Let’s find the perfect short name for your baby boy…

First, a quick overview of what’s to come…

The names on this list are 3, 4, or 5 letters. And best of all, they’re all modern!

I tried to give you a great condensed list of only cool names that aren’t too far out there or too old and boring.

You can use the table of contents below to browse by category or by name length.

Name meanings are in brackets.

You can also check out this list of one syllable boy names which contains names that sound short, even though many actually contain 6 or more letters.

Okay, are you ready?

Let’s dive in and check out the best short names for boys born in 2022 and 2023.

PIN FOR LATER

Trendy & Cool Short Boy Names

These short baby boys’ names are hot right now!

• Aiden {little fire} This is the 24th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S. *we spelled it Aden!
• Asher {ash tree dweller} This is the 32nd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Brody {broad island}
• Caden {round}
• Caleb {devotion} This is the 56th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Chase {to hunt}
• Cohen {priest}
• Crew {group}
• Cruz {cross}

• Elias {Yahweh is God} This is the 53rd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Emory {industrious}
• Gabe {God is my strength} “Gabriel” is the 38th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Grey / Gray {color} “Grayson” is the 35th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Hayes {hedged area}
• Jace {Lord is salvation} This is the 97th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Jax {God is gracious}

• Jaxon {God is gracious} This is the 48th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Knox {round-topped hill}
• Levi {joined} This is the 18th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Logan {little hollow} This is the 16th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Luca {man from Lucania} This is the 67th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Lucas {man from Lucania} This is the 8th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

• Luke {bright one} This is the 31st most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Mason {stone worker} This cool short name is the 11th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Nash {by the ash tree}
• Pax {peaceful)
• Rowan {little redhead}
• Silas / Sylas {forest} This short cool boys’ name is the 100th most popular in the U.S.
• Soren {stern}

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned short cool boy names as first or middle names:

Aden Blaze, Asher Grey, Brody Maverick, Caden Knox, Caleb James, Carter Reece, Chase Maddox, Cohen Gabriel, Cruz Alexander, Grey Phoenix, Hudson Jace, Jaxon Stone, Knox Maverick, Luke Mason, Hendrix Nash, Pax Wilder, Pierce Lawson. 

Strong Short Boy Names

These next masculine baby boy names are short but mighty!

• Axel {father of peace} This short strong name is the 72nd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Blaze {fiery}
• Brant {sword}
• Cade {barrel}
• Damon {to tame}
• Diego {one who takes the place of another}
• Drake {dragon}
• Drew {manly}
• Grant {tall}

• Kane {warrior}
• Milo {soldier}
• Nico {people of victory}
• Owen {young warrior} This masculine short name is the 22nd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Reign {sovereign}
• Rex {king}
• Roman {citizen of Rome} This short masculine name is the 77th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Rome {strength}
• Ryder {horseman}
• Troy {foot soldier}
• Vince {prevailing}
• Wyatt {brave in war} This short masculine name is the 29th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned short masculine names as first or middle names:

Ashton Cade, Axel Judd, Diego Phoenix, Drake Wilder, Radley Blaze, Reign Emerson, Travis Ryder, Troy Adams, Vince Kennedy

Related to short strong boys names: French Names for Boys

Related: Rainbow Baby Names for Boys

Cute Short Boy Names

All of these cute short baby boy names sound friendly and sweet.

• Ace {unity}
• Arlo {literary name}
• Beck {stream}
• Benji {son of the right hand}
• Boden {hill}
• Bowen {son of Owen}

Related: 125+ Incredible Boy Names that Start with B

• Brady {broad meadow}
• Brock {badger}
• Colby {from a coal town}
• Eli {uplifted} This cute short boys name is the 60th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Enzo {Henry}
• Ezra {helper} This short cute name is the 44th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Felix {fortunate}
• Grady {noble}
• Hart {from Hartford, shallow place in a river where deer roam}
• Leo {lion} This is the 36th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

• Lev {lion}
• Liam {protection} This cute short name the #1 most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Reese {enthusiasm}
• Remy {oarsman}
• Tate {cheerful}
• Todd {fox}
• Trey {three}

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned short cute baby boy names as first or middle names:

Arlo Rhett, Benji Blake, Boden Gage, Eli Hunt, Enzo Adams, Leo James, Lev Noah, Liam Bennett, Porter Reese, Remy Bridge, Todd Drake

Related to cute short names for boys: Nonbinary Names

Old Fashioned Short Boy Names

These classic short boy names are technically old school but have a modern feel. Everything old is new again!

