One-syllable boy names are snappy, quirky, and fun. Familiar or more traditional names like Jacob, Michael, and Robert often get shortened to Jake, Mike, and Bob, while others like Beck, Cruz, and Heath may have a trendier feel.
Single-syllable boy names have one foot in the traditional camp and one foot in the edgy modern camp, so they offer something for everyone. Let’s get started with our tour of one-syllable male names to kick-start your naming inspiration.
275 Outstanding One Syllable Guy Names
Keep your child’s name short and sweet with our definitive list of 1-syllable boy names.
- Abe – a cool Hebrew diminutive of Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude” or “father of many.”
- Al – short for Albert, this Germanic and Old English name means “noble” and “bright.”
- Ali – a classic Middle Eastern name meaning “high” and “exalted.”
- Ant – this catchy nickname derives from Anthony and means “highly praiseworthy.”
- Art – of Celtic origin, meaning “bear” and “champion.”
- Ash – derived from the genderless Hebrew Asher, meaning “happy.”
- Baz – rooted in the Irish Barra – means “fearless, fair-haired,” and “king.”
- Bear – this German name is nature-inspired and means “brave” and “strong bear.”
- Beau – a gender-neutral French name meaning “beautiful.”
- Beck – a mixture of Hebrew and German, meaning “brook” and “stream.”
- Ben – short for the Hebrew Benjamin, meaning “son.”
- Biff – an unusual name of American origin, meaning “to hit.”
- Bill – a nickname derived from the Germanic William, meaning “with a gilded helmet.”
- Bing – this German and English name is one of the rarest and means “pot-shaped hollow.”
- Birch – named after the birch tree and means “bright” and “shining.”
- Bjorn – of Scandinavian and Old Norse origin, meaning “bear.”
- Blaine – a Gaelic/Scottish name meaning “yellow,” describing someone’s hair color.
- Blaise – with French roots, this unique name means “lisp” and “stutter.”
- Blake – derived from the Old English “blac,” meaning “bright, shining, pale,” and “dark.”
- Blue – this color-based Old English name is linked to “sadness, peace,” and “wisdom.”
- Bo – a super-cool Scandi name meaning “to live” and “dwell.”
- Bob – derived from the Germanic Robert, meaning “bright” and “fame.”
- Brad – this cute name comes from Old English and means “broad” and “wide.”
- Brent – an Old English name meaning “holy one, high place,” and “from a steep hill.”
- Brett – a unique Celtic genderless name referring to people “of Briton.”
- Brick – an English slang term for someone “reliable, strong,” and “good.”
- Briggs – derived from the Middle English “brigge,” meaning “bridges.”
- Brock – a common medieval English surname meaning “badger.”
- Brook – of English and German origin, meaning “small stream” and “water.”
- Bruce – derived from Scottish, English, and French, meaning “the willowland, woods,” and “thicket.”
- Bryce – a gender-neutral Scottish name meaning “speckled.”
- Bryn – a sweet Welsh name meaning “hill” or “mount.”
- Buck – an Old English term for a “young goat or deer.”
- Butch – an occupational Old English name referring to a “butcher” or a “manly” person.
- Buzz – derived from the Old Norse “buskr,” meaning “village in the woods.”
- Cade – a gender-neutral British name meaning “round” or “barrel.”
- Cain – of Hebrew origin, meaning “spear” and “possessed.”
- Cal – a short form of the Hebrew Caleb, meaning “devotion” and “faithful.”
- Carl – is derived from the German Karl, meaning “free man.”
- Cash – this confident one-syllable name means “wealth” and “money.”
- Chad – taken from the Old English Ceadda, meaning “protector” and “defender.”
- Chance – an Old English diminutive of Chauncey, meaning “good fortune.”
- Charles – this regal Germanic name derives from “ceorl,” meaning “free man.”
- Chase – a cool occupational French name meaning “to hunt.”
- Chet – a masculine nickname for Chester, meaning “fortress” or “camp.”
- Chip – a derivative of Charles, meaning “free man,” referring to the phrase “a chip off the old block.”
- Chris – a shortened version of the Greek Christopher, meaning “bearing Christ.”
- Chuck – this Middle English/American version of Charles is also a term of endearment.
- Clark – an Old English name derived from the biblical “clerc,” meaning “clerk” or “cleric.”
- Claude – a unisex French name meaning “enclosure” and “lame.”
