125+ Underrated Boy Names (That Are Seriously *Unique*)

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Searching for some sweet, handsome underrated boy names for that sweet little baby on the way?

🔍 Curious how popular a name is?

Check any name's popularity trend since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.

Well then kick up your feet, mama, get out your baby names list and get cozy, because *these* are the most handsome unique baby boy names –

For each baby name, you can learn all about the origin and the meaning of the name, as well as how popular it is right now.

The rankings we’ve provided are taken from the United States Social Security Administration data for 2021, which is the most recent available.

Let’s dive in –

My Favorite Unique Boys Names

Here are my favorite unique baby boy names that are hand-picked for 2026:

A

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter a:

Ace

Origin: English (from the word “ace”, ultimately Old French/Latin as, “a single unit”)
Pronunciation: AYSS · ˈeɪs
Meaning: one who excels; top-ranked
Popularity: #165 and falling (#157 → #165, 2024)

Adler

Origin: German (surname)
Pronunciation: AD-ler · ˈædlər
Meaning: eagle (German surname transferred to given-name use)
Popularity: #961 and falling (#945 → #961, 2024)

Archer

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: AR-chur · ˈɑːrtʃər
Meaning: bowman
Popularity: #115 and rising (#129 → #115, 2024)

Arlo

Origin: Italian (uncertain origin)
Pronunciation: AR-loh · ˈɑːrloʊ
Meaning: fortified hill
Popularity: #146 and rising (#158 → #146, 2024)

Arnett

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: AR-net · ˈɑːrnɪt
Meaning: eagle’s nest (transferred surname)
Popularity: #9,653 as of 2006 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Atley

Origin: English (surname, uncertain)
Pronunciation: AT-lee · ˈætli
Meaning: from the meadow
Popularity: #4,431 and falling (#4,233 → #4,431, 2024)

Origin: Greek
Meaning: from the capital of Greece
Popularity: > 1000

August

Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: AW-gust · ˈɔːɡəst
Meaning: venerable, majestic
Popularity: #88 and rising (#104 → #88, 2024)

Ashford

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: ASH-ferd · ˈæʃfərd
Meaning: ash-tree ford (river crossing near ash trees)
Popularity: #7,271 and falling (#5,482 → #7,271, 2024)

Auden

Origin: English (surname, Old English)
Pronunciation: AW-dən · ˈɔːdən
Meaning: old friend
Popularity: #1,890 and rising (#1,939 → #1,890, 2024)

Atwell

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: AT-wel · ˈætwɛl
Meaning: dweller by the well
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

B

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter b:

Beau

Origin: French
Pronunciation: BOH · ˈboʊ
Meaning: handsome
Popularity: #69 and rising (#80 → #69, 2024)

Beauden

Origin: modern coinage (blend of Beau + -den)
Pronunciation: BOH-duhn · ˈboʊdən
Meaning: hill shaped like a bow
Popularity: #1,901 and falling (#1,697 → #1,901, 2024)

Beck

Origin: Old English/Old Norse (also German/Jewish surname)
Pronunciation: BEK · ˈbɛk
Meaning: stream or brook
Popularity: #1,005 and rising (#1,035 → #1,005, 2024)

Beckett

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: BEK-it · ˈbɛkɪt
Meaning: beehive; bee cottage
Popularity: #166 and rising (#196 → #166, 2024)

Beckham

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: BEK-um · ˈbɛkəm
Meaning: homestead of a man named Becca
Popularity: #168 and rising (#199 → #168, 2024)

Bennett

Origin: Latin (via Benedict, English surname)
Pronunciation: BEN-it · ˈbɛnɪt
Meaning: blessed (via Benedict)
Popularity: #60 and rising (#74 → #60, 2024)

Bentley

Origin: Old English (place name)
Pronunciation: BENT-lee · ˈbɛntli
Meaning: meadow of bent grass
Popularity: #201 and falling (#188 → #201, 2024)

