150 Cool Short Boy Names: The Ultimate Guide

Are you looking for some inspiration for short boy names? You’ve come to the right place!

Struggling with finding the perfect name to pair with your last name?

In this ultimate guide, we’ll share with you 150 short boy names, complete with their meaning and origins. Since we’ll be featuring short names for boys, all of the name ideas you’ll find on our list will range from three to five letters long.

We’ve broken these short baby names out into a few different categories listed below.

There’s nothing more important than picking out baby’s first name!

Read on to find the perfect sweet boy name for your little boy…

Classic and Historical Short Boy Names

Let’s start with classic names and historical boy names. These short boy names are based on historical thus have stood the test of time.

Whether you’re looking for an old school name or a more traditional boy name, there’s likely a baby name for you on this list.

1. Aiden

Origins: Irish and Celtic mythology
Meaning: This cute boy name came from Aodh, the name of the Celtic God of sun and fire.

2. Amir

Origins: A popular name for Middle Eastern, Arabic, and Muslim historical figures
Meaning: Putting an accent mark over the letter “I” will translate the name into “prince.” Meanwhile, placing the mark over the letter A will change its English version to “prosperous.”

3. Cesar

Origins: Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American civil rights activist. This name is also known by its alternate spelling, Caesar, due to another historical figure: Gaius Julius Caesar’s Roman emperor.
Meaning: Thick head of hair

4. Frank

Origins: French origin; various historical figures. This includes those who went by its alternate forms, such as Franklin and Francis.
Meaning: Free and from France

5. Henry

Origins: Germanic word “Heimeric”
Meaning: House ruler

6. James

Origins: Hebrew origin; the name of kings. Since one of the apostles is named James, it is also highly considered a biblical name.
Meaning: Supplanter

7. Karl

Origins: German origin. It was made popular by historical figures Karl Marx and Karl Jung.
Meaning: Free man

8. Liam

Origins: Irish origin or roots; originally spelled as Uilliam
Meaning: Resolute protection

9. Mason

Origins: Old French. Historically, Mason is more commonly associated with the oldest fraternal organization in the world, the Freemasons. Their most popular members include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Meaning: An artisan who works in stone or stone worker

10. Nicco

Origins: Greek origin and Italian origin. Niccolo Machiavelli is definitely one of the greatest thinkers in history.
Meaning: People of victory

11. Nolan

Origin: Irish name
Meaning: Noble or Champion

12. Rah

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: It came from Ra, the Egyptian God of the sun.

13. Rowan

Origins: Irish and Arabic
Meaning: Its Irish translation is “red-haired.” Meanwhile, the Arabic translation is “a river in paradise.”

14. Plato

Origin: Greek word. It also refers to the great Greek philosopher and student of Socrates.
Meaning: Strong, broad shoulders

15. Wyatt

Origin: It came from the Old English name Wigheard before it gradually evolved to Wiot during the Middle Ages.
Meaning: Brave man of war

Popular Culture Short Boy Names

Not everyone loves old, historical names. Geek parents and fans of popular culture might want to name their children after their favorite characters instead. Instead of sharing the origins and meanings of these famous names, we’ll share the pop-cultural references that have inspired these short boys names.

16. Damon

Inspiration: Damon Salvatore of Vampire Diaries, a character portrayed by Ian Somerhalder.

17. Daryl

Inspiration: Daryl Dixon of The Walking Dead, played by Norman Reedus.

18. Dean

Inspiration: Dean Winchester from the television series Supernatural, performed by Jensen Ackles.

19. Elric

Inspiration: The Elric brothers from the anime and manga series, The Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

20. Finn

Inspiration: The protagonist from the hit cartoon series Adventure Time.

21. Iroh

Inspiration: Uncle Iroh; the former Crown Prince and General of the Fire Nation. He’s also the wisest character in the cartoon series Avatar, The Last Airbender.

22. Jax

Inspiration: Jackson “Jax” Teller, the main protagonist of the television series Sons of Anarchy.

23. Jules

Inspiration: Jules Winnfield, the character played by Samuel L. Jackson from the movie Pulp Fiction.

24. Kirk

Inspiration: Captain Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise, in the hit TV series Star Trek.

25. Kylo

Inspiration: The son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa turned Sith in the movie Star Wars, played by Adam Driver.

26. Levi

Inspiration: Levi Ackermann is the one-person army in the anime and manga series Attack on Titan.

27. Rick

Inspiration: The greatest scientist of popular culture from the cartoon series Rick and Morty.

28. Saul

Inspiration: The ace attorney Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad TV series.

29. Troy

Inspiration: Troy Barnes from the comedy series Community and Troy Bolton from the hit Disney franchise, Highschool Musical.

30. Wes

Inspiration: Wes Anderson, the film genius known for his unique visuals and narrative styles.

Cool Boy Names That Are Short and Unique

Want to give your son a cool boy name that will set him apart from others? Here are a few unique baby boy names to consider.