- Clay – a cool cowboy name derived from Old English, meaning “clay worker” and “mortal.”
- Cliff – a short and sweet English nickname meaning “cliff-side slope.”
- Clint – a boy’s name of English origin, meaning “fenced settlement” and “settlement of the River Glyme.”
- Clive – this popular Old English name means “cliff” and “slope.”
- Cole – means “swarthy and coal black” in Old English and “victory of the people” in Greek.
- Colm – a sweet Irish boy’s name meaning “dove.”
- Colt – derived from the Middle English “colte,” meaning “young horse.”
- Craig – comes from the Gaelic “creag,” meaning “rocky” or “rock.”
- Crew – an Old English name describing “a band or force of armed men.”
- Cruz – a cool Portuguese name meaning “cross.”
- Dag – this popular Swedish and Norse name means “day.”
- Dale – from the Old English “dæl,” meaning “valley.”
- Dan – this short form of the Hebrew Daniel means “God is my judge.”
- Dane – is a unisex Old English name describing someone “from Denmark.”
- Dean – derived from the Greek Dekanos, meaning “valley.”
- Dick – this quaint, old-fashioned German name means “dominant ruler.”
- Dirk – this diminutive of the Dutch Diederik means “the people’s ruler.”
- Dodge – this Old English name means “of roger” and “famous spearman.”
- Dom – is a Latin diminutive of Dominic, meaning “belonging to the Lord.”
- Drake – means “male duck” in Middle English and “dragon” in Old Norse.
- Drew – this genderless Welsh name means “wise.”
- Duke – a cool Latin name of high royal rank, meaning “leader.”
- Dwayne – of Irish origin, meaning “fishing hook, dark,” and “of Dubhán.”
- Eames – another Irish name – means “of Eamon” and “wealthy protector.”
- Earl – this Old English regal name means “nobleman, warrior,” and “prince.”
- Ed – derived from the Old English Edward, meaning “prosperous guardian, fortune,” and “wealth.”
- Falk – this Middle and High German name means “falcon.”
- Fife – of Scottish origin, describing someone “from Fife.”
- Finn – named after a mythical Irish warrior, meaning “fair.”
- Fleet – derived from the Middle English “flete,” meaning “swift” and “rapid.”
- Fletch – this occupational Old French name derives from “fleche” and means “arrow maker.”
- Flint – is a habitational Old English name describing someone “living near an outcrop of flint.”
- Floyd – a trendy Welsh name describing a person with “gray hair.”
- Flynn – this Irish name means “descendant of Flann.”
- Ford – an Old English name meaning “dweller at the river crossing” and “river crossing.”
- Fox – some one-syllable guy names are nature-inspired.
- Frank – this German diminutive of Francis and Franklin means “free.”
- Franz – means “bold,” “spear,” and “free,” derived from the Latin Franciscus, meaning “French man.”
- Fred – of Old German and French origin, meaning “elf counsel, peace,” and “peaceful ruler.”
- Fritz – another German nickname from Frederick, meaning “peaceful ruler.”
- Frost – the perfect English, German, Danish, and Swedish name referring to someone with a “frosty disposition.”
- Gabe – derived from the Hebrew Gavriel, meaning “God is my strength” and “hero of God.”
- Gage – a unique French boy’s name meaning “pledge” or “oath.”
- Garth – a floral-inspired Old English name meaning “keeper of the garden.”
- Gene – a short form of the Greek Eugenios, meaning “noble” and “well-born.”
- Geoff – a masculine French, German, and English name meaning “God’s peace.”
- George – derived from the Greek Georgos, meaning “farmer” and “earth-worker.”
- Gleb – an unusual Russian boy’s name meaning “heir of God.”
- Glen – from the Irish “gleann,” meaning “valley” and “narrow valley.”
- Grant – this English, French, and Scottish name means “tall” and “big.”
- Gray – after the color; this British name refers to someone with “gray hair.”
- Greg – derived from the Latin/Greek Gregorius, meaning “watchful” and “vigilant.”
- Griff – taken from the Welsh name Gruffydd, meaning “lord” or “prince.”
- Gus – of Latin origin, meaning “majestic” and “exalted.”
- Guy – the patron saint of comedians and dancers – means “guide” and “leader” in French.
- Hal – this masculine German name means “home-leader.”
