Fastest Rising Boy Names 2025: Strong Roman, Edgy Enzo

Let’s check out the fastest rising boy names 2025!

This list will look a little different than many others. That’s because it’s based on count – the actual increase in numbers of newborns given the name, from calendar year 2023 to calendar year 2024.

What’s the difference?

Rank tells us about the present moment. Count helps us understand trends.

Theodore ranked #10 in 2021 and 2022. But it rose significantly based on actual births going into 2022. That helped predict the name’s leap to #7 in 2023 and all the way to #4 in calendar year 2024. Enzo seemed kind of niche just ten years ago. But repeated appearances on the fastest rising boy names list argued that Enzo was headed for the top of the popularity charts.

Speaking of charts, this list is based only on names ranked in the US Top 1000 both years.

Names do stall out and reverse course, so it’s not a perfect system. But it’s a different lens on the data, and that can be illuminating.

So let’s take a look at all the fastest rising boy names 2025 – plus which ones have made this list for multiple years.

25. HARVEY (+413 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Henry meets Oliver in this old school favorite. The name Harvey stumbled for a minute, waylaid by a hurricane and negative headlines. But that was a blip. Harvey feels cheerful,

24. ELIAM (+422 births; unranked on last year’s list)

A Hebrew name meaning “God’s people,” Eliam is just one of the Eli- names on the charts right now. It’s especially popular in Puerto Rico, along with Elian, Elias, and Elijah. While it’s not related to the top name in the US, Liam, the similar sound helps.

23. AUGUST (+422; unranked on last year’s list)

August is a name with a split personality. It’s quite grand, originally associated with emperors in the ancient world. But it’s also a summery name, all beaches and bomb pops. Somewhere in between, legendary playwright August Wilson lends the name a thoughtful energy, too. Recently arrived in the US Top 100, August has farther to climb.

22. JETT (+436 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Jett is a fascinating name. It’s a color name, a character played by James Dean, a name that evokes the wild blue yonder. And it fits with brief, brisk names for boys from Biblical Jude to enduring Jack. This is a big leap for the name, but Jett could soar higher still.

21. ROWAN (+437 births; #11 on last year’s list)

In some circles, Rowan is The Name. Vibrantly red like Ruby and Scarlett, borrowed from the nature world like River and Willow, Irish like Liam and Maeve, and unisex like Charlie. It checks every box, and that bright O sound is a bonus. Rowan’s continued rise for our sons even as it is popular for our daughters is another signal that names are becoming truly gender-neutral.

20. CALLAN (+469 births; unranked on last year’s list)

An Irish surname name, Callan likely traces its roots to Cathal, a saint’s name. But it feels like a modern invention, a softening of Calvin or Callum, a sort of Cal-meets-Allan creation. Nickname Cal is a plus.

19. ARTHUR (+488 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Not so long ago, Theodore was a chipmunk and Oliver a singing orphan. When it comes to classic names for boys, a new generation is ever rising. After several years of quietly climbing in use, Arthur is now on deck.

18. HAYES (+496 births; unranked on last year’s list)

An ends-with-S surname name that shares sounds with Hayden and Blaise, Hayes has risen steadily over the last fifteen years. One possible reason for the extra bump during 2024? Anne Hathaway-Nicholas Galitzine rom com The Idea of You. Her character’s unusual name, Solene, also skyrocketed in use.

17. JAZIEL (+538 births; unranked on last year’s list)

A phonetic take on Jassiel, an Old Testament rarity, Jaziel is popular with Spanish-speaking Americans. It also fits with lots of -iel names for boys, from Gabriel to Eliel, Castiel and Azriel, to name just a few.

16. HENRY (+559 births; unranked on last year’s list)

One of the stories of this year’s most popular boy names list? The solidification of the current Top Ten. Parents really stuck to tried-and-true favorites this year. It’s not just that the names in the Top Ten pretty much stayed put. It’s that the names in the Top Ten actually gained in use – which hasn’t typically been the case.

15. OLIVER (+561 births; unranked on last year’s list)

More proof that this year’s name list was dominated by our long-time favorites? Oliver, the Number Three name in the US for six years running, was given to a higher percentage of boys this year than last.

14. WESLEY (+594 births; unranked on last year’s list; #13 on 2022’s list; #19 on 2021’s list)

A steady riser, Wesley is a surname name that fits with traditional picks like Sebastian, as well as more modern ones like Wyatt.

