Fastest Rising Boy Names 2026: Regal Arthur, Strong Callahan

Let’s check out the fastest rising boy names 2026!

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 2024 to calendar year 2025.

What’s the difference?

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

Theodore has been a Top Ten name since 2021. 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 and 2025. Atlas seemed kind of niche a dozen years ago. But repeated appearances on the fastest rising boy names list argued that Atlas was headed for the top of the popularity charts. Indeed, this year Atlas cracked the US Top 100.

Speaking of charts, this list is based only on names ranked in the US Top 1000 for at least the past two 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.

As Theodore and Atlas suggest, sustained momentum often translates to peak popularity.

So let’s take a look at all the fastest rising boy names 2026 – including many that have made this list for multiple years.

25. BENSON (+485 births; unranked on last year’s list)

A debut for this year’s fastest rising boy names, Benson owes its success to two things: our love of Ben names and the rise of singer Benson Boone. Not only did he score a breakthrough hit early in 2024 with “Beautiful Things,” he opened for Taylor Swift on her record-shattering Eras Tour in London.

24. SILAS (+512 births; unranked on last year’s list)

New Testament name Silas might appeal to parents looking for quietly Christian names. But the meaning is quite current, too. It comes from the Latin Silvanus, meaning “of the woods.” And we love a boy’s name ending with S.

23. ARTHUR (+513 births; #19 on last year’s list)

Proof that old school names eventually make their way back around. Arthur has returned to the US Top 100 for the first time since 1969. It’s regal, traditional, and hits that familiar-but-not-common sweet spot. It’s not the flashiest name on this list, but it’s quietly gained in recent years. DC Comics fans might think of Arthur Curry, played by Jason Momoa in the most recent series of films.

22. WAYLON (+516 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Country music legend Waylon Jennings launched his career way back in the 1950s. One of the pioneers of the outlaw genre, Jennings’ long and successful career included acting as well as music. While Waylon did rise in use during the 1960s, it gained momentum recently. Credit to Yellowstone and our love of neo-Western culture. If Wyatt and Maverick belong in the US Top 100, then Waylon fits, too.

21. ARCHER (+525 births; unranked on last year’s list)

A sharp, polished surname name, Archer reinvents stuffy Archibald for the 21st century. It’s a path to sweet nickname Archie or a substitute for long-established favorites like Hunter.

20. THIAGO (+531 births; #5 on last year’s list; #1 on 2023’s list; #8 on 2022’s list)

Ultimately from Santiago – Saint James in Spanish – Thiago is a fast-rising favorite across the Spanish-speaking world. If we’re hearing it in Mexico and Chile and Spain, then we’re likely to hear it in the US, too.

19. ROWAN (+545 births; #21 on last year’s list; #11 on 2023’s list)

Since entering the US Top 1000 in 1999, Rowan’s rise has been steady – and accelerating. An Irish surname name with ties to the color red, Rowan is an update for Owen or Ryan, with a decidedly modern, but rooted, appeal.

18. BAKER (+549 births; unranked on last year’s list)

The NFL’s Baker Mayfield put his occupational surname on our lists back when he won the Heisman Trophy as a college player back in 2017. Athlete names succeed because we hear them for a sustained period of time: all season, year after year, if their careers continue. Mayfield was selected for the 2024 Pro Bowl, which might explain the name’s extra boost in the data.

17. EMILIANO (+565 births; unranked on last year’s list; #25 on 2023’s list)

Romance language names routinely outperform their once-dominant Anglo counterparts. Emiliano’s rise is another example of an Italian/Spanish/Portuguese choice that

16. HUDSON (+568 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Jackson has its moment. So did Mason. Now the white hot ends-with-son name for this year? Hudson. There’s something substantial about this name, possibly because it’s such a prominent place name, in New York as well as Canada. Speaking of Canada, Canadian actor Hudson Williams had a break-out year in 2025 – though that might have been too late to explain the name’s rise for this list.

15. AZIEL (+590 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Names ending with -iel are common in the Bible, and they’ve been big in the US for years, too – just think of Gabriel. But lately a new class of names with this appealing ending is on the rise, and Aziel is one of the standard bearers.

14. CALLAHAN (+658 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Appellation Mountain readers have loved Callahan, ever since the name debuted in the US Top 1000 back in 2019. It has an appealing mix of Irish heritage, friendly nickname Cal, and a little bit of swagger, too.

