Boy names ending in R cover all the styles. Archer and Asher are relative newcomers to the popularity charts, and while Theodore counts as a classic, it’s also a Top Ten favorite today. Plenty of once-stylish choices, like Carter and Hunter, feel downright traditional these days. Others, like Alexander, earned that title long ago.
Of course, boy names ending in R have plenty of competition. Boy names ending in S feel terribly fashionable, with Brooks leading the way. And vowel endings, like A and O, feel fresher than ever.
The first version of this list, complied in 2016, tallied 78 boy names ending in R from the current US Top 1000.
That number has shifted just a bit. In calendar year 2019, a grand total of 85 made the list – an increase of six from the original version. And in 2023, that number ticked up to 93. Almost ten percent of the boys’ names appearing in the current US Top 1000 end with the letter R.
Table of Contents
- THE MOST POPULAR BOY NAMES ENDING IN R
- TRADITIONAL FAVORITES ENDING WITH R
- ANTIQUE BOY NAMES ENDING IN R
- ESTABLISHED SURNAME NAMES THAT END IN R
- SURNAME-LIKE NAMES THAT END WITH R
- RESPELLED BOY NAMES WITH R ENDINGS
- IMPORTS THAT END WITH R
- WORD NAMES ENDING WITH R
- UNISEX NAME OPTIONS
- RARE BOY NAMES ENDING WITH R
THE MOST POPULAR BOY NAMES ENDING IN R
- OLIVER #3
- THEODORE #7
- ALEXANDER #22
- ASHER #23
- CARTER #48
- COOPER #52
- CHRISTOPHER #55
- WALKER #85
- PARKER #91
- AMIR #99
- XAVIER #105
- HUNTER #115
- RIVER #116
- JASPER #122
- CONNOR #126
- SAWYER #127
- ARTHUR #128
- RYDER #129
- ARCHER #130
- TYLER #177
- RYKER #184
- TUCKER #205
- PETER #210
- XANDER #215
- OSCAR #216
- VICTOR #217
- KARTER #225
- JAVIER #239
- OMAR #263
- WALTER #267
- COLTER #321
- KYLER #322
- ZYAIRE #324
- ZANDER #355
- IKER #357
- SPENCER #362
- CESAR #368
- BAYLOR #392
- BAKER #397
- WILDER #421
- NASIR #425
- TANNER #430
- EDGAR #435
- GUNNER #439
- ZAIRE #465
- PORTER #503
- DENVER #512
- MAJOR #514
- JAMIR #525
- MILLER #527
- TREVOR #550
- ANDER #560
- LEDGER #561
- EMIR #583
- SAMIR #585
- TAYLOR #591
- SINCERE #592
- GUNNAR #594
- FLETCHER #631
- BRIAR #669
- ZAMIR #699
- DEXTER #700
- SALVADOR #701
- ZYAIR #704
- SKYLER #725
- WYLDER #727
- JUNIOR #736
- BRIDGER #751
- ZAHIR #755
- ROGER #759
- KAISER #764
- EVANDER #780
- JAHMIR #809
- DAMIR #816
- BEAR #817
- YAHIR #838
- JAGGER #854
- KYAIRE #867
- FISHER #872
- ZAVIER #906
- SALVATORE #914
- ALISTAIR #920
- PALMER #942
- ADLER #943
- MEIR #945
- AMEER #947
- KARTIER #948
- AHMIR #950
- FOSTER #967
- VEER #981
- ELIEZER #987
- THATCHER #996
- ABNER #997
TRADITIONAL FAVORITES ENDING WITH R
Many traditional names appear on the list of boy names ending in R, including Alexander and Christopher, but also fast-rising Oliver, comebacks like Arthur, and not-quite-rediscovered possibilities, like Walter and Peter.
ANTIQUE BOY NAMES ENDING IN R
Boy names tend to be slightly less subject to trends, so it’s no surprise that antique choices like Edgar, Dexter, and Roger remain in the US Top 1000. They’ve fallen dramatically from their heights, but they remain in steady use – and could easily make a comeback.
ESTABLISHED SURNAME NAMES THAT END IN R
Carter, Cooper, Hunter, Sawyer, and Parker are well known as last names. Now they have become go-to first names for boys, too.
Others, like Tucker and Tanner, belong to the same category, but have fallen in use.
The majority of these are occupational names, even if we can’t quite explain what a Tucker or Sawyer would’ve actually done back in the day.
A few more in this category are relatively recent arrivals in the Top 1000, including Wilder, Bridger, and Ledger.