Blessing

Origin: English (transparent word-name, chiefly used in African, especially West African/Nigerian, English)
Pronunciation: BLES-ing · ˈblɛsɪŋ
Meaning: a blessing or gift from God
Popularity: #2,367 and rising (#2,769 → #2,367, 2024)

Bjorn

Origin: Old Norse (via Swedish/Danish/Norwegian/Icelandic Björn/Bjørn)
Pronunciation: BYORN · ˈbjɔːrn
Meaning: bear
Popularity: #767 and rising (#798 → #767, 2024)

Bowie

Origin: Irish/Scottish Gaelic (surname)
Pronunciation: BOH-ee (David Bowie: BOH-ee; Jim Bowie: BOO-ee) · ˈboʊi
Meaning: fair-haired, yellow-haired (Scottish Gaelic branch); alternatively, descendant of the victorious one (Irish branch)
Popularity: #1,206 and falling (#1,100 → #1,206, 2024)

Briggs

Origin: English
Pronunciation: BRIGZ · ˈbrɪɡz
Meaning: belonging to the bridges, i.e. one who lived near a bridge
Popularity: #326 and rising (#338 → #326, 2024)

Brixton

Origin: Old English (place name)
Pronunciation: BRIKS-tun · ˈbrɪkstən
Meaning: stone marker named for a Saxon lord called Brixi
Popularity: #652 and rising (#655 → #652, 2024)

Banner

Origin: Old French (ultimately Germanic ‘bandwa’, sign/standard)
Pronunciation: BAN-er · ˈbænər
Meaning: standard-bearer, flag
Popularity: #2,306 and falling (#2,147 → #2,306, 2024)

Benson

Origin: English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: BEN-sun · ˈbɛnsən
Meaning: from the Oxfordshire place name Bensington; popularly reinterpreted as ‘son of Ben’
Popularity: #435 and rising (#616 → #435, 2024)

Bourne

Origin: Old English (habitational surname)
Pronunciation: BORN · bɔːrn
Meaning: one who lived near a stream
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Bryant

Origin: English (surname derived from Brian)
Pronunciation: BRY-unt · ˈbraɪənt
Meaning: noble, strong (via Brian)
Popularity: #1,175 and falling (#1,093 → #1,175, 2024)

Bishop

Origin: English (occupational surname ‘Bishop, ‘ ultimately from Greek epískopos via Latin/Old English)
Pronunciation: BISH-up · ˈbɪʃəp
Meaning: an overseer or senior clergy official (the church title ‘bishop’)
Popularity: #1,194 and falling (#1,176 → #1,194, 2024)

Burke

Origin: Anglo-Norman (surname)
Pronunciation: BURK · ˈbɜːrk
Meaning: dweller at a fortress
Popularity: #3,218 and falling (#2,544 → #3,218, 2024)

Byron

Origin: Old English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: BY-run · ˈbaɪrən
Meaning: from a place name meaning ‘at the cattle sheds’ (byres)
Popularity: #882 and falling (#835 → #882, 2024)

Beauford

Origin: French
Meaning: from the beautiful ford
Popularity: > 1000

C

Underrated boy names that start with the letter c:

Cade

Origin: English (surname, multiple possible roots)
Pronunciation: KAYD · ˈkeɪd
Meaning: from an English surname with several possible roots: a personal-name element meaning ‘lump/swelling,’ an occupational term for a barrel-maker, or a word for a hand-reared farm animal
Popularity: #272 and rising (#280 → #272, 2024)

Caleb

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: KAY-leb · ˈkeɪləb
Meaning: faithful, devoted
Popularity: #49 and rising (#51 → #49, 2024)

Callahan

Origin: Irish (surname)
Pronunciation: KAL-uh-han · ˈkæləhæn
Meaning: bright (little bright one)
Popularity: #363 and rising (#460 → #363, 2024)

Camden

Origin: English (Old English place name)
Pronunciation: KAM-dun · ˈkæmdən
Meaning: enclosed valley (Old English camp “enclosure” + denu “valley”)
Popularity: #193 and falling (#180 → #193, 2024)

