The name August is at its highest point since the 1890s, when it ranked among the Top 100 boy names in the US. And deservedly so, given its great meaning, historic roots, and cool nicknames.
THE celebrity baby name of the moment, August was chosen by both Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore for their baby boys in early 2021. Before that, August had been heating up in Hollywood – used by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, Lena Olin, Dave Matthews and Jeanne Tripplehorn for their sons
August is the only truly popular month name for boys. The month of August was named after the Emperor Augustus.
 August has two august literary namesakes: the Swedish playwright August Strindberg (it has always been a popular name in Scandinavia), and August Wilson, as well as photographer August Sander.
 The French version is Auguste (ow-GOOST), as in Edgar Allan Poe's clever detective Auguste Dupin and famed sculptor Auguste Rodin.

August

Caleb is an attractive Old Testament name that has been in the US Top 100 for nearly three decades now. Consistently popular but never too popular, Caleb feels more like a classic than a momentary trend.
 Caleb has two potential derivations, the first being from the Hebrew kelev, meaning "dog," and the second from the Hebrew components kal and lev, together meaning "whole heart." 
 
In the Old Testament Caleb is one of only two ancient Israelites (Joshua was the other) who set out from Egypt to finally enter the promised land. 
 
Caleb Garth is a character in George Eliot's Middlemarch. Caleb was the full name of James Dean's character Cal in East of Eden, and the name has also been heard on Desperate Housewives and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Julianne Moore chose Caleb for her son, as did Bo Bice. The shortform Cale is also rising in popularity, and the current Kaleb spelling picks up on the K-to-C initial trend.

Caleb

Charlie derives, of course, from the classic name Charles which, in turn, comes from a German word meaning "free man." Charles became very popular in France during the Middle Ages due to the fame of Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne. Charley is an alternate spelling.
 
Charlie is one of the friendliest names on the planet, and Good-time Charlie is back. More and more parents (of babies of both genders) these days are opting to put the friendly, genial Charlie on birth certificates. 
 
In fact, one of the most notable things about the name Charlie is that it is used almost equally for girls and boys -- given in the US last year to 2200 baby girls and 2100 baby boys. And the popularity of Charlotte and Charles mean there are even more Charlies of both sexes running around American playgrounds.
 
Charlie has dozens and dozens of pop cultural references, from Charlie Chaplin to Charlie McCarthy to "Charlie's Angels" to Charlie Parker to Charlie Sheen to Charlie Rose. 
 
Putting nicknames on the birth certificate is very much a growing trend. Current celebs who have chosen Charlie for their sons include Tiger Woods, Mimi Rogers, Soledad O'Brien and Sarah Chalke.

Charlie

Chase, with its sleek and ultraprosperous aura, is redolent of the worlds of high finance and international banking. Chase has been well used during the last few decades, seen as a character on 24 and on several young-audience shows. 
 There are a disproportionate number of football stars name Chase.

Chase

The genial yet upscale and preppy Cooper was one of the first occupational last names to catch on -- and Cooper remains a pleasing option.
 Cooper began his rapid climb in 1982 and is a popular choice for baby boys. It is wildly popular in Australia, where in some areas Cooper is the top name.
 Two surnamed Coopers currently shining a spotlight on the name: Anderson and Bradley. Parents of Coopers include Melissa Rivers and Dylan Lauren.
 One caveat: Cooper is an extremely popular dog name.

Cooper

Dean may sound to some like a retro surfer boy name, but it is once again climbing up the popularity chart in the USA. For decades it was associated with Dean (born Dino) Martin; more recent representatives include Dean Cain, Dean McDermott and Dean Koontz -- not to mention Jared Padalecki's dreamy Dean Forester in Gilmore Girls.

