Irish#1 in the U.S.
Meaning: resolute protector; strong-willed warrior. Short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William. Read the full entry →
The boy name dictionary
Find a name he'll wear for life.
Every name on BoyNames.net is a proper dictionary entry: pronunciation, origin, meaning, popularity, and the middle names it pairs with. Browse by letter, origin, meaning, or style — no filler, just names.
Browse boy names A–Z
Jump straight to a letter. Each letter page lists popular, classic, and unique picks with meanings.
Browse by origin
Names travel. Explore boy names by language and heritage — each page covers meaning, pronunciation, and how the names are used today.
- Irish
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Browse by meaning
Start from what you want the name to say — strength, light, peace — and work backwards to the name.
- Strong
- Brave
- Light
- Love
- King
- Warrior
- Wise
- Protector
- Fire
- Water
- Ocean
- Sun
- Moon
- Star
- Sky
- Storm
- Thunder
- Wolf
Curated lists
Top 100 popular
The current U.S. top 100, ranked from Social Security data, with meaning and origin for every name.
Unique boy names
Distinctive names that are real, wearable, and still rare — nothing invented, nothing unpronounceable.
Classic boy names
Names that have held the top ranks for a century or more: James, William, Henry, and company.
One-syllable names
Short, strong picks — perfect as first names with long surnames, or as middle names.
Middle names
How to choose a middle name, plus 150 combinations that flow with today's top first names.
Biblical names
From Aaron to Zechariah — the names of scripture and what each one meant in Hebrew.
How to choose a boy's name
A good test: say the full name out loud, write the initials, and imagine it on a résumé, a jersey, and a birthday cake. If it works in all four places, it works.
- Sound: first and last names flow best when they don't rhyme and don't share an ending sound (Aiden Hayden is hard work).
- Meaning: most parents care once they know. Check the entry — meanings like "strong" or "light" are common tie-breakers.
- Popularity: a top-10 name means classmates with the same one; a rare name means a lifetime of spelling it out. Both are fine — just choose knowingly. Our popularity list shows where each name sits.
- Nicknames: assume every possible nickname will be used, and make sure you can live with all of them.