Cash

Origin: English (surname, variant of Case); also Americanized German (Kirch/Kirsch)
Pronunciation: KASH · ˈkæʃ
Meaning: surname origin, not from the word for money; a variant of Case, or an Americanized German immigrant surname (Kirch ‘church’ or Kirsch ‘cherry’)
Popularity: #316 and falling (#289 → #316, 2024)

Caspar

Origin: Old Persian (Old Iranian)
Pronunciation: KAS-per · ˈkæspər
Meaning: treasurer, treasure-bearer
Popularity: #5,933 and rising (#6,600 → #5,933, 2024)

Cedric

Origin: Welsh (literary coinage)
Pronunciation: SED-rik · ˈsɛdrɪk
Meaning: literary invented name, possibly meaning ‘beloved’ or ‘great bounty’ in Welsh
Popularity: #944 and rising (#1,045 → #944, 2024)

Channing

Origin: English (surname transferred from a French place name)
Pronunciation: CHAN-ing · ˈʧænɪŋ
Meaning: young wolf, or official of the church
Popularity: #1,696 and rising (#1,727 → #1,696, 2024)

Chesney

Origin: English (surname from a Norman French place name)
Pronunciation: CHEZ-nee · ˈʧɛzni
Meaning: oak grove
Popularity: #7,309 and rising (#9,931 → #7,309, 2024)

Cohen

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: KOH-en · ˈkoʊən
Meaning: priest
Popularity: #239 and rising (#247 → #239, 2024)

Cole

Origin: English (Middle English)
Pronunciation: KOHL · ˈkoʊl
Meaning: coal-black, swarthy
Popularity: #162 and falling (#155 → #162, 2024)

Cooper

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: KOO-per · ˈkuːpər
Meaning: barrel maker
Popularity: #50 and rising (#52 → #50, 2024)

Crew

Origin: Welsh (via the place name Crewe, Cheshire)
Pronunciation: KROO · ˈkruː
Meaning: weir — a river dam or fish-trap
Popularity: #250 and rising (#260 → #250, 2024)

D

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter D:

Denver

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: DEN-ver · ˈdɛnvər
Meaning: uncertain: either ‘the Danes’ crossing’ or ‘ridge by the valley’ (two competing Old English derivations); not verifiably ‘green valley’
Popularity: #486 and rising (#510 → #486, 2024)
From: from the green valley

Dutton

Origin: English (place name/surname, two distinct origins)
Pronunciation: DUT-un · ˈdʌtən
Meaning: hill settlement (or, separately, ‘Dudda’s settlement’)
Popularity: #736 and falling (#727 → #736, 2024)

Durham

Origin: English (place name, Old English + Old Norse)
Pronunciation: DUR-um · ˈdɜːrəm
Meaning: hill island (Old English + Old Norse)
Popularity: #7,874 and falling (#7,872 → #7,874, 2024)
From: island of hills

Devereaux

Origin: Anglo-Norman French (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: DEV-er-oh · ˈdɛvəroʊ
Meaning: from Évreux, a city in Normandy, France (via Anglo-Norman ‘d’Evreux’)
Popularity: #4,585 and rising (#5,297 → #4,585, 2024)

E

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter E:

Emerson

Origin: English (surname: ‘Emery’s son’, possibly Anglo-Saxon ‘Emar’s son’)
Pronunciation: EM-ur-sun · ˈɛmərsən
Meaning: son of Emery (or, per an alternate theory, Anglo-Saxon ‘Emar’s son’)
Popularity: #270 and falling (#268 → #270, 2024)

Emory

Origin: Germanic (via Old French surname Emery)
Pronunciation: EM-ur-ee · ˈɛməri
Meaning: industrious ruler
Popularity: #884 and falling (#831 → #884, 2024)

Everest

Origin: English (place name/surname, possibly Norman French)
Pronunciation: EV-er-ist · ˈɛvərɪst
Meaning: named for Mount Everest; the underlying surname is of uncertain, possibly Norman French, origin
Popularity: #845 and falling (#837 → #845, 2024)

F

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter F:

Finley

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (surname)
Pronunciation: FIN-lee · ˈfɪnli
Meaning: fair warrior
Popularity: #290 and falling (#285 → #290, 2024)

Finn

Origin: Irish or Old Norse
Pronunciation: FIN · ˈfɪn
Meaning: fair (Irish) or Sami/Finn (Norse)
Popularity: #198 and falling (#186 → #198, 2024)

Fletcher

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: FLETCH-er · ˈflɛtʃər
Meaning: arrow maker
Popularity: #564 and rising (#631 → #564, 2024)

Flynn

Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: FLIN · ˈflɪn
Meaning: Descendant of Flann; Flann is an old Irish byname meaning “red” or “ruddy,” likely describing hair color or complexion.
Popularity: #737 and rising (#782 → #737, 2024)

Ford

Origin: English
Pronunciation: FORD · ˈfɔːrd
Meaning: Originally a surname for someone who lived near a river ford, a shallow place where a river could be crossed.
Popularity: #570 and falling (#523 → #570, 2024)

G

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter G:

Gideon

Origin: English
Meaning: river crossing
Popularity: #310

Grey

Origin: English
Meaning: river crossing
Popularity: #716

Gunnar

Origin: English
Meaning: river crossing
Popularity: #540

H

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter H:

Halston

Origin: English (surname, uncertain)
Pronunciation: HAL-stuhn · ˈhælstən
Popularity: #2,481 and falling (#2,326 → #2,481, 2024)

Hank

Origin: Germanic (via Henry); archaically a form of John
Pronunciation: HANK · ˈhæŋk
Meaning: ruler of the home (via Henry)
Popularity: #425 and rising (#444 → #425, 2024)

Hayes

Origin: English or Irish (surname)
Pronunciation: HAYZ · ˈheɪz
Meaning: enclosure or brushwood (English); alternatively ‘descendant of Aodh’ via the Irish surname Ó hAodha
Popularity: #160 and rising (#209 → #160, 2024)

Heath

Origin: English (from Old English hǣþ)
Pronunciation: HEETH · ˈhiːθ
Meaning: heathland; open, shrubby moorland
Popularity: #848 and rising (#1,053 → #848, 2024)

Hart

Origin: English (also Irish, German, Jewish surname variants)
Pronunciation: HART · ˈhɑːrt
Meaning: male deer/stag in its English sense; the Irish surname form instead means ‘descendant of Art (bear)’
Popularity: #2,957 and rising (#3,438 → #2,957, 2024)

Hugo

Origin: Germanic (Latinized form of Hugh)
Pronunciation: HYOO-goh · ˈhjuːɡoʊ
Meaning: mind, thought
Popularity: #403 and rising (#415 → #403, 2024)

J

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter J:

Jagger

Origin: English (Yorkshire occupational surname)
Pronunciation: JAG-er · ˈdʒægər
Meaning: peddler, hawker
Popularity: #846 and rising (#854 → #846, 2024)

Jasper

Origin: Old Persian
Pronunciation: JAS-per · ˈdʒæspər
Meaning: treasurer
Popularity: #133 and falling (#122 → #133, 2024)

Jed

Origin: Hebrew (via Jedediah/Jedidiah)
Pronunciation: JED · dʒɛd
Meaning: beloved of God
Popularity: #1,985 and falling (#1,768 → #1,985, 2024)

Jericho

Origin: Hebrew (ancient place name transferred to given-name use)
Pronunciation: JEHR-ih-koh · ˈdʒɛrɪkoʊ
Meaning: possibly ‘moon city’ (linked to a Canaanite root for ‘moon’) — the ancient root is disputed among scholars
Popularity: #903 and falling (#887 → #903, 2024)

Jethro

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: JETH-roh · ˈdʒɛθroʊ
Meaning: abundance or pre-eminence (often rendered as ‘excellence’)
Popularity: #1,078 and rising (#1,117 → #1,078, 2024)

