50 Classic Baby Names for Boys That Are Still Cool Today

Looking for an old-fashioned, timeless yet cool name for your baby boy? Check out 50 classic boy names that are still cool!

With three boys and no girls, my husband and I have had our share of finding names for boys. We also wanted each name to be classic—the kind that has been around for at least a hundred years. At the same time, we also wanted the names to have a familiar ring so that it wasn’t so old that it, too, would be dated.

So, we scoured names from various origins, looking to sources like classic literature or handed-down names. We made sure we were happy with the meaning of these names, and even considered possible nicknames, if any.

If you’re looking for timeless baby names that still sound cool, look no further. I compiled several of them and their origins, meanings, and nicknames below:

50 classic boy names

	NAME	ORIGIN	MEANING	NICKNAME
1	Alexander	Greek	“defender of men”	Alex, Alec, Xander, Alexi
2	Andrew	Greek	“strong,” “manly,” “courageous”	Andy
3	Anthony	Latin	“priceless”	Tony, Anton
4	Benjamin	Hebrew	“son of the south”	Ben, Benny, Benji
5	Caleb	Hebrew	“dog”	Cal, Cale, Cay
6	Charles	German	“man,” “strong”	Charlie, Chuck
7	Christopher	Greek	“Christ-bearer”	Chris, Topher, Kit
8	Daniel	Hebrew	“God is my judge”	Dan, Danny
9	David	Hebrew	“beloved”	Dave
10	Douglas	Scottish	“dark water”	Doug, Dougie
11	Edward	English	“guardian of prosperity”	Ed, Eddie, Ned
12	Ernest	Teutonic	“earnest”	Ernie
13	Ethan	Hebrew	“strong,” “safe,” “firm”
14	Francis	Latin	“French,” “free man”	Frank, Frankie
15	Frederick	Teutonic	“peace”	Fred, Freddie
16	Gabriel	Hebrew	“devoted to God,” “a hero of God,” “God is my strength”	Gabe
17	Geoffrey	English	“heavenly place”	Geoff
18	George	Greek	“tiller of the soil,” “farmer”	Georgie
19	Henry	German	“ruler of the household”	Hank, Harry
20	Ian	Scottish	“God is gracious”
21	Jack	English	a nickname for John or James
22	Jacob	Hebrew	“supplanter”	Jake, Jack, Jackie
23	James	Hebrew	derived from Jacob	Jim, Jimmy
24	John	Hebrew	“God is gracious”	Johnny
25	Jonathan	Hebrew	“God gives”	John, Johnny
26	Joseph	Hebrew	“God shall add another son”	Joe, Joey
27	Julian	Latin	“bearded,” “father of the skies”	Jules
28	Kenneth	Gaelic	“handsome”	Ken, Kenny
29	Lucas	Latin	“light-giving,” “illumination”	Luke, Luca
30	Liam	Irish	“strong-willed warrior and protector”
31	Mark	Latin	“warlike”
32	Matthew	Hebrew	“gift of God”	Matt, Matty
33	Michael	Hebrew	“who is like God”	Mike, Mickey, Mikey
34	Nathan	Hebrew	“He gave”	Nate, Nat
35	Nicholas	Greek	“victory of the people”	Nick, Nicky, Cole, Nico, Coley
36	Noah	Hebrew	“rest and comfort”
37	Oliver	Latin	“olive tree”	Ollie
38	Patrick	Latin	“nobleman”	Pat, Paddie
39	Paul	Latin	“small”
40	Peter	Greek	“a rock”	Pete, Petey
41	Phillip	Greek	“loving”	Phil
42	Raymond	English	“mighty protector”	Ray
43	Richard	German	“strong ruler”	Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky
44	Robert	English	“bright fame”	Rob, Bert, Bertie
45	Sebastian	Latin	“venerable,” “revered”	Ian, Bastian, Bash
46	Thomas	Hebrew	“a twin”	Tom, Tommy
47	Timothy	Greek	“honoring God”	Tim, Timmy
48	Vincent	Latin	“conqueror,” “victor”	Vinnie, Vince
49	William	German	“strong-willed warrior”	Will, Billy
50	Wyatt	Old English	“wood,” “wide”	Wye

4 things to keep in mind when choosing a name

With all these names to consider, what should keep in mind before making a final choice? Watch this video below where I share 4 considerations:

The bottom line

My husband and I finally chose our boys’ names, suggesting one after another until the final ones emerged victorious above the rest. We checked how the initials would look and made sure we felt comfortable saying them over and over.

After all, these are the names your child will carry with him the rest of his life—but now you know they’ll also stand the test of time.

Get more tips:

Free resource: Picking baby names is just one of the many tasks you need to do during pregnancy. That’s why I created a printable checklist that includes things to do. Grab your printable checklist below—at no cost to you! You’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:

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