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Classic Boy Names

Classic boy names, those that have been well used in the English-speaking world over time, are an elite group. Classic boy names may come from the Bible, be traditional saints' names or royal names, or be names with roots in ancient languages, such as Jacob and Alexander.

Along with Jacob and Alexander, other classic boy names in the US Top 20 include William, James, Benjamin, Michael, Daniel, Matthew, Henry, and Joseph. Some classic names for boys that are not used as often as they used to be include Philip, Francis, Harry, and Hugh.

Most classic boy names have ranked highly for more than a century and have been widely used for hundreds of years. Even so, classic names for boys go through fashion cycles of their own, with new classics such as Felix, Jasper, and Oliver taking over for Old School classic boy names such as Robert and Richard.

The Top 50 classic boy names below are ordered by their current popularity on our website. More unusual classic names are ordered alphabetically at the bottom of the list.

Oliver

Meaning: olive tree

Origin:Latin
7
Matthew

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Hebrew
120
Jacob

Meaning: supplanter

Origin:Hebrew
137
Andrew

Meaning: strong and manly

Origin:Greek
118
William

Meaning: resolute protection

Origin:German
128
Thomas

Meaning: twin

Origin:Aramaic
59
Adam

Meaning: son of the red earth

Origin:Hebrew
154
Samuel

Meaning: told by God

Origin:Hebrew
87
Nathan

Meaning: given

Origin:Hebrew
121
Alexander

Meaning: defending men

Origin:Greek
42
Nicholas

Meaning: people of victory

Origin:Greek
124
Michael

Meaning: who is like God?

Origin:Hebrew
224
Luke

Meaning: man from Lucania

Origin:Greek
83
Christopher

Meaning: bearer of Christ

Origin:Greek and Latin
206
Simon

Meaning: he has heard; flat-nosed

Origin:Hebrew, Greek
61
Theodore

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Greek
3
Henry

Meaning: estate ruler

Origin:German
40
Felix

Meaning: happy, fortunate

Origin:Latin
6
Oscar

Meaning: God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior

Origin:English or Irish
12
Jack

Meaning: God is gracious

Origin:English, diminutive of John
93