Jesper

Origin: Danish (medieval variant of Kasper/Caspar, possibly conflated with Old Norse Ásbjörn)
Pronunciation: YES-per · ˈjɛspər
Meaning: form of Kasper/Caspar, traditionally glossed ‘treasurer’ (Persian-linked, tied to the Three Magi tradition)
Popularity: #5,124 and falling (#4,160 → #5,124, 2024)

Jett

Origin: English
Pronunciation: JET · ˈdʒɛt
Meaning: black, like the mineral jet (also evocative of speed, as in a jet aircraft)
Popularity: #161 and rising (#207 → #161, 2024)

Judah

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: JOO-duh · ˈdʒuːdə
Meaning: praised (from a Hebrew root meaning to thank/praise)
Popularity: #179 and falling (#176 → #179, 2024)

Jude

Origin: Hebrew (via Greek Ioudas and Latin Judas)
Pronunciation: JOOD · ˈdʒuːd
Meaning: praised (ultimately from Hebrew, transmitted through Greek/Latin)
Popularity: #156 and rising (#161 → #156, 2024)

K

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter K:

Kendrix

Origin: English (patronymic surname, from Kendrick)
Pronunciation: KEN-driks · ˈkɛndrɪks
Meaning: greatest champion
Popularity: #1,325 and rising (#1,561 → #1,325, 2024)

Kian

Origin: Irish (anglicized Cian) and/or Persian (independent name)
Pronunciation: KEE-an · ˈkiːən
Meaning: Irish: ‘ancient’ (via Cian); separately, Persian: ‘king’/’realm’
Popularity: #416 and rising (#428 → #416, 2024)

Kit

Origin: English (nickname, multiple source names); also a Ukrainian-derived name meaning ‘tomcat’
Pronunciation: KIT · ˈkɪt
Meaning: depends on the full name: ‘bearer of Christ’ (short for Christopher); popularly ‘pure’ when short for Katherine/Kathleen (though Katherine’s own etymology is actually uncertain)
Popularity: #1,150 and rising (#1,152 → #1,150, 2024)

Knox

Origin: Scottish/Old English (surname and place name)
Pronunciation: NOKS · ˈnɑːks
Meaning: small hill with a rounded top
Popularity: #209 and falling (#208 → #209, 2024)

Keats

Origin: English (surname/byname)
Pronunciation: KEETS · ˈkiːts
Meaning: kite (the bird) / bittern
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

L

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter L:

Lake

Origin: English (word name)
Pronunciation: LAYK · ˈleɪk
Meaning: a body of water
Popularity: #1,632 and rising (#1,820 → #1,632, 2024)

Ledger

Origin: English/Norman (surname)
Pronunciation: LEJ-er · ˈlɛdʒər
Meaning: surname of uncertain origin: either the Norman personal name Leodegar (roughly ‘people’+’ready/spear’) or an occupational term for a stonemason who laid flat ‘ledger stones,’ from Old English for ‘to lay’
Popularity: #502 and rising (#560 → #502, 2024)

Lennox

Origin: Scottish (place name / surname)
Pronunciation: LEN-uks · ˈlɛnəks
Meaning: person from the Lennox district (the Loch Lomond/River Leven region of Scotland)
Popularity: #263 and rising (#265 → #263, 2024)

Linus

Origin: Ancient Greek (via Latin)
Pronunciation: LY-nus · ˈlaɪnəs
Meaning: flax colored
Popularity: #1,425 and rising (#1,541 → #1,425, 2024)

M

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter M:

Mack

Origin: Scottish/Irish (nickname, from Gaelic ‘Mac-‘)
Pronunciation: MAK · ˈmæk
Meaning: nickname/short form of Gaelic ‘Mac-‘ names (e.g., Mackenzie, Malcolm), carrying that prefix’s ‘son of’ sense
Popularity: #498 and rising (#545 → #498, 2024)

Maddox

Origin: Welsh (surname, ‘son of Madoc’)
Pronunciation: MAD-uks · ˈmædəks
Meaning: son of Madoc, a Welsh name meaning ‘fortunate’
Popularity: #215 and falling (#195 → #215, 2024)