13. ROMAN (+668 births; #8 on last year’s list)

Roman shares sound with #19 Rowan. But while Rowan is a unisex favorite, 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. Rome and Romeo also rank in the current US Top 1000, but only Roman is on the upswing.

12. ADRIEL (+668 births; unranked on last year’s list; #6 on 2023’s list)

Another obscure Old Testament choice, Adriel blends the stylish -iel ending with the substance of long-established favorite Adrian. Adriel is also trending in Spanish-speaking countries, as well as England and France.

11. COLTER (+705 births; #12 on last year’s list; #22 on 2023’s list)

Like Waylon, Colter screams West. Explorer John Colter took part in the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s, and then just 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.

10. CALLUM (+729 births; #11 on last year’s list)

A Scottish heritage choice, Callum has long been popular elsewhere in the English-speaking world. Americans are late to the party, but we’re making up for it. Callum is poised just outside the current US Top 100, and I’d put money on this name cracking that list in another year or two.

9. LUCA (+768 births; unranked on last year’s list; #6 on 2022’s list; #1 on 2021’s list; #13 on 2020’s list)

This Italian form of Luca entered the US Top 1000 in the year 2000. It climbed steadily, surging into the Top 50 in 2021, as we all watched Pixar’s Luca at home as the pandemic dragged on. It’s slowed slightly since then, but parents still choose Luca over Luke. And while Lucas is a bit more popular, this much gain in use suggests that Luca might end up the top name from this cluster in another year or three.

8. WESTON (+810 births; unranked on last year’s list)

Once a straightforward place name for that town to the west, Weston became a surname and then a given name, too. It’s been in quiet use for years, but now the same forces taking Waylon and Colter to the top of the popularity charts are lifting Weston, too. But while those names seem clearly tied to all things cowboy-adjacent, there’s a subtle polish to Weston that suggests it might also speak to families considering names like Wesley or even Preston, too.

7. ELIAN (+949 births; unranked on last year’s list; #17 on 2023’s list)

The first of two Elijah cousins to make the list of fastest rising boy names 2026, Elian also owes something to the popularity of Julian, Adrian, and other ends-with-IAN names.

6. ATLAS (+980 births; unranked on last year’s list; #21 on 2022’s list; #21 on 2021’s list)

For years, Atlas felt like a kind-of out-there name. Mythological, yes. Bold and adventurous, absolutely. But not quite a mainstream choice. That started to change when Atlas entered the US Top 1000 in 2013. It’s climbed steadily since then, as these numbers demonstrate. As of May 2026’s updated list, Atlas is a Top 100 favorite.

5. ELIAS (+1153 births; #10 on last year’s list; #22 on 2022’s list)

Popular European equivalent of Elijah, Elias is a smooth alternative that feels just a little different. The -s ending is a stylish choice, and we’re wild for El- names, too. Nearly every Eli- name for a boy is rising in use now, whether they’re part of this name family or not.

4. BENNETT (+1159 births; #9 on last year’s list; #21 on 2023’s list)

All those gentle Ben names meet the stylish -T ending, a mix of Benjamin and Everett that feels traditional-ish and new at the same time.

3. THEODORE (+1286 births; #4 on last year’s list; #2 on 2022’s list; #4 on 2021’s list; #2 on 2020’s list)

Theodore seems unstoppable. While it’s a perpetual Top 1000 choices dating back to the list’s earliest days, Theodore is now a Top Ten mainstay. It entered the elite group in 2021 and now stands at #4. Nearly every Theodore is a Theo, which also ranks in the Top 100 as an independent name, but Teddy is another option.

2. COOPER (+1757 births; unranked on last year’s list; #5 on 2022’s list)

Friendly surname name Cooper entered the US Top 100 in 2007, and is now more popular than ever before. It’s a mix of sporting references, Old Hollywood, and general high-energy appeal.

1. EITHAN (+2037 births; #7 on last year’s list; #24 on 2022’s list)

A preferred spelling with Spanish-speaking parents, Eithan is a phonetic take on long-time favorite Ethan. (In Spanish, Ethan almost rhymes with Nathan.) In fact, it’s a Top Ten choice for Baby Center’s Spanish-language site as of this writing. It’s easy to imagine Eithan gaining in use even as long-time favorite Ethan fades.

Do any of the fastest rising boy names 2026 surprise you? Any favorites on this list?