One Syllable Names for Boys

A nickname occasionally given as a name in its own right. It doesn't have to be short for anything — comic physician Patch Adams's real first name is Hunter — but it could be a fun short form of Patrick.

Rare and distinctive name with intimations of antiquity, also a Shakespearean character.

Short, simple, gentle, undeniably Welsh but easy to spell and pronounce – there's a lot to like about this underused gem. In the States it's been almost exclusively female, perhaps due to the greater familiarity of Gwen, but it definitely feels like a candidate to reclaim for the boys.

Old-school nickname with serious charm.

Zayd (or its most common variant Zaid), an old and still well used Arabic name, was a enslaved man whom Muhammad adopted as his son.

Hyde, of course, is most familiar as a surname -- as in Mr. Hyde, evil alter ego of Dr. Jeckyll. Unless Hyde is a family name or you have some other excellent reason for using it, we think you could do better.

One of the old-school nicknames -- think Ray, Vince, Frank -- that's on the brink of coming back into style. Name him Stanislav or Constantine and he'll have a groovier long form to fall back on.

An intriguingly wild alternative to Sven.

The final -e takes this from a daring word name to a literary honor name, for the inimitable Irish author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, infamous for his wit and flamboyance.

Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel deliberately chose the Axl spelling to honor her rock hero.

A modern spelling of an already modern sounding name, Kash is a spelling variant of the name Cash. Like Kairo, Karter, Karson, and Krew, that K initial gives it a very 21st century feel.

A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.

This ancient royal Scottish name had a brief vogue in midcentury America, but it would be far from a fresh choice for a baby boy now.

A geographical name of Celtic origin, which is borne by two British rivers: the Afon Wyre in Wales and the Wyre in Lancashire.

Laertes, Ophelia's headstrong brother in Hamlet, has long been an intriguing namesake; Shakespeare got his name from the name of Odysseus' father in Greek mythology. But the ending "-es" feels a little too ancient for some. This shortened version might be more usable. Laert is another option that makes the Hamlet connection more explicit.

A simple and charismatic Chinese and Korean name, also spelled Joon.

As a surname, Viel is a French and English variation of Vial, ultimately from the Latin word for "life". The German variation is derived from the word vil, meaning "swamp" or "bog".

A small but mighty modern Hebrew name, Rom ranks in Israel's Top 100.

In demonology, Bael is a shapeshifting evil king who can appear as a cat, a toad, or a man.