Dean

The Top 10 boys' name Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements ’el and yah, both of which refer to God. In the Old Testament, Elijah was the prophet who went to heaven in a chariot of fire, a story sure to inspire any young Elijah.
 Like many biblical patriarch names, Elijah was on a long downward slide from the 19th century until the late 1960s, when it reversed course and headed uphill. Elijah was rejuvenated when Cher and Greg Allman bestowed it on their son Elijah Blue in 1976, and got another shot of youth serum via young actor Elijah Wood.
 Among other celebrities who have chosen Elijah for their boys are Donnie Wahlberg, James Spader, Tracy Nelson, Wynonna Judd and Bono (who followed it with <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a> Bob Patricus Guggi G.).
 Elijah figures in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions. There are numerous songs containing the name, and Elijah is also a character in many films and books—including Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit.
 Elias is the related, Greek variation of Elijah, also quite popular. Eli is a separate, unrelated name, though sometimes used as a short form of both Elijah and Elias.

Elijah

Elliot (which boasts several spellings depending upon how many 'l's or 't's you want to use) is a winner -- it has the ideal quality of being neither too common nor weirdly unique. Elliot had a style boost back in the early 1980s via the young hero of the movie E.T. , who was named Elliott. Since then there have been Elliots on Law & Order: SVU and Mad Men.
 Elliot namesakes include composer Carter, actor Gould, and photographer Erwitt.

Elliot

Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive. Given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible film series, Ethan has fallen from its peak at Number 2 in 2009 and 2010, but is still popular in the US along with several other countries.

There are several Ethans in the Old Testament, the most prominent of whom, Ethan the Ezrahite, is praised for his wisdom. 
 
Ethan's prime historic namesake in the US is Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War hero; in literature the name is associated with the eponymous Ethan Frome of Edith Wharton's novel. A more current namesake is actor Ethan Hawke. 

Along with the English-speaking countries, Ethan is popular in France and other French-speaking European countries and in Latin America.

While Americans and Brits pronounce the name EE-thun, most other languages follow the pronunciation of its native Hebrew: AY-tahn. International variations include Etan, Izan, and Eitan, from which the name derives.

Ethan

Gideon is a no-longer neglected Old Testament name, but still makes an excellent choice for parents looking to move beyond such overused biblicals as Benjamin and Jacob. In the Old Testament, Gideon was a judge called on by God to rescue the Jews from the Midianites, and the name was popular among the Puritans.
 Gideon was given a spike by the short-lived TV series Gideon's Crossing, and has been heard more recently as a main character in Criminal Minds, as Molly Weasley's brother Gideon Prewett in the Harry Potter series, and as an anti-hero, Gideon Gordon Graves, in the Scott Pilgrim series.
 The ubiquitous, in-every-hotel-room Gideon bibles were named because Gideon symbolizes great work done by few people.
 Among the celebs who have chosen Gideon for their sons are Neil Patrick Harris and Ziggy Marley.

Gideon

Harrison, a name made viable by Harrison Ford, is increasingly popular with parents who want an H name that's more formal than Harry or Hank but doesn't veer into the stiff Huntington-Harrington territory. 
 As a surname, Harrison has both Beatle and presidential connections. Harrison was the surname of two presidents, William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after taking office, and Benjamin Harrison, whose election in 1888 sparked Harrison's peak as a first name.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aka Prince Harry and Meghan, used Harrison as a patronymic middle name for their son, Prince Archie.

Harrison

Harvey, which was brought to England by the Normans and is a version of the French name Herve, is a genial, old-timey name that has been much more popular across the pond. It has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 1997.

 In the US, Harvey is an under-the-radar classic which currently sits just below the Top 400. It has been climbing steadily since the early 2000s, with only a slight dip following two of the biggest bad-news stories of 2017, the Hurricane Harvey and convicted sexual offender Harvey Weinstein. Since then, the name has bounced back – a tribute to Harvey's classic charm.

 Harvey previously had a respectable run as a Top 100 name in the US in the late nineteenth and early decades of the twentieth century.

Harvey

James is one of the classic Anglo-Saxon names, a stalwart through the ages that is more popular—and yes, stylish—than ever today. It recently came out Number 1 in a poll of America's favorite boys' baby names, and is the most common male name, counting people of all ages, in the US.
 James, which reentered the Top 5 in 2016, is a current favorite among fashionable parents looking for a baby name that has both style and substance. Like Henry and Theodore, it manages to combine these two stellar qualities.
 