31. Logan

Origin: Scottish origin
Meaning: Little hollow

32. Chase

Origin: Old French
Meaning: Skilled huntsman

33. Flash

Origin: America
Meaning: Bright light

34. Forge

Origin: French
Meaning: An occupational name inspired by master artisans of the forge or smithy

35. Haru

Origins: Japan and Korea
Meaning: In Japanese, this name means “the season of spring.” In Korean, Haru has an English version of “day.”

36. Hiro

Origin: Japan
Meaning: Abundance and generosity

37. Jace

Origins: Greek origin and Hebrew origin
Meaning: It translates to “healer” in Greek. Meanwhile, it also means “lord of salvation” in Hebrew.

38. Kaden

Origin: American
Meaning: Fighter

39. Mylo

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: Merciful soldier

40. North

Origin: English origin
Meaning: One of the four cardinal directions

41. Rogue

Origin: English origin
Meaning: Savage

42. Scout

Origin: American
Meaning: First explorer

43. Shiva

Origin: Indian
Meaning: Kind and beautiful

44. Soren

Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: Strict, serious, and severe

45. Truth

Origin: English origin
Meaning: As in the virtue. As Henry David Thoreau so adequately puts it: rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.

One Syllable Cute Short Boy Names

Where’s the charm of short baby boys names if they’re going to be multiple syllables (or polysyllabic)? For us, nothing beats the straightforwardness of one syllable names. Don’t you think? Here are some cool short first name ideas…

46. Ace

Origin: Old French
Meaning: One or expert

47. Blaze

Origin: English
Meaning: Flame

48. Cal

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Devotion

49. Cole

Origin: Middle English
Meaning: Coal-black, charcoal

50. Jude

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Praised

51. King

Origin: English
Meaning: Ruler

52. Lee

Origin: English
Meaning: Clearing in the woods

53. Nash

Origin: English
Meaning: By the ash tree

54. Rex

Origin: Latin
Meaning: King

55. Sean

Origin: Irish origin
Meaning: Gracious and a gift from God

56. Steve

Origin: America
Meaning: Crown or victorious

57. Tru

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Strength of the spear

58. Van

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: God is gracious

59. Zack

Origin: Hebrew origin, a shorter version of Zachariah
Meaning: Laughter

60. Zane

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious

Unique Boy Names Inspired by Faith

Biblical names don’t just show your devotion – they can serve as a lifelong blessing you can give your child. What better way to honor the word of God than with these old testament and new testament baby names.

Below are several ideas for unique boy names inspired by faith. Since most of them have a biblical or Hebrew origin, we’ll be sharing just the meanings of each baby name instead.

61. Adam

Meaning: Son of the red earth

62. Caleb

Meaning: Faithful

63. Cohen

Meaning: Priest

64. David

Meaning: Beloved

65. Elias

Meaning: The Lord is my God

66. Ethan

Meaning: Strong

67. Gabe

Meaning: Hero of God

68. Isaac

Meaning: One who laughs

69. Jacob

Meaning: Supplanter

70. Jesus

Meaning: From the Hebrew name Yeshua that means “to deliver or rescue”

71. Jonah

Meaning: Dove

72. Mark

Meaning: Shining; although it means “consecrated to the God, Mars” in other cultures.

73. Mateo

Meaning: Gift of God

74. Peter

Meaning: Rock

75. Seth

Meaning: Appointed

Modern Baby Boy Names Inspired by Nature

Do you dream of having a son who loves nature and travel? Maybe giving him an earthy name will help set him down this path!

Since these names for boys all originated from the natural world, most readers probably know the meanings of these cool names already. Let’s just enumerate them instead!

76. Birch
77. Cloud
78. Cliff
79. Colt
80. Fjord
81. Flame
82. Flint
83. Frost
84. Fox
85. Glade
86. Glenn
87. Leaf
88. Onyx
89. Storm
90. Thorn

Space-Inspired Short Baby Boy Names

Boys names inspired by outer space belong to dreamers and adventurers. If you think that’s going to be perfect for your little one, any of the cool short boy names below will make a good choice.

91. Aries

Origin: Latin
Meaning: It stands for the astrological sign of the Ram.

92. Astro

Origin: Greek origin
Meaning: Of the stars

93. Atlas

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Enduring

94. Buzz

Origin: American
Meaning: It is inspired by the American pilot and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

95. Comet

Origin: Greek
Meaning: From the word kometes that means “long-haired star.”

96. Halo

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Divine aura or circular aura of light

97. Jett

Origin: English
Meaning: An aircraft

98. Leo

Origin: Latin
Meaning: It stands for the astrological sign of the Lion.

99. Mars

Origin: Greek
Meaning: God of war. Mars is also the fourth planet in our solar system.

100. Moon

Origin: Old English word
Meaning: To measure, as back then, people used the moon to measure months.

101. Neil

Origin: Irish origin
Meaning: This name has a lot of meanings, such as cloud, honor, passion, and victory. It became more popular in recent decades due to Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on our moon.

102. Orion

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Rising in the sky, one of the most popular constellations.

103. Rigel

Origin: It is the name of the seventh brightest star in the heavens and the brightest one in the Orion constellation.
Meaning: It means foot and is used for the star since it marks Orion’s left foot.

