Estonian Boy Names
Estonian male names come from the Estonian (Finnic) language, with layers of influence from Lutheran biblical tradition, Finnish usage, and local folklore. Because Estonian lacks grammatical gender, masculinity is signaled by convention: many men’s names end in -o (Avo, Heino, Kaido, Olev), -ar/-er (Alar, Ilmar), or a final consonant (Jaan, Erk/Erki), and two-syllable forms are common. Biblical names appear in Estonian or Finnish shapes such as Joosep, Joonas, and Paavo, while native figures like Kalev persist.
Modern usage blends revived native names with established Christian forms, and short, clipped variants remain typical for boys. Examples include Jaan, Joosep, Joonas, Paavo, Kalev, Ilmar, Kaido, Alar, Olev, and Erki.
Showing 50
of 55 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timo | Honoring God | Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek | Boy | 229 #1 | |
| Eero | Derived from Old Norse Eiríkr, meaning "ever-ruler" or "eternal ruler" | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | 186 #2 | |
| Taavi | Beloved | Estonian, Finnish, Hebrew | Boy | 137 #3 | |
| Kalev | Name of a mythic Estonian ancestor/king, traditionally associated with strength and stature in folklore | Estonian | Boy | 115 #4 | |
| Merik | In Estonian, 'of the sea' or 'sea'; when treated as a Merrick variant, linked to Welsh/Latin roots with different etymology | Estonian | Boy | 87 #5 | |
| Kaido | No single established meaning. In Estonian it is a modern masculine given name. In Japanese the meaning varies by kanji (e.g. 海道 'sea route'). | Estonian, Japanese | Boy | 77 #6 | |
| Alo | Often a diminutive of Alois/Aloysius, deriving from Germanic elements meaning 'fame' + 'war' ('famous in battle'); in Hawaiian it can mean 'front/presence/face'. | Estonian | Boy | 76 #7 | |
| Jaan | Estonian: 'God is gracious' (via John). Persian/Urdu: 'life, soul, beloved' (term of endearment). | Estonian, Persian, Urdu | Boy | 43 #8 | |
| Avo | Originally an Armenian diminutive of Avetik/Avetis, meaning "good news" or "bearer of good news"; also used as a masculine given name in Estonia. | Armenian, Estonian | Boy | 5 #9 | |
| Aivar | Derived from elements meaning 'yew' (bow) + 'warrior' - often interpreted as 'archer' or 'bow warrior'. | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Alar | Likely 'noble ruler' (derived from Germanic elements); used as a traditional Estonian male name | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Anti | Manly, masculine (from Andreas/Andrew: 'man, warrior') | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Eiki | Estonian: a form/variant of Erik, meaning 'eternal/ever ruler'. Japanese: meaning varies by kanji (examples include 'prosperity + tree', 'excellent + radiance', 'glory + brightness'). | Estonian, Japanese | Boy | — | |
| Eikki | Ever-ruler, eternal ruler | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Elari | Possibly “God’s lion” (El + ari) or interpreted in Estonian contexts as a modern name associated with life/living | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Erk | Turkish: "power, authority, right"; Finnic: a short form of Erkki/Erik, meaning "ruler". | Estonian, Finnish, Turkish | Boy | — | |
| Erki | Eternal ruler | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Hannus | God is gracious | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Heiki | Ruler of the home | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Heino | Home ruler (ruler of the household) | Estonian, Germanic | Boy | — | |
| Ilmar | Air, sky, weather | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Jaako | Supplanter; 'holder of the heel' or 'one who follows' | Estonian, Hebrew | Boy | — | |
| Jaani | Estonian/Scandinavian: related to John - 'God is gracious'. South Asian: from 'jaan' meaning 'life' or 'beloved'. | Estonian, Hindi, Punjabi, Scandinavian, Urdu | Boy | — | |
| Janno | Variant of Jan/Johannes - 'God is gracious' | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Joonas | Dove | Estonian, Finnish, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Joosep | God will add / Jehovah increases | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Juku | Diminutive of Juhan/Johannes, ultimately from Hebrew Yochanan meaning "God is gracious." | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Jürmo | Likely 'farmer, earth-worker' (from Georgios/George); alternative derivation could imply 'sacred name' if linked to Jerome/Hieronymus | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Jürs | Farmer, earth-worker (from Greek 'Geōrgos' via forms of George) | Estonian, Germanic | Boy | — | |
| Kaasik | Birch grove | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Kairis | Uncertain - as a form of Kairi it has no single established meaning; possible associations include 'beloved' (if linked to Carys), 'sea' (if linked to Kai), or 'opportune moment' (if linked to Kairos) | Estonian, Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Kalevi | From Kaleva, a mythic hero/giant in Finnic legend; connotes strength and legendary rulership. | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Kalevy | Derived from Kalev - a mythic hero/king; broadly 'man' or 'hero'. | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Kelevi | Likely derived from Kalev, a mythic Finnic figure - generally interpreted as 'descendant/man of Kalev' (heroic/legendary association). | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Koit | Dawn; daybreak | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Kurk | Likely 'bold counsel' if considered a variant of Kurt/Conrad; alternatively 'fur' in Turkish (kürk). | Dutch, Estonian, Germanic, Turkish | Boy | — | |
| Mannis | Likely 'little man' or 'man'; if from Manuel/Emmanuel, 'God is with us'. | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Olev | Descendant of ancestors; heritage/heir | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Olevi | Ancestor's descendant; heir / heritage | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Paav | Small, humble | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Paavo | Derived from Latin Paulus meaning 'small' or 'humble'. | Estonian, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Parg | Wreath; garland | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Peedi | Diminutive of Peter - 'little rock' (from Greek petros, 'rock' or 'stone') | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Peep | Rock | Aramaic, Estonian, Greek, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Peet | Rock, stone | Dutch, Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Pärtel | “son of Talmai” (son of the farmer/land-owner) | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Rait | Uncertain - the name is Estonian and does not have a widely agreed-upon single meaning | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Raulus | Counsel wolf (often rendered as “wise wolf” or “wolf-counsel”) | Estonian, Germanic | Boy | — | |
| Riik | Likely 'state' (from Estonian) or by association a diminutive of Richard meaning 'strong ruler' | Estonian | Boy | — | |
| Taido | In Estonian the origin/meaning is unclear; in Japanese it can be formed with kanji such as 太 (tai, "big") + 道 (dō, "way/path"), yielding a sense of "great/broad way" or "grand path." | Estonian, Japanese | Boy | — |
Estonian Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Estonian-origin name in our dataset.
55
Names in this origin
2
With data in 2025
0
Births 2025
8,940
Peak year 0