Naming a baby can be challenging. From the USG, it shows that your baby is a boy and you still do not have any idea for your baby’s name. When naming a baby, you surely want to give a good name with a good hope as well. You are able to check the list of English baby boy names and their meanings below for your inspiration and also some other information related to giving a name to your baby to avoid mistakes.
Is a Name Important?
Have you heard the expression “What’s in a name”? This expression seems to state that names are meaningless. Hellen Keller, an American author, political activist, lecturer, and disability rights advocate, who lost her sight and hearing, wrote that the horizons of her thinking opened when she realized that everything had a name.
Psychologically, cited from HIMAPPB UNY, a name is not only an identity for the owner, but also can form a personality. Besides, a name can also affect the development of emotions and characteristics of the owner.
A lot of studies were done to find out that choosing a child’s name could affect the child’s life. If a boy is named which is like a girl’s name, it can trigger behavioral problems in his life. He may also be mocked by his friends because of his name.
John McDavid and Herbert Harari in 1966 conducted research about the effect of a name on a child and they found that those who did not have interesting names were isolated by their friends.
People whose name has a relationship with religion usually have a better affinity for their religion.
So, giving a good name to your baby is a must. In the future, when the baby has grown up, he or she will be encouraged to have an image contained in his or her name. If they have a good name, it can give them a good image so that hopefully they can be a person who has a good personality.
Psychological Meaning Behind Someone’s Name
Giving a name to a baby is not easy. As parents, you may have some name options for your child and are still confused to decide which one is the best name for your child. However, do you know that a name has a psychological value that can determine the person’s personality and future? Well, here is the explanation according to SehatQ.
Parents usually give a name to their child with the best meaning and reflect hopes to the child. For example, the name “Howard” which is derived from the Old English word for ‘brave’ and ‘guardian’, may be given to a child with the hope that the child will be someone who is brave and become a guardian in the future. Some parents give a name to their children where the names are inspired from public figures with the hope that someday their children can be successful like the figure.
There were a lot of common names that we used to hear in the past. But now, as time goes by, those names may be seldom to be heard because parents in this era want to give unique and modern names for their children.
According to Laura Wattenberg, the creator of Baby Name Wizard site, parents in the past named their children with ordinary names with the hope that their children could easily blend in with their friends and environment. Now, parents tend to name their children with the names which stand out because they worry that if they give ordinary names, their children will be an ordinary person.
Wattenberg also connects the change of culture with some factors such as the introduction of baby name statistics and widespread use of media so that access to information to name options is more diverse than in the past. A lot of parents in this era think that being authentic is a value that describes someone’s social status.
A study from Columbia University showed that girls’ and boys’ names could be differentiated based on the way the name was pronounced. In this research, it is revealed that we judge gender impressions based on phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest unit that can show contrasting meanings, for example ‘hat’ and ‘had’.
Among phonemes, there are voiced consonants and unvoiced consonants. Voiced consonants are consonants that can produce vibrations in the vocal cords when they are pronounced. Unvoiced consonants are consonants which do not produce vibrations when they are pronounced. So, from the research, it showed that names with voiced consonants gave a harder impression and names with unvoiced consonants gave a softer impression.
So, if you want to give a name to your child based on the child’s gender, you can follow the research. It means that your daughter can be named with phonemes like k, p, ch, t, th , f, sh, s, or h, but your son can be named with phonemes g, b, d, j, z, v.
There are also some other studies about the meaning of names where the studies are aimed to see whether people can identify the name of someone who has never met them and they identify it by only seeing the person’s face. From the experiment, it showed that the participants had a right guess in matching someone’s face with the person’s name. For example, someone whose name is ‘Bob’ is identical with someone who has a round face. So, a name can reflect the appearance of someone’s face.
According to an American psychologist, Brett Pelham, humans have a tendency to have a profession which is almost the same as their first name, for example, Laura will have a job as a lawyer. Pelham published this discovery in his journal Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore. In the journal, Pelham describes how letters in our name can affect our choice of life where the effect of the letters of a name is caused by something called ‘implicit egotism’. It means that we are unconsciously interested in things that remind us of ourselves.
The List of 80 English Baby Boy Names and Their Meanings
Here is the list of unique names for baby boys and their meanings according to Bayilelakiku.
1. Adelard Zeroun
Meaning: a boy who is brave and wise.
2. Aditya Gavin
Meaning: a boy who is shining and clean.
3. Ahza Stoddart Lewin
Meaning: a boy who is born with luck, is agile and has a lot of friends.
