Two Syllable Boy Names

Jennings is a common English surname that originated as a patronymic for the child of someone named Jen, a short form of John.

The original Zooey, hero of J.D. Salinger's Franny & Zooey, was male, but nowadays the name is more closely associated with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel. With Zoe at number 31 for girls and Zoey in the Top 50, the related Zooey feels more female than ever. But it's distinctively quirky for either sex.

An on-trend, but very unusual, international option for lovers of the similar Arthur. Artan is an Irish name meaning "little bear", an Albanian name meaning "golden", and a Faroese name deriving from Attila "little father".

Thierry, which is very popular in France, would make an interesting import; it's somewhat familiar through designer Thierry Mugler and international soccer star Thierry Henry. It almost sounds like Terry, but not quite.

A strong and confident name growing in popularity, in numerous spellings.

Damek, which you might think of as Adam with a Slavic accent, considerably freshens up the original.

Seventeenth-century German polymath Johannes Kepler discovered the laws of planetary notion, along with the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. A handful of parents use his last name for their sons every year -- with good reason. It's a solid-feeling but unique name with a great, aspirational namesake.

Rogan makes a great, roguish alternative for the more popular Logan, Ronan and Rowan. 

Only if you're hoping for your son to become a wine-besotted poet. To the ancient Romans, Bacchus was the god of agriculture, wine and fertility.

While teasing about names is not as bad as it once was, the possibilities presented by this name would be difficult for any pubescent boy to resist.

An interesting bird name choice if you're seeking a nonbiblical Hebrew name. The zippy Z sound is appealing to more parents, and Zamir entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022 and was one of the fastest rising names in 2023.

A popular name during the Middle Ages, Toirdelbach (Anglicized as Turlough or Turlach) is the name of two High Kings of Ireland. It means "abettor, instigator", from Gaelic toirdhealbh "prompting". Often given in honor of 17th century harpist Turlough O’Carolan, considered by many to be Ireland’s national composer.

Kenyon is a very engaging British surname name, the middle y giving it a kind of southwestern canyonesque undertone.

A new-style name based on Kyle and a cousin of Dylan, in spelling if not sound or image. Currently in the US Top 600, it is given to more than 500 boys each year.

Depending on your cultural references, you may think of Phantom of the Opera author Gaston Leroux, or the macho villain of Beauty and the Beast. While he's hardly a role model (unless you too use antlers in all of your decorating), his name was likely chosen because it's a classic in France. It's been used there since the middle ages, partly in honor of the Frankish bishop St Gaston. It went out of style in France mid-century, but now it's having a revival, entering the Top 300 in 2017.

Richmond is a place-name — it's the capital of Virginia — that makes a fresh way to honor an ancestral Richard.

Despite its poetic associations, almost as dated as Sheldon, and more feminine.

Jamin is unsurprisingly related to Benjamin, although it did not develop as a diminutive of the name. In the Old Testament, Jamin is a son of Simeon and a grandson of Jacob.