Popular English Boy Names

  1. Jim
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of James
    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"
    • Description:

      Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.
  2. Fielder
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dweller in open country"
    • Description:

      An uncommon surname name with that energetic -er ending. Might appeal especially to baseball fans.
  3. Shaw
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dweller by the wood"
    • Description:

      With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big Band Era clarinetist/bandleader and one-time Ava Gardner husband Artie Shaw.
  4. Hopper
    • Origin:

      English or Dutch
    • Meaning:

      "leaper, dancer; hop grower"
    • Description:

      Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.
  5. Princeton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "princely town"
    • Description:

      This uppity name has been a fast climber in recent years, but we still think it's a bit much. Even abroad, where the connection to the prestigious university will be weaker, any name beginning with "Prince" will sound pretentious.
  6. Rider
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "horseman"
    • Description:

      Rider is a rock-and-roll baby name, in every sense of the term, though usually spelled Ryder, as in the sons of Kate Hudson and John Leguizamo.
  7. Nat
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
    • Description:

      Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.