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.