235 One-Syllable Boy Names That Make an Impact

Michele Meleen, M.S.Ed.

Michele is a writer who has been published both locally and internationally.

Updated March 3, 2022

One-syllable boy names are fairly common because they sound strong and firm. Short names like these pack a big punch and often feature hard sounds. You can choose boy names with one syllable as first names, middle names, or in combinations to create unique new names for boys.

Modern Boy Names With One Syllable

Some trendy and popular boy names are short and sound cool. These modern names were once unheard of, but they are becoming more common.

Ace - (English) - highest rank
Brooks - (English) - lives near brook
Cash - (French) - case
Cayde/Cade - (English) - round
Cole - (English) - charcoal
Cruz - (Spanish) - cross
Guy - (Germanic) - wood
Jace - (Greek) - to heal
Miles - (Latin) - soldier
Rhett - (Dutch) - advice
Tripp - (English) - journey
Ward - (English) - guard

One-Syllable All-American Boy Names

If you watch TV shows and movies, you'll see there are some all-American boy names that get used over and over again. These names are derived from various origins, but they are highly recognizable and feel distinctly American.

Al - (Germanic) - bright noble
Brad - (English) - broad clearing
Brent - (Celtic) - hill
Brice/Bryce - (Gaulish) - speckled
Bruce - (Scottish) - from Brix, France
Cal - (French) - bald
Clark - (English) - priest
Dale - (English) - lives near valley
Garth - (Norse) - garden
Hank - (Germanic) - home-ruler
Jake - (Latin) - supplanter
Josh - (Hebrew) - Yahweh is salvation
Kirk - (Scottish) - the church
Shane - (Hebrew) - Yahweh is gracious
Stan - (English) - stone clearing
Trey - (English) - three
Troy - (English) - from Troyes, France
Vince - (Latin) - to conquer
Zack/Zach - (Hebrew) - Yahweh remembers

Rare One-Syllable Boys Names

If you want a truly unique name for your little boy, you'll have to dig deep to find a rare gem. Rare names are great because they help your little guy stand out from the crowd.

Alp - (Turkish) - hero
Arn - (Germanic) - eagle
Baer - (Germanic) bright
Biff - (English) - strike
Boyce - (English) - wood
Brant - (Norse) - sword
Ceel - (Dutch) - male
Cree - (French) - Native American tribe
Duff - (Gaelic) - dark
Dutch - (German) - German
Fulk - (Germanic) - people
Hale - (English) - retreat
Kemp - (English) - champion
Leith - (English) - damp
Pace - (English) - peace
Price/Pryce - (Welsh) - son of Rhys
Red/Redd - (English) - read
Shaw - (English) - thicket
Sixte - (French) - polished
Teague - (Irish) - poet
Thane - (English) - servant
Vance - (English) - marsh
Zed - (Greek) - justice

One-Syllable Middle Names for Boys

Need a slamming middle name that's not too long? You can check out a few one-syllable boy middle names that fit well with any first name you choose.

Ash - (Hebrew) - happy
Blaine - (Scottish) - yellow
Chase - (English) - to hunt
Gage - (French) - pledge
Grant - (English) - large
Hugh - (English) - heart
Park - (Chinese) - Cypress tree
Pax - (Latin) - peace
Sam - (Hebrew) - told by God
Taj - (Persian) - crown

Unique One-Syllable Boy Names

When it comes to unique single syllable boy names, you can find them in some very uncommon places. From the names of countries to video games, lots of short boy names are available. Explore this alphabetical list of boy names, where they come from, and their meaning.

Ali - (name of Boxing legend Mohammed) - sublime
Berne - (name of Swiss capital) - strong as a bear
Blake - (name of NBA player Griffin) - black
Brett/Bret - (name of NFL quarterback Favre) - a breton
Brock - (name of Professional Wrestler Lesner) - badger
Cam - (name of NFL quarterback Newton) - crooked
Chad - (name of African country) - protector defender
Duke - (comes from Duke Nukem video game) - leader
Dwayne/Duane - (name of NBA player Wade) - dark
Faust - (comes from Guilty Gear video game) - lucky
Fez - (name of Moroccan city) - accomplished
Flint - (name of U.S. city) - someone who lived near an outcrop of flint
Floyd - (name of Professional boxer Mayweather) - gray
Jax - (comes from Mortal Combat video game) - son of Jack
Kent - (name of English county) - high or coastal land
Kurt - (name of NFL quarterback Warner) - brave counsel
Ky - (comes from Guilty Gear video game) - pure
Lance - (name of Professional cyclist Armstrong) - land
Laos - (name of Asian country) - spring bird
Link - (comes from The Legend of Zelda video game) - lake colony
Marth - (comes from Fire Emblem video game) - meaning unknown
Minsc - (comes from Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter video game) - meaning unknown
Pau - (name of NBA player Gasol) - humble
Phelps - (name of Olympic swimmer Michael) - son of Philip
Prime - (comes from Transformers video game) - first, original
Shao - (comes from Mortal Combat video game) - Chinese place name
Shaq - (name of NBA player O'Neil) - handsome
Squall - (comes from Final Fantasy VIII video game) - brief, violent storm
Van - (name of Turkish city) - of
Vince - (name of NBA player Carter) - to conquer
York - (name of U.K. city) - town of wild boar

Cool Boys' Names With One Syllable

Cool baby boy names simply sound awesome every time you say them. These cool dudes will always enter a room with an extraordinary vibe about them.