SURNAME-LIKE NAMES THAT END WITH R
Ryder and Ryker do occur as surnames. Others, like Kyler? Maybe not so much.
Denver brings to mind singer-songwriter John Denver, but it was a place name first. (And now it’s increasingly a given name.)
RESPELLED BOY NAMES WITH R ENDINGS
Swap out the C for a K and you’ll find Karter and Kristopher. Playing with Scrabble tiles transforms Xavier into Zavier, Xzavier, and adds an extra letter to Alexzander.
IMPORTS THAT END WITH R
Plenty of names count as traditional elsewhere. But in the US? They’re imports. Think Omar, Amir, and Iker; Javier, Salvador, and Cesar; Nasir, Yahir, and Samir.
WORD NAMES ENDING WITH R
Then come the word names: Jasper boasts centuries of use. Major has more history than you might guess. Junior finds favor elsewhere in the English-speaking world, notably South Africa. Meanwhile River surged from a seldom-heard hippie pick to a mainstream favorite.
UNISEX NAME OPTIONS
It’s worth noting that some gender-neutral options don’t appear on this list, if only because they are very popular for our daughters. Names like Harper and Juniper could be great choices for baby boys, too.
RARE BOY NAMES ENDING WITH R
Love the sound of these names, but looking for something less popular? These cover all of the same categories as the more familiar choices – surnames and word names and imports, too. Some are super-wearable … others, not so much!
But they were all given to fewer than 200 boys born in the calendar year 2023.
- ADAIR
- ALDER
- AMADOR
- AMOR
- ARBOR
- AVENIR
- AVIGDOR
- AZAR
- AZURE
- BADER
- BALTHAZAR
- BANNER
- BECKER
- BEHR
- BOOKER
- BRENNER
- BREWER
- BRYER
- CALDER
- CALIBER
- CARDER (and KARDER)
- CARVER
- CHANCELLOR
- CHESTER
- CLEVER
- COPPER
- CZAR
- DECKER (and DEKKER)
- DRAXLER
- EDER
- EIDER
- EINAR
- ELDER
- ELIER
- ELMER
- ENDER
- FENDER
- FINBAR
- FRAZIER (and FRASIER and FRASER)
- FUTURE
- GASPAR
- GRANGER
- GREER
- GROVER
- GUNTHER
- HATCHER
- HOMER
- HONOR
- ISADORE (and ISIDORE)
- IVAR
- JAMAR
- JASIR
- JETER
- JOYNER
- JUPITER
- KASHMIR
- KESSLER
- LAKER
- LAMAR
- LANDER
- LEANDER
- LESTER
- MACARTHUR
- MACGREGOR
- MAHIR
- MERCER
- NATURE
- NOMAR
- OLIVIER
- OLIVANDER and OLLIVANDER
- OSMAR
- PIERRE
- PROSPER
- PRYOR
- QUADIR (and QADIR)
- RAIDER
- RAINER
- RANGER
- ROPER
- RUGER
- RYLER
- SANDER
- SEGER
- SILVER
- SIR
- SIRE
- SLATER
- STRYDER
- STRYKER
- SUTTER
- SYLAR
- SYLVESTER
- TAMIR
- TELLER
- THAYER
- THOR
- THUNDER
- TIGER
- TRAPPER
- TYMERE
- TYR
- VALOR
- VANDER
- VEER
- VOLODYMYR and VLADIMIR
- WHEELER
- WHITAKER (and WHITTAKER)
- WILBUR
- WINDSOR
- ZEPHYR
What are your favorite boy names ending in R? Is there a category you like best?
First published on November 2, 2016, this post was revised substantially and re-published on September 23, 2020; October 28, 2021; and October 23, 2024.
I gravitate towards boy names that end in an “R”! Do you think they are too “matchy” sounding for brother names if everyone has names that end the same?
Not necessarily! Archer + Asher would be too close for me, or Asher + Thatcher. But I’d love Parker + Thatcher together. And if you vary the number of syllables that helps, too – Oliver + Asher work well together. I suppose if you’re imagining a big family, you sort of have to lean into it + accept a certain amount of overlap. But if you’re thinking of three or four or even five kids, I think it would work just fine!
PS – A friend of mine had three boys, all ending with N. AND her name ends with N, as does her husband. And I completely didn’t notice until they were naming their fourth + decided they had to keep the pattern. It’s weirdly easy to miss matching ending sounds!
I have an Alistair … and I love it!