4. Aidan Trustin
Meaning: a boy who is full of enthusiasm and worthy of praise.
5. Aksa Adhlino
Meaning: a boy who has a clear mind, famous, and respected by everyone.
6. Aldrich Godfrey Charles
Meaning: a brave king and can bring peace for people.
7. Alfred Dario Garfield
Meaning: a wise, rich and tough boy.
8. Allard Edbert Edric
Meaning: a brave boy who lives in luck and has a leadership spirit.
9. Alvaro Rayburn
Meaning: the first man who is nice, wise, and protects his family.
10. Andrian Edmund
Meaning: a brave boy who will be a protector for everyone.
11. Aric Marson Edbert
Meaning: a boy who is able to be a leader, handsome and cheerful.
12. Arvind Alden Jourell
Meaning: a tough and wise man who is smart.
13. Bartram Jacksen
Meaning: a great boy who is always loyal to his God.
14. Beall Ravindra
Meaning: a handsome man who has extraordinary strength.
15. Benton Sterne
Meaning: a boy who is born as a diligent worker and kind-hearted.
16. Bobby Albern
Meaning: a bright, handsome boy who is born from a noble.
17. Boy Rashad
Meaning: a boy who is born with a good and fair personality.
18. Bryan Sylas
Meaning: a very tough boy who has good wishes.
19. Burchard Juvenal Halbur
Meaning: a strong boy who always looks young and intelligent.
20. Carlos Rionard Ransom
Meaning: a manly soldier who has a big heart and a kind heart.
21. Carlson Leaman
Meaning: an independent boy who grows well.
22. Casey Diamond Harold
Meaning: a boy who has a sweet face, brave and spirited leadership.
23. Casey Labhrainn Reynard
Meaning: a sweet and kind-hearted boy who can be wise in everything.
24. Cedric Ksatria Shaquille
Meaning: a chivalrous and tough boy who is on the right path.
25. Chaiden Barnard
Meaning: a manly and tough boy
26. Cody Ayhner
Meaning: a tiny handsome boy and full of dignity.
27. Cony Shaquille Shamus
Meaning: a strong, handsome baby who has a wise and trusted personality.
28. Cyrill Marvin
Meaning: a good and caring leader.
29. Dail Channing
Meaning: a handsome, wise, and prestigious man.
30. Dallin Hardy Aylward
Meaning: a boy who can make people proud, is strong and has high moral character.
31. Dalton Brylee Nicso
Meaning: a boy who grows well, is noble and lives in victory.
32. Damian Ryman Kenneth
Meaning: a boy who can be a good friend, handsome, and wise.
33. Daran Prasaja Andromeda
Meaning: a great man who is full of authority, modest, and has the spirit of a ruler.
34. Darius Manley Nathanael
Meaning: a human hero who lives a prosperous and pious life.
35. Denzel Salamon
Meaning: a kind-hearted boy who lives in peace and tranquility.
36. Dino Foster Prentice
Meaning: a tough, unique, and throne boy.
37. Richard
Meaning: brave ruler or powerful leader
38. Dizon Damarion
Meaning: a boy who is given by God and succeeded in being a human leader.
39. Erlan Dallin Harrison
Meaning: a noble man who is strong, glorious and makes people proud.
40. Faiz Arieli Jourdain
Meaning: a boy who is manly, honest, and wins.
41. Galen Ashraf Austin
Meaning: a calm boy who lives a life of honor and glory.
42. Garvin Reviano Agler
Meaning: a boy who has a lot of friends, perfect abilities, and a noble heart.
43. Geoff Hamlet
Meaning: a noble boy who lives in God’s peace.
44. Gladwin
Meaning: bright, cheerful and friend
45. Hadwin Maverick
Meaning: an independent boy who has a lot of friends.
46. Halil Ockford
Meaning: a beloved boy who has a strong personality.
47. Haven Kenric
Meaning: a leader who is wise and always protects his family.
48. Heafen Prospera Avram
Meaning: a beautiful and lucky boy who has a noble personality.
49. Hendy Carlson
Meaning: a friendly, good boy who is full of freedom.
50. Iram Danny Addison
Meaning: a smart, fair and wise boy.
51. Jamin Uinseann Herwit
Meaning: a man who is trustworthy, has a winning spirit, and is very clever.
52. Jeff Truman Chevalier
Meaning: a boy who is given eternal life, has an honest and tough nature.
53. Jevera Kedrick
Meaning: a handsome and loving boy who lives happily.