Burke - (English) - fortress
Chance - (Latin) - falling
Chip - (English) - similar to father
Dane - (English) - from Denmark
Dax - (English) - from Dax, France
Drake - (Norse) - dragon
Giles - (Greek) - young goat
Rafe - (Norse) - counsel wolf
Reed/Reid - (English) - red haired
Rex - (Latin) - king
Sid - (English) - wide island
Spike - (English) - with spiky hair
Stone - (English) - small rock
Tate - (English) - cheerful
Wade - (English) - to go

Celebrity Baby Boy Names With One Syllable

Celebrity baby boy names are creative and cool. Celebrity parents know their son will be getting lots of attention, so they put a lot of consideration into trend-setting baby names. Learn a few celebrity names, famous parents, and their meanings.

Bear - (Liam Payne & Cheryl Cole) - strong, brave
Beau/Bo - (Nev Schulman & Laura Perlongo) - beautiful
Crew(e) - (Chip & Joanna Gaines) - group working together
Ford - (Armie Hammer & Elizabeth Chambers) - shallow water
Gene - (Amy Schumer & Chris Fischer) - well-born, noble
Grey/Gray - (Molly Sims & Scott Stuber) - color name
Hal - (Benedict & Sophie Cumberbatch) - home ruler
Hart - (Meghan King Edmonds & Jim Edmonds) - strong
Hayes - (Whitney Bischoff & Ricky Angel) - fence
Mack/Mac - (Allison Langdon & Michael Willesee, Jr.) - son, man
Ode - (Jena Malone & Ethan De Lorenzo) - fortune
Pierce - (Zachery & Carly Bryan) - stone
Psalm - (Kim Kardashian West & Kanye West) - sacred song
Rise - (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood & Elan Ruspoli) - go higher
Rhys/Reese - (Michelle Branch & Patrick Carney) - enthusiasm
Shams - (Mercedes "MJ" Javid & Tommy Feight) - sun
Slate - (Landon Donovan & Hannah Bartell) - hard, smooth rock
Sir - (Beyonce & Jay-Z) - respected man
Zane - (Rebecca Robertson Loflin & John Reed Loflin) - God is gracious

Biblical & God Names With One Syllable for Boys

Some of the most powerful gods in the world had names with one syllable. There are also a few noteworthy biblical names with one syllable. These strong baby boy names can indicate the strength your son already has, or the strength you hope he'll find in life. View of a list of boy names, the meaning, and the mythology they come from.

Áed - (Irish Mythology) - fire
An - (Supreme Sumerian god of heaven) - heaven
Ask - (First man created by Norse gods) - ash tree
Bor - (Norse god Odin's father) - son, born
Bran - (Son of Welsh god Llyr) - raven
Cain - (found in Bible) - possessed
Chi - (Igbo personal god) - god
Dan - (found in Bible) - he who judges
Dwyn - (Celtic god of love) - wave
Freyr - (Norse god of fertility) - lord
Ing - (Germanic fertility god) - ancestor
Jair - (found in Bible) - my light
James - (found in Bible) - cheater
Job - (found in Bible) - he who cries
Joel - (found in Bible) - he who commands
John - (found in Bible) - mercy of the Lord
Jove - (Alternate name for Roman god Jupiter) - sky father
Jude - (found in Bible) - praise of the Lord
Llyr - (Welsh god of the sea) - the sea
Luke - (found in Bible) - luminous
Mark - (found in Bible) - polite, shining
Mars - (Roman god of war) - male
Mot - (Ugaritic god of death) - death
Njord - (Norse god of the sea) - strong
Paul - (found in Bible) - small
Ra - (Egyptian sun god) - sun
Saul - (found in Bible) - demanded
Seth - (found in Bible) - appointed
Shem - (found in Bible) - renown
Tane - (Maori god of forests) - man
Thor - (Norse god of strength & storms) - thunder
Thoth - (Egyptian god of moon, science, magic) - God of moon
Zeus - (Chief Greek god) - shine, sky

One-Syllable Cowboy Names for Boys

Let the strong and loyal men of the real and fictional Wild West inspire your little cowboy's name. From historical sheriffs and robbers to television gunfighters, these unique names won't be showing up in every daycare center and classroom. In this fun boy name list, you'll find the cowboy name, famous cowboy, and meaning.

