Published on 09/28/2020 08:37 By Ellie Sylvester;Monisha Kochhar
Edited by Monisha Kochhar | Fact-checked by
Modern baby names for boys are all the rage at the minute, some have come back into fashion whereas other modern boy names have never left.
An overriding factor for choosing a modern name for your baby boy is down to the fact that it’ll always be timeless and unique as society is changing all the time!
From modern baby boy names starting with g and baby names boy from a favourite piece of popular culture, to names with historical or spiritual origin, baby boys have never been easier to name.
Top modern boy names for 2020 include Milo, Atticus, Asher, Leo, Jasper and more!
However, if modern boy names aren’t your cup of tea, check out our 100 best one syllable boy names for your new arrival, or if you’re not on the hunt for a first name, take a read of our interesting 99 boys’ middle names – bound to give you all your boy name inspo!
Cute And Classic Modern Boy Names
You really can’t go wrong with a classic, modern boys name – not only do they sound super cool, they are also timeless and almost guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.
1.Adam – A masculine name, deriving from the Hebrew noun ‘adamah’ meaning “the ground” or “earth”.
2.Alexander – A bold baby name with a Greek origin meaning “defender, protector of man”.
3.Benjamin – A popular name derived from Hebrew ‘בִּנְיָמִין’, translating to “Son of my right [hand]” – this baby name also has super cute nicknames!
4.Brandon – A modern baby name of old English origin meaning ‘hill covered with broom’.
5.Cameron – A baby name deriving from Scottish origins meaning “crooked nose” or “crooked river”.
6.Connor – A super stylish baby boy name of Irish origins meaning “Lover of wolves” or “Lover of hounds”.
7.Dylan – One for all the water babies! Meaning “son of the sea” or “son of the wave”, derived from Welsh origins.
8.Elliott – A strong, masculine name meaning ‘With Strength and Right’ or ‘Bravely and Truly’.
9.Eric – Move aside Simon Cowell. Meaning “sole ruler”, “eternal ruler”, derived from Old Norse.
10.George – Have a first name like a Prince! Derived from Greek origin meaning “farmer”.
11.Harry – A Medieval form of the name Henry, meaning “power, ruler”.
12.Jack – Originally a nickname for John, this English name means “God Is Gracious”
13.Jacob – A modern baby name with Hebrew origins meaning “may God protect”.
14.James – A similar modern baby name, meaning “heel” or “supplanter”.
15.Louis – A modern name of German, French origin meaning “renowned warrior”.
16.Luke – A name derived from the Latin name Lucius meaning “the bright one” or “the one born at dawn”.
17.Max – A shortened form of the Latin name Maximilian, from Maximus, meaning “the greatest”.
18.Nicholas – A name derived from the Greek name Νικόλαος (Nikolaos), meaning “victory of the people”.
19.Peter – A boy’s name of Greek origin meaning “rock” or “stone”.
20.Ryan – A name of Irish origin meaning “Little King”.
21.Scott – Derived from Latin Scoti meaning “Gaelic speaker”, referring to someone who is Scottish.
22.Thomas – A name derived from the Aramaic personal name, meaning “twin” and “leader.”
Modern Baby Names Inspired By Popular Culture
Inspiration for baby names is everywhere – even right under your nose in your fave books, films and television programmes. We’ve rounded up our favourite modern baby names inspired by popular culture down below.
23.Arthur – A name making a comeback, inspired by ‘Arthur Golden’.
24.Atticus – Making a comeback, this name inspired by the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is great.
25.Billy – If you’ve got a budding dancer on your hands, this Billy Elliot inspired name is perfect.
26.Charlie – Taken from Roald Dahl’s finger-licking children’s book ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’.
27.Christopher – A Greek name inspired by one of Pooh’s best friends from A.A. Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh’.
28.Danny – ‘The Champion of The World’ – how about this for a winning modern boy name?
29.Darcy – One of the newer modern baby names inspired by Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
30.Edward – A name taken from Charlotte Bronte’s infamous ‘Jane Eyre’.
31.Harry – Inspired by the child wizard himself, Harry Potter.
32.Holden – A brave name inspired by J. D. Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’.
33.Jacob – Inspired by the infamous Twilight book and film sensations.
34.Jay – Inspired by F Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel ‘The Great Gatsby’.
35.Liam – Inspired by Liam Hemsworth, star of The Hunger Games trilogy.
36.Luke – Taken from Margaret Atwood’s revolutionary ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
37.Oliver – “Never before has a boy asked for more” – how about this Oliver Twist inspired name?
38.Orlando – If it’s good enough for the Bard, it’s good enough for us – inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’.
39.Oscar – Inspired by one of the greatest male writers of all time – Oscar Wilde.
40.Samson – Inspired by a character in the Dickens novel ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’.
41.Sebastian – Time to go ‘Under the Sea’ with this ‘Little Mermaid’ inspired name.
42.Tim – Add a Christmas twist with this ‘A Christmas Carol’ inspired modern name.
43.Tom – Inspired from the great novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.
44.William – ‘To be or not to be’ – how about this iconic literary name?
Modern Hebrew And Hindu Baby Names
Hebrew names are becoming increasingly stylish and common, not only do they date back to epic history but also have some pretty cool meanings.
45.Aaron – One of the more popular modern baby names, meaning ‘Mountain of strength’.
46.Asher – For all those smiley babies, meaning ‘happy one’.
