Top 100 popular boy names

Every name below is ranked from the 2025 U.S. Social Security Administration release, the most recent complete year of American birth data. The top 25 come first with the fullest notes; ranks 26 to 100 follow in the same format, not as a bare index. Every name links to its own entry.

The top 25, in detail

Rank, pronunciation, origin, and what the name actually means.

#1LiamLEE-umIrish
Resolute protector, from a short form of Uilliam. Number one in the U.S. every year since 2017.
#2NoahNOH-əHebrew
Rest, comfort. The ark-builder; the #1 boy name 2013–2016.
#3OliverOL-i-vərLatin
Olive tree — peace. A transatlantic top-five name.
#4TheodoreTHEE-ə-dorGreek
Gift of God. Nicknames Theo and Teddy carry it.
#5HenryHEN-reeGerman
Ruler of the home. Eight English kings deep.
#6JamesJAYMZHebrew
Supplanter. Never out of the U.S. top 20 since records began.
#7Elijahih-LY-jəHebrew
My God is Yahweh. The fiery prophet; nickname Eli.
#8Mateomah-TEH-ohSpanish
Gift of God. The Spanish Matthew, and the highest-placed import on the list.
#9WilliamWIL-yəmGerman
Resolute protector. The formal name behind Liam.
#10LucasLOO-kəsGreek
Man from Lucania. Long associated with light, though that is attraction rather than derivation.
#11BenjaminBEN-jə-minHebrew
Son of the right hand — the side of favour and strength.
#12LeviLEE-vyHebrew
Joined, attached. Jacob's third son.
#13Eliasuh-LY-əsHebrew
My God is Yahweh — the Greek form of Elijah, and the spelling most of Europe uses.
#14LucaLOO-kahItalian
The Italian form of Lucas: a man from Lucania.
#15JackJAKEnglish
God is gracious. A medieval pet form of John, long independent.
#16Sebastiansə-BAS-chənLatin
Venerable, from the Greek title sebastos by way of the town of Sebaste.
#17HudsonHUD-sənEnglish
Son of Hudde, a medieval pet form of Hugh. A river-and-surname name.
#18SamuelSAM-yoo-əlHebrew
God has heard. The prophet who anointed kings.
#19LeoLEE-ohLatin
Lion — no compound, no elements to unpick. The name is the animal.
#20EzraEZ-rəHebrew
Help, helper. The scribe who rebuilt Jerusalem.
#21MichaelMY-kəlHebrew
Who is like God? The archangel; the #1 U.S. boy name for most of 1954–1998.
#22DanielDAN-yəlHebrew
God is my judge. The lions'-den prophet.
#23JohnJONHebrew
Yahweh is gracious. The most-borne name in Western history, and still inside the top 25.
#24EthanEE-thənHebrew
Firm, enduring. The Hebrew adjective describes water that runs through the dry season.
#25JulianJOO-lee-ənLatin
Belonging to Julius. A Roman clan name that reads gentle in English.

Ranks 26–100

The same detail as above, in exact rank order. Filter this second list on its own.

