How to use the boy name generator

1Use Starts with, Length and Origin to narrow the list, or leave them on Any.
2Press Shuffle for a new random order, or set Order to A to Z.
3Tap a name to copy it. Press the star to add it to your Shortlist.
4Press Copy on the shortlist to share it. Your shortlist stays in this browser.

Filtered list

Input

Starts with A · Origin Sanskrit

Output

Aarav · Sanskrit
Aditya · Sanskrit · belonging to Aditi; a name of the sun
Akash · Sanskrit · sky
Anand · Sanskrit · joy, bliss
Arjun · Sanskrit · bright, white
Arnav · Sanskrit · ocean
Aryan · Sanskrit · noble

Shown A to Z. Aarav has no meaning listed because its derivation isn't settled.

Filtering by letter and length

Starts with lists only the letters that names in the list begin with. Length counts letters: short names (3–4 letters, such as Leo, Finn or Omar) are easy to spell in any language; long names (7 letters and more, such as Sebastian or Theodore) often come with a ready-made short form.

Say a shortlisted first name aloud with your surname: names ending in the sound your surname starts with tend to run together.

Names by origin

Origin is the language a name comes from, not the countries where it's used today. Many names travelled: James comes from Hebrew through Latin, Liam is an Irish short form of the Germanic William, and Kabir is Arabic but widely used in India.

Origins in the list: Arabic, English, Germanic, Greek, Hebrew, Irish, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, Slavic, Spanish, Turkish and Welsh. The list is a modest, curated set of about 170 names, not a complete dictionary.

Meanings and sources

Meanings are given only where the etymology is well established in standard references such as the Oxford Dictionary of First Names and Behind the Name. Where scholars disagree (Oliver, Arthur, Caleb) or the meaning depends on how the name is written (Japanese names, whose meaning comes from the kanji chosen), the meaning is left blank rather than guessed.

Popular "meaning" lists online often repeat unsourced folk etymologies. If a meaning matters to your family, check it in a dictionary of names for that language.

Building a shortlist

Press the star next to any name to add it to the Shortlist panel. The shortlist is saved in this browser only, so it's still there next time you visit on the same device, and nothing is sent to us. Press Copy to paste the list into a message, or Clear to start again.

To pick one at random from a final list, paste it into the random line picker.

Is anything I enter stored?

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your text is not uploaded to our servers.

Sources

Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names

Questions about the boy name generator

Where do the names and meanings come from?

From a curated list compiled for this page. Meanings follow standard name dictionaries and are left blank where the origin is uncertain or disputed.

Can I filter by origin?

Yes. Choose from 14 origins, including Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and Irish, and combine it with a first letter and length.

Can I save favourites?

Yes. Star a name to add it to your shortlist, which is kept in this browser. Use Copy to send it to someone else.

Boy Name Generator