of the boys.

An undiscovered option among occupational names, Banner has never been used for more than 100 baby boys in a single year. But Banner has undeniable charm, much due to its associations with fêtes and phrases like "a banner year".

Fenton is the kind of surname name that's starting to sound almost like a normal first name these days. While it made a brief appearance on the Top 1000 in the late 1800s, today it's distinctive but in step with the times. And Fen as a nickname is undeniably cute -- a Ben of the future.

Despite its poetic associations, almost as dated as Sheldon, and more feminine.

Brad in a Brooks Brothers suit.

Nature surname with an aristocratic edge. Spelling it DeForest distances it from deforestation.

Best left at the Jersey Shore.

See WYNTON.

Soft and mellifluous nature-surname name, situated miles away from the dated Marshall.

Patton is an attractive name in the fashionable Haden-Peyton mold, though there is that association with the severe wartime general.

High-collared and straightlaced, with the deadly "Ox" nickname.

An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.

Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.

An uncommon surname name with that energetic -er ending. Might appeal especially to baseball fans.

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.

Brenner is an occupational surname for both a charcoal burner and a distiller of spirits. One of the least used of occupational surnames, it has that 'er' ending that definitely adds to its stylishness; a possible successor to Brendan. 

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.