- Hank – an American favorite, meaning “home-ruler” in German.
- Hans – of Scandinavian and German origin, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Hart – derived from the Old English “heorot,” meaning “stag, hero,” and “bear.”
- Hawk – this badass Old English name means “falcon” and “bird of prey.”
- Hayes – a common name in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, meaning “hedged area.”
- Heath – a pretty Old English name meaning “land of heather and grass.”
- Holt – of German and English origin, meaning “forest” or “wood.”
- Hugh – this German and English name means “intellect” and “soul.”
- Hyde – this unique Old English name means “dweller near a hill or stream.”
- Ike – is a unique and cool presidential Hebrew name meaning “laughter.”
- Jace – this Hebrew boy’s name means “healer” and “Lord of salvation.”
- Jack – a popular English name meaning “God is gracious.”
- Jake – a Hebrew diminutive of Jacob, meaning “supplanter.”
- James – this Hebrew alternative to Jake means “to follow or be behind.”
- Jay – such a cute unisex name meaning “joyful.”
- Jean – the French form of John, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Jeb – a short form of the biblical Hebrew name Jebediah, meaning “beloved friend.”
- Jeff – this classic English name means “God’s peace” and “pledge.”
- Jem – a sparkling gender-neutral name meaning “dove” and “precious stone.”
- Jens – some Scandinavian boy names are cool – means “God is gracious.”
- Jett – this unusual English name means “black stone” and “excellence.”
- Jez – means “hedgehog” in Polish/Slovenian and “compiled by God” in Hebrew.
- Jim – this short and sweet diminutive of James means “supplanter” in Hebrew.
- Joe – a short form of Joseph, meaning “God will add” in Hebrew.
- Joel – continuing the Hebrew theme, this cute name means “Jehovah is the Lord.”
- John – a common Hebrew name that starts with J – means “God is gracious.”
- Josh – many one-syllable guy names are Hebrew – means “Jehovah is salvation.”
- Juan – this classic Spanish name means “gift from God.”
- Judd – this trendy derivative of the Hebrew Jordan means “to flow down.”
- Jude – made famous in a Beatles song, this Greek name means “praised.”
- Judge – an Old English occupational name describing an “officer of justice.”
- Jules – of French origin, meaning “youthful.”
- Kai – means “sea” in Hawaiian and “keeper of the keys” and “earth” in Welsh/Scandinavian.
- Kane – means “man” in Hawaiian, “golden” in Japanese, and “battlefield” in Irish.
- Karl – a Germanic version of Charles, meaning “free man.”
- Keats – derived from the Anglo-Saxon “cyta,” meaning “worker at the shed” or “animal outhouse.”
- Keir – a classic Irish/Gaelic name meaning “dark” and “dusky.”
- Keith – a popular old-man name meaning “woodland” and “forest.”
- Ken – this Celtic name means “born of fire” and “handsome.”
- Kent – derived from the Old English “cant,” meaning “bordering of a circle” and “edge.”
- Kit – a short form of Christopher, derived from the Greek Khristophoros, meaning “bearing Christ.”
- Kim – is super-popular in Korea and means “gold” and “metal.”
- Kirk – derived from the Old Norse Kirkja, meaning “church.”
- Klaus – a German variant of the Greek Nikolaus, meaning “victory of the people.”
- Knox – an edgy Scottish boy’s name from the Gaelic “cnoc,” meaning “hillock” or “hump.”
- Kris – this trendy spelling of the Greek diminutive Chris means “follower of Christ.”
- Kurt – a mixture of German and Turkish, meaning “courteous, polite,” and “wolf.”
- Kyle – derived from the Gaelic “caol,” meaning “narrow, strait,” and “trust.”
- Lance – this Old French name derives from the Germanic Lanzo, meaning “land” or “territory.”
- Lane – a unique Old English name describing a “small road or pathway.”
- Lars – this Latin name stems from “laurus,” meaning “laurelled” (a crown of laurels).
- Lee – an Old English name meaning “meadow” or “clearing.”
- Leif – a cool Viking name of Scandinavian/Norse origin, meaning “descendant” or “heir.”
- Len – this short and sweet Germanic name means “lion’s strength.”
- Lev – means “heart” in Hebrew and “lion” in Russian.
- Lex – a short form of the Greek Alexander, meaning “defender of mankind.”
