What's in a name?

The 110 Best Baby Boy Names (And 14 To Avoid)

There are so many ways for parents to embarrass their children. Their name doesn't need to be one of them.

by Emily Kelleher
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
A baby boy on his stomach.
Tatyana Tomsickova Photography/Getty

Choosing a baby boy’s name comes with a lot of responsibility — whether you’re hunting for a boy’s name that’s strong, unique, cool, outdoorsy, or traditional, you’re looking for a baby name that will suit your son while giving him every opportunity in life to be successful. Because in a world where we exist increasingly online, names have come to represent us when we’re not there to represent ourselves. From job applications to dating profiles, LinkedIn data to wedding invitations, names speak first.

To help, here are some of the best baby boy names, along with some names that you might want to avoid (sorry, Chad).

  1. Abie
  2. Andre
  3. Andy
  4. Amias
  5. Amir
  6. Arlo
  7. Armie
  8. Armondo
  9. Arturo
  10. Atticus
  11. Avery
  12. Bailey
  13. Barrett
  14. Benton
  15. Blake
  16. Blair
  17. Brady
  18. Burke
  19. Callum
  20. Camden
  21. Carter
  22. Cato
  23. Cedrick
  24. Chandler
  25. Cole
  26. Conrad
  27. Dalton
  28. Daylen
  29. Dax
  30. Declan
  31. Desmond
  32. Ellio
  33. Elliot
  34. Emmery
  35. Finn
  36. Fitzgerald
  37. Frances
  38. Grant
  39. Greyson
  40. Hudson
  41. Hugh
  42. Hugo
  43. Idris
  44. Jace
  45. Jackson
  46. Jabaar
  47. Javier
  48. Jaylen
  49. Jax
  50. Joel
  51. Jonah
  52. Keanu
  53. Langston
  54. Lawrence
  55. Leighton
  56. Leo
  57. Leon
  58. Lex
  59. Lowell
  60. Marco
  61. Mario
  62. Mark
  63. Mason
  64. Maddox
  65. Marty
  66. Mateo
  67. Maurice
  68. Merrick
  69. Micah
  70. Miguel
  71. Miles
  72. Milo
  73. Misha
  74. Nate
  75. Nico
  76. Noah
  77. Nolen
  78. Oliver
  79. Omar
  80. Orion
  81. Otis
  82. Owen
  83. Parker
  84. Payton
  85. Preston
  86. Quinn
  87. Raiden
  88. Ramone
  89. Ray
  90. Remington
  91. Ronan
  92. Rory
  93. Ross
  94. Sawyer
  95. Tao
  96. Terrence
  97. Trent
  98. Treyvon
  99. Triston
  100. Tucker
  101. Ty
  102. Walker
  103. Warren
  104. Waylon
  105. Westin
  106. Wren
  107. Wyatt
  108. Zander
  109. Zayn
  110. Zion

14 Baby Boy Names to Avoid

  1. Chad: Unless your aspirations for your child include him being the personification of frat-boy memes, skip this one.
  2. Brad: See above
  3. Trump: Even the names of popular presidents need a few decades to cool off.
  4. Lake (or Tree or Sky or Spirit): Not all nouns are created equal.
  5. Messiah: You may think your child is one, but c’mon.
  6. Brody: Don’t even think about it, bro.
  7. Richard: No offense to all the Boomers out there, but with the choice of nicknames coming down to Rich or Dick, isn’t it time to retire this one?
  8. Apple: Don’t be like Gwyneth.
  9. Axe: What’s next, shovel? Hoe?
  10. Jake: What’s the point?
  11. Adolf: Just, no.
  12. Spartacus: There are better ways to convey nobility.
  13. Stormy: Take your Kardashian impersonation elsewhere.
  14. Isis: This objectively sweet name was relatively popular — before the rise of the terror group.

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