An English derivation of the Hebrew name Jacob, James is biblical (the name of two apostles in the New Testament), royal (kings of both England and Scotland), and presidential (with more U.S. Chief Executives -- six -- than any other name). The name James is also shared by countless great writers and entertainers.
 
There are fewer Jimmys, Jimbos or even Jamies these days; the most fashionable form of the name is James itself. Several stylish celebrities have chosen it in recent years for their sons, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Liz Phair, Colin Farrell and Isaac Hanson. Brendan Fehr thought out of the box and named his daughter James, which has now become a fashionable middle names for baby girls..
 James has some interesting foreign variations: Diego and Jaime (Spanish), Jacques (French), Giacomo (Italian), Hamish (Scottish), Jaako (Finnish), Seamus (Irish), Jaap (Dutch) and Jago (Cornish).
 Along with being one of the most popular first names in the US, James is also one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/top-last-names-in-the-us">most common American last names </a>.

James

Keegan is one of a clan of spirited Irish surnames starting with K and ending with 'n'--this one with the cheery double 'e' in the middle-- that are appealing to an increasing number of parents. It derives from Mac Aodhagáin, meaning "son (or descendant) of Aodhagán," a diminutive of the Irish name Aodh--pronounced Aye.
 The related name Egan is another recommended possibility.

Keegan

Liam is the top boys' name in the US, holding the Number 1 spot for the past seven years and also ranking as one of the most popular boys' names around the western world.
 Liam originated as a short form of Uilliam, the Irish variation of William. William is an English name from Germanic roots that was brought to Ireland when the British fled England following the Norman Conquest. The Irish began using English names, including William, which led to the development of Uilliam and its short form, Liam.
 Internationally, Liam is enjoying great popularity not only in the U.S. and its native Ireland, but in countries as diverse as Italy and Israel, Chile and Croatia. If you're looking for a boys' name that will easily translate across many languages and cultures, you can't do better than Liam.
 Irish-born actor Liam Neeson was instrumental in driving Liam up the charts, as was former Oasis member Liam (born William) Gallagher, and, more recently, One Direction member Liam Payne. Celebrities who have chosen Liam for their sons include Tori Spelling, Calista Flockhart, Rod Stewart, Kevin Costner and Craig Ferguson.
 Jaunty and richly textured, Liam holds solidly to the title of most popular boys' name starting with the letter L.

Liam

The related Lucas and Luke are both hugely popular boy names in the US and internationally, and now Luca has joined them on boys' popularity lists around the world.

That's an astonishing success story for a name that was virtually unknown a generation ago. Only 13 baby boys were named Luca in the US in 1980, and by 1990 it was still only 32. But by the turn of the century, Luca took off and has now surpassed his more familiar brother Luke in the US.

Boy names ending in vowel sounds may have felt too feminine to early generations who lived by more conventional gender rules. And that old school he-man America also may have rejected names like Luca for being too "foreign". But in this era of Noah and Mateo, Elijah and Ezra, Luca has finally found widespread acceptance.
Along with its popularity in the US, Luca ranks highly in a range of countries that speak English, Spanish, French, and German, among others. While Luca is technically related to Luke and Lucas and so takes their ancient Roman habitational meaning, you might also see it as a relative of Lucius or Lucian, meaning light.
 Colin Firth and his Italian wife chose Luca for one of their sons, as did Hilary Duff, Vincent d'Onofrio, Rebecca Minkoff, and Jacinda Barrett and Gabriel Macht.

Luca

Lucas is a Top 10 boys' name with a slightly-less-popular almost-identical twin brother, Luke. Like Elijah and Elias, Lucas and Luke come from the same root and have the same meaning and so feel even more popular than they are.
 
