Malayalam male names draw from the Malayalam language and Kerala’s Hindu, Christian, and Muslim naming traditions, with strong Sanskrit and Syriac influences. Common masculine forms include endings such as -an and -n (Krishnan-type forms), -kumar, and -appan. Devotional male names often use -dasan (“servant of”), and diminutive prefixes like Kunju- appear in male nicknames that sometimes become official names. Syrian Christian male names adopt Malayalam forms of Greek/Syriac names.

Modern use commonly follows a given name plus patronymic initial, alongside pan-Indian choices. Examples include Cherian, Dasan, Kunjan, Kunjappan, Kunjukrishnan, Kunjumon, Ninan, Padmarajan, Sivankutty, and Varghese.