English Boy Names
English male names draw from Old English, medieval, and surname traditions. Male-marked patterns include patronymic formations ending in -son (for example, Adamson) and Old English compounds using elements such as Aethel- “noble,” -berht/-beorht “bright,” and -wine “friend,” seen in Aethelberht, Adalbeorht, and Aelfwine. Occupational or clerical titles once restricted to men, such as Abbott, also appear as given names. Modern English lacks grammatical gender, but these structural cues signal historically male usage.
Today, boys more often receive surname-based given names than girls. Among the names listed, Abbott, Adamson, Adkins, Ackley, and Acker are the most encountered; Aethelbald, Aethelberht, Aelfric, and Aelfraed are mainly historical or revived in limited contexts.
Showing 50
of 5,565 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William | Will helmet | English, Medieval Latin, Old Norman, Proto-Germanic | Boy | 161,993 #1 | |
| Jack | Diminutive of John - 'God is gracious' | English | Boy | 127,560 #2 | |
| Mason | Stoneworker; worker in stone | English | Boy | 120,429 #3 | |
| Jackson | Son of Jack (i.e., 'son of John') | English | Boy | 99,642 #4 | |
| Carter | Driver or transporter of a cart | English | Boy | 92,363 #5 | |
| Grayson | Son of the steward (also interpreted as 'son of the gray/gray-haired one') | English | Boy | 82,028 #6 | |
| Hudson | Son of Hudde (a medieval diminutive of Hugh) | English | Boy | 81,250 #7 | |
| Wyatt | War-brave | English, Old English | Boy | 80,315 #8 | |
| Jaxon | Son of Jack (son of John) | English | Boy | 72,473 #9 | |
| Lincoln | From the town by the pool / lake | English | Boy | 68,265 #10 | |
| Maverick | Originally 'unbranded calf'; figuratively 'independent, nonconformist' | English | Boy | 57,731 #11 | |
| Cooper | Barrel maker; maker of casks | English | Boy | 51,855 #12 | |
| Harrison | Son of Harry (son of Henry) | English | Boy | 50,297 #13 | |
| Austin | Derived from Augustine/Augustus - 'venerable', 'majestic', or 'great' | English | Boy | 48,649 #14 | |
| Landon | From the long hill | English | Boy | 48,486 #15 | |
| Colton | From the coal town | English | Boy | 45,937 #16 | |
| Easton | Town to the east / eastern settlement | English | Boy | 44,957 #17 | |
| Wesley | Western clearing | English, Old English | Boy | 41,707 #18 | |
| Greyson | Son of Gray (Gray = 'gray-haired' or a nickname/steward) | English | Boy | 39,667 #19 | |
| Bennett | Blessed | English | Boy | 39,651 #20 | |
| Edward | Wealthy guardian | English | Boy | 39,639 #21 | |
| Everett | Brave/strong boar | English | Boy | 39,260 #22 | |
| Harry | Home ruler | English | Boy | 39,124 #23 | |
| Jace | Healer | English | Boy | 38,909 #24 | |
| Jaxson | Son of Jack (Jack is a diminutive of John, meaning 'God is gracious') | English | Boy | 38,359 #25 | |
| Weston | Western town; settlement to the west | English | Boy | 37,547 #26 | |
| Jameson | Son of James - James ultimately means 'supplanter' or 'holder of the heel' | English | Boy | 37,336 #27 | |
| Waylon | Craft and cunning | English, Germanic, Old English | Boy | 34,977 #28 | |
| Brooks | Dweller near a brook or small stream | English | Boy | 34,256 #29 | |
| Emmett | Originally 'universal/whole' (from Emma); occasionally linked to 'ant' (Middle English) or to Hebrew 'truth' (Emet) in other usages | English | Boy | 33,996 #30 | |
| Tyler | Tile maker | English, Middle English, Old French | Boy | 33,350 #31 | |
| Bryson | Son of Brice/Bryce (i.e., 'son of the speckled one'). | English, Latin | Boy | 32,651 #32 | |
| Elliott | My God is Yahweh | English | Boy | 32,489 #33 | |
| Chase | Hunter; one who chases or pursues | English | Boy | 31,884 #34 | |
| Myles | Likely 'soldier' (Latin); also associated with 'mild' or 'merciful' from Germanic roots | English | Boy | 31,724 #35 | |
| Cole | Coal; dark-haired or swarthy; originally a name for someone associated with coal | English | Boy | 29,929 #36 | |
| Kingston | King's town | English | Boy | 28,514 #37 | |
| Bentley | Clearing or meadow where bent grass grows | English | Boy | 28,372 #38 | |
| Alfie | From Old English Ælfred, meaning 'elf counsel' or 'wise counsel' | English | Boy | 26,887 #39 | |
| Braxton | Brock's town (the settlement of Brock or 'badger's town') | English | Boy | 25,948 #40 | |
| Zion | Jerusalem citadel | English, Greek, Hebrew, Latin | Boy | 25,603 #41 | |
| Jayce | Derived from Jason meaning 'healer'; also used as a modern invented form or derived from initials 'J.C.' | English | Boy | 25,485 #42 | |
| Archer | Bowman; one who uses a bow and arrow | English | Boy | 24,527 #43 | |
| Walker | Fuller of cloth | English, Old English | Boy | 24,377 #44 | |
| Graham | From Grantham - 'gravel homestead' | English | Boy | 21,641 #45 | |
| Dean | Valley; alternatively 'church leader' (from the ecclesiastical title) | English | Boy | 21,639 #46 | |
| Timothy | Honouring God | English, Greek | Boy | 20,315 #47 | |
| King | Title meaning 'ruler' or 'monarch' | English | Boy | 19,605 #48 | |
| Tucker | Cloth fuller | English, Old English | Boy | 19,470 #49 | |
| Tommy | Twin | Aramaic, English, Greek | Boy | 19,310 #50 |
English Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada for every English-origin name in our dataset.
5,565
Names in this origin
125
With data in 2025
3,202
Births 2025
496,739
Peak year 2015