One Syllable Names for Boys

Calm, straightforward, patrician sounding: Pace is one new-style name that's well-grounded.

Brixi was a Saxon lord thought to have erected a stone boundary of an ancient meeting place on the site that is now Brixton, a suburb in south London. Brixton is a newly fashionable boys' name and shortened form Brix was used for more than 40 baby boys in the US last year.

Not even for the child who wreaks havoc.

We normally think of Cat and Kat as girls names -- nicknames, essentially, for Catherine and Katherine. But actor Katt Williams, Emmy-nominated for his role in Atlanta, presents the intriguing possibility of it working for a boy as well. He was originally born Micah, and so far, U.S. parents haven't shown much love for Katt as a whole name -- but with unique unisex names drawn from nature on the rise, we wouldn't be surprised to see it catch on.

French spelling of Leo, currently a bit hit with French-speaking parents.

No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic, statistics, and computer science.

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

A saintly surname that is used steadily for boys and occasionally for girls, mainly by Catholic parents. The Polish Franciscan priest St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe offered himself in place of another who was sentenced to death in Auschwitz, and was canonized for his martyrdom.

Has a sharp investigative quality that's not a bad thing to impart to a child.

Laid-back and humble, with a distinctive down-home charm.

In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion, though elsewhere it might be associated with fish eggs or a small breed of reddish deer.

The more popular Greer spelling might lean feminine, however, Grier sees more even distribution between the sexes. It is given to a small handful of babies each year, and for every one Grier, there are three Greers.

Apt choice for an architect's child, honoring German-born Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a central figure in modern design, and universally referred to as Mies.

This short form of Jesse has an androgynous, cowperson feel. It's Jess rather than Jesse or Jessie that can be considered among the truly androgynous baby names

Feels akin to Brooks and Rivers, two other boys' names that double as plural nouns. It's been used as a first name for centuries, including by a two time governor of Virginia.

Newswoman Paula brought the surname Zahn to the public eye. It makes a dramatic, unusual Zane alternative -- though you may not want to enlighten your child as to its prosaic meaning.

Slate, Stone and Steel are on the rise, so why not Shale?

A unisex Hebrew name sometimes given in Israel to kids born under the goat sign of Capricorn; it's also spelled Yael/Ya'el.

Aza's similarity to the biblical name Asa makes it ripe for adaptation. If you want something more elaborate, you might consider Azariah. Something simpler? It doesn't get much simpler and that is the beauty of Aza (or Asa).

The Icelandic form of the internationally popular Magnus, currently ranked in the Top 50 over there.