Two Letter Boy Names
Updated Wed Nov 22 2023
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Two letter boy names are a short (ahem) elite list. The top 2 letter names for boys, the only 2 letter male names that stand alone in the Top 1000, are Bo and By.
Two letter names may be nickname names or in a few cases names in their own right. Familiar 2 letter nickname names include Ed, Al, and Cy. Two letter boy names we like include Ax, Oz, and Po.
If you're looking for 2 letter names for your baby boy, here is our complete list, ordered by popularity on Nameberry.
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- Bo
Origin:
Norse nicknameMeaning:
"to live"Description:
A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".
- Ra
Origin:
EgyptianMeaning:
"sun"Description:
The name of the sun god of Egyptian mythology could only be used in combination with a longer name.
- Cy
Origin:
Diminutive of Cyrus, PersianMeaning:
"sun"Description:
This evocative short name is suddenly chic — it was recently chosen by Jennifer Lawrence for her baby boy. JLaw's son's name honors Cy Twombly, the influential mid-century American artist. Born Edwin Parker Twombly Jr., both Cy Twombly and his father shared a nickname after baseball player Cy Young (himself born Denton True Young).
- Rj
Origin:
Modern, initials R + JDescription:
A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.
- Oz
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"strength, powerful, courageous"Description:
This may be a legitimate Hebrew name denoting power, but to any American kid, it will evoke ruby slippers and a yellow brick road. The full Hebrew name is Ozni, who was a grandson of Jacob in the Bible.
- Ty
Origin:
Diminutive of various Ty-beginning namesDescription:
As Tyler has begun to recede, a number of parents, including the Wayne Gretzkys, have cut straight to the livelier short form.
- Po
Origin:
Italian river nameDescription:
A river (in Italy), a writer (Bronson), a Teletubby: the Bo of the new millennium.
- Aj
- Pi
Description:
Most familiar as the name of the titular character in The Life of Pi, in which it was short for Piscine Molitor Patel.
- Ax
Origin:
Word name or short form of AxelDescription:
Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.
- Io
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"rely on + emperor, rely on + hero"Description:
Io is most familiar to English speakers as a female name from Greek mythology, but in Japan it's used for both sexes.
- Ry
Origin:
Short form of Ryder or Rylan; spelling variation of RyeDescription:
Musician Ry Cooder brought this short form into the lexicon -- his full name is Ryland -- and it feels more familiar now that more Ry- beginning names such as Ryder and Riley are, ahem, riding up the ranks. The Rye spelling makes it more of a word or a nature name and less of a nickname.
- Om
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"creation"Description:
The sacred syllable of Buddhism, used when meditating. This short, sweet and spiritual choice has taken off in the last twenty years, and is in regular, though not highly popular, use in the US.
- Lj
Origin:
Modern, initials L + JDescription:
A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.
- Yu
Origin:
ChineseMeaning:
"shining brightly"Description:
Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty, but in this country "Hey, you!" would make this name utterly confusing, in an Abbott and Costello way.
- Si
Origin:
Diminutive of Simon, HebrewMeaning:
"the listener"Description:
Si is an intriguing antique nickname for Simon and Silas, and we’ve also heard it as a short form of names that contain the "sigh" sound, like Josiah and Osiris.
- Sy
- Jd
Origin:
Modern, initials J + DDescription:
A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.
- Sj
Origin:
Modern, initials S + JDescription:
A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.
- Cj