Time for the new boy names 2025!
Every May, on the Friday before Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration releases a list of the 1,000 most popular boy names and 1,000 most popular girl names in the United States for the prior calendar year.
As you might expect, that list is constantly changing. Some names fall off, tumbling into obscurity. Other names rise into the rankings for the very first time ever, or return following a long absence. Some names hover on the very edge of the Top 1,000 for ages – in one year, then out the next.
The fun part? It’s those returns and debuts.
This year 45 boys’ names appear in the US Top 1000 that did not rank the prior calendar year.
Here’s how that compares to previous years:
- Last year, 38 boys’ names ranked in the US Top 1000 that were not on the list the year before.
- For calendar year 2022, 45 names charted that were not on the list the prior year.
- 41 names returned or debuted in calendar year 2021.
- 38 new boy names made the list in calendar year 2020.
- The 2019 list gave us 50 new boy names.
- For calendar year 2018, we reviewed 45 newcomers.
- During 2017, 37 boys’ names appeared in the rankings that were not there a year earlier.
- Calendar year 2016 featured 42 new names appearing on the list.
- The list published for 2015 worked out to 39 new names.
- For the 2014 year, that number was 38.
- And in 2013, the data gave us 45.
And now, the names!
Table of Contents
- AGUSTIN #865
- ALESSIO #946
- ARDEN #943
- ASPEN #962
- AZAI #921
- AZAIAH #881
- BENNY #890
- BODE #804
- BRYER #866
- CAMPBELL #922
- CARLO #914
- CASPER #879
- COLSEN #631
- CEDRIC #944
- DAMARI #934
- DANGELO #960
- DARIAN #901
- DIMITRI #993
- EVREN #971
- HALO #994
- HEATH #848
- ISAEL #942
- JETTSON #825
- KABIR #937
- KACE #999
- KASE #964
- KHALID #936
- KOLTER #834
- KRUE #931
- LAITH #973
- MAKARI #968
- NAZIR #945
- NOA #985
- OZIAS #861
- RENE #990
- RONNIE #995
- ROWDY #926
- SHIMON #932
- SHLOMO #977
- TRUCE #991
- WALLACE #981
- YESHUA #982
- YITZCHOK #958
- ZAYLEN #885
- ZYMIR #951
- Do you have any favorite new boy names from this list?
AGUSTIN #865
Spanish-language spelling of Augustine that has teetered on the edge of the US Top 1000 for years. With August entering the US Top 100 this year, Agustin’s return makes sense.
ALESSIO #946
Romance language Alex name that fits the style we love for our sons now.
ARDEN #943
Once a rising possibility for our daughters, surname Arden is now trending for our sons. It has history as a unisex name, and brings to mind a real and legendary forest – Shakespeare’s fantastic Forest of Arden. That makes this choice a little bit like established gender-neutral favorite Eden.
ASPEN #962
More proof that parents truly see many nature names as unisex: tree name Aspen debuts in the boys’ Top 1000. If Rowan can rank for both, this wintry choice should, too.
AZAI #921
Hebrew name meaning strength, with the irresistible AI ending.
AZAIAH #881
Another Hebrew name, a cousin to Azai, and a logical successor to Elijah and Isaiah.
BENNY #890
Casual Benny is the latest Ben name to appear in the US Top 1000. It had a good run, peaking during the 1930s previously. It’s rising in the UK, too, and fits right in with cozy favorites like Charlie and Archie.
BODE #804
American skiier Bode Miller won six Olympic medals and countless other victories. He helped put his unusual name on parents’ radar earlier in the 2000s. Bodhi, the Sanskrit name meaning enlightenment, remains the most popular spelling. Bode might have a German origin, and a different meaning: command. Either way Bode is back in the US Top 1000, and Bodie is rising, too. It points to the ongoing appeal of Bo names.
BRYER #866
Take appealing, unisex nature name Briar and transform it into something more conventionally surname-style, and Bryer is the result. It follows former favorites like Bryan and Bryce.
CAMPBELL #922
Campbell debuted for the boys and the girls in the 2024 data. With Cameron established as a modern traditional, Campbell fits right in.
CARLO #914
Take Charles and Carlos, mix in Arlo, and Carlo is the Italian heritage pick that feels quite stylish now. One other factor? In July of 2024, Pope Francis named Saint Carlo Acutis – the first millennial saint. It was headline-worthy, shining another spotlight on this classic choice.
CASPER #879
Effortlessly international, Casper is cousin to Jasper. It means treasurer and is associated with the Three Kings in the Christmas story. In the US, Casper is more likely to be associated with the comic strip ghost. Except that character has faded from memory, and Casper fits right in with Cassian, Caspian, Carter, and Jasper.
