Two Syllable Boy Names

A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.

Arav (sometimes spelled Aarav) is a name popular in India and Pakistan. Jaipur-born actor Arav Choudhary is a well-known Indian personality. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar chose Aarav for his son's name.

An attractive, surprisingly uncommon variation of Josiah. To give you an idea of how comparatively rare Josias is, there were about 200 baby boys named Josias in the US last year, versus nearly 6000 named Josiah.

Alvie is the spelling parents tend to prefer, and may rise along with Archie, Alfie, and Albie. The Alvy variation is strongly associated with Alvy Singer, Woody Allen's character in Annie Hall.

Country singer Waylon Jennings bestowed a kind of outlaw image on his name, and parents have been loving the suave cowboy name Waylon in recent years — enough to crack to Top 100 in 2021. Alternative spelling Waylen is beginning to climb as well, entering the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.

This common Scandinavian name, also spelled Osmund, is only occasionally heard in this country.

Lumen is a Latin word meaning "light", and the term used for the measurement of light output (making it an attractive choice for science-buffs).

Has a lively and swaggering sound, and also some unfortunate associations with Reno, city of gambling and failed marriages.

New twist on Bennett. Mack Sennett was the early movie director known as the innovator of slapstick comedy.

Tyrion is one of the many new names entering the lexicon thanks to George R. R. Martin, author of the Game of Thrones book. Tyrion's name shares its first two letters with those of his father Tywin and his grandfather Tytos. The Tyrion Lannister character, a dwarf, is played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. Martin has said he saw the Tyrion character as being both the ugliest and the most intelligent person in the world, a mixed legacy for any child.

The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really, again) by rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Kipling invented the name, whose first syllable rhymes with cow.

Striker is one of the new gang of boys' names that have two syllables, end in -er, spring from words, and have a macho, even aggressive meaning and image. Other examples include Breaker, Heller, and Wilder. Do the world a favor and desist.

The Arthur variation preferred in Portugal and across much of Eastern Europe. It’s a truly international name, and one that would be easy to wear in the US as well.

British-sounding literary surname choice.

Pascoe was popular in medieval times and is definitely deserving of revival, especially for a child born in the Easter season. Other spellings are Pasco and Pascow.

Kassian may be seen as a Kardashianed spelling of the rising saint's name Cassian, which is a variation of Cassius, but it could also be considered the authentic Greek male form of Kassiani, the name of a female saint revered as a hymnographer. However you spell it, this is an attractive and unusual name virtually unused in the US -- though we predict that will soon change. If you're hunting for unusual yet stylish Greek baby names, variations of this name should be on your short list.

A smart and simple unisex Japanese name meaning "sky". It actually has a second nature meaning in Finnish, albeit a slightly less appealing one: "gravel".

Warrick has recently come into the spotlight as the character Warrick Brown on the TV show CSI. The more conventional spelling is Warwick, a medieval English noble name.

Terrell feels like a modern invention based on Terrence, but Tyrrell has plenty of history as a surname name.