How Do I Start?
Naming a baby is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a headache! Many of us go by gut feelings; but if you are looking for a systematic way, here are 5 ideas that help you get started.
Note: our sister page on How to Pick My Baby Girl's Name can be found here.
Note: our sister page on How to Pick My Baby Girl's Name can be found here.
#1. Based on Popularity
It is probably easier to start the brainstorming with the top 100 list: Afterall, these are the favorite names of many parents!Here are the top 20 most popular names for baby boys, born in US in 2007:
- Jacob (Hebrew) - One who follows on another's heels; supplanter
- Michael (Hebrew) - Who resembles God
- Ethan (Hebrew) - Firmness, steadfastness, constancy
- Joshua (Hebrew) - Jehovah is salvation
- Daniel (Hebrew) - God is my judge
- Christopher (Greek) - Bearer of Christ
- Anthony (Latin) - Priceless
- William (German) - Resolute protector
- Matthew (Hebrew) - Gift of the Lord
- Andrew (Greek) - Man, warrior
- Alexander (Greek) - Man's defender; warrior
- David (Hebrew) - Beloved
- Joseph (Hebrew) - Jehovah increases
- Noah (Hebrew) - Peaceful, comforter
- James (Hebrew) - One who follows on another's heels; supplanter
- Ryan (Gaelic) - The King
- Logan (Gaelic) - Hollow
- Jayden Biblical name version: Jadon
- John (Hebrew) - God is gracious
- Nicholas (Greek) - Victorious people. Biblical name version: Nicolas
More? Click here for a list of top 200 boys' names with origin and meanings. For an equivalent list for UK, please click here.
Source: Social Security Administration website (2007 data)
#2. Based on Meaning
Ideas are endless, but you can start thinking along these lines:- Christian / Biblical meanings: lots of choices for boys in this category: Michael (who resembles God), John (God is gracious), Gabriel (hero of God)
- Revered qualities: Ethan (firm, steadfast), Noah (peaceful; comforter), Caleb (devoted), Justin (just, righteous), Aaron (mountain of strength), Julian (youthful), Wyatt (brave in war)
- Aspiration: Alex / Alexander (man; warrior), Ryan (the king), Dylan (legendary Welsh hero), Anthony / Antonio (priceless), Owen (well-born), Eric / Erik (ruler)
- Legacy: Jackson (Son of Jack), Jefferson (Son of Jeffrey), Mackenzie (Son of wise man)
- Unisex names: Alexis, Jordan, Riley
For specific meanings, there is a good search function in Baby Center and most other links listed below. Have fun!
#3. Based on Origin
Do you fancy a French or Greek name, or do you want to have a Celtic, Spanish, or Hindi names based on your ancestry? You may find the following useful:
Fun Fact! Among the top 100 baby boy names:
- Hebrew: Jacob, Daniel, Matthew >more
- Greek: Christopher, Andrew, Nicholas >more
- English: Tyler, Brandon, Mason >more
- Gaelic/Celtic: Ryan, Logan, Aiden >more
- Spanish: Diego, Juan, Luis >more
- Latin: William, Robert, Charles >more
- Latin: Anthony, Adrian, Dominic >more
Fun Fact! Among the top 100 baby boy names:
- 31 are Hebrew
- 15 are Greek
- 15 are English
- 15 are Celtic/Gaelic/Irish
- 7 are Spanish
- 6 are Welsh
- 5 are German
- 4 are Latin
- 2 from others
Some Personalized Baby Gift Ideas...
Need a thoughtful present for your little son or a personalized baby shower gift?
The following are readily available for boys with the top 200 names. Customized requests are welcome: please click here for details.
The following are readily available for boys with the top 200 names. Customized requests are welcome: please click here for details.
Elijah Infant/Toddler T-Shirt
A fun christmas gift idea for your baby's first christmas! Dress up your chubby little snowman with our onesies & shirts.
Price: 14.99 
Santiago Infant Bodysuit
Adorable baby in teddy bear costume! Our baby bear products are readily available for boys with the top 200 most popular baby names.
Price: 15.99
Caleb Framed Tile
Baby gift personalized! Cute cartoon dinosaur with your baby's name. Best personalized baby shower gift on the shelf.
Price: 14.49
Did you know...
Among the top 200 baby names for boys, 34 starts with "J".
#4. Based on How the Name Sounds
This is obviously very subjective, but I would like to share with you some interesting findings:- We Love "J"s!. Among the top 200 baby boy names in the US, 34 starts with "J". Possible reason: many Biblical / Hebrew names begin with "J", and traditionally these names are the most popular.
- A to E are hits: Similar to girls, we tend to like names starting with A. For boys there are 19 among the top 200 names. "C" has 21 names, "B", "D" and "E" have 10,12,13 names respectively.
- M is also popular. Also similar to girls, names begin with "M" are also popular for boys: there are 13 of them. I wonder why... maybe it is easier to sound, as in, "mama" is usually the first word a baby can pronounce in almost all cultures.
Syllables
Names with 2 syllables are the favorites. Among the top 100 names:
- 66 have 2 syllables
- 19 have 3 syllables
- 11 have 1 syllable
- 4 have 4 syllables
#5. Based on Celebrity and Namesakes
Many girl's names have been popularized by actresses, celebrity babies and characters in movies. It is less common for boys, but names such as "Maddox" are much more commonly used in recent years.It seems like parents tend to pick boy's names based on accomplished persons in histry rather than celebrities. Example:
Daniel
- Nobel prize winners: Daniel Bovet (Medicine, 1957); Daniel L. McFadden (Economics, 2000); Daniel Kahneman (Economics, 2002)
- Oscar winner: Daniel Day-Lewis (Actor, 1989)
- Sports star: Daniel Passarella (Soccor)
- Writer: Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)
Need more ideas?
Behindthenames.com has a useful database for namesake searches. Enjoy!
Online Baby Name Database: My Pick
There are lots of databases out there, each with pros and cons. Here is my own opinion on each of them. Feel free to share what you think as well!
- Behindthename
- A user-friendly database with interesting tools such as Name Day and Namesake searches.
- Thinkbabynames
- A database that gives a lot of statistics, with some of the names' ranking going back to 100 years. The interlinks are also useful for looking up alternative spellings and feminine/masculine varations. However, information relatively not up-to-date, e.g. the name "Nevaeh" is not included.
- Babycenter's Baby Namer
- Another database that is useful if you are looking for meanings and alternative spelling. In general Babycenter is an excellent website.
- Babynamesworld
- Fewer functions, but the meaning and origin is laid out nicely without a lot of clickthroughs.
- Babynameguide
- A general baby name information center. Great for research but I find it slightly overwhelming.
- Babynames
- I believe this is the first online database for baby names (since 1996!). It used to have a clean simple layout but now with additional functions I find it inconvenient to navigate.
Related Articles
-
Is Yours a Biblical Name? Find Out Here.
-
Picking a name for your baby is a fun but sometimes overwhelming task, especially if you want to find a name that conveys a meaning that is important to you. If you are looking for biblical names, the following list may give you a quick start. Plea...
-
How to Pick My Baby Girl's Name?
-
Naming a baby is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a headache! Many of us go by gut feelings; but if you are looking for a systematic way, here are 5 ideas to help you get started. Note: our "brother" page on How to Pick My Baby Boy's Name...
-
Snowman, Who are You?
-
Mr. Snowman has been one of the fondest childhood memories for many of us. Do you want to know more about him: Who made the first snowman? How heavy is a typical snowman? What is he really made of? And lots more!
I Would Love to Hear from You
Any stories, frustrations, ideas, comments... are most welcome.
submit
