One Syllable Names for Boys

Even if you're hoping for a fiery child, this seems like playing with fire. One celebrity--Steve Vai--was bold enough to use it for his son.

Rob has claimed Bob's turf.

One of the classic hippie word names. In the 1970s, actors Barbara Hershey and David Carradine gave this name to their son...who later changed it to Tom.

The Hebrew version of Joel has a pleasant, almost jolly sound.

There's something about the K initial that modern parents just can't resist and Kruz is a trendy reboot of the already very cool Cruz. Derived from the Spanish word for "cross", Kruz could be included in the new generation of Christian word names with a twist, joining Kross, Tru, Zyon, and Chozen on future class rosters. Given to around 170 boys in a recent year, the traditional spelling is used nearly six times as often.

The K is silent in this royal but common Scandinavian name that is, in this country, linked to a single figure -- Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne. Could easily be confused with Newt.

A rare and striking flower name, in use in English since the late 19th century, which takes its name from the Greek word for "flame".

The name of a prophet in the Qur'an. In the US, Hud is more likely to be used as a nickname for Hudson.

With West one of the hottest names for boys, and North the name of a high-profile celebrity baby, can East be far behind? While Easton seems to be the version of choice for this directional name -- there were 5500 boys named Easton last year, versus, um, zero named East -- we like the simplicity of the gender-neutral East, especially for a middle name.

Popular for pets, not baby boys.

In the US, best known as the name of Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago and White House Chief of Staff under President Obama.

Gwion is a name from old Welsh literature: according to "The Tale of Taliesin", it was the name of the legendary poet Taliesin before he transformed into a bard. Gwion is used steadily in small numbers in Wales. Elsewhere in the world, it would strike a good balance of uncommonness and simplicity, and be pretty unique.

This very popular Armenian name represents a grandson of Noah, considered the father of the Armenian nation.

McKay is the Anglicized form of Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" in Gaelic. Aodh is the origin of names such as Aidan and Hugh, making McKay a subtle way to honor people with those names.

A variant transcription of Russian Pyotr, and also the Polish and Belarusian form of Peter, classic and still very popular there.

Along with Shem and Japheth, a son of Noah with a name that's almost never used -- for more obvious reasons than those of his brothers.