The Latin derivation of the Greek Loukas, the name's meaning references Lucania, an ancient territory in Southern Italy. Along with Luke, Lucas is also related to international name star Luca, while the similar Lucius and Lucian derive from a different root and have a different meaning.
 Lucas is enjoying tremendous international success, popular throughout the English-speaking world as well as in a diverse range of countries throughout Europe and Latin America, including Scandinavia, France, Germany, Spain, and Brazil. This makes Lucas the perfect choice for a cross-cultural family.
 Lucas has long been a favorite of TV scriptwriters, from the early black-and-white days of The Rifleman (Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain) to the schoolteacher series Lucas Tanner to the more contemporary One Tree Hill. On the literary side, the name appears as Lucas Beauchamp in William Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust and Light in August.
 Lucas Cranach was an important German Renaissance painter and printmaker; Lucas Samaras is an eccentric Greek-born American contemporary artist. Some will associate the name with director George Lucas.

Lucas

Miles, which has a permanent veneer of cool thanks to jazz great Miles Davis, is a confident and polished boys' name that's an American classic. Always ranking in the US Top 1000, it's been drifting up the charts for the past half century but has never been TOO popular.
 
Miles is a favorite of celebrity baby namers, given to their sons by Elisabeth Shue, Mayim Bialik, Larenz Tate, Joan Cusack and Lionel Ritchie. It also makes a great honor name for all the Grandpa Michaels out there.
 Miles was the name of the first translator of the Bible into English--the English monk Miles Coverdale, which is also the name of a character in Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance. Miles Hendon figures in Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, and Miles was one of the young children in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. Miles--or Myles--Standish was the leader of the Pilgrim fathers.
 Miles has also been a favorite movie and TV character name from the days of Murphy Brown to 24 and Avatar.

Miles

Noah is nearly a patriarch of popular baby names at this point, going from Old Testament graybeard to Top 10 name in 2009, hitting Number 1 in 2013, and now settled into second place in the US for the past seven years. 

Noah was derived from the Hebrew name Noach, which itself came from the root nuach, meaning "rest." In the bible, Noah was deemed the only righteous man of his time, singled out by God to survive the great flood sent to punish the world. He built his famous ark, onto which he herded a pair of every animal.
 
A generation or two ago, Noah seemed far too antiquated to become a popular name. But now, along with brethren Abraham, Moses, and even Elijah, it's eminently baby-worthy. 
 
Noah's popularity is widely international, ranking highly in all English-speaking countries along with France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Noah is also a top name in countries as diverse as Belgium and Brazil, Norway and Chile.
 
Actor Rupert Graves and singer Michael Buble both have sons named Noah. Billy Ray Cyrus, responsible for the name Miley, crossed gender lines to call another of his daughters Noah. 
 
The feminine homonym Noa -- which isn't a form of the Biblical male Noah (it's a separate female name from the Old Testament) -- is currently the most popular girls' name in Israel. And Noah itself, with its vowel ending, is evidence of the trend toward softer sounds in boys' names, along with brothers Joshua and Asher.
While variation Noa is an actual girls' name drawn from a female figure in the Bible, it is sometimes used as a sleekened spelling of Noah.

Noah

Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts in the US and throughout the English-speaking world, along with a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland.
 
Long a popular choice in England, Australia and New Zealand, Oliver entered the list of Top 100 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">baby boy names</a> in the U.S. for the first time in 2009, but has already jumped to the top of the charts. Why? Because Oliver is energetic and good-natured, stylish but classic, with a meaning symbolizing peace and fruitfulness. 
 
Oliver derives from Olivier, the Norman French variation of the Ancient Germanic name Alfihar ("elf army") or the Old Norse Áleifr ("ancestor's relic"), from which comes Olaf. Olivier emerged as the dominant spelling for its associations with the Latin word oliva, meaning "olive tree."

Oliver was used as a given name in medieval England after the spread of the French epic poem ‘La Chanson de Roland,’ which features a character named Olivier. It lost favor after the seventeenth century rule of Oliver Cromwell, then was revived in the nineteenth century. 