• Bates {son of the trenches}
• Beau {handsome}
• Clyde {Scottish river}
• Duke {leader}

• Finn {white}
• Gage {money lender}
• Henry {estate ruler} This is the 9th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Huck {Huckleberry}
• Jack {God is gracious} This is the 21st most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• James {one who follows} This is the 6th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Jude {praised}
• Mack {son of}
• Miles {soldier} This is the 59th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

• Otis {wealthy}
• Rhett {advice}
• Shay {supplanted}
• Smith {blacksmith}
• Theo {divine gift} “Theodore” is the 23rd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Tripp {the third}
• Walt {army ruler}
• Wells {spring}

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned classic short boy names as first or middle names:

Duke Weston, Finn Wilder, Jack Porter, Jude Benson, Mack Preston, Miles Parker, Rhett Emerson, Theo Banks

Related: Irish Boy Names

Nature Short Boy Names

For organic short baby boys names that mean earth, animal, or water, check out these options!

• Birch {tree}
• Clay {earthy}
• Cole {charcoal}
• Colt {young horse}
• Corbin {crow}

• Fox {wild animal}
• Gavin {white hawk}
• Hawk {bird of prey}
• Kai {sea} This is the 93rd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Lynx {wild cat}
• Ridge {narrow hilltop}
• River {water}
• Slate {grayish rock}
• Stone {solid as a rock}
• Talon {claw of a bird of prey}
• Wolf {large canine}

You may also like these flower names for boys.

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned options as first or middle names:

Birch Hayden, Clay Finnegan, Cole Benson, Colt Ashton, Corbin Pierce, Fox Maddox, Gavin Reece, Hawk Archer, Jaxon Wolf, Kai Benjamin, Lynx Parker, Ridge Mason, River Phoenix, Slate Hudson, Stone Gabriel

Unique Short Boy Names

Each of the unique short baby boy names in this next batch is uncommon but not too far out there. For an unusual and not-overdone moniker, consider one of these unique short boy names…

• Arrow {shot from a bow}
• Artéo {made up}
• Atlas {heavens bearer}
• Banks {riverbank dweller}
• Blake {light}
• Cason {invented name}
• Champ {winner}
• Cyrus {sun}
• Dane {God is my judge}

• Dash {unknown}
• Dean {valley}
• Dex {right handed}
• Ford {river crossing}
• Holt {grove of trees}
• Hyde {hide}
• Jett {black}
• Jonah {dove}
• Judd {flowing down}
• Kent {edge}
• Leon {lion}
• Lyle {island}
• Onyx {black gem stone}
• Quinn {counsel}
• Reed or Reid {red haired}
• Trent {flooder}
• Wade {to go}
• Zane {God is gracious}

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned short unique boy names as first or middle names:

Archer Dash, Arrow Jones, Artéo Grey, Atlas Wilder, Blake Maddox, Cyrus Roman, Dane Emerson, Dean Ryder, Dex Porter, Ford Whittaker, Hamilton Banks, Jagger Hyde, Jett Maddox, Jonah Mason, Judd Chase, Kent Walker, Leon Everest, Lincoln Holt, Lyle Edison, Onyx Bridge, Quinn Jackson, Sawyer Reed, Trent Hunter, Wade Madden, Zane Dawson

Related to short unusual boy names: Edgy Names for Boys

Timeless Short Boy Names

These short boy names have stood the test of time. They’re classic, yet modern, and might be just what you’re going for!

• Avery {ruler of elves}
• Brent {dweller near burnt land}
• Dylan {son of the sea} This is the 43rd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Ethan {long-lived} This is the 13th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Jacob {to follow} This is the 15th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

• Kyle {narrow}
• Max {greatest}
• Noah {to comfort} This is the 2nd most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Ryan {little king} This is the 57th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.
• Shane {God is gracious}
• Tyler {tile maker}
• Wes {western meadow} “Wesley” is the 98th most popular baby boy’s name in the U.S.

Here are some ideas for name combinations using the aforementioned options as first or middle names:

Avery Bennett, Dylan Slate, Ethan Beck, Jacob Quinn, Kyle Jordan, Max Reid, Noah Patton, Ryan Hayes, Shane Kingston, Tyler Blake, Wes Taylor

This wraps up the categorized lists of short boy names for modern babies.

The next batch of lists includes the same names you’ve seen above, but organized by the number of letters. You’ll find this helpful if you’ve got a specific name length in mind.

Feel free to jump ahead to 3 letter boy names, 4 letter boy names, or 5 letter boy names.

Best short middle names for boys

Short middle names are easy to pair with almost any first name.

In fact, the vast majority of the 135 short boy baby names on this list make excellent middle names.

Nevertheless, I’ve narrowed down my personal favorite short boy middle names to give you some inspiration!