13. BEAU (+596 births; unranked on last year’s list)

There’s a little bit of Western swagger to Beau. But it’s also a sound that powers many a popular name. It’s short but strong, a name that mixes style and simplicity.

12. COLTER (+609 births; #22 on last year’s list)

Speaking of the Wild West, Colter was inspired by explorer John Colter. After taking part in the Lewis and Clark Expedition between 1804 and 1804, Colter kept going. He would become the first person of European descent to enter what is today Yellowstone National Park. Speaking of Yellowstone, Canadian singer-songwriter Colter Wall’s music appeared on the hit television series.

11. CALLUM (+615 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Cal names are surging. This is the second on the list. Callum is an Scottish heritage choice, cousin to Malcolm. Long popular elsewhere in the English-speaking world, it’s finally catching on here.

10. ELIAS (+650 births; unranked on last year’s list; #22 on 2022’s list)

Elijah is the Top Ten version of the name, but Elias isn’t far behind. An Old Testament choice, forms of the name have been popular throughout history.

9. BENNETT (+675 births; #21 on last year’s list)

We love surnames ending in TT, especially for our sons. And we’re wild about Ben names, too. How could Bennett not make the list?

8. ROMAN (+678 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Rowan is a rising unisex favorite, but Roman is used almost exclusively for boys. Change a letter and the name’s whole vibe shifts from modern nature name to ancient solider and empire. That said, it’s a general sound that appeals to parents broadly. Irish name Ronan also gained in use.

7. EITHAN (+717 births; unranked on last year’s list; #24 on 2022’s list)

Most often a Spanish spelling of Eithan, this name was big in Puerto Rico before gaining on the general US list, too.

6. ENZO (+740 births; #4 on last year’s list; #20 on 2022’s list; #18 on 2021’s list; #5 on 2020’s list)

It’s hard to believe, but edgy, cool Enzo is a form of buttoned-up, serious Lawrence. The link? The Italian Lorenzo. But Enzo owes its runaway success to other names, like the Italian Luca, the ends-with-O Leo and Theo, and Old Testament name Ezra. Could Enzo make the US Top Ten in another year or two? At this rate, it’s very possible.

5. THIAGO (+774 births; #1 on last year’s list; #8 on 2022’s list)

New Testament figure James is broadly familiar, a classic choice for boys. It started out as Iacomus in Latin. In Spanish and Portuguese, the name became Iago and Yago. And so, Saint James? That would be Santiago. Or Tiago, or Thiago. The TH spelling has trended in the Spanish-speaking world for a while, and it’s gaining in use across the US, too.

4. THEODORE (+927 births; unranked on last year’s list; #2 on 2022’s list; #4 on 2021’s list; #2 on 2020’s list)

Another classic name near the top of the charts that keeps getting more popular, Theodore is even more popular than it seems at first glance. That’s because most Theodores shorten their name to Theo. And Theo also ranks in the US Top 100. Another quickly gaining choice? Alternate nickname option Teddy.

3. SANTIAGO (+1054 births; #25 on last year’s list; #4 on 2022’s list)

Thiago appears just a few spaces up on this list. Santiago is even more popular.

2. NOAH (+1249 births; unranked on last year’s list)

The second most popular name in the US is also the second name on this list of fastest rising boy names 2025. It’s the reason this way of looking at popularity data is so intriguing. On paper, Noah held steady. In practice, though? Noah appealed to a higher percentage of parents than last year. It might signal that we’re less and less concerned about choosing really popular names. Or maybe it’s that a generation of Noahs has grown up and this is the ripple effect of boys named for their dads. After all, Noah has ranked in the US Top 100 since 1995. But because this name, along with spelling Noa, is rising across gender lines, it may simply be that the sound appeals broadly.

1. LIAM (+1278 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Nearly everything about Noah applies for Liam, too. It’s the Number One ranked name in the US, but it got even more popular last year. With Eliam also on this list, and classic William still very popular, too, this must simply be a sound that resonates strongly for parents naming sons today. But it also points to a surprising stability in the boys’ Top Ten. It might be a while before we see significant change in the most popular boys’ names in the US.

Do any of the fastest rising boy names 2025 surprise you? Any favorites on this list?