Cool boy names have one thing in common: They tend to be part of a pack of other cool boy names. Like actual cool boys, cool boy names tend to hang out in a gang with other boys’ names that have a similar look and feel.
If you’re a parent in search of unique names, this is good news. If you’re not crazy about one of these boys’ names, you might find another choice in the same style that fits better.
Here are 25 of the coolest names for boys, and the brother names in the same group that carry the same kind of cool.
Cool boy name Auden has the stylish A beginning and the trendy two-syllable, n-ending rhythm. It’s also the surname of poet W. H. (for Wystan Hugh) Auden. That makes Whitman, for poet Walt, a cool stand-in, especially given its supercool nickname Whit. And the gender-neutral Arden is Auden‘s almost-identical twin, with its poetic similarity to the passionate word ardent.
Many might reverse the standing of these two sound-alike names, but we prefer the ancient saints’ name Blaise, which actually means to lisp or stammer, to the modern word name Blaze. Either choice is, um, hot as well as cool.
The name Bowie shot up the charts with the death of rocker David Bowie, but Dylan remains cool despite its long-standing popularity, Elvis is usable despite its enduring attachment to The King, and Lennon works well for both boys and girls.
Cool boy name Cassius is an ancient Roman name best-known in the modern US as the birth name of boxer Muhammad Ali. Almost any name beginning with the Cas sound seems to be cool these days for boys as well as girls. Unique saints’ name Cassian is a cool alternative, as is the dashing Polish royal name Casimir.
Fox wins the animal cool contest by virtue of its double-meaning of good-looking or hot. But Bear is cuddly and adorable and Wolf lean and aggressive. Pick your animal image.
Cool boys’ name Huck, as in classic American literary hero Huck Finn, is both down-to-earth and full of attitude. Huck‘s surname Finn and the surname of his sidekick Sawyer are both popular yet remain cool names, while Hank carries the same earthy nickname-name image and sound as Huck.
Mythological names and celestial names are both hot, and the name of benevolent planet Jupiter comes complete with appealing nickname Jupe. Mercury is another god and planet name that works for boys, while the Norse Thor is rising along with the visibility of the cinematic superhero.
Like Blaise and Blaze, Justus and Justice are identical-sounding cool choices with different origins, though in this case, they share an appealing meaning, “just”. We prefer the deeply-rooted Justus, a New Testament name and name of several saints, but the word name Justice is strong and modern.
The Biblical Lazarus, who rose from the dead, is well-known, but his new cool as a name is thanks to that appealing Laz syllable. Lazarus, Lazer, and Eleazar are all forms of the same name, while the Hungarian Laszlo, famous via the classic film Casablanca, has a different meaning and root.
The Germanic Leopold is one of those so-uncool-it’s-cool names, and comes with the user-friendly short form Leo, cousin to the trendy twins Teo and Theo.
Presidential name Lincoln has had a renaissance since the Stephen Spielberg film. Nickname Link is from The Mod Squad. McKinley and Truman are other unique Presidential choices, but that august group is rich with possibilities.
Seemingly all boys’ names ending in -us, a form rooted in the ancient world, are cool and on-trend. The Linus of Greek myth was the inventor of rhythm and melody, and in the Christian world, Linus has been a pope’s name. Linus is a Top 50 name in several European countries. Cyrus and Aurelius are just two of the many other us-ending names worth consideration.
Is Lucius so appealing because it sounds like luscious? Or is it just part of our gender-neutral love of so many Luc-beginning, light-meaning names, starting with Lucas and Lucy? The new cool guys in town include Lucius, Lucian (or Lucien, the French spelling), and Luca. A growing number of namers would add Lucifer to this list, which is undeniably cool, though maybe too cool for many.
McCoy is cool partly by virtue of its relationship to authenticity, via the saying The Real McCoy, and partly because of namesake, jazz great McCoy Tyner. It’s also got cool guy nickname Mac or Mack, which is the newer Zack and the more distinctive Jack.
We’ve been trumpeting the cool of O-ending names for boys for literally decades now, and Nico may be the coolest of this cool class. Other alternatives include the friendly Milo, sunny Elio, and romantic Orlando. But there are hundreds of great O-ending names for boys.
The O beginning makes Otis cool, as does namesake blues musician Otis Redding. Other O-beginning four-letter names for boys that carry the same brand of cool are Otto and Omar.
Ozias carries at least four kinds of cool: the O beginning, Z in the middle, S ending, and ancient roots. Ozias, also spelled Osias, is a Biblical name, while brother name Osiris was an Egyptian god-king who died and was reborn every year. Oz is the extra-cool nickname for either and can also stand on its own.
Quentin is a Latin saint’s name that relates to the number five, as do Quincy and Quinton. The name can be spelled several different ways, all cool.
Ransom is handsome and, let’s face it, sounds like the name of the bad boy hero of a cowboy romance novel. If you like your cool risky, Ransom and Chance may appeal to you.
Rocco is well-used in English-speaking countries, but retains its tough-guy old-world Latin kind of cool. Equally tough and cool relatives include Rock, Rocky, and Stone.
Romeo is romantic, an emotional name that carries a warm kind of cool. All three names relate to the city of Rome, so may be a subtle way to honor an Italian heritage or love of the country and culture.
Word name Royal got a shot of cool via the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums, Royal being both an adjective meaning patrician and the first name of the paterfamilias. Other word names that do something similar are Noble and Loyal. All can also be used for girls.
There are lots of -er-ending occupational names in vogue for boys now, but Sayer and Booker are two of the coolest. In fact, we couldn’t decide which to put first. Both relate to writing, but Sayer may also mean woodcutter ala Sawyer.
Cowboys probably have more to do than Kanye with the new cool of the boys’ name West, but both influences together vault it to prominence. West may be short for Weston or stand on its own; same with Wes and Wesley.
Wylie and Wiley are surname names with attitude that may derive from the first name William and make distinctive spins on that classic choice. Wiley, Wilder, and Wild are also word names with renegade meanings that can be cool names for boys.
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Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.
Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.
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