Malachi

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: MAL-uh-ky · ˈmæləkaɪ
Meaning: my messenger
Popularity: #149 and falling (#146 → #149, 2024)

Micah

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: MY-kah · ˈmaɪkə
Meaning: who is like God?
Popularity: #86 and rising (#87 → #86, 2024)

Milo

Origin: uncertain (Latinate variant of Miles, possibly Germanic or Slavic)
Pronunciation: MY-loh · ˈmaɪloʊ
Meaning: dearly beloved
Popularity: #120 and rising (#121 → #120, 2024)

N

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter N:

Nash

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: NASH · ˈnæʃ
Meaning: dweller by the ash tree
Popularity: #240 and rising (#259 → #240, 2024)

O

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter O:

Oakland

Origin: English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: OHK-lund · ˈoʊklənd
Meaning: oak land (land characterized by oak trees)
Popularity: #1,296, holding steady (2024)

Olson

Origin: Scandinavian
Pronunciation: OHL-sun · ˈoʊlsən
Meaning: son of Olaf
Popularity: #3,307 and rising (#4,079 → #3,307, 2024)

Oslo

Origin: Norwegian (Old Norse)
Pronunciation: OZ-loh · ˈɑːzloʊ
Meaning: most likely ‘meadow of the gods’ (Old Norse áss, ‘god/Æsir’ + ló, ‘meadow’); a less-favored theory reads the first element as ‘hill/ridge’
Popularity: #1,922 and falling (#1,843 → #1,922, 2024)

Otis

Origin: English (patronymic surname, from a Germanic given name)
Pronunciation: OH-tis · ˈoʊtɪs
Meaning: a patronymic meaning ‘son of Ote/Ode’, a name cognate with Otto
Popularity: #730 and falling (#654 → #730, 2024)

P

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter P:

Palmer

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: PAH-mer · ˈpɑːmər
Meaning: a palm-bearer; a pilgrim who had visited the Holy Land, carrying a palm frond as proof
Popularity: #1,076 and falling (#944 → #1,076, 2024)

Paxton

Origin: Old English (surname)
Pronunciation: PAK-stun · ˈpækstən
Meaning: Settlement of a person named Pæcc (Old English) + tūn ‘town’
Popularity: #288 and falling (#257 → #288, 2024)

Penn

Origin: English (surname/place name)
Pronunciation: PEN · ˈpɛn
Meaning: as a surname, either ‘an enclosure’ or, from a Celtic place-name root, ‘hilltop/head’
Popularity: #2,978 and falling (#2,119 → #2,978, 2024)

Perry

Origin: English
Pronunciation: PER-ee · ˈpɛri
Meaning: dweller by the pear tree
Popularity: #1,242 and rising (#1,376 → #1,242, 2024)

Porter

Origin: Old French (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: POR-ter · ˈpɔːrtər
Meaning: one who carries goods, or a doorkeeper/gatekeeper
Popularity: #615 and falling (#501 → #615, 2024)

R

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter R:

Ramsey

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: RAM-zee · ˈræmzi
Meaning: wild garlic island
Popularity: #1,757 and falling (#1,721 → #1,757, 2024)

Remington

Origin: English (place name/surname: Old English ‘rima’ + ‘-ing’ + ‘-tun’)
Pronunciation: REM-ing-tun · ˈrɛmɪŋtən
Meaning: settlement by the border or edge
Popularity: #287 and falling (#283 → #287, 2024)

Rhett

Origin: Dutch (anglicized surname)
Pronunciation: RET · ˈrɛt
Meaning: advice or counsel, from a Dutch surname (de Raedt)
Popularity: #174 and falling (#165 → #174, 2024)

Rhodes

Origin: English/Greek (dual origin)
Pronunciation: ROHDZ · ˈroʊdz
Meaning: as an English surname, ‘one who lived near a woodland clearing’; also the Greek island Rhodes, whose own name origin is uncertain
Popularity: #613 and rising (#707 → #613, 2024)

