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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With not one but two trendy letters, Maddyx is a modern variation of the already modern Maddox. Derived from Welsh, it means "son of Madoc", Madoc meaning "good, fortunate", making it a lucky feeling name.

Gem name Onyx entered the US Top 1000 for boys in 2018 and has since risen to the Top 400 with its cool X ending and sleek polished feel. Spelling variant Aunyx is far more obscure and has only been appearing in the US stats since 2021. Given to less than 20 babies each year, it might appeal to those who also like Austen and August.

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.