Your name is a significant part of your personal identity. It’s likely that your ancestors felt the same way about their names. If you have English heritage, some of your male ancestors probably had English boy names—you might even have one, too! Learn about these English boy names to get a taste of your English heritage, find baby names, or search for English names in your family tree.
Want to learn about English girl names or English surnames? Click the links below!
45 Popular
and Unique English Boy Names
These gems are some of the most popular or
interesting English boy names. Which ones are your favorites?
Addison (a-də-sən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Son of Adam
Aldrich (ȯl-drich)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Old, wise ruler
Alexander (a-lig-ˈzan-dər)
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Defender and protector of people
Alfred (al-frəd)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Elf ruler or wise counselor
Alton (ȯl-tᵊn)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Inhabitant from an old town
Austen (ȯ-stən)
- Origin: English and Latin
- Meaning: Shortened from Augustine or Augustus, meaning “great” or “magnificent”
Archie (ärchē)
- Origin: English or German
- Meaning: Shortened from Archibald, meaning “bold,” “genuine,” or “brave”
Averil (ā-və-ril)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Boar battle
Benedict (be-nə-dikt)
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blessed
Blake (blāk)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Either fair-haired or dark-haired (resulting from the Old English “blæc,” meaning “black,” or “blac,” meaning “pale”)
Carter (kär-tər)
- Origin: English, Irish, Scottish
- Meaning: Cart driver—someone who drove a cart for deliveries
Chad (chad)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Battle warrior, protector, or defender
Charles (char[-ə]lz)
- Origin: German, Old English, and French
- Meaning: Free man or manly
Clifford (klif-ərd)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Someone who lives near a cliff ford
Conrad (kän-ˌrad)
- Origin: English or German
- Meaning: Brave or bold counsel
Cooper (kü-pər)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Barrel maker
Dale (dāl)
- Origin: Old English, German
- Meaning: Someone who lives near a valley or dell
Earl (ər[-ə]l)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Nobleman or aristocratic
Edmund (ed-mənd)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wealthy protector
Edwin (ed-wən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wealthy friend
Elmer (el-mər)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Noble and famous
Fletcher (fle-chər)
- Origin: English, Scottish, Irish, French
- Meaning: Arrow maker
Ford (fȯrd)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: River crossing
Grayson (grāsᵊn)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Son of a steward or gray-haired person
Harry (her-ē)
- Origin: English or German
- Meaning: Army or estate ruler
Harrison (her-ə-sən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Son of Harry, a name meaning army or estate ruler
Henry (hen-rē)
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Household ruler
Jack (jak)
- Origin: English and Hebrew
- Meaning: Originating from John, meaning “God is gracious”
James (jāmz)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Originating from Jacob, meaning supplanter
Jasper (ja-spər)
- Origin: English or Persian
- Meaning: Treasurer
Kenton (ken-tən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: From a royal settlement
Leo (lē-ō)
- Origin: Italian or Latin
- Meaning: Lion
Lewis (lü-əs)
- Origin: English, French, or German
- Meaning: Famous warrior
Mason (mā-sᵊn)
- Origin: English or French
- Meaning: Stone worker
Nelson (nel-sən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Son of Neil or a champion
Noah (nō-ə)
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Rest or to comfort
Oliver (ä-lə-vər)
- Origin: English, French, Latin, or Norse
- Meaning: Descendant, olive tree, peaceful, affectionate, or warrior
Oscar (ä-skər)
- Origin: Gaelic or Norse
- Meaning: Deer lover or God spear
Radcliff (rad-klif)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Red cliff
Remington (re-miŋ-tən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Someone who lives in the raven or river town
Robert (rä-bərt)
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Bright fame
Stanley (stan-lē)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: From the stony meadow
Thatcher (tha-chər)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Roof fixer
William (wil-yəm)
- Origin: English or German
- Meaning: Desire helmet or protection or brave protector
Winston (win-stən)
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Joy stone or victory town
English Names in Your Family Tree
Did you find any new names you like? Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below. Search your family tree to see if you can find any English family names or old English surnames in your tree.
Source: Family Search