- Lloyd – derived from the Welsh “llwyd,” meaning “gray-haired” and “sacred.”
- Lou – a gender-neutral name of French origin, meaning “famous warrior.”
- Luke – a short version of the Latin Lucas, meaning “light-giving.”
- Lyle – this 11th-century Scottish name means “the island.”
- Mack – a Gaelic name primarily used in Scotland, meaning “son.”
- Mark – a common Latin male name meaning “concecrated to the god Mars” and “warlike.”
- Matt – this snappy Hebrew name means “gift of God.”
- Max – of Latin and Roman origin, meaning “greatest.”
- Mick – a modern spelling of the Hebrew Michael, meaning “Who is like God?”
- Mike – similar to Mick, this Hebrew name also means gift from God.
- Miles – a posh-sounding name of Latin origin, meaning “soldier.”
- Milt – an unusual Old English name meaning “mill town.”
- Mitt – derived from the Old English Milton, meaning “settlement with a mill.”
- Mo – of Irish, Spanish, Hebrew, and English origin, meaning “savior” and “dark-skinned.”
- Moss – this English name also works as a surname – means “descendant of Moses” and “savior.”
- Nash – a badass name of English origin, meaning “by the ash tree.”
- Nate – one of the coolest Hebrew names – means “gift of God.”
- Ned – derived from the Old English Edward, meaning “wealthy guardian.”
- Neil – the Anglicized version of the Irish Niall, meaning “champion” and “passionate.”
- Niles – with roots in Scotland, this Gaelic name means “son of Neil.”
- Nils – is of Norwegian origin, meaning “people of victory.”
- Noel – the perfect Old French name for a boy “born on Christmas.”
- North – a Middle English name describing someone who “migrated from the North.”
- Oaks – this nature-inspired name means “oak tree.”
- Pat – taken from the Latin Patricius, meaning “patrician” and “nobleman.”
- Paul – a derivative of the Latin Paulus, meaning “small” and “humble.”
- Pax – this pretty boy’s name of Latin origin means “peace.”
- Pete – a short form of the Greek Peter, meaning “rock” or “stone.”
- Piers – a more upmarket cousin to Peter; we have the French to thank for this name!
- Pip – this cute little English name means “lover of horses.”
- Phil – from the Greek Philippos, meaning “horse lover.”
- Quince – a quirky Latin name meaning “apple-like fruit.”
- Quinn – derived from the Irish Ceann, meaning “chief” and “head.”
- Rab – a favorite medieval German name meaning “famed, bright,” and “shining.”
- Ralph – is of Norse origin, derived from the Old English Rædwulf, meaning “wolf counsel.”
- Ray – a shorter version of Raymond, meaning “wise protector” in German.
- Red – a unisex English name describing the color and someone with “red hair.”
- Reece – a respelling of the Welsh Rhys, meaning “enthusiasm.”
- Reid – a cheeky little English name meaning “red-haired.”
- Reign – this gender-neutral Old English name means “rule” and “sovereign.”
- Rex – some single-syllable boy names are old-fashioned, like Rex, meaning “king.”
- Rhett – means “to speak” in Latin and “advisor” in Dutch.
- Rhodes – derived from the Old English Rhoades, meaning “woodland clearing” and “where roses grow.”
- Rhys – Welsh one-syllable male names are rare – means “enthusiasm.”
- Rick – is of English and German origin, meaning “brave ruler” and “peaceful ruler.”
- Rob – a French name derived from the Germanic Hrod, meaning “fame, famous,” and “bright.”
- Rolf – another popular German male name – means “famous wolf.”
- Rome – after the famous city’s founder, Romulus – means “from Rome” and “Roman citizen.”
- Ron – a simple Norse name meaning “ruler’s counsel” and “mountain of strength.”
- Ross – with a rich Scottish history, meaning “headland.”
- Roy – a Celtic baby name popular in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales – means “king” and “red.”
- Rush – derived from the Old English “rysc,” meaning “dweller by the rushes.”
- Russ – of French origin, meaning “red-haired” and “fox-like.”
- Sage – the herb and a great Latin name for “wise” and “healthy” kids.
- Sam – a short form of the Hebrew Samuel, meaning “God hears” and “told by God.”
- Saul – after the first king of Israel, meaning “prayed for” in Hebrew.
- Scott – a snappy little Scottish name describing someone “from Scotland.”
