Middle Names for Boys
Short middle names for boys with a documented meaning, in current U.S. use. 528 names.
Most common origin labels on this list: English (200), Muslim (162), Hebrew (47).
Most used for boys in 2024: Asher, 8,123 births.
Names 401–500 of 528 (page 5 of 6)
How names qualify
A name is listed when a boy record in our data has a documented meaning, the name has 50 or more births for boys in the SSA 2024 national file, so families can find it in use, and it is short: 2 syllables or fewer, or 5 letters or fewer, in a single word. A short middle name leaves room for a long first or last name. 117 more boys' names meet the other tests but are longer, and 1,778 have no documented meaning of their own in our data yet.
SSA counts spellings, not origins: the meaning shown is the one recorded in our data for the same spelling and sex.
Syllables are estimated from spelling with an English-style rule, so they can be off for names pronounced differently from how they are spelled. The row shows the estimate and the letter count that the rule used.
How well a middle name flows depends on the first and last name next to it, so this list does not rate flow. The middle name generator scores a whole name.
169 of the 528 names come from the Muslim-names dataset (Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Kurdish and related origins). Names from other traditions appear only where their recorded meaning fits the rule.
Births and ranks are SSA national data: see the source note under the table.
Each row shows the meaning recorded for that name in our data. A name can have other meanings and other origins.
Middle Names for Boys
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Gender | Length and U.S. births |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taha | Mystic letters at the beginning of Surat Taha, from which the sura derives its title. | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 96 births |
| Aziz | Might, strong, illustrious, highly esteemed, dearly loved, one of the names of Allah. | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 95 births |
| Presley | priest, wood, clearing | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 95 births |
| Clifton | cliff, town | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 94 births |
| Ramsey | wild garlic, island | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 94 births |
| Shayan | Suitalbe, desirable, suited, worthy, eligible, fit. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 94 births |
| Lloyd | grey, grey-haired | English | Boy | 5 letters, about 1 syllable; 93 births |
| Shiv | the auspicious one | Sanskrit | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 92 births |
| Rashad | Integrity of conduct, maturity,good sense, wisdom | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 91 births |
| Justus | just | Latin | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 90 births |
| Abdul | Servant of Allah, One who is Devoted to Allah SubhanaWatala | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 89 births |
| Ghaith | Rain. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 1 syllable; 89 births |
| Meyer | bailiff | Hebrew | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 89 births |
| Charley | Diminutive of Charles, which means “free man” | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 88 births |
| Craig | rock | English | Boy | 5 letters, about 1 syllable; 88 births |
| Tamir | Rich or abounding in dates, date seller. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 88 births |
| Wilmer | mind, will, determination, purpose, desire, wish, famous | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 88 births |
| Vivaan | plaiting, twisting | Sanskrit | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 87 births |
| Morris | descendant, maurice | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 86 births |
| Abbas | one who frowns a lot; untamed lion, to frown | Arabic | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 85 births |
| Haroon | Chief, protector, guard, the wealth of the entire universe, a Prophet known as Aaron in the Bible and brother of Prophet Moses. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 85 births |
| Iman | Faith, Belief, Beliefe in Allah. | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 84 births |
| Konrad | bold counselor | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 84 births |
| Gene | Diminutive of Eugene, which means “well born” | English | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 83 births |
| Mikhail | One of the 4 main Angels of Allah (SWT) | Muslim | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 83 births |
| Tahir | Virtuous, pure, pious, modest, clean, chest. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 83 births |
| Aamir | Populous, Full, Prosperous, Amply Settled, Civilized. Also Used To Refer To A Prince, Ruler or Leader | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 82 births |
| Arie | lion | Hebrew | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 82 births |
| Dan | Diminutive of Daniel, which means “God is my judge” | Hebrew | Boy | 3 letters, about 1 syllable; 82 births |
| Clinton | enclosure, homestead, town | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 81 births |
| Edrick | wealth, riches, king, ruler | Old English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 81 births |
| Obed | servant | Hebrew | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 81 births |
| Saleh | Good, right, a Prophets name, virtuous, Variant transcription of SALIH. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 80 births |
| Sheldon | shelf, hill, valley | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 80 births |
| Jed | Diminutive of Jedidiah, which means “beloved of Yahweh” | English | Boy | 3 letters, about 1 syllable; 78 births |
| Asad | Happy, fortunate, lucky,Virtuous, Lion | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 76 births |
| Basil | Brave, bold, valiant. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 76 births |
| Conan | dog | Irish | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 76 births |
| Dave | Diminutive of David, which means “beloved” | English | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 76 births |
| Namir | Leopard, tiger, panther. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 75 births |
| Samarth | capable, competent | Sanskrit | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 75 births |
| Aariz | Leader, ruler, leader of nation. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 73 births |
| Fahad | Lynx,Leopard, wild cat | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 73 births |
| Salman | Healthy, Safe, mild, affable, perfect, wholesome name of a sahabi i.e. companion of the Prophet Muhammad. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 73 births |
