Fastest-Rising Boy Names 2023

Colby Donaldson on Survivor made this a cool name in the early 2000s

A spiritual word name used by actor Zoe Saldana for her son as well as more recently Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott for their late son. Zen has been trending in recent years along with other spiritual names such as Bodhi and Zion, and recently entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.

Given that Rome is arguably the most important city in European history, it has been used as a first name remarkably little. However, Roman is now in the Top 100, so it was only a matter of time before parents started looking toward the city's actual name.

In the US, London is popular for both sexes, though as the name rises for girls, it's levelled off for boys. Of course, London is far less popular in the UK and other English-speaking countries.

The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to popular baby names Aiden and Jayden, most people will pronounce it RAY-den, but it's more properly RYE-den.

Avi, the short form of many Hebrew names, is often used on its own in Israel. It entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.

Alonzo is dashing and debonair, with a large measure of Latin flair.

Leandro is a variation of the Ancient Greek name Leander, created by combining the Latin words leo and Andro together, to get a meaning that suggests strength, power, and bravery. The Hero and Leander myth lends the name a romantic, poetical feel, while it's association to Bishop Leander of Seville gives it a more saintly quality.

A short form popular in the Netherlands, though in the U.S. Koen and Coen are easily confused with Cohen, the Jewish surname meaning "priest" which has recently gained currency as a first name. The Dutch pronunciation is more like "coon."

Madden is an Irish surname relative of Madigan rising through the charts thanks to its trendy two-syllable, -en ending sound along with its appeal to Madden Football video game-playing dads. John Madden is a former pro football player who went on to coach the Oakland Raiders and become a popular NFL commentator. Madden is also the surname of groovy Nicole Richie baby daddy Joel Madden.

A variation on the popular Colton, Colter has been climbing up the US charts since 2010. Given to around 1000 boys each year, it is now in the Top 500, and ticks the boxes for being a cool occupational name with rugged, Wild West vibes, and for giving the familiar nickname Col, or the alternative, Colt.

Lux, one of the light-filled names that include Lucy and Lucian, broke onto the scene as a girls' name but now it's decidedly gender neutral. In fact, at the last count there were slightly more boys named Lux than girls: 140 to 120. But that's pretty close, making this a truly nonbinary name.

Creative name whose only limitation is that it looks like it would be pronounced akin to Alicia and Elissa — although as a Biblical boys’ name, it is traditionally pronounced ee-LIE-shah.

Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, is the antagonist in the original Star Wars trilogy. The name Anakin first entered the US Top 1000 in 2014. Its meaning is unknown but is thought to be an homage to a friend of George Lucas.

Saint as a descriptive word name was first chosen by rocker Pete Wentz for his younger son (baby brother is Bronx), and now Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have catapulted the name into the celebrity stratosphere by choosing it for their baby boy. The couple called their baby "Saint" throughout the pregnancy because his conception had been so difficult. Saint was named in our predictions for the top baby name trends of 2015, on descriptive word names which also include Royal and Noble, King and Rogue. Saint is moving beyond the group of names that are only celebrity baby names and into the general lexicon.

For anyone seeking a more unusual version of Alexander, this is a real winner.

A dashing, dramatic and romantic Italian surname, associated with early movie heartthrob Rudolph, and later with Italian fashion designer Valentino (Garavani). Also the name of an early Roman saint, whose feast day marks the beginning of spring. Ricky Martin chose it for one of his twin boys.

Italian, Portuguese and Spanish variation of Arthur that makes the original feel more romantic and dashing.

The original Kyle has sparked many variations, including Kylie, Kyler, and Kylo, after Kylo Ren, the villain played by Adam Driver in the seventh Star Wars movie, released in December 2015.

A well-used Spanish saint's name with a lot of flair that could definitely cross over to more general usage. It reached its peak in the United States in 1985, when it ranked Number 456. In Spain, Alvaro is a Top 20 boys' name.