230+ One Syllable Boy Names

Tim is a boyish short form very rarely given on its own.

Xen and Zen, both pronounced the same way, are two hip new spiritual word names from Buddhist practice. Among the celebrity set, Corey Feldman has a Zen and Tisha Campbell Martin's son is Xen.

Many European cultures spell Christopher with a K and thus the short form Kris. There were about 35 baby boys named Kris, just Kris, in the US last year, and only a handful of baby girls -- this after the name ranking in the Top 1000 for both genders from the late 1940s through the 1970s. However you spell it, it's an appealing name that's in a slump right now because of overexposure. It's also one of the original gender neutral names, paving the way for a new way of thinking about names and gender.

Popular name in the Netherlands that's arguably more attractive than the original Shem, who was one of the biblical sons of Noah. A Sam alternative, though you'll forever be explaining it.

Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.

A straightforward, down-to-earth nickname many Walters, from Whitman to Disney, have chosen to go by.

As likely to be tied to the detergent as to the rhythms of the ocean.

Laird is a Scottish title for the landed gentry – it ranks just below a Baron – with a pleasantly distinctive Scottish burr that must have appealed to Sharon Stone, who chose it for her son.

A handsome, spruced-up post-Bruce tree name.

This up-and-coming single-syllable name has a few famous bearers, including baseballer Cale Iorg and Canadian hip-hop musician Cale Sampson. Sounding like Kale, this name also has a crunchy, hipster vibe.

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

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

This name of the largest river in Scotland, renowned for its salmon fishing, is usually thought of as a nickname for Taylor.

Pom is a shortened word name that's not much used in France, but cute and familiar here as one of Babar (the Elephant's) triplets. Pom, pommy and pommie are (non-derogatory) terms sometimes used by Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans to denote a person of English heritage. 

Great middle name choice for music lovers or those with Scottish roots, also spelled Fyfe.

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.