Roth

Origin: German (surname)
Pronunciation: ROHTH · ˈroʊθ
Meaning: red, red-haired
Popularity: #11,908 as of 2010 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Royal

Origin: English
Pronunciation: ROY-al · ˈrɔɪəl
Meaning: royal, kingly
Popularity: #427 and falling (#401 → #427, 2024)

Rook

Origin: Old English/Germanic
Pronunciation: ROOK · ˈrʊk
Meaning: refers to the rook, a crow-family bird
Popularity: #2,384 and falling (#2,091 → #2,384, 2024)

Rune

Origin: Old Norse
Pronunciation: ROON · ˈruːn
Meaning: secret, mystery
Popularity: #1,925 and rising (#2,288 → #1,925, 2024)

S

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter S:

Scout

Origin: English (word name)
Pronunciation: SKOWT · ˈskaʊt
Meaning: one who explores or reconnoiters; from the English word for a person sent ahead to gather information
Popularity: #1,486 and falling (#1,339 → #1,486, 2024)

Shepherd

Origin: English (occupational)
Pronunciation: SHEP-erd · ˈʃɛpərd
Meaning: one who tends and guards sheep
Popularity: #311 and rising (#404 → #311, 2024)

Silas

Origin: Aramaic (biblical, Hellenized as Greek Σίλας, Latinized as Sīlās)
Pronunciation: SY-lus · ˈsaɪləs
Meaning: wood or forest
Popularity: #81, holding steady (2024)

Sterling

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: STUR-ling · ˈstɜːrlɪŋ
Meaning: originally a surname referring to the starling bird, or a variant of the Scottish surname/place name Stirling
Popularity: #372 and rising (#403 → #372, 2024)

Sullivan

Origin: Irish (surname, Ó Súilleabháin)
Pronunciation: SUL-ih-vun · ˈsʌlɪvən
Meaning: descendant of the ‘dark-eyed one’
Popularity: #339 and rising (#358 → #339, 2024)

Sutton

Origin: English (place name/surname, Old English “sūþ” + “tūn”)
Pronunciation: SUT-en · ˈsʌtən
Meaning: south settlement or southern farmstead
Popularity: #441 and rising (#446 → #441, 2024)

T

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter T:

Tate

Origin: English
Meaning: cheerful
Popularity: #305

Tatum

Origin: English (Old English surname/place name)
Pronunciation: TAY-tum · ˈteɪtəm
Meaning: Tata’s homestead (an Old English personal name of unknown meaning, plus ‘hām’ = homestead)
Popularity: #195 and rising (#233 → #195, 2024)

Tobias

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: toh-BY-us · toʊˈbaɪəs
Meaning: ‘God is good’ (Hebrew Toviyah: ‘good’ + short form of Yahweh)
Popularity: #280 and falling (#279 → #280, 2024)

Tage

Origin: Old Danish
Pronunciation: TAH-geh · teɪɡ
Meaning: a guarantor or pledge-holder (someone who stands surety for another)
Popularity: #4,161 and falling (#3,462 → #4,161, 2024)

Townes

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: TOWNZ · ˈtaʊnz
Meaning: one who lives in or belongs to a town
Popularity: #1,551 and falling (#1,526 → #1,551, 2024)

Trace

Origin: English (short form of Tracy, also from Old French ‘trace’)
Pronunciation: TRAYS · ˈtreɪs
Meaning: a pet form of Tracy; also ‘a track or path’
Popularity: #704 and falling (#677 → #704, 2024)

Tully

Origin: Irish (surname)
Pronunciation: TUH-lee · ˈtʌli
Meaning: surname of Gaelic origin (Ó Taithligh / Ó Maol Tuile), no single fixed translation
Popularity: #10,786 and falling (#5,439 → #10,786, 2024)

W

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter W:

Watson

Origin: English, Scottish
Pronunciation: WAHT-sun · ˈwɑːtsən
Meaning: son of Walter (or ‘son of Water’, the medieval pronunciation)
Popularity: #864 and falling (#805 → #864, 2024)