47.Benjamin – Meaning ‘Son who is at my right hand’.
48.Caleb – A more unusual name meaning ‘whole hearted’.
49.Daniel – A trendy name referring to the idea that “God is one’s judge’.
50.David – A name for all the lovebirds – meaning ‘beloved’.
51.Eli – A name that can also be used for a baby girl meaning ‘ascension’.
52.Gideon – For all your strong babies, meaning ‘warrior’.
53.Isaac – A classic name meaning ‘laughter’.
54.Joshua – Another extremely sought after name, with plenty of cute nicknames, meaning ‘salvation’.
55.Jonah – Inspired by the infamous Biblical tale, this name refers to ‘dove’.
56.Kirin – One of the modern Tamil baby boy names meaning ‘praiser’ and ‘poet’.
57.Kamal – A common Hindu name meaning ‘perfection’.
58.Levi – Previously a popular Hebrew last name, meaning ‘One who joins or connects’.
59.Matthew – A lovely, modern name meaning ‘gift’.
60.Nathaniel – An adorable name meaning ‘Gift of God’.
61.Naveen – Inspired by Princess and The Frog, this Hindu name means ‘beautiful’.
62.Rafael – A lovely name meaning ‘God has healed; Healed by the Lord’.
63.Rahi – A unisex Hindu name meaning ‘traveller’.
64.Rubin – Also once a popular Hebrew last name, it means ‘son’.
65.Samson – Shine bright with this name meaning ‘bright sun’.
66.Samuel – A religious name referring to ‘Asked of God; Heard God’.
67.Saul – Another name which refers to the idea of asking, meaning ‘Asked for’.
Modern Baby Names Inspired By Nature
With so much nature around us, it’s a lovely idea to name your little one after the world and all its little wonders – just like nature, your little one is changing, growing and adapting all at once.
68.Ainsley – A name of English origin meaning ‘fruit of the oak tree’.
69.Ash – A real earthy name referring to an ‘ash tree’.
70.Arun – One of our fave modern Indian baby boy names meaning ‘dawn’ or ‘reddish sky’.
71.Bear – If it’s good enough for Cheryl, it’s good enough for us. A gorgeous name meaning ‘brave bear’.
72.Cedar – A quirky name meaning of American origin inspired by the tree.
73.Conan – A name originating in Ireland meaning ‘wolf’.
74.Connell – After the rise in Sally Rooney’s novel ‘Normal People’, we’re sure this name is making a comeback – meaning ‘strong wolf’.
75.Drake – Not just a pop singer, this name also refers to a male duck – quack!
76.Dale – English origin meaning ‘one who lives in the valley’.
77.Dylan – A really modern name of Welsh origins meaning ‘son of the sea’.
78.Eden – Can also be used for a baby girl meaning ‘garden of pleasures’ and ‘delight’.
79.Forrest – French origins meaning ‘woodsman’ or ‘wood’.
80.Fox – Not just an animal, this name of English origin referring to a cunning individual.
81.Fraser – A quirky name of French origins meaning ‘strawberry’.
82.Jet – A super cool name, derived from the French meaning ‘black gemstone’.
83.Jay – English origins, referring to the name of a brightly coloured bird.
84.Juniper – A lovely Latin name meaning ‘young’ or ‘evergreen’.
85.Oakley – An old English name meaning ‘meadow of oak trees’.
86.Phoenix – A super cool name of Greek origins meaning ‘deep red’ or referring to the mythical creature.
87.Robin – Germanic origins meaning ‘bright’ and ‘fame’.
88.Tiger – Rawr! How about this paw-some name meaning ‘powerful’.
89.Wolf – Germanic origins referring to the howling beasts themselves.
Cool Modern Baby Names That Are Making A Comeback
Just like fashion and other things, names come in cycles and are often repeated after decades – below are some quirky but cool names that are making a comeback.
90.Archie – The perfect name for your little boy meaning ‘bold prince’.
91.Albert – How about adding a little Royalty into the family with this regal name.
92.Alfie – Clever cloggs! Derived from Old English meaning ‘wise’,
93.Byron – A Celtic-inspired name meaning ‘brave’ and ‘virtuous’.
94.Chester – English origins meaning ‘a fortress’.
95.Conrad – This proto-Germanic name is coming back into fashion and it means ‘bold’.
96.Dexter – Latin roots meaning ‘dyer, right-handed’.
97.Ellis – An Ancient name meaning ‘crusader’.
98.Evan – A Welsh name meaning ‘God is good’.
99.Finn – Old Nordic name inspired by a mythical Irish warrior and folklore hero.
100.Griffin – A name with Welsh roots meaning ‘fierce’.
101.Hugo – A trendy name of Germanic origins, meaning ‘mind’.
102.Jackson – Literally translating to ‘son of Jack’, this is a pretty cool name.
103.Jonas – Derived from the Greek ‘οιωνός’ meaning ‘sign’.
104.Leo – A classic Latin name meaning ‘lion’.
105.Lucas – Latin roots meaning ‘bright’ and ‘shining’.
106.Milo – A name of English roots meaning ‘soldier’.
107.Otis – Another name of English roots meaning ‘wealth’.
108.Owen – Meaning ‘noble born’ this Welsh name is making a comeback.
109.Spencer – British roots meaning ‘steward’ or ‘administrator’.
110.Theo – Derived from Ancient Greece, this name means ‘divine gift’.
111.Tristan – A name of Welsh origins meaning ‘bold’.
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