#26Santiagosan-tee-AH-gohSpanish
Saint James, run together from Sant Iago. The pilgrimage city in Galicia carries it too.
#27CooperKOO-pərEnglish
Barrel maker. An occupational surname that took to the front of the name.
#28AsherASH-erHebrew
Happy, fortunate. Jacob's eighth son.
#29JosephJOH-səfHebrew
He will add. Patriarch and carpenter both.
#30Alexanderal-ex-AN-derGreek
Defender of men, from alexein (to ward off) + andros (man).
#31OwenOH-ənWelsh
Traditionally glossed well-born. The anglicised Owain.
#32MatthewMATH-yooHebrew
Gift of Yahweh. The apostle and evangelist.
#33LukeLOOKGreek
Man from Lucania; the familiar gloss 'light' is a folk etymology.
#34ThomasTOM-əsAramaic
Twin. Apostle, Aquinas, Edison.
#35DavidDAY-vidHebrew
Traditionally glossed beloved. The shepherd-king of Israel.
#36JacksonJAK-sənEnglish
Son of Jack — so, at root, God is gracious.
#37GabrielGAY-bree-əlHebrew
God is my strength. The messenger archangel.
#38WyattWY-ətEnglish
From Old English wig (war) + heard (hardy). The lawman Wyatt Earp did the rest.
#39MasonMAY-sənEnglish
One who builds and cuts in stone.
#40BennettBEN-itEnglish
Blessed — the medieval spoken form of Latin Benedictus.
#41DylanDIL-ənWelsh
Sea, great tide. A child of the sea in medieval Welsh legend.
#42RomanROH-mənLatin
Of Rome. An adjective long before it was a name.
#43JacobJAY-kəbHebrew
He grasps the heel, hence supplanter. The #1 U.S. boy name 1999–2012.
#44MilesMYLZEnglish
From the Norman Milo; the soldier gloss came later, from Latin miles.
#45CarterKAR-tərEnglish
One who drives a cart. A trade name with a clean two-beat rhythm.
#46AnthonyAN-thə-neeLatin
From the Roman clan name Antonius, which is older than any Latin word that would explain it.
#47IsaacEYE-zikHebrew
He laughs — Sarah's laughter in Genesis.
#48CharlesCHARLZGermanic
Free man. Charlemagne to Darwin.
#49MaverickMAV-rikEnglish
Independent-minded, after a Texas rancher who left his calves unbranded.
#50Thiagotee-AH-goPortuguese
The Brazilian form of Tiago, broken off from Santiago.
#51GraysonGRAY-sənEnglish
Son of the grieve — the man who ran a medieval estate.
#52WesleyWESS-leeEnglish
West meadow. Carried worldwide by the founder of Methodism.
#53LoganLOH-gənScottish
Little hollow, from Gaelic lag.
#54Josiahjoh-SY-əHebrew
The Lord supports. A reforming king of Judah.
#55WestonWESS-tənEnglish
West farmstead — one of the commonest place names in England.
#56WaylonWAY-lənEnglish
A respelling of Wayland, the legendary Old English smith. Waylon Jennings made it country.
#57Isaiaheye-ZAY-əHebrew
Yahweh is salvation. The prophet of Jerusalem.
#58CalebKAY-lebHebrew
Read either as wholehearted or from kelev, dog, in the sense of devoted.
#59RowanROH-ənIrish
Little red one; separately, the rowan tree. Two roots, one spelling.
#60BeauBOHFrench
Handsome. Says it outright.
#61Ezekielih-ZEE-kee-əlHebrew
God strengthens. The exile prophet; nickname Zeke.
#62AidenAY-denIrish
Little fire, from Aodhán. The spelling that launched a generation of rhymes.
#63NathanNAY-thənHebrew
He gave. The prophet who faced down King David.
#64BrooksBROOKSEnglish
Of the brook. One syllable, well tailored.
#65NolanNOH-lənIrish
Descendant of Nuallán, traditionally glossed champion. A surname that outgrew its surname.
#66JoshuaJOSH-oo-əHebrew
Yahweh is salvation — the same name that gives Jesus through Greek.
#67AngelAHN-helSpanish
Messenger. A top-100 fixture carried largely by Spanish-speaking families.
#68ChristopherKRIS-tə-fərGreek
Christ-bearer. Yields Kit as readily as Chris.
#69LincolnLINK-ənEnglish
Settlement by the pool — the English city first, the president second.
#70JaydenJAY-denModern
A modern American coinage; built from sound rather than descent.
#71SilasSY-ləsBiblical
Paul's travelling companion. Either of the woods, from Silvanus, or a Greek spelling of Saul.
#72EnzoEN-zohItalian
Disputed: either the Germanic Heinz or a short form of Italian names ending in -enzo.
#73AndrewAN-drooGreek
Manly, brave, from andreios. One of the twelve apostles.
#74AdrianAY-dree-ənLatin
From Hadria. The emperor of that name built the wall across Britain.
#75AtlasAT-ləsGreek
The Titan who holds up the sky. Ancient writers linked it to enduring; modern ones call it pre-Greek.
#76CameronKAM-ər-ənScottish
Crooked nose, from Gaelic cam + sròn. A Highland clan name.
#77EverettEV-ər-itEnglish
Brave as a wild boar — the English form of Germanic Eberhard.
#78WalkerWAW-kərEnglish
A fuller of cloth, from the medieval wool trade.
#79AxelAK-səlScandinavian
My father is peace. A Danish contraction of Absalom.
#80AaronAIR-ənHebrew
Traditionally glossed exalted. Moses' elder brother and the first high priest.
#81AugustAW-gəstLatin
Venerable, from the imperial title Augustus. A month name with a Roman spine.
#82TheoTHEE-ohGreek
Gift of God. Short for Theodore, and now perfectly happy alone.
#83IanEE-ənScottish
Yahweh is gracious — the Scottish John, anglicised from Iain.
#84AdrielAY-dree-elHebrew
Flock of God. A minor biblical name revived in the last two decades.
#85LukaLOO-kahSlavic
The Croatian, Serbian and Georgian form of Lucas.
#86Gaelgah-ELBreton
From Breton gwenn (fair) + hael (generous); separately, the Irish word for a Gael.
#87ArthurAR-thərBrittonic
Traditionally glossed bear. Camelot's king, and a top-ten name in England again.
#88Jeremiahjer-ə-MY-əHebrew
Yahweh will exalt. The prophet of the Babylonian exile.
#89JonathanJON-ə-thənHebrew
Yahweh has given. King Saul's eldest son and David's friend.
#90MicahMY-kəHebrew
Who is like Yahweh? A contracted cousin of Michael.
#91Leonardolay-oh-NAR-dohItalian
Brave as a lion. Da Vinci's given name.
#92RobertROB-ərtGermanic
Bright fame. Bruce, Frost, De Niro.
#93KaiKYMultiple
Sea in Hawaiian; also at home in Japanese, Frisian and Danish, from unrelated roots.
#94Emilianoeh-mee-lee-AH-noSpanish
Of the Aemilii, a Roman clan. Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata gives it weight in Mexico.
#95Joseho-SEHSpanish
He will add — the Spanish and Portuguese Joseph.
#96ChristianKRIS-chənLatin
Follower of Christ. Ten Danish kings have borne it.
#97EithanEE-thənHebrew
Firm, enduring — a spelling of Ethan that keeps the vowel of the Hebrew Eitan.
#98ArcherAR-chərEnglish
Bowman. An occupational surname with a longbow behind it.
#99RyanRY-ənIrish
Traditionally glossed little king, from the surname Ó Riain.
#100MylesMYLZIrish
A spelling of Miles, long used in Ireland to stand in for Maolmhuire.