104. Sky

Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: The heavens

105. Solar

Origin: English
Meaning: Of the sun

Simple Boy Names Inspired by Art

Let’s take a look at these cool boy names inspired by famous artists. For these names, we’re just going to share the names of each influential person, instead of the names root origins and meanings. You may find some of these to be a common name, but plenty are considered an unusual name.

106. Andy

Inspiration: The American Pop Art artist Andy Warhol.

107. Blake

Inspiration: The English poet and Romanticist painter Willian Blake.

108. Bosch

Inspiration: The Dutch Renaissance painter Hieronymous Bosch.

109. Claude

Inspiration: The French Baroque painter, etcher, and draughtsman Claude Lorrain.

110. Dali

Inspiration: The Spanish Surrealist painter and photographer Salvador Dali

111. Diego

Inspiration: The Mexican muralist Diego Rivera

112. Ernst

Inspiration: The German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, poet Max Ernst.

113. Greco

Inspiration: The Greek Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor Domenikos “El Greco” Theotokopoulos.

114. Hans

Inspiration: The German Northern Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger.

115. Max

Inspiration: the German-American Pop Art painter Peter Max.

116. Monet

Inspiration: The French Impressionist painter Claude Monet

117. Pablo

Inspiration: The Spanish Cubist painter and sculptor Pablo Ruiz Picasso

118. Rodin

Inspiration: The French Impressionist sculptor Francois Auguste Rene Rodin

119. Vince

Inspiration: The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh

120. Vinci

Inspiration: The Italian High Renaissance painter, engineer, draughtsman, scientist, theorist, architect, and sculptor Leonardo da Vinci

Short Names for Boys That Are Inspired by Music

Just like how we featured the name ideas above, we’ll be listing down the musicians that inspired the short boys names below, unless the name wasn’t derived from a music icon, of course.

121. Angus

Inspiration: The Australian co-founder and lead guitarist of the band AC/DC Angus Mckinnon Young

122. Bowie

Inspiration: The English singer and songwriter David Bowie

123. Corey

Inspiration: The American singer, musician, songwriter, and frontman of Slipknot and Stone Sour: Corey Todd Taylor

124. Dylan

Inspiration: The American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

125. Elton

Inspiration: The English singer-songwriter Sir Elton John

126. Iggy

Inspiration: The American Musician Iggy Pop

127. Jazz

Origin: American
Meaning: A style of music

128. Jimi

Inspiration: The American singer, musician, songwriter Jimi Hendrix

129. Kurt

Inspiration: The American singer, artist, musician, and Nirvana frontman Kurt Donald Cobain

130. Ozzy

Inspiration: The English singer and Heavy Metal icon Ozzy Osbourne

131. Riff

Origin: English
Meaning: Riff refers to the repeated chord progression that is commonly played using an electric guitar. It can also be a shortened term for refrain.

132. Ringo

Inspiration: The English drummer of the band The Beatles: Ringo Starr

133. Slim

Inspiration: The American rapper, Marshall Bruce Mathers III, more popularly known as Eminem or Slim Shady

134. Stan

Origin: American
Meaning: It’s a term that refers to a devoted celebrity fan, more specifically a musician.

135. Tempo

Origin: Latin word
Meaning: Time; also a term that refers to the timing or speed of a musical piece.

Cute Short Boy Names Inspired by Books

Finally, here are some ideas for baby boy names that book-loving parents will definitely want to consider.

136. Aslan

Inspiration: Aslan, the Great Lion, the God figure, in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series

137. Byron

Inspiration: The English poet, George Gordon Byron, more popularly known as Lord Byron

138. Conan

Inspiration: The British writer, Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, author of the legendary crime fiction series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

139. Cullen

Inspiration: A family name in the popular novel series, Twilight, written by Stephenie Meyer

140. Dante

Inspiration: The Italian poet Dante Alighieri who wrote The Divine Comedy

141. Darcy

Inspiration: Fitzwilliam Darcy, the romantic hero in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice

142. Godric

Inspiration: Godric Gryffindor, a legendary character in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series

143. Homer

Inspiration: The ancient Greek epic poet, Homer. His most notable works are the Iliad and the Odyssey.

144. Hugo

Inspiration: Victor Hugo, the French writer most known for Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

145. Kafka

Inspiration: Franz Kafka, the Bohemian Modernist novelist

146. Khal

Inspiration: A leadership title in the popular epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. It was the base material of the TV series, Game of Thrones.

147. Oscar

Inspiration: The Irish poet Oscar Wilde. He is most known for his work, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

148. Poe

Inspiration: The American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe

149. Rhett

Inspiration: The male protagonist in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind: Rhett Butler.

150. Roald

Inspiration: The British novelist Roald Dahl. He is most known for his works Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.

Final Words on Short Boy Names

We understand how hard it can be to think of the perfect baby boy name for your son. After all, it’s a decision that will impact the rest of his life!

We hope you found the perfect short name from this list of short boys names. Remember: If you’ve chosen your child’s name out of love, hopes, and dreams, you really can’t go wrong.