Two Syllable Boy Names

Ezra (and Ezrah) is potentially an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase Azaryahu, meaning "Yah helps." In the Bible, Ezra led a group of fifteen hundred Israelites out of slavery in Babylon and back to Jerusalem. The Ezrah spelling is definitely less popular than the original Ezra, but is rising itself as well — Ezrah entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.

A lot more substantial than Corny or Nellie.

Also spelled Sigfrid, this hefty German name has an appropriately majestic meaning: "victorious peace". Fittingly, a famous bearer was the English World War I poet and pacifist Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was named after the hero of a Wagner opera, which in turn was based on a tragic hero from German legend.

Cheerful and distinctive.

Danish actor Pilou Asbaek, of Borgen and Game of Thrones, got his unusual first name from his French mother; it's apparently an abbreviation of "Petit Philip." The fact that both its two syllables have restroom-adjacent connotations will make it hard to pull off in English-speaking countries.

Became completely feminized in the unisex name revolution of the seventies.

This surname-name oozes Southern charm; nevertheless, its most famous bearer was a New Englander, Rhode Island senator Claiborne de Borda Pell, who sponsored education legislation leading to the much beloved Pell scholarship programme. That connection alone instills this name with intellect as well as style.

What life Hadrien and Hadrian enjoy today, they owe to Adrian along with the revival of ancient Roman names in general. Hadrian was a 2nd century Roman emperor famous for his wall.

A handsome Indian name with the potential nickname Taj.

Name hovering near the bottom of the Top 1000 that may move higher with the fashion for two-syllable surnames. You could do worse...but you probably could also do better.

Sounds like exactly what it is: The name of a romance novel hero.

Cosmo's Finnish cousin.

More distinctive nickname for the Number 1 boys' name than the ubiquitous Jake.

Iorek Byrnison is king of the armored bears and a fierce and brave companion of Lyra’s in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. The name Iorek appears to have been coined by Pullman for the books, but the first element Ior- derives from Old Norse Jar, meaning "battle" and the second element -rek derives from Old Norse/Ancient Germanic ríkr, meaning "mighty; distinguished; ruler."

Though the accent falls on the second syllable, people will mistake this name of the first month of the Jewish calendar or for the Japanese car.

A fresh Dale relative that finds place amongst similar names like Cullin and Hamelin as well as the more common Allen and Dylan.

Kiba means "fang" in Japanese, and while not a common name for boys in Japan, it's popped up multiple times for fictional characters. Kiba Inuzuka is a Naruto character with a strong attachment to his dog.