They say brevity is the soul of wit, and that might go double when it comes to choosing a baby boy's name. Thinking about your child introducing himself, spelling his name and filling out forms for the rest of his life, and it might be easier on everyone to choose a name that packs a lot in to very few letters.
And the trend seems to be going in that direction, too. According to Quartz, the length of baby names has been dropping since a peak in the late '80s and early '90s. Then, longer names like Michael and Christopher were the most common, but now, it seems top names are much shorter.
One look at the most popular boy names of 2021 bears that out: The No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Social Security Administration (SSA) list of the most often used names are Liam and Noah, both clocking in at just four letters. This is partly due to the trend of using nicknames as full names (like choosing royal baby name Archie instead of Archibald or Theo over Theodore). And it's not just boys: Quartz reports that short girl names, like Emma and Ava, are also on the rise.
If you're looking for a baby name that's quick and punchy, you might consider one of the short boy names below. They've all landed on the list SSA's list of the top 1,000 baby names of the year.
Short, Two-Letter Boy Names
Interestingly enough, there are only two boys' names on the list that are only two letters long: Bo and Ty. (Other two-letter monikers, like Ed, Al and Oz, are probably more likely used as nicknames for a longer name.) So while it's tough to find a ton of choices for two-letter names, three- and four-letter names abound.
Short, Three-Letter Boy Names
Three letters are almost as short as a name can get. If you really want to keep it quick, consider one of these popular baby boy names.
- Leo
- Eli
- Ian
- Kai
- Max
- Ace
- Jax
- Ali
- Jay
- Ari
- Dax
- Asa
- Roy
- Koa
- Sam
- Noe
- Rex
- Ray
- Joe
- Axl
- Lee
- Ben
- Rio
- Ira
- Kye
- Tru
- Jon
- Van
- Rey
- Avi
- Fox
- Zev
- Mac
- Cal
- Jad
Four-Letter Short Boy Names
Quartz calls names that are four letters and two vowels "raindrop names" for the way they just bounce off the tongue. Here are some names to consider for your own raindrop.
- Liam
- Noah
- Levi
- Jack
- Owen
- John
- Luke
- Ezra
- Ryan
- Luca
- Axel
- José
- Adam
- Jace
- Evan
- Beau
- Gael
- Amir
- Milo
- Cole
- Luis
- Zion
- Juan
- Ivan
- Jude
- Luka
- King
- Theo
- Enzo
- Dean
- Finn
- Abel
- Alex
- Alan
- Leon
- Eric
- Joel
- Arlo
- Colt
- Mark
- Knox
- Kobe
- Nash
- Paul
- Omar
- Kash
- Lane
- Zane
- Cash
- Jett
- Crew
- Cody
- Cruz
- Zayn
- Kyle
- Reid
- Nico
- Jake
- Rori
- Odin
- Sean
- Kane
- Wade
- Tate
- Remy
- Niko
- Kade
- Cade
- Iker
- Otto
- Andy
- Noel
- Troy
- Erik
- Rhys
- Hugo
- Seth
- Sage
- Kylo
- Reed
- Kian
- Ford
- Adan
- Jase
- Gage
- Hank
- Eden
- Mack
- Drew
- Raul
- Case
- Zain
- Saul
- Alec
- Koda
- Ares
- Onyx
- Tony
- Duke
- Clay
- Otis
- Emir
- Aden
- Zaid
- Zeke