3 Letter Boy Names

If you want an easy-to-spell name that will be unique and memorable, consider one of these three letter boy names.

• Ace {unity}
• Dex {right handed}
• Eli {uplifted}
• Fox {wild animal}
• Jax {God is gracious}
• Kai {sea}
• Leo {lion}
• Lev {lion}
• Max {greatest}
• Pax {peaceful)
• Rex {king}
• Wes {western meadow}

Keep in mind that you can use some of these 3 letter boy names as nicknames. Then you can go with the longer more ‘official’ names as first names: Dexter, Elijah, Jaxon (or Jackson), Paxton, Wesley, etc. You can’t go wrong either way!

4 Letter Boy Names

Here are over 60 amazing four letter boy names.

• Aden {little fire}
• Arlo {literary name}
• Axel {father of peace}
• Beau {handsome}
• Beck {stream}
• Cade {barrel}
• Clay {earthy}
• Cole {charcoal}
• Colt {young horse}
• Crew {group}

• Cruz {cross}
• Dane {God is my judge}
• Dash {unknown}
• Dean {valley}
• Drew {manly}
• Duke {leader}
• Enzo {Henry}
• Ezra {helper}
• Finn {white}
• Ford {river crossing}
• Gabe {God is my strength}
• Gage {money lender}

• Grey / Gray {color}
• Hart {from Hartford, shallow place in a river where deer roam}
• Hawk {bird of prey}
• Holt {grove of trees}
• Huck {Huckleberry}
• Hyde {hide}
• Jace {Lord is salvation}
• Jack {God is gracious}
• Jett {black}
• Judd {flowing down}
• Jude {praised}
• Kane {warrior}

• Kent {edge}
• Knox {round-topped hill}
• Kyle {narrow}
• Leon {lion}
• Levi {joined}
• Liam {protection}
• Luca {man from Lucania}
• Luke {bright one}
• Lyle {island}
• Lynx {wild cat}
• Mack {son of}
• Milo {soldier}

• Nash {by the ash tree}
• Nico {people of victory}
• Noah {to comfort}
• Onyx {black gem stone}
• Otis {wealthy}
• Owen {young warrior}
• Quinn {counsel}
• Reed or Reid {red haired}
• Remy {oarsman}
• Rome {strength}
• Ryan {little king}
• Shay {supplanted}
• Tate {cheerful}

• Theo {divine gift}
• Todd {fox}
• Trey {three}
• Troy {foot soldier}
• Wade {to go}
• Walt {army ruler}
• Wolf {large canine}
• Zane {God is gracious}

Many of these 4 letter boy names also make wonderful nicknames and middle names.

5 Letter Boy Names

Five letter boy names are just mini enough to make our list of short baby names. Here are 60+ options to consider…

• Arrow {shot from a bow}
• Artéo {invented name}
• Asher {ash tree dweller}
• Atlas {heavens bearer}
• Avery {ruler of elves}
• Banks {riverbank dweller}
• Bates {son of the trenches}
• Benji {son of the right hand}
• Birch {tree}
• Blake {light}
• Blaze {fiery}

• Boden {hill}
• Bowen {son of Owen}
• Brady {broad meadow}
• Brant {sword}
• Brent {dweller near burnt land}
• Brock {badger}
• Brody {broad island}
• Caden {round}
• Caleb {devotion}
• Cason {invented name}
• Champ {winner}
• Chase {to hunt}

• Clyde {Scottish river}
• Cohen {priest}
• Colby {from a coal town}
• Corbin {crow}
• Cyrus {sun}
• Damon {to tame}
• Diego {one who takes the place of another}
• Dixon {son of Richard}
• Drake {dragon}
• Dylan {son of the sea}
• Elias {Yahweh is God}
• Emory {industrious}

• Ethan {long-lived}
• Felix {fortunate}
• Gavin {white hawk}
• Grady {noble}
• Grant {tall}
• Hayes {hedged area}
• Henry {estate ruler}
• Jacob {to follow}
• James {one who follows}
• Jaxon {God is gracious}
• Jonah {dove}
• Logan {little hollow}

• Lucas {man from Lucania}
• Mason {stone worker}
• Mateo {gift of God}
• Miles {soldier}
• Reese {enthusiasm}
• Reign {sovereign}
• Rhett {advice}
• Ridge {narrow hilltop}
• River {water}
• Roman {citizen of Rome}
• Romeo {pilgram to Rome}
• Rowan {little redhead}
• Ryder {horseman}

• Shane {God is gracious}
• Silas / Sylas {forest}
• Slate {grayish rock}
• Smith {blacksmith}
• Soren {stern}
• Stone {solid as a rock}
• Talon {claw of a bird of prey}
• Trent {flooder}
• Tripp {the third}
• Tyler {tile maker}
• Vince {prevailing}
• Wells {spring}
• Wyatt {brave in war}

These 5 letter names are perfect if you want your baby’s name to be concise, but not too short. Plus, many are timeless and trendy at the same time, making them ideal choices for your modern little man.