Bart - (Black Bart, robber) - son of Talmai
Bat - (Bat Masterson, TV lawman) - son of Talmai
Bill - (Buffalo Bill, show founder) - desire
Butch - (Butch Cassidy, robber) - masculine
Clay - (Clay Allison, gunfighter) - works with clay
Clint - (Clint Eastwood, Western actor) - River Glyme settlement
Colt - (Gun manufacturer) - young male horse
Doc - (Doc Holliday, gunfighter) - doctor
Earl - (Earl Bascom, rodeo) - nobleman
Heath - (Heath Barkley, TV cowboy) - lives on heath
Hos - (Hoss Cartwright, TV cowboy) - large, respected man
Kid - (Kid Curry, outlaw) - young goat
Roy - (Roy Rogers, TV cowboy) - red
Sharps - (Gun manufacturer) - pointed ends
Vint - (Vint Bonner, TV gunman) - finch

Old-Fashioned Names for Boys With One Syllable

Popular names for baby boys change with the times. Look to the past for old-fashioned boy names that haven't made a big comeback in a while.

Bert - (Germanic) - bright
Carl/Karl - (Germanic) - man
Charles - (Germanic) - man
Clark - (English) - priest
Dave/Dav - (Hebrew) - beloved
Des - (Irish) - place name
Doug - (Scottish) - dark river
Finn - (Irish) - fair
Flynn - (Irish) - descendant of Flann
Graham - (English) - gravelly homestead
Herb - (Germanic) - bright army
Ken - (Gaelic) - handsome
Kyle - (Scottish) - narrows
Lee - (English) - clearing
Lloyd - (Welsh) - gray-haired, sacred
Lyle - (French) - island
Steve - (Greek ) - crown
Todd - (English) - fox
Walt - (Germanic) - army ruler

One-Syllable Multicultural Names for Boys

Give your little guy multicultural flair with a name inspired by common names in the countries of your ancestors. Depending on where you live, these names could be completely unique.

Bao - (Chinese) - honor
Blaise - (French) - lisping
Chang - (Chinese) - prosper
Claus/Klaus - (Greek) - victory of the people
Dolph - (Germanic) - noble wolf
Ernst - (Germanic) - serious
Frans - (Latin) - Frenchman
Hans - (Hebrew) - Yahweh is gracious
Jie - (Chinese) - heroic
Juan - (Spanish from Hebrew) - Yahweh is gracious
Lars - (Roman) - Italian place name
Leif - (Norse) - heir
Nur/Noor - (Arabic) - light
Quim - (Portuguese from Hebrew) - Yahweh establishes

Prominent Titles to Use As Boys' Names

Religious, noble, and political titles aren't commonly used today, so they make great power names for your baby boy. With a name like one of these, or a royal baby boy name, your little guy is sure to become a leader.

Chief - highest authority, tribe leader
Count - title of nobility
Dean - chief of ten, head of a school
Earl - nobleman, aristocratic title
King - head of kin, male monarch
Lord - loaf keeper, head of feudal state
Prince - first head, son of the monarch
Reeve - local official, a chief officer under king
Saint - holy, person who lived a holy life
Sarge - from sergeant, rank in military or police
Tsar - emperor, autocrat

One-Syllable Nicknames Used As Boy Names

Shortening common or old-fashioned boy names is one way to get an uncommon name for your son. Look at your favorite multi-syllable names and think about what nickname you'd use for it to get a new option based on your favorite longer names.

Ben - (Hebrew) - son of the south, short for Benjamin
Bob - (Germanic) - bright fame, short for Robert
Chet - (Latin) - fortress, short for Chester
Cliff - (English) - ford near cliff, short for Clifford
Dom - (Latin) - of the Lord, short for Dominic
Jeff/Geoff - (Germanic) - foreign peace, short for Jeffrey
Joe/Jo - (Hebrew) - he will add, short for Joseph
Ike - (Hebrew) - he will laugh, short for Isaac
Max - (Latin) - greatest, short for Maximus
Mike - (Hebrew) - who is like God, short for Michael
Rob - (Germanic) - bright fame, short for Robert
Rod - (Germanic) - famous power, short for Roderick
Rodge - (Germanic) - famous spear, short for Rodger
Thad - (Greek) - heart, short for Thaddeus
Vern - (Gaulish) - alder, short for Vernon

Short Names With Great Meaning

Short, one-syllable boy names can have just as much, if not more, meaning and impact as longer names. When you choose a great short name from the start, your little guy is more likely to be called by his name all the time. Choosing the right name for your boy includes considering sound, spelling, and the baby name meaning.