One Syllable Names for Boys

Derived from the Xhosa and Zulu word for "hero", qhawe

While this is an ancient male name, it's too similar to modern girls' choices like Mia and Pia to work for a boy today.

One of the magical words of childhood (and beyond), and associated with actor Treat (born Richard) Williams, whose nickname came from ancestor Robert Treat Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Merc has been introduced to the American public by the network executive character on Showtime's Episodes, and is a contemporary-sounding short form of the Roman god and planet name Mercury. Mercury, from the Latin for trade or wages, was the god of tradesmen and travelers and is the fast-moving first planet in our solar system.

Pronounced CHY, it's a word name meaning tea in many Eastern languages. The Hebrew name is pronounced without the C as HAI.

Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the playground.

The Dutch equivalent of Walt makes the Top 100 in Belgium, where Flemish parents love short, sweet names.

Nice sound, but double meaning -- shady glen or shady character.

An architectural take on Noel. Knoll honors Florence Knoll, the Michigan-born modernist architect and furniture designer. Her namesake company still produces her designs today.

Here, it's strictly for girls, though Celine Dion's boy Rene-Charles reminded us of its masculine origins.

Brant, a no-nonsense one-syllable name, had some popularity in the early 1970s, but has been off the lists for a decade. Now, with similarly brisk names like Chase, Jace, Bryce, and Grant finding favor, Brant could make a comeback.

Flip is a cute, attitude-filled nickname for the very proper Philip and variations. A perfect choice if you're looking for a buttoned-up proper name with an informal short form.

For older generations this still summons silent horror star Chaney; for others it's a pleasant if slight nickname name.

The many variations of Brynn are far more popular for girls than boys in the US, but if you’d like to use it on a son, Brin is the most masculine of all the spelling options.