Practical tips for finalizing your baby’s name

Okay, so there’s good news and there’s bad news about deciding to give your son a short first name.

The first piece of good news is that there are SO many genuinely wonderful choices for short boy names. (There are fewer wonderful choices that are super long, in my opinion, at least). If you go with any one of the names on this list, you’ll have picked a fantastic name.

The second piece of good news is that short names are typically easy for people to pronounce. You probably won’t have to worry about your son having to correct everyone he comes across. And while this wouldn’t be the end of the world, anyone whose name is incorrectly pronounced on a regular basis will tell you that it can become irritating.

And the third piece of good news is that short boy names flow incredibly well with both longer and shorter middle names. So again, you’ve got an abundance of options. Options are a good thing!

Now for the obvious bit of bad news:

Narrowing down the choices when you’ve got this many cool short names is going to be a serious challenge.

So, here is some practical advice for how to decide on the perfect short name for your baby boy:

Step 1: Write down all of your favorite short boy names in one place. I like to do this in the notepad on my phone (you’ll see why in step 6). The key is to have every single contender laid out in front of you, even if it’s 30 of them. (I hope for you that it’s not!)

Step 2: Say the names out loud with the baby’s last name. If anything sounds ‘less good’ than the others, erase it. As you’re doing this, try to pay attention to whether any difficult-to-say sounds are made when the first and last names are said together. For example, “Reese Siegel” produces a lot of “sssseee”. (Try it now and you’ll see what I mean). Another example would be “Banks Smith” which has a weird pause between the s’s when you say it out loud. Hopefully, at the very least, you’ll knock a name or two off of your list.

Step 3: Now it’s time to listen to those names. This sounds silly but I promise it’s helpful. Ask your partner to read you the list of short boy names with baby’s last name. I guarantee when you hear someone else saying them, you’ll have more clarity and will be able to get rid of a few on your list.

Step 4: As your partner says the names out loud, there’s a pretty good chance he’s going to comment on which names he likes or doesn’t like, so go with it! It’s highly possible that there are names that you love that he associates with someone he knows currently or has known in the past. Find out if any of your favorites are no-gos for him and also see if there are any favorites that stand out.

Step 5: Consider the initials. Particularly if the baby’s last name starts with a vowel, you may be able to rule out a number of baby names. For example, I’d personally skip “Hayes O’Brien” because his initials would be HO. I’d also avoid “Owen York” because his initials would be OY… oy vey!

P.S. Later, when you start thinking about middle names, be sure to Google your baby’s initials and scroll through at least 3 pages of search results. You never know what those 3 letters may stand for — medical conditions, slang, companies, organizations, political causes, etc. It’s worth a quick check!

Step 6: By now, your list of favorite short names for your son should have hopefully shrunken significantly. From time to time, pull out the list of names. I liked keeping it on my phone so that I could glance at it whenever I was bored, wherever I happened to be. You’ll probably find that over time, you’ll start to favor certain names over others, and hopefully, settle on a favorite.

Step 7: Ideally, you won’t need step 7, but if you do, that’s okay. If you’re still stuck on which short boy name to choose, it’s time to get some feedback from others. You don’t want to ask too many people because that will only make matters more complicated. Rather, ask one or two close friends or family members who will give you their honest opinions. If your mom says something like “I’ve always loved that name!” it might give you the boost you need. If your friend says, “That name always reminds me of the actor who [did something bad]”, it might push you in another direction.

Final thoughts on short baby boys names

You’ve now seen 135 short names for boys (with meaning) that are trendy, strong, cute, old-fashioned, nature-oriented, uncommon, and timeless.

All of these wonderful 3-, 4-, or 5-letter names will make your son stand out in a crowd… in the best possible way!

Whether you need a first or middle name, hopefully, this tall list of short boy names gave you a few ideas for your shortlist (no pun intended).

And if you’re not totally sold on a short baby boys name, here are some other mega posts to check out for baby name inspiration:

• Space Names
• Hippie Names
• Southern Names
• One-Syllable Boy Names
• Two-Syllable Boy Names
• Three-Syllable Boy Names

If you liked this list of short boy names, email it to your partner! (Or save it on Pinterest for later).

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135 Short Boy Names for Modern Babies