Wells

Origin: Old English (surname)
Pronunciation: WELZ · ˈwɛlz
Meaning: dweller by the springs or wells
Popularity: #376 and rising (#447 → #376, 2024)

Wescott

Origin: English (surname, likely place name)
Pronunciation: WES-kot · ˈwɛskət
Meaning: west cottage
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Westley

Origin: English
Pronunciation: WEST-lee · ˈwɛstli
Meaning: western clearing or meadow
Popularity: #656 and rising (#679 → #656, 2024)

Weston

Origin: Old English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: WES-tun · ˈwɛstən
Meaning: western settlement or town
Popularity: #70 and rising (#75 → #70, 2024)

Wilder

Origin: English (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: WYL-dur · ˈwaɪldər
Meaning: wild one; also historically ‘a hunter of wild game’
Popularity: #392 and rising (#422 → #392, 2024)

Windsor

Origin: Old English (place name)
Pronunciation: WIN-zer · ˈwɪnzər
Meaning: riverbank or landing place with a winch or reel
Popularity: #5,630 and rising (#8,869 → #5,630, 2024)

Winslow

Origin: Old English (place name)
Pronunciation: WINZ-loh · ˈwɪnzloʊ
Meaning: Wine’s hill or burial mound, where Wine is an Old English personal name meaning ‘friend’
Popularity: #2,776 and rising (#3,336 → #2,776, 2024)

Woodrow

Origin: Old English (surname)
Pronunciation: WUD-roh · ˈwʊd.ɹoʊ
Meaning: for one who lived by a row of houses near a wood
Popularity: #1,694 and rising (#1,894 → #1,694, 2024)

Wrigley

Origin: English (place name/surname)
Pronunciation: RIG-lee · ˈɹɪɡ.li
Meaning: clearing by the river bend
Popularity: #2,987 and rising (#3,554 → #2,987, 2024)

Wright

Origin: English/Scottish (occupational surname)
Pronunciation: RYTE · ɹaɪt
Meaning: a maker or craftsman, from the archaic word for a builder of any kind
Popularity: #4,301 and rising (#4,333 → #4,301, 2024)

Y

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter Y:

Yates

Origin: English (surname)
Pronunciation: YAYTS · jeɪts
Meaning: one who lived by a gate
Popularity: #5,866 and rising (#8,887 → #5,866, 2024)

York

Origin: Celtic/Brythonic place name (via Old English and Old Norse)
Pronunciation: YORK · ˈjɔːrk
Meaning: possibly ‘yew-tree settlement,’ reshaped by folk etymology into Old English ‘boar settlement’ and Old Norse ‘horse bay’
Popularity: #9,828 and falling (#8,229 → #9,828, 2024)

Z

Uncommon baby boy names that start with the letter Z:

Zayn

Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: ZAYN · ˈzeɪn
Meaning: beauty, gracefulness
Popularity: #249 and falling (#246 → #249, 2024)

Zephyr

Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: ZEF-er · ˈzɛfər
Meaning: the west wind
Popularity: #1,133 and falling (#1,121 → #1,133, 2024)

Zeppelin

Origin: German (surname/place-name origin: from the town Zepelin, via Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin)
Pronunciation: ZEP-uh-lin · ˈzɛp.ə.lɪn
Meaning: airship (as a word name, referencing the rigid airships named after Count von Zeppelin)
Popularity: #1,400 and falling (#1,384 → #1,400, 2024)

Zayden

Origin: American (modern coinage)
Pronunciation: ZAY-dun · ˈzeɪdən
Meaning: growth; to increase
Popularity: #202 and falling (#191 → #202, 2024)

Zev

Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: ZEV · ˈzɛv
Meaning: wolf
Popularity: #908 and falling (#877 → #908, 2024)

Zeke

Origin: Hebrew (short form of Ezekiel)
Pronunciation: ZEEK · ˈziːk
Meaning: God strengthens
Popularity: #732 and falling (#642 → #732, 2024)

Zade

Origin: English (modern coinage)
Pronunciation: ZAYD · zeɪd
Popularity: #1,414 and rising (#1,984 → #1,414, 2024)