One Syllable Names for Boys

A two-initial nickname occasionally used on birth certificates.

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

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

Actress Jaime King gave her son Leo the middle name Thames, for the famous London river where she and her husband Kyle Newman were married. Thames is pronounced tehms, not necessarily common knowledge in the US. The etymology of the word Thames is uncertain, and may mean dark but more likely stems from an ancient word for river.

This is an offshoot of Duane, which is an old Irish surname. It took off in the 1960s, when it conveyed a surfer boy image, and reached as high as Number 111 in 1961. The most prominent current bearer is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The basketball superstar spells his name DwYAne Wade.

A charming addition to the ever-growing crop of virtue names, currently rising for both sexes.

More unusual than Forest or Forrest, Field is a nature name that is simple, evocative, and fresh--sort of the male equivalent of Meadow.

Field and Fields are both relatively common surnames, noted bearers including department store owner Marshall Field, poet Eugene Field (Wynken, Blynken and Nod) and actress Sally. Those with the plural include W.C. Fields, cookie company founder Debbi, and entertainers Gracie and Kim Fields.

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

If you find Grover too fusty and furry, this is a much cooler-sounding alternative.

An Asian name that would be easily understood in this country.

Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.

This variation of Ahmad is one of the most popular Arabic names among Muslim families the world over and is now the most used spelling in the USA. It shares the same root as other popular Arabic names, including Muhammad and Hamid.

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

A cool and straightforward Vietnamese name, which resembles the increasingly popular Hawaiian name Koa.

A modern name likely inspired by the Latin phrase carpe diem meaning "seize the day".

Common name among Japanese men that can be written with a variety of kanji, giving it different meanings.

This spelling of the rising unisex name Briar may strike some parents as more definitively masculine than its source.

Ugo is very common in Italy, but here it might call to mind that little Yugoslavian car.

It's tempting to think of Gui as the Spanish form of Guy, but it's short for Guillermo.