54. Kayana Alvaro Sadler
Meaning: a boy who is generous, handsome, and has a perfect job.
55. Kelvin Stewart
Meaning: a boy who has broad insight and likes helping others.
56. Kesha Marson
Meaning: a boy who is given a good life by God.
57. Kyson Ditri Wasim
Meaning: a man who is virtuous and handsome.
58. Light Leaman
Meaning: a boy with a handsome and calm face.
59. Lucky Maverick Ramiro
Meaning: a lucky boy who has an independent and wise personality.
60. Melvin Joseph Stefanus
Meaning: a boy with a beautiful crown and has a lot of friends.
61. Osbert Darius
Meaning: a great boy who has a life which is full of prosperity.
62. Parkin Soenser
Meaning: a small boy who has a good personality.
63. Patrick Dempster
Meaning: a noble man who is fair and wise.
64. Rery Geffrey Benson
Meaning: a king who lives in peace and always does something good with his hands.
65. Rikkard Carrington
Meaning: a boy who will be a rich and handsome leader.
66. Robert Delwyn
Meaning: a famous, smart, and successful boy.
67. Ron Abraham
Meaning: a man who can be a good leader.
68. Ronald Sean Anderson
Meaning: a boy who is a gift from God and has a good leadership, strong and brave.
69. Ruben Scirloc
Meaning: a man who has a good personality and is blonde.
70. Sean Armstrong
Meaning: an elegant boy who succeeded in being a fighter for truth.
71. Stefon Diven
Meaning: a man of high position and very tough.
72. Theodor Wycliff
Meaning: a smart boy who is a gift from God.
73. Toland Adrian Langdon
Meaning: a man who has a lot of wealth, has broad insight and is glorious.
74. Tyler Valentino Scott
Meaning: a masculine, strong, and healthy boy who is very interesting, optimistic, and honest.
75. Vigor Abraham
Meaning: a boy who is full of enthusiasm, strong, and nice.
76. Vince Reviano
Meaning: a boy who can conquer the world and has special abilities.
77. Waldi Brayan
Meaning: a manly boy with a noble personality.
78. Young Faine Austin
Meaning: a young boy who lives in happiness and has a great soul.
79. Yuan Hackman
Meaning: a pious and handsome boy.
80. Zevan Akalanka Sidik
Meaning: a boy who has a clean, pure heart and has an honest nature.
Parents’ Mistakes in Naming Their Babies
Parents who are waiting for the birth of their baby may already have a name for their baby. Well, whatever the name that you can give to your baby, make sure that you do not make some mistakes as explained below according to Sherri Suzanne, a founder of My Name for Life site.
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Using the Name that Does Not Adapt to the Real World
You may see a good name written on a paper and you are inspired to name your baby with that word. However, you have to think whether the word is suitable and good for your baby or not. Written well on a paper does not mean that it is also a good name for your baby in this real world. For example, a name is taken from something traditional or an uncommon word. According to Suzanne, when naming your baby, make sure that the name is easy and confident to be pronounced.
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Using a Weird Spelling In Order To Look Different and Unique
Now, there are a lot of parents who choose unique names or weird spelling for their children. They do it just for being different. For example, for the name Emily, instead of alternative spelling like Emili or Emilie, they choose Emalee or Emmarly. You have to avoid it because it will lose the connection with the original name and also there is the worry that there will be an unexpected error.
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Not Knowing the Popular Names
You probably have found a good name for your baby, but then you find that the name is also used by a lot of other people. In this case, if you really like the name, you still can use it, but put it as part of the baby’s full name. For your baby’s nickname, you can choose another part of the baby’s full name so it will not be the same as others.
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Using a Name of a Figure with Bad Track Record
If you have a name for your baby, check whether there is a figure with this name. If there is a figure with this name, check the figure’s track record. If the figure has a good track record, you can use the name, but if the figure has a bad track record such as having a cruel personality or a dictator, you may not want to give the name to your baby, right?
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Naming Your Baby When You Are Stressed
After giving birth, a mom will be busy and even she is often emotional. So, this period of time is not good for a mom to think of a name for her baby. Suzanne suggests that it is better for parents to decide 1 to 2 names which are most liked until the baby is born, unless they have better names.
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Being Influenced by the Result of Polling
There may be a lot of people who give the same suggestion for your baby’s name from your family and friends. Don’t make your decision in giving a name to your baby based on polling just because you feel bad. Choose the name that you also like with it.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.