One Syllable Names for Boys

Singer Shania Twain is said to have chosen this name, pronounced as Asia, for her son to honor her father's Native-American culture.

This once-popular surname name (rhymes with Roy) has since faded away, but we think it has a simple, stylish charm.

If it's royalty you're after, stick with Earl or Prince -- this is too deified.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

Rare word name that works for either gender.

See KEIR.

Obsolete Swanhild gives way to oh-so-modern Swan, joining the flock of newly fashionable bird names such as Wren and Lark. In France, the Swann spelling is fashionable for both sexes. But Swan carries an image of grace, though perhaps also a bit of languor. It's a lovely and original name, right for our times.

Nore comes from Nori, the Old Norse mythological name of the founder of Norway. As a feminine name, Nore is a variation of Nora popular in the Netherlands.

Heinz has become a cartoonish German name, prone to ketchup teasing.

Joab is the biblical name of an advisor of David, who led many military victories, and is surely much more usable than the burdened Job. A similar option is Joah, a possible replacement for Jonah or Noah.

A fiery-sounding Breton name with a fierce animal meaning. Bleiz has also been used in honor of the Catholic Saint Blaise, due to its similar sound.

Airy word name on the rise for both sexes. Breeze makes an especially lovely middle name.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this is the Catalan form of Geoffrey, but it actually comes from a slightly different Germanic name — also with a peaceful meaning. It's a historical choice, belonging to several medieval counts. In modern times, Guifré Vidal is a leading quantum physicist.

A two-initial nickname sometimes used on birth certificates — although these initials have a slang meaning you may prefer to avoid.

Sef is a rising short form of Jozef in the Netherlands, where it outranks its parent form.

Surname of a fifteenth-century saint and a twenty-first-century quarterback, Brett Favre.

Icy baby names are currently hot, with names like Icelynn and Iceland trending up for girls. Rapper Gucci Mane chose simple, streamlined Ice for his son 2020-born son, appropriately a winter baby. In 2021, it debuted on the charts for both boys and girls (9 boys, 6 girls).