Reading the trends

Three currents shape the 2025 list. The first is scripture: close to a third of the top 100 is Hebrew in origin, and the momentum sits with the second-rank biblical names rather than the obvious ones. Ezra at #20 and Asher at #28 both outrank Matthew at #32 and Joshua at #66.

The second is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian crossover, which holds at least eight places in the hundred — Mateo (#8), Luca (#14), Santiago (#26), Thiago (#50), Enzo (#72), Leonardo (#91), Emiliano (#94) and Jose (#95) — and the vowel ending they share is now as American as it is imported.

The third is the surname-and-place name, still supplying a steady share of the list: Hudson (#17), Cooper (#27), Jackson (#36), Bennett (#40), Carter (#45), Brooks (#64), Walker (#78) and Archer (#98) among them. Alongside those, short forms now travel alone: Jack at #15, Leo at #19 and Theo at #82 all chart without needing the long names behind them, and Theodore sits at #4 in its own right.

The top of the list is where the movement is not. Liam has been #1 every year since 2017. The bottom half is where the list gets interesting: mythology (Atlas, #75), surname coinages (Walker, #78; Archer, #98) and modern respellings (Jayden, #70; Eithan, #97) all sit below #60.

If you want something that feels current but sits outside the rush, try the unique list, the classic list, or any single name's page for its own story.