Random name generator Random boy names
Boys' names with real numbers behind them
Most name lists on the web are copied from each other. This one starts from the official counts of the Social Security Administration, which tallies the names of boys born in the United States between 2010 and 2024. A name has to appear at least 500 times to be listed, so about 900 boys' names are in the draw, from Noah, Liam and William at the very top to Elliott, Milo and Xander further down.
A random boy name is useful when you are stuck in the middle of a draft and the sidekick still has no name, when a game asks for a player name, or when you need ten test users for a form. A student writing a story can draw five names and pick the one that fits the character's age and mood. Remember that a name popular in 2020 sounds like a child, not a grandfather.
Use Popular for the names of today's classrooms, and Less common for the 700 rarer ones, which stand out in a story but are still real. For a surname too, change Name to Full name under Options, and the Census surname list does the rest.
Advertisement
Drawing boys' names
- Boys' names are already selected, as Boy and First name. Press Generate a first name for the first result.
- Pick a number under How many for a batch of up to 20, and press the button again for the next set.
- In Options, choose Popular or Less common, or switch to Any if you want girls' and boys' names together.
- Press Copy to take the names with you, or open History to find a name that you passed over.
Advertisement
Questions about boys' names
How many boys' names are in the list?
About 900: the 200 most popular and 700 less common ones, all from the US birth counts for 2010 to 2024. Each has at least 500 boys.
Are these American or British names?
They are American. For names from England and Wales, open Options and pick United Kingdom instead of the United States.
Can I use it to name a character?
Yes. Draw ten names, cross out the ones that sound wrong for the setting and keep the best one. Add a surname with Full name if you want a complete name.
Why do some boys' names look unusual?
Because the data includes names that were given in the last fifteen years, such as Kai or Thiago. They are real, even if your grandparents never met one.
Does a name come up more than once?
Not while No repeats is on. A name stays out until you press Start over, so a batch of 20 has no repeats.
Advertisement
Other ready-made name generators
- American namesFirst names from US birth records, surnames from the Census.
- British namesFirst names from the baby name statistics of England and Wales.
- Last names onlySurnames from the US Census or four other countries on the list.
- Random girl namesReal girls' first names from US birth records
- Random baby namesBoys' and girls' names from US birth records, to start a shortlist
More random tools
- Spin the wheelType a list, spin, get one winner.
- Random name pickerDraw one or more names, with no repeats.
- Team generatorSplit a list into fair random teams.
- Secret Santa generatorGift draw by private links, no email needed.
- Yes or no wheelA quick yes, no or maybe.
- Random letter generatorA starting letter for Scattergories.
- Random country generatorA country from any continent, with flag and capital.
- Random word generatorNouns, verbs or adjectives, easy or harder, for drawing too.
- Random Bible verseA well-known verse at random, or the verse of the day.
- Random city generatorA town or city from 12 countries, Europe or the world.
- Random date generatorA date, month, day of the week or time of day.
- Random color generatorA random color with its HEX, RGB and HSL code.
- Random number pickerDraw one or many numbers from any range, no repeats.
- Bingo caller75 or 90 balls, read aloud, with a board for the projector.
- Printable bingo cards75, 90 or word cards, all different, with IDs.
- Raffle ticket generatorNumbered tickets with a stub, ready to print.
- Random seating chartRows of desks, shuffled seats, pairs kept apart.