Names Ending in K for Boys

The name of the 44th president, which he inherited from his Kenyan father, is related to the Swahili word "baraka," meaning "blessing," derived from the Arabic "baracka." It is linked, through the Semitic root, to the Hebrew name Baruch. Barack is also sometimes an alternate spelling of the Hebrew name Barak, which stems from the Semitic word for "lightning." Barack Obama may have found it a difficult name to grow up with, but the same won't be true for the many babies starting to be given that name. Other parents are being inspired to use Obama, which is a common surname among the Luo people of East Africa meaning "to lean or bend."

Most often associated with Rolling Stone Jagger, Mick is also used as a generic, and derogatory, term for an Irishman.

This punchy surname has some favor in the last couple of decades—potentially due to rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was one of the quickest rising boy names in 2013 when it reached its high point at #318. It has since declined in popularity, but as of 2023, it remains in the US Top 500 and in the UK Top 1000.

Alas, poor Yorick, your name is fated to remain locked forever as a skull in Hamlet.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic introduced this new first name to the English-speaking world, though it had long been familiar as a surname. The celebrity Novak, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, might be an inspirational role model for a baby Novak. And the name Novak goes well with other stylish names that mean new, including Nova, Neo, and Nouvel.

A rarely used last-name-first-name, never as popular as cousins Garrett or Derek.

This distinguished surname belonged to one of Ireland's great princely families. Its many variations include Rourke (as in actor Mickey), and O'Rourke. The family surname is thought to be one of the oldest in the world, originating in the tenth century, following the death of a young prince named Ruarc. It has literary cred via Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

Despite its brotherly meaning, sounds rather formal and cold.

Rock definitely has a macho image, if a somewhat caricatured one, ala The Rock. But with the rise of word names and also of tough guy names, Rock feels more plausible than it did a generation ago.

Pronounced the same way as Warrick, Warwick is the name of an historic university town on the River Avon in England.

Kick is a word name that some parents might use for their baby in utero — akin to Bean or Booboo — but it's increasingly being heard as a word name especially used in the middle, a la Jeremy Sisto for son Bastien. The Kennedy family has historically called daughters Kathleen "Kick" for short, and Kick can work as a nickname for a whole range of names male and female, from Nicholas to Keturah.

Intriguing, when seen as a water name a la River and Ocean, but too close to cultural appropriate if used as a reference to the Creek tribe of Native Americans. Another downside is its resemblance to creak, as in creaky bones or floorboards, and to unappealing words like creep and creak.

This bold and straightforward name is a common variant of Tariq in Turkey and Bosnia and is used as an alternate spelling in Arabic-speaking countries.

Military word names, from Cannon to Major, are in, but Tank might push things a bit too far.

The K makes this slightly more modern than its more traditional original

This is the second-to-the-original spelling of a name that's part Jersey Shore, part upper-crust British. Dominick gets you more directly to nickname Nick.

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.

This Yaroslav nickname is more accessible than its full form for an English-speaking child.

Unless you're a gin aficionado, we prefer Hendrik. Or better yet, Henrik.

A perennial classic in the Netherlands, short-and-sweet Dirk is starting to feel like a fresher alternative to cousin Derek.