See the past, present and future of boys’ names from A to Z

A is for Andrew, B is for Brian, C is for Christopher? Not anymore. The baby name alphabet has changed, and more fashion movement is on the horizon.
To get you ready for the new ABCs of style, we’ve collected a “Then, Now, Next” alphabet of boys’ names. Read across to follow an initial through time: first the familiar names of previous generations (Andrew), then the typical names of today (Asher), and finally some fast-rising names that could point to what lies ahead (Atticus). Or read down within a column to immerse yourself in the sound and style of an era.
A boys THEN | A boys NOW | A boys NEXT |
Andrew | Asher | Atticus |
Anthony | Aiden | Aziel |
Arthur | Adrian | Ambrose |
B boys THEN | B boys NOW | B boys NEXT |
Bill | Brayden | Briggs |
Brian | Benjamin | Bowen |
Bobby | Brooks | Bridger |
C boys THEN | C boys NOW | C boys NEXT |
Charles | Carter | Colter |
Christopher | Caleb | Callum |
Carl | Cameron | Camilo |
D boys THEN | D boys NOW | D boys NEXT |
David | Dylan | Dario |
Donald | Dominic | Denver |
Daniel | Diego | Dutton |
E boys THEN | E boys NOW | E boys NEXT |
Edward | Elijah | Evander |
Eric | Ethan | Elio |
Earl | Ezra | Everest |
F boys THEN | F boys NOW | F boys NEXT |
Frank | Finn | Ford |
Fred | Francisco | Forrest |
Francis | Felix | Flynn |
G boys THEN | G boys NOW | G boys NEXT |
George | Grayson | Granger |
Gary | Gabriel | Grey |
Gerald | Giovanni | Gio |
H boys THEN | H boys NOW | H boys NEXT |
Harold | Hunter | Hendrix |
Howard | Hudson | Hank |
Harry | Henry | Houston |
I boys THEN | I boys NOW | I boys NEXT |
Ira | Isaiah | Ira |
Irving | Isaac | Ivar |
Ivan | Ian | Izael |
J boys THEN | J boys NOW | J boys NEXT |
John | Jackson | Jett |
James | Jacob | Jaziel |
Joseph | Jayden | Jamie |
K boys THEN | K boys NOW | K boys NEXT |
Kenneth | Kayden | Kash |
Kevin | Kai | Koa |
Keith | Kingston | Kaiser |
L boys THEN | L boys NOW | L boys NEXT |
Louis | Liam | Lennox |
Larry | Lucas | Ledger |
Leonard | Logan | Legacy |
M boys THEN | M boys NOW | M boys NEXT |
Michael | Mason | Mack |
Mark | Mateo | Miller |
Matthew | Maverick | Milan |
N boys THEN | N boys NOW | N boys NEXT |
Norman | Noah | Nico |
Nicholas | Nolan | Nile |
Nathan | Nash | Neo |
O boys THEN | O boys NOW | O boys NEXT |
Oscar | Oliver | Onyx |
Otto | Owen | Otto |
Otis | Orion | Ozzy |
P boys THEN | P boys NOW | P boys NEXT |
Paul | Parker | Perseus |
Peter | Preston | Prosper |
Philip | Phoenix | Psalm |
Q boys THEN | Q boys NOW | Q boys NEXT |
Quentin | Quinn | Quill |
Quincy | Quinton | |
R boys THEN | R boys NOW | R boys NEXT |
Robert | Roman | Rory |
Richard | Ryder | Rio |
Raymond | River | Ridge |
S boys THEN | S boys NOW | S boys NEXT |
Steven | Sebastian | Stetson |
Samuel | Santiago | Saint |
Scott | Sawyer | Shepherd |
T boys THEN | T boys NOW | T boys NEXT |
Thomas | Theodore | Tate |
Timothy | Thiago | Tripp |
Terry | Thomas | Tadeo |
U boys THEN | U boys NOW | U boys NEXT |
Ulysses | Uriel | Usman |
Urban | ||
V boys THEN | V boys NOW | V boys NEXT |
Victor | Valentino | Vander |
Vernon | Vincent | Viggo |
Virgil | Vihaan | |
W boys THEN | W boys NOW | W boys NEXT |
William | Wyatt | Wilder |
Walter | Wesley | Wells |
Wayne | Waylon | Wiley |
X boys THEN | X boys NOW | X boys NEXT |
Xavier | Xavien | |
Xander | ||
Y boys THEN | Y boys NOW | Y boys NEXT |
Yale | Yusuf | Yadiel |
Yahir | ||
Z boys THEN | Z boys NOW | Z boys NEXT |
Zachary | Zion | Zyaire |
Zack | Zayden | Zakai |
Zeb | Zane | Zephyr |
MORE: Go on to the Girls’ “Then, Now, Next” Alphabet, or use our NameGrapher to explore more names by letter and time period.
3 Comments
How many people know how to spell “Psalm”?
My sons are 4, 18 months and 3 months and all of them have names in the “past” column. They have names I definitely didn’t dream about, but they fit them perfectly.
I’ll take the “past” column if it’s all the same, and I’m a millennial mom. I feel like the concept of names as absolutely date-stamped, with boundaries never crossed, is superimposed onto people more than it is reflective of reality. More so than generation, I think naming has to do with geography, political leanings, socioeconomic class, and race/ethnicity. In some places, family and religion remain big factors. I have a five-year old-boy named Thomas who actually goes by Tommy. Here in our more affluent, more white neighborhood on the East Coast, sure, I have seen some Noahs and one Aiden. But there are also plenty of Tommys and Christophers.