- Sean – this popular Irish name means “God is gracious.”
- Seb – means “God of the earth” in Egyptian, “revered” in Greek, and “venerable” in Latin.
- Serge – derived from the Latin Sergius, meaning “servant” and “guardian.”
- Seth – was Adam and Eve’s third son, meaning “appointed” and “placed” in Hebrew.
- Shane – derived from the Irish Sean, meaning “God is gracious.”
- Shawn – an alternate spelling of Sean, meaning “John” in Hebrew.
- Shay – a fresh-sounding Gaelic name meaning “admirable” and “fortunate.”
- Sid – derived from the Old English “sidan,” meaning “wide, island on a river,” and “riverside meadow.”
- Sky – a monosyllabic hippy name derived from the Old Norse “ský,” meaning “cloud.”
- Slate – an occupational nickname for a roofer or slater – means “gray-green rock.”
- Smith – from the Anglo-Saxon “smitan,” meaning “to smite or strike,” describing a “blacksmith.”
- Spike – this cool American and English boy’s name means “long, heavy nail.”
- Stan – a short version of the OId English Stanley, meaning “stony meadow.”
- Steele – a strong English name meaning “like steel;” may also describe “a stile” or “place to climb.”
- Sten – a popular Scandinavian name meaning “stone.”
- Steve – derived from the Greek Stephanos; this English name means “victorious, garland,” and “crown.”
- Storm – a gender-neutral English name derived from the Norse “stormr,” describing a “tempest.”
- Stu – a Scottish/English diminutive of Stuart, meaning “household guardian.”
- Sven – this Swedish boy’s name means “youth, boy,” and “lad.”
- Taj – our first Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit name meaning “crown.”
- Tate – the perfect Old English genderless name for “cheerful” children.
- Ted – is derived from the Greek Theodore, meaning “wealth, fortune,” and “God’s gift.”
- Tex – an American nickname for someone “from Texas.”
- Tim – derived from the Greek Timótheos, meaning “honoring God.”
- Todd – originating from the Northern Middle English “todde,” meaning “fox.”
- Tom – a nickname derived from Thomas, meaning “twin.”
- Trace – of English and Irish origin, meaning “brave, daring,” and “dauntless.”
- Trent – after the River Trent in England, meaning “the flooder.”
- Trey – the perfect English name for a “third” child, Trey also means “three.”
- Tripp – an ideal French name for clumsy kids – means “one who tripped.”
- Tris – short for Tristan, derived from the French “triste,” meaning “sad” or “melancholy.”
- Troy – one-syllable boy names are often edgy; it means “foot soldier.”
- Van – means “marsh” in Old English and “of” in Dutch.
- Vance – first introduced to Scotland by the Norman invaders – means “marshland.”
- Vaughn – this popular Welsh name means “little.”
- Vern – a classy Old French name meaning “alder grove.”
- Vic – this Latin name means “conqueror, victor,” and “champion.”
- Vin – a short and sweet Latin name meaning “prevailing.”
- Vince – this traditional Latin name means “conquering.”
- Vlad – with Russian and Slavic roots, meaning “glorious leader.”
- Wade – of English and Scandinavian origin, meaning “to go” and “ford” (shallow river crossing).
- Walt – some German 1-syllable boy names scream “old man” – means “commander of the army.”
- Wayne – an occupational English name meaning “craftsmen, wagon-wright,” and “wagon driver.”
- Wells – a masculine British name meaning “from the well” and “spring.”
- Wes – short for Wesley; this Old English name means “Western meadow.”
- West – this Old English name means “from a Western settlement.”
- Will – of Old French, German, and English origin, meaning “determined protector” and “desiring peace.”
- Wolf – this nature-inspired Old English name is rare.
- Wyn – a cute Welsh gender-neutral name meaning “fair” and “blessed.”
- Xan – some Greek male names have powerful meanings, like “defending men.”
- Yale – only the luckiest and brightest kids go to Yale – means “uplands” and “fertile moor.”
- York – of Old English origin, meaning “boar or yew settlement.”
- Yves – this designer’s French name means “yew.”
- Zac – a masculine modern name derived from the Hebrew Zachariah, meaning “Yahweh has remembered.”
- Zayne – some of the best Hebrew names that sound modern – means “God is gracious.”
- Zeus – a powerful Greek mythological name meaning “sky” and “shine.”
