1900+ Four Letter Boy Names

Looks like a pared-down Emmett, but it actually derives from a difference source.

The name Esca appears in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth, which is set in 2nd century Roman Britain. Esca is the name of a freed slave who accompanies his ex-master Marcus Flavius Aquila on various adventures. He was portrayed in the 2011 film adamptation The Eagle by English actor Jamie Bell.

One of those simple Norse names, like Lars, that is definitely worth thinking about.

Actor Mark Ruffalo honed this surname down to its basics when he chose it for his son. A more usable expansion might be the Irish surname Keenan/Keenen.

Emyr is a name that is well-known in Wales, but little heard outside of it. There are several well-known Emyrs, from the famed Welsh novelist and poet Emyr Humphries to footballer Emyr Huws.

Appropriately used for anime antagonists, not human babies.

This is one Basque name that is very transferable to the American context — and it has a great meaning, too. The feminine version is Eider or Ederne.

Muscular German name that never fully assimilated into American culture.

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.

Another name for Jupiter, king of the Roman gods, this jovial name is eminently ready for modern use. Feminine variations include Jovita and Jovie.

Historically, Sire was a formal term for addressing male royalty, particularly a king. Sire can also mean "father" as both a noun and a verb.

Many European cultures spell Christopher with a K and thus the short form Kris. There were about 35 baby boys named Kris, just Kris, in the US last year, and only a handful of baby girls -- this after the name ranking in the Top 1000 for both genders from the late 1940s through the 1970s. However you spell it, it's an appealing name that's in a slump right now because of overexposure. It's also one of the original gender neutral names, paving the way for a new way of thinking about names and gender.

This name, with its great meaning, has seen a notable rise for boys since the mid-2010s. It debuted on the US charts for girls in 2021.

Kick is a word name that some parents might use for their baby in utero — akin to Bean or Booboo — but it's increasingly being heard as a word name especially used in the middle, a la Jeremy Sisto for son Bastien. The Kennedy family has historically called daughters Kathleen "Kick" for short, and Kick can work as a nickname for a whole range of names male and female, from Nicholas to Keturah.

The origin of the Anglicized Ryan, this Irish name feels like a brighter and fresher alternative.

French spelling of Leo, currently a bit hit with French-speaking parents.

We normally think of Cat and Kat as girls names -- nicknames, essentially, for Catherine and Katherine. But actor Katt Williams, Emmy-nominated for his role in Atlanta, presents the intriguing possibility of it working for a boy as well. He was originally born Micah, and so far, U.S. parents haven't shown much love for Katt as a whole name -- but with unique unisex names drawn from nature on the rise, we wouldn't be surprised to see it catch on.

Asking for trouble.

Authors or Francophiles – or both – could consider this zippy name in honor of renowned French writer Émile Zola, author of Germinal, Thérèse Raquin and the infamous open letter J'Accuse...!.