Oliver's biggest boost in this country came from the hit book and movie Love Story, which also catapulted the name Jennifer to stardom. Notable namesakes range from Oliver Wendell Holmes to Oliver Hardy to Oliver Stone. In fiction, there is Oliver Twist, and Oliver is also a Harry Potter name.
 Oliver works particularly well with single-syllable surnames, as in Oliver Stone, North and Puck (son of Wolfgang). Other celebrities who have chosen Oliver include Bridget Fonda, Fred Savage, Stephen Stills, and Taylor Hawkes. 
 International forms include the French Olivier, the Spanish Olivero, and the Italian Oliviero.
 Parents considering Oliver for their sons might consider that with Olivia at the top of the charts for girls, there will be an awful lot of children with names starting with Oliv-.

Oliver

Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.
 
Why do so many parents love Owen? It's a classic with a genuine history, yet it's right in step with the modern trend for two-syllable, n-ending boys' names. Owen-like choices with less tradition behind them include Logan, Bowen, and Rowan.
 Owen is derived from two names—the Welsh Owain and the Celtic Eoghan. Each are connected to Eugene, which ultimately came from the Greek word eugenes, comprised of the elements eu, meaning good, and genes, "born." 
 
Owen became a Welsh patronymic surname during the Renaissance. The legendary St. Owen was a Benedictine monk who was a follower of St. Chad.
 
In Ireland, Owen may be spelled Eoin, as in Irish writer Eoin Colfer, and Eoghan. Other similar names include the Scottish Ewan or Euan and the French Ouen.
 
Owen's popularity now extends beyond English-speaking countries to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Owen

Sam has long been used on its own for boys, as accepted standing by itself as it is as a short form of Samuel. Straightforward and down-to-earth, Sam is the name of the son of the co-stars of The Americans, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

Sam is one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/baby-names-starting-with/s">names that start with S</a> in the Western world, ranking higher in several European countries than it does in the US, where it's trended downward since the 19th century, though it's always been in the Top 1000.

Samuel has been so popular for so long that it's hard to believe it's still climbing, at its highest point since the 1890s. 
 
This biblical name's popularity is somewhat propelled by the likability of the friendly nickname Sam, which returned to favor along with fellow former Grandpa names like Max and Gus. Sam is now often used on its own, for girls as well as boys.
 Samuel is derived from the Hebrew name Shemu’el, meaning "told by God." In the Old Testament, Samuel was one of the great judges and prophets of the Israelites, destined for a holy life from birth. He established the Hebrew monarchy, anointing both Saul and David as kings.
 
High-profile celebs who have chosen Samuel for their sons include Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Jack Black, and Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, and Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

Samuel

Reminiscent of the Old West, with rugged charm and a gentle, easy-going feel, Wesley has long been a staple on the US charts. 
Its popularity may have peaked in the 1970s when it reached #66, but Wesley has never really gone out of style. It’s always remained inside the US Top 200, making it a modern classic, solid and familiar but not too overused. 
Now, Wesley is receiving renewed interest, joining Wyatt, Waylon, Maverick, Weston and Beau in the Top 100, as parents turn towards surnames-as-given-names and to names that feel both preppy and cowboyish. 
Derived from an English surname – which likely came from an English place name – Wesley means “western meadow” or “western clearing.” It was first used as a given name in the 1700’s, when parents chose it in honor of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. 
Wesley’s popularity has spread since then and it’s no longer tied to these religious associations. Instead, it has a number of other noteworthy bearers, including: the military general and politician, Wesley Clark; the actor, Wesley Snipes; the film directors, Wes Anderson and Wes Craven; the jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery; and TV personality, Wes Nelson. 
The name might also be remembered by the fans of several TV classics, including “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and “Last of the Summer Wine,” all of which have featured a fictional Wesley. 
Despite these notable namesakes, Wesley is currently only popular in the US. Though it has seen some usage in England, Wales, and France in recent years, it has yet to move into the spotlight. 
Handsome and charming, Wesley is given to more than 4000 boys each year in the US, and following its recent trajectory, it could well move further up the charts. If you’re wanting to avoid a popular choice but love Wesley, the similar Westley ranks much lower. You could also consider Casey, Halston, Dempsey, or Layton.

Wesley

ReneeJay's list "♡Favorite Boys Names♡" of 24 great name ideas: August - Wesley!

♡Favorite Boys Names♡

This is a list of my all time favorite Boys names! I adore all of these!