Really, naming your child is so difficult because every name has its own vibe. There are also old baby names with a vintage feel and rustic names that feel connected to nature. And if you’re looking for cool boy baby names, we’ve got the list for you. Some of us want to give our little guys an easy-going, breezy, easy-going vibe, and we want people to feel at ease when their name comes up in conversation.
For the past decade, traditional and vintage baby names have dominated the popularity rankings, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Names like Oliver, Noah, Theodore, Lucas, James, and Henry made the top ten. But a shift toward cool baby boy names seems to be happening, with contenders like Kai, Asher, Santiago, Julian, and Wesley sneaking into the top 100.
Sure, you may have had a little back and forth with yourself. Shouldn’t you choose a name with a deeper meaning or stick to a family name to honor a loved one? All of these options are great, but don’t worry if you’re drawn to the name just for the vibe. If you choose a baby name that actually speaks to you, you’re unlikely to regret your choice.
ace
If you’re looking for a one-syllable name for your baby boy, something really punchy and cool about that name, then you should add Ace to your list. This has a winning connotation of being the best of the best, the coolest, and is very unique. I mean, how many aces do you know?
Elliot
Elliot is a kind and sensitive boy who writes insecure poetry as a teenager, and then grows into the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met (good job, Mom). If your family is religious, you may also be drawn to the fact that it means “The Lord is my God.”
fox
Bear may be a common animal name for baby boys, but bird names like griffin and jay also come to mind. But Fox is a particularly cool choice, with connotations of being cunning, clever, and resourceful. Fans of unique names should pay particular attention to Fox, since the name hasn’t even been given to enough baby boys in recent years to even make it into the top 1,000 American names, according to the SSA.
jet
When I hear this name, I immediately think of Joan Jett. If you want to give your child a classic rock cool vibe, Jet is the name for you. This is still quite rare, ranking only 206th in the 2023 baby name popularity rankings. So if that’s important to you, it’s less common than the other choices on this list.
Kai
Kai proves that America really loves cool boy names right now. The name has risen through the ranks to become the 61st most popular name for baby boys in America in 2023. The name has Hawaiian and Japanese roots, meaning “ocean,” “sea,” “shell,” and the poetic “revival.”
ozzy
Can you imagine a rough-and-tumble boy with a rock’n’roll spirit named Ozzy? If I were to have another child, to be honest, whether it’s a boy or a girl, this name would be at the top of my list of choices. Oscar or Austin could be shortened, but I think it’s time to make Ozzy a standalone name.
santiago
I’m sorry, but the nickname Santi is actually quite appealing, so you should research it. Santiago has become extremely popular over the past decade, ranking as the 45th most popular name for baby boys in the United States in 2023, according to the SSA.
Seth
When I hear the name Seth, I actually think back to early to mid-August, when this name was most popular by the SSA. Seth is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “appointed” and is the name of the third son of Adam and Eve in the Torah. So if you want a cool boy baby name related to faith, you might be drawn to this choice.
sunny
This name has it all. It sounds a little vintage, a little Western, but also very hip. This would be a great nickname for a name ending in -son, like Orson, Emerson, or Jackson, but I think it would work on its own as well.
Wes
Wes, short for Weston or Wesley, has a casual, effortless vibe. Weston and Wesley are both surnames, and currently popular similar names include Gates, Rose, and Miller, but Wes also evokes an artistic vibe thanks to its association with Wes Anderson.
Xander
Names that start with X are rare and automatically earn you cool points. A shortened form of Alexander, this name means “defender of humanity.” So if you want your cool boy to be the type to stand up for others, you’ll love this name.
Sieg
Whether you use it as a nickname for Ezekiel or just choose Zeke as your baby’s government name, this name just oozes something cool to me. It was on my personal list of baby names, but since my husband’s name is Zach, it seemed too similar to be a first name option. My loss, your gain.
More Cool Boy Baby Names
- Usher
- Ashton
- accelerator
- Bennett
- baud
- chance
- crew
- dean
- enzo
- Fabian
- gavin
- hawk
- Hendrix
- Ike
- jackson
- jesse
- Joaquin
- jude
- julian
- Mac
- Maddox
- Mateo
- maverick
- Nico
- rio
- roman
- spencer
- van
- zayn
Now, please bear with me while I birth an army of little surfer dudes and songwriters so I can use all of these cool boy names.
