Top Boy Names 2025: The 61 Most Popular Choices on the Site

If you’re reading this, you can probably rattle off some of the most popular boys’ names in the US. Liam, Henry, Oliver, Jack.

Unless you’ve been reading Appellation Mountain daily, closely, for years? I’m guessing some of the top boy names 2025 on the site will surprise you.

I mean … I write it, and I’m always a little stunned by some of the most-read names on the site for any given year.

Here’s the thing: AM is big enough to welcome lots and lots of visitors. (And I’m truly grateful for that – thank you!) But it’s a tiny site compared to the massive databases out there. And so it’s a small enough site that the most-viewed names are always a quirky, unpredictable lot.

Of course, plenty of these names fare well because faithful AM readers have the most amazing style.

In any given list, I can spot future rising favorites – because you can spot them, and seek them out. Others rank well simply because, well, Aladar gets as much space as Adrian here, while it’s just a footnote on more mainstream sites.

So don’t assume you’ll meet dozens of boys named Ames, Peregrine, or Iciar in the coming years … but definitely do keep an eye on Townes, Truce, and Cassian.

This list will be the basis for our March Madness Baby Names 2025 contest early next year – more on that below.

As to why there are 61 names on the top boy names 2025 list? The most-viewed content on the site is nearly all a mix of name lists and #namehelp questions. I choose a cut-off point based on when I can reach roughly a Top 50 list for both genders, but it never works out quite that neatly – and there are always far more girls’ names on the list than boys.

But that’s just part of the fun. On to the list!

TOP TEN BOY NAMES AT APPELLATION MOUNTAIN

10. SULLIVAN (#339 in the US)

A cheerful Irish surname name, Sullivan continues to gain in the US. It feels like a midway point between Oliver and Riley – a little bit longer, but with with distinctive, modern appeal. AM readers could be forecasting a future Top 100 name with their love of Sullivan.

9. HUXLEY (#743 in the US)

This name has been consistently loved by AM readers, particularly on Pinterest. The middle X, potential nickname Huck, the way that it’s a -ley ender that feels a smidge more masculine than Hadley or Kinley. It’s falling in use in the US data as of 2024, but remains powerfully popular here.

8. TOWNES (unranked in the US)

Could Townes be the next Rhodes, which feels like the next Brooks? There’s something about it that straddles the buttoned-up, polished surname style of names like Carter with a more home-on-the-range sensibility. It’s not a Yellowstone character name, but I think it has that energy. It could be a tremendously appealing choice in the future.

7. ELIO (#507 in the US)

Boosted by a Pixar movie, Elio has climbed in use. And why wouldn’t it? An El- name with an -O ending, a Leo name that’s just a little newer? Plus Elio refers to the sun, making it a subtle nature name.

6. CORBIN (#473 in the US)

A long-time favorite of AM readers, Corbin has never quite caught on in the US. But that’s a bonus. It’s an established name that remains just familiar enough, without feeling too connected to a particular decade. There’s a strength to Corbin, and the name’s meaning – raven – is quite appealing, too.

5. ZOHRAN (unranked in the US)

This name came out of nowhere, a little like the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani. It’s a hopeful name, but also one with a very 21st century-forward style. In general, Americans don’t name their children after politicians. But there are always exceptions, and this story is compelling – it might be the exception that proves the rule.

4. ADRIAN (#72 in the US)

Call Adrian the archetypal Appellation Mountain popular name. It’s got plenty of history. A compelling sound. A smart, capable, smooth style. And while it is popular in the US overall, Adrian remains more loved here than in the overall population.

3. CREW (#250 in the US)

As with Sullivan, I suspect AM reader’s curiosity about Crew might translate to a future Top 100 name. Crew is a polished as J. Crew, as rough and tumble as a wrecking crew. Once Joanna and Chip Gaines gave the name to their youngest son in 2018, it occupied that perfect space. It’s stylish, down-to-earth, and in the media consistently but quietly at the same time.

2. JETT (#161 in the US)

Jett is going places. After years of quietly climbing in use, this name is poised just outside of the US Top 100 and garnering lots of attention. There doesn’t seem to be any single factor driving Jett’s success. Instead, it’s a name that feels like an edgier alternative to Bennett, a brief and complete name that’s less expected than Jack. Jett is a brother for Beau or Crew, and a name to watch.

1. JAMES (#5 in the US)

At heart, AM readers love a classic. James remains a favorite, year after year.

THE LIST: THE 61 MOST POPULAR BOY NAMES ON THE SITE IN 2025

1. JAMES
2. JETT
3. CREW
4. ADRIAN
5. ZOHRAN
6. CORBIN
7. ELIO
8. TOWNES
9. HUXLEY
10. SULLIVAN
11. ARCHER
12. ORRIN
13. COVE
14. WELLS
15. ETHAN
16. BLAISE
17. ATLAS
18. LANDO
19. BOONE
20. CASSIAN
21. BRIDGER
22. REEVE
23. ST. JOHN
24. CHOSEN
25. ACE
26. ASA
27. KAI
28. ANGUS
29. RHODES
30. NED
31. FLETCHER
32. TRUCE
33. WILDER
34. PAX
35. FELIX
36. AMES
37. PEREGRINE
38. ARES
39. GAGE
40. JONES
41. PHILIP
42. TORIN
43. RONAN
44. CODY
45. DEREK
46. BECKETT
47. ISIDORE
48. DECKARD
49. ERNEST
50. JAGO
51. AUGUST
52. ALAN
53. VIGGO
54. THEODORE
55. DYLAN
56. TIMOTHY
57. SUFJAN
58. ALADAR
59. EVEREST
60. AXEL
61. ICIAR

There you have it! The top boy names 2025 on Appellation Mountain – a most surprising and delightful list, with a mix of the names we all love (hello, Archer and Wells!) along with some completely unexpected surprises. (Where else could Corbin and Huxley make the Top Ten?)

MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2026

Every March, while the rest of the world is obsessed with basketball, we lucky few turn our attention to a different kind of bracketology.

This list will determine the contenders for the annual March Madness Baby Names tournament. Check out previous winners here, and come back to vote then!

Readers, thank you for sharing your favorites all year – and every year! Are any of these names on your shortlists?