Modern Baby Boy 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.

A surname-style name with a contemporary spelling, Karsyn is a unisex name that has been on and off the charts for boys since 2018. As of 2023, it's back in the US Top 1000 and given to more than 200 boys every year.

An evocative, windswept choice that is part of the third generation of western-influenced names, picking up where first Jesse and then Dakota left off, though with a slight feminine edge.

Royalty is a super-hot name for girls, but there's no reason it can't be used for boys too. In fact it is, but only about 5 percent of the time, making it one of those unisex names whose usage is tipped so far toward one gender that it isn't truly unisex. But still, English words are usually not intrinsically gendered so Royalty is perfectly appropriate for boys as well as girls and is one of the fastest-rising unisex names.

While Jamar fell out of the Top 1000 back in 2016, this sleek and modern elaboration remains popular. Inspired by Arabic Jamal and rising up the charts alongside Amari and Kamari, Jamari is given to around 500 boys a year.

Also found as Brason, this is one of an army of Jason sound-alikes, which include Cason, Mason, Kaysen, and so on. Stylish, yes; recommended, no.

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.

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.

Eleven didn't feel more namelike than any other number...until the (female) "Stranger Things" character came along. Now it seems like a possibility - albeit a rare one - for both sexes. Other associations include the number of players in a football team, and Apollo 11, the spacecraft of the first moon landing.

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.

Evryn is a modern creation, likely inspired by similar choices like Evan and Everett, with the addition of the on-trend letter Y. It is used occasionally as a unisex option in the US, though it doubled in use between 2022 and 2023, when it was given to 20 girls and 12 boys.

A last name style choice with the sounds of Grayson, Graham, Weston, and Clayton, but ranking well outside the US Top 1000, unlike its counterparts. Given to less than 10 babies in a recent year, Grayton is a familiar sounding but little used option.

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">.

Evryn is a modern creation, likely inspired by similar choices like Evan and Everett, with the addition of the on-trend letter Y. It is used occasionally as a unisex option in the US, though it doubled in use between 2022 and 2023, when it was given to 20 girls and 12 boys.