1900+ Four Letter Boy Names

Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.

Popular Dutch name Gijs, which rhymes with nice, originated as a short form of Gijsbert, which itself is a Dutch and Germanic form of Gilbert. Though in the Top 100 in The Netherlands, we don't see this emigrating beyond Amsterdam and environs.

Entered the vernacular with the rising star of Shia LeBeouf. The meaning and origin of the name are disputed, though the actor has been quoted as saying he's embarrassed by its meaning in French: another four-letter word starting with s.

The Old Norse god Óthinn was also known by the epithet Grímr — translated into Middle English as Grim.

Gage we get. Cade we get. But Cage? Not really, and yet, it was given to about two dozen baby boys in one recent year.

With cool, on-trend sounds and a hint of Star Wars about it, Rylo is an up-and-coming name that has only seen notable use since 2016. It can be considered a Scottish diminutive of Ryland and an Irish surname, but also a compound name made up of Ryan and Milo. Given to nearly 130 babies in 2023, it has been rising in use every year since the mid 2010s.

A rare Old Testament name that, although short, is resoundingly biblical. It belonged to name the tenth king of Israel, who seized power violently and reigned from about 841 to 814 BCE.

The ultimate dad name.

Singer Perry is long gone, but the beautiful northern Italian lake conjures up a clear and tranquil image.

Lugh is the Irish god of the harvest, who also rules over truth, the law, and the arts. His magic includes a fiery spear and a boat that sails itself (dubbed the "wave sweeper") and his inventions include horse racing.

Soma makes an unusual (outside Hungary) choice of nature name. It is rare that a beautiful flowering tree is used for a boy, so if you're looking for something floral for a boy, make sure you consider this choice.

This phonetic spelling of Drew feels particularly distanced from the original classic Andrew. Jrue, along with other phonetic "Jr" names such as Jream, is on the rise in the US — even cracking the Top 1000 in 2022.

The name of Sarah Palin's youngest son might also be good for the child of a mathematician. Trig Palin's middle name is Paxson, after a popular snowmobiling area in Alaska.

Seems destined to be the preferred short form of this old French name, with its brief, modern, word name feel.

A charming addition to the ever-growing crop of virtue names, currently rising for both sexes.

Why settle for Brooklyn or Boston when you can name your child for someplace so much more interesting.

Joining Lennon, Bowie, and Hendrix in the realm of classic rock-inspired names that feel fashionable today is Jovi — as in Bon Jovi. Jovi is a variation of the Latin Jove — another name for the Roman god of the sky, Jupiter.

An Asian name that would be easily understood in this country.

A venerable boys' name in Persian and South Asian cultures that is increasingly used for girls in most parts of the world, thanks largely to the popularity of Game of Thrones character Arya Stark. In the U.S., for instance, there were 1890 newborn girls named Arya in 2016 and just 54 boys in 2016. The related Aryan remains mostly male, however, so it would likely be a better choice for a little boy, if you don't mind the other meaning.

Whether Neco is a spelling variation of the ever-more-popular Nico, pronounced NEE-koh, or an invented name all its own, it is a highly uncommon choice, given to just 5 baby boys in the US in 2021.