COLSEN #631
A fast-rising choice, Colsen is following Colson, which followed Cole and Colton into wider use.
CEDRIC #944
Old school literary name that has dipped in and out of the Top 1000 over the last few years.
DAMARI #934
Amari is based on an Arabic name with a compelling meaning: “one who lives a long life; one who thrives.” Kamari and Jamari have followed Amari into wider use. Damari joins them in the Top 1000.
DANGELO #960
One of many names that’s back on the list after a brief moment out of the Top 1000, Dangelo is probably D’Angelo, based on the surname.
DARIAN #901
It looks a bit like literary Dorian or place name Darien, and probably owes something to our love of Darren, too. But Darian also fits with boys’ names ending in IAN, like Julian and Adrian.
DIMITRI #993
A Russian form of Demetrius, one that dances on the edge of the rankings – and has since the 1990s.
EVREN #971
A mythologic name from Turkey, Evren means “the cosmos.” It refers to a dragon, but it’s also associated with creation and evolution.
HALO #994
A symbol of saintliness, and also a popular video game. Halo has been in the girls’ Top 1000 and now joins the boys’ list, too.
HEATH #848
Nature name Heath had a good run in the 1960s, the age of Keith. The name’s return to the rankings suggests that parents who love River and Ridge have rediscovered this ahead-of-its-time possibility.
ISAEL #942
Likely first used in Brazil, Isael is a mix of Isaiah, Ismail, and Misael.
JETTSON #825
An inevitable addition to the list, given the popularity of Jett, Jettson debuts in the new boy names 2025.
KABIR #937
Arabic name meaning leader.
KACE #999
Western-leaning word name Case has fallen in use. Yellowstone-inspired Kayce continues to climb. And now so does Kace, a simplified spelling of that stylish favorite.
KASE #964
As with Kace, Kase is a more mainstream spelling for an established sound.
KHALID #936
Traditional Arabic name meaning “eternal.”
KOLTER #834
Surname name Colter refers to someone who worked with horses – colts. It’s surging in the rankings, bringing Kolter along for the ride.
KRUE #931
Crew is polished and preppy and still a little on the wild side. Krue takes this name full heavy metal for the new boy names 2025.
LAITH #973
Arabic name meaning lion, with a strong, distinctive sound.
MAKARI #968
Along with Jakari and Dakari, Makari is another name that succeeds on sound, but has some traditional roots. Makari comes from the Latin Macarious, meaning happy or blessed.
NAZIR #945
Arabic name meaning herald or possibly counterpart, with the appealing middle Z sound.
NOA #985
Strictly speaking, Noah with an H is the traditional masculine name. Noa is a separate, feminine one, belonging to a daughter of Zelophehad in the Old Testament. (Along with her sisters, she inherited property in her own right.) Except we’ve been naming girls Noah and boys Noa in various languages and across centuries, too. Now both spellings rank on both lists.
OZIAS #861
Biblical baby name meaning strength, Ozias powers into the US Top 1000 thanks to that S-ending shared with Elias and company, as well as potential nickname Ozzy.
RENE #990
Traditional French René is heard across Europe. It comes from the Latin Renatus, meaning reborn. It often appears in the US Top 1000, and returns after a brief absence.
RONNIE #995
A nickname name for old school favorite Ronald, Ronnie feels like it comes from another time. But it’s a Top 100 favorite in England, where casual nickname names rule, and so it’s not surprising to find it back in the US rankings after a brief departure.
ROWDY #926
Wild and rambunctious word name that feels at home in a class with boys answering to Maverick and Wilder.
SHIMON #932
Modern Hebrew form of Simon, currently popular in Israel, and now ranking in the US, too.
SHLOMO #977
Modern form of Solomon.
TRUCE #991
True meets … Bruce? It’s a modern virtue choice. While we tend to think of a truce as a temporary pause to fighting, there’s a deeper meaning, too. Truce suggests trust, a kind of pledge. It’s an intriguing and hopeful name.
WALLACE #981
Traditional, buttoned-up Wallace is a name both gentle and strong. A brother for Malcolm or Lachlan.
YESHUA #982
Hebrew form of Joshua.
YITZCHOK #958
One of several possible spellings of Yitzhak, a Hebrew form of Isaac.
ZAYLEN #885
The age of Aiden names is fading, but Jaylen’s influence is still going strong. Zaylen’s debut among new boy names 2025 proves the sound’s continuing popularity.
ZYMIR #951
Another spelling of Arabic name Zamir that seems calculated to always come at the very end of the alphabet. It shares Zamir’s meaning: heart or conscience.
There you have it! The new boy names 2025 – plenty of interesting finds, from inventive choices to re-discoveries that just might catch on.
Do you have any favorite new boy names from this list?
