Classic boy names, those that have been well used in the English-speaking world over time, are an elite group. Classic boy names may come from the Bible, be traditional saints' names or royal names, or be names with roots in ancient languages, such as Jacob and Alexander. 

Along with Jacob and Alexander, other classic boy names in the US Top 20 include William, James, Benjamin, Michael, Daniel, Matthew, Henry, and Joseph. Some classic names for boys that are not used as often as they used to be include Philip, Francis, Harry, and Hugh.

Most classic boy names have ranked highly for more than a century and have been widely used for hundreds of years. Even so, classic names for boys go through fashion cycles of their own, with new classics such as Felix, Jasper, and Oliver taking over for Old School classic boy names such as Robert and Richard.

The Top 50 classic boy names below are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry. More unusual classic names are ordered alphabetically at the bottom of the list.

Classic Boy Names 

Abraham

Adam

Alan

Albert

Alexander

Andrew

Anthony

Arthur

Benjamin

Charles

Christian

Christopher

Daniel

David

Edward

Elias

Felix

Francis

Frank

Frederick

Gabriel

George

Harry

Henry

Hugh

Isaac

Jack

Jacob

James

Jasper

John

Jonathan

Joseph

Julian

Lawrence

Louis

Luke

Marcus

Mark

Martin

Matthew

Michael

Miles

Nathan

Nathaniel

Nicholas

Oliver

Oscar

Patrick

Paul

Peter

Philip

Raymond

Richard

Robert

Samuel

Simon

Stephen

Theodore

Thomas

Timothy

Victor

Vincent

Walter

William

Zachary

classic boy names- boy in classic clothes

classic boy names

Classic and traditional names for boys with origins, meanings, and popularity, including Theodore, Arthur, and Jack  (All Names)

Classic Boy Names - All Names