Modern Baby Boy Names

Has the offbeat quality and macho feel -- like Stone and Flint -- that appeals to increasing numbers of modern parents.

More common than steamlined Tahj, thanks to actor Tahj Mowry, brother of Tia and Tamara.

Bexley is a masculine name with English origins derived from a place name in London, combining the Old English elements 'byxe' (box tree) and 'leah' (clearing or meadow). This gives the name a natural meaning of "clearing where box trees grow." Bexley has recently gained popularity as a given name following the trend of using English place names and surnames as first names. It carries an aristocratic British feel while remaining modern and fresh. Though traditionally used for boys, Bexley has also gained some usage as a unisex name in recent years. Its combination of the trendy 'ex' sound and the familiar '-ley' ending makes it appealing to contemporary parents seeking something distinctive yet accessible.

Painter is among the most creative choices in this very fashionable category of names, with a particularly pleasant sound. Whereas most occupational names conjure up physical labor, this one feels like a gateway to the arts.

Take modern virtue Brave, add the trendy -n ending, and voilà! A cool new word-meets-surname name which feels bang on trend right now.

Xavion is a modern variant of the name Xavier, which derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning "new house." The name gained popularity in the United States during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, showing a distinctive pattern of increased usage beginning in the 1990s. Xavion maintains the strong 'X' sound of Xavier but adds a contemporary ending. The name experienced modest popularity peaks in the early 2000s, particularly in the southern United States. Xavion follows a naming trend of creating variations with distinctive suffixes added to traditional names. The name carries associations with Saint Francis Xavier, a notable 16th-century Spanish missionary, though Xavion itself is a more recent creation without the same historical depth as its root name.

One of the latest in a suite of rowdy boy names, including Chaos, Wrecker, Lawless, and Rowdy itself.

Bridges is one of the new last names as first names ending in S that are so fashionable right now, joining Brooks, Wells, and Banks.

Promise is a meaningful masculine virtue name that directly expresses the concept of commitment and hope. As an English word name, it carries transparent meaning, representing assurance, potential, and covenant. While more commonly given to girls, Promise has a history of use for boys particularly in some African and Christian communities, where virtue names and meaningful word names are valued traditions. The name gained some usage in English-speaking countries during the late 20th century, coinciding with the rise of unique spiritual and aspirational names. For a boy, Promise offers a blend of strength and sensitivity, conveying reliability and optimism while standing apart from conventional masculine naming patterns.

Effortlessly cool and sporty, but with a touch of ruggedness, McCall is a yet to be discovered last name choice. Unexpected, but enough like McKenzie, Callan, Callum, Mack, and Malcolm that it doesn't sound outlandish, it is currently a gender-neutral choice in the US, given to 15 girls and 13 boys in a recent year.

Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, taking the 80s unisex darling Blake into the new millennium.

Jacob meets Jakob meets Kobe -- and apparently, parents in 2013 are fans. It rose 153 spots to break into the Top 1000, making it one of the year's fastest-rising names.

The popular -ley suffix can be credited for this name's use in recent years. We're not loving that it sounds as trendy and of-the-moment as it is.

Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Nameson the rise for both genders, but in this case mainly girls. About 85 percent of the babies named Loyalty are female and 15 percent male, but there's no reason this upstanding name can't work equally well for both.

Jameson is a popular choice, made to feel even more popular than it is due to the high ranking James and the rising Jamie, Jay, and Sonny. As often happens with popular names, spelling variants have begun to emerge, one being Jamesyn, with its trendy Y and unisex leaning.

Alternative to Prince, Duke, King, or Earl, but not an improvement on them.

Inspired by the likes of Braxton, Paxton, and Daxton, Drexton is a modern sounding but little used option, given to just 5 babies in 2022. It likely derives from the occupational names Dressler and Dexter, combined with the Old English element tun meaning "town" or "settlement">.

Daylen is a D-starting spin on the trendy Jaylen. Day is an appealing nickname.

If you love the cowboy feel, the surname charm, and the Top Gun association that come with the currently popular Maverick but want to keep hold of the free-spirited and unconventional energy its supposed to signify, then Maverix could be a way to go — for now, at least.