| Azaan | Call for the Pray, Strength & Power | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Duane | black, dark | English | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Elton | eel, farm, village, prince, estate | Old English | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Merlin | sea, stronghold, rampart | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Saleem | Sound, affable, healthy, guarded, perfect, complete, safe, secure. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Shaan | Condition, business, affair, state, dignity, quality, nature, disposition, luster, eminence, glory, grandeur. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 1 syllable; 72 births |
| Yaman | Good tidings | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 72 births |
| Yash | fame, glory | Sanskrit | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 72 births |
| Chet | Diminutive of Chester, which means “a town or city, especially a Roman one” | English | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 71 births |
| Edric | wealth, riches, king, ruler | Old English | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 71 births |
| Sameer | Companion (in nightly conversation), entertainer (with stories, music etc.) | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 71 births |
| Aaryan | Of Utmost strength | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 70 births |
| Kenton | royal, enclosure; settlement, town | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 70 births |
| Naeem | Blessing, Ease, Happiness, comfort, ease, tranquil, felicity, peaceful, bliss, pleasure, bounty, anything given as gift. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 70 births |
| Rip | Diminutive of Ripley, which means “woodland clearing” | Dutch | Boy | 3 letters, about 1 syllable; 70 births |
| Deen | Religion, Faith | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 69 births |
| Farhan | Glad, happy, joyful, cheerful, delighted. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 69 births |
| Haider | Lion, Title of Hazrat Ali [raa] | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 69 births |
| Lemuel | devoted to God | Hebrew | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 69 births |
| Ram | Ram is a Persian name for boys that means happy, joyous. | Persian | Boy | 3 letters, about 1 syllable; 69 births |
| Ayub | Afflicted, Same as Jobe (name of a prophet) | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 67 births |
| Blair | field, plain | English | Boy | 5 letters, about 1 syllable; 67 births |
| Tamim | Generalization, Strong, complete | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 67 births |
| Younes | Jonas | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 1 syllable; 67 births |
| Eyad | Possesses power | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 66 births |
| Fateh | Victory, conquest, triumph, success. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 66 births |
| Ilias | Gentle, kind, pleasant, friendly | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 3 syllables; 66 births |
| Laurence | laurel | Latin | Boy | 8 letters, about 2 syllables; 66 births |
| Nayel | Brave, Strong and Courageous | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 66 births |
| Nigel | slightly black, black | Latin | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 66 births |
| Aman | Trust, Safety, Protection, Tranquility, Peace of mind | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 2 syllables; 65 births |
| Boyd | blond, yellow, fair | English | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 65 births |
| Hashim | Broker, destroyer of evil, One who smashes or breaks anything to pieces. Grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad. | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 65 births |
| Jan | Life, heart, sing. | Muslim | Boy | 3 letters, about 1 syllable; 65 births |
| Jawad | Generous, liberal, open-handed. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 65 births |
| Orhan | Orhan is a Turkish name for boys that means great leader, supreme leader. It can also be spelled as Orkhan. | Turkish | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 65 births |
| Saylor | dancer, acrobat | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 65 births |
| Ridley | reeds, cleared land, wood, clearing | English | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 64 births |
| Saad | Good luck, good fortune, success, happiness, prosperity, lucky | Muslim | Boy | 4 letters, about 1 syllable; 64 births |
| Asaad | Happier, Luckier, Adjective of Saeed | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 63 births |
| Baruch | blessed | Hebrew | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 63 births |
| Clement | merciful | Latin | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 63 births |
| Nahum | consolation | Hebrew | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 63 births |
| Sahir | Charming, Enchanting, Wakeful | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 63 births |
| Ayoub | A Prophets name(Jobe ) | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Brooklyn | wetland, marsh | English | Boy | 8 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Josef | Variant of Joseph, which means “(God) shall add” | English | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Mahmoud | The praised one, commendable, also the variation of the name (Muhammad) | Muslim | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Musab | Ibn-Umair RA was so named he was a companion whom the Prophet PBUH name as one of the fourteen eminent guardians. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Samar | Fruit, Outcome. | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 62 births |
| Ameen | Divine grace, faithful, trustworthy | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 61 births |
| Darnell | type of ryegrass | English | Boy | 7 letters, about 2 syllables; 61 births |
| Layth | Lion, A famous jurist had this name | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 1 syllable; 61 births |
| Harun | Arabic form of (Aaron), lofty or exalted, A Prophet's name | Muslim | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 60 births |
| Hosea | to save | Hebrew | Boy | 5 letters, about 2 syllables; 60 births |
| Jaleel | Great, glorious, dignified, attribute of Allah, revered | Muslim | Boy | 6 letters, about 2 syllables; 60 births |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names (national data, 1880-2024). Counts are Social Security card applications for births in the United States; names with fewer than 5 births in a year are not listed, and spelling variants are counted separately. Baby Name Wizard is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA.