Popular English Boy Names

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

Loyal is one of the few virtue names suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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