This is a list of common names used throughout the English speaking world. They are listed with a note on whether or not they are appropriate, and a short message from out founder regarding their use. Please note that any name not listed here is probably inappropriate for use by a parent for their boy child. However, you may ignore these guidelines under one of two conditions:
That said, here is the Index of Boys' Names, in alphabetical order. The source is 20,001 Names for Baby by Carol Wallace (Avon Books, 1992) This may take a little while to load, so be patient. (We are too lazy at the moment to divide this into separate pages, but it may happen Real Soon Now.)
| Name | Use? | Note |
| Aaron | OK | "Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel?" |
| Abraham | OK | Folks will suspect he's Jewish or named for Lincoln |
| Adam | OK | Name book: "An appropriate name for the first boy in a family that has produced many girls." No, it isn't |
| Adrian | No | Unless you're really from Adria |
| Alan | OK | The "Allen" spelling is for last names |
| Albert | OK | "You can call me Al" |
| Alexander | OK | But not "Alec"s |
| Alfred | OK | For you Tennyson fans |
| Andrew | OK | Hard to mess this one up |
| Anthony | OK | Hey, Brits, don't forget the "H", and no "Antoine"s, either |
| Arnold | No | Wait until Schwarzenegger has faded from the scene |
| Arthur | OK | Means "rock". Dude! |
| Austin | No | You'll have to contend with Austin Powers and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin |
| Barry | No | Male names that end in "y" should be nicknames |
| Bartholomew | No | There's only one "Bart" |
| Benjamin | OK | A plethora of important ones - Franklin, Disraeli, Britten, etc. |
| Bernard | OK | Think of Bernard of Clairveaux. (What, you've never heard of him?) |
| Blake | No | This is a last name |
| Bradley | No | It's overused |
| Brendan | OK | This is the correct spelling, not "Brandon", so take note, Yanks |
| Brent | No | Unless you're Canadian |
| Brett | OK | Leave the one-"T" spelling to Bret Hart and Bret Harte |
| Brian | OK | This is the oldest and best spelling, and don't even think about adding a "T" |
| Broderick | No | If this were our chairman's name, he'd want to be called "Ricky" |
| Bruce | OK | G'day! |
| Caleb | No | We killed this one about 1920, but you folks wouldn't let it die |
| Calvin | OK | Only if you're Protestant |
| Cameron | No | It may be Scottish, but it's still crap |
| Carl | OK | Stick with the Anglicized spelling |
| Casey | No | Should be a nickname, just ask Charles Stengel |
| Cecil | OK | For Commonwealth types, it's too aristocratic for America |
| Chad | No | Even when the U.S. election fades into memory, there's still that embarrassingly poor country in Africa |
| Charles | OK | Plenty of famous namesakes, from Darwin to Brown |
| Christopher | OK | No need to spell this with a "K" |
| Clarence | OK | But think of a good nickname |
| Clark | No | Occupational names are verboten |
| Clifford | No | Because he'll someday see the Martin Short movie |
| Clive | OK | Only for Englishmen |
| Cody | No | Take that, Gifford |
| Cole | No | Roger Ebert has a "Cole Rule" |
| Colin | OK | Actually, used to be a nickname for "Nicholas" |
| Corey | No | There can be only two |
| Cornelius | No | "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty apes!" |
| Craig | No | A last name, you've got it confused with "Greg" |
| Curtis | No | If you need to call him "Curt", that can be a nickname for "Charles" or "Conrad" |
| Dale | OK | 85% of all "Dale"s live in Iowa |
| Damian | No | Unless the father is Satan |
| Daniel | OK | Don't mess with the spelling, lest it be confused with "Danielle" |
| Darrel | No | There are more ways to spell this than there are to spell "Khaddaffi" |
| David | OK | We hear some folks spell this "Dafydd", but you sure wouldn't, would you? |
| Dean | No | Another occupational name |
| Dennis | OK | Means "follower of Dionysius". Everybody loves a party animal |
| Derek | No | Same problem as "Darrel". And avoid "Dirk" at all costs |
| Donald | No | Wait until we've forgotten Osmond, Trump, and that guy who owns the L.A. Clippers |
| Douglas | OK | Oddly enough, used to be a girls' name |
| Duncan | No | Americans hear this and think "donuts" |
| Dustin | No | There's only been one "Dustin" of note. Keep it that way |
| Dwight | OK | It's Flemish. Everybody loves the Flemings, except the Walloons |
| Dylan | OK | Only if you can recite some Dylan Thomas lyrics off the top of your head right now. Go ahead, we'll wait |
| Earl | No | In the U.S., used only by fertilizer salesmen from Nebraska |
| Edgar | OK | Gothic parents should avoid the temptation to use "Allen" as a middle name |
| Edmund | OK | The "Ed" prefix means "wealthy", and don't we all want rich kids? |
| Edward | OK | Use "Ted" as a nickname for "Theodore" |
| Edwin | OK | "Buzz" Aldrin's real name, so there's no excuse for naming your kid "Buzz" |
| Elliot | No | Phone home |
| Eric | OK | Why would you spell this with a "K"? |
| Ernest | No | If "Sesame Street" didn't kill it, Jim Varney did |
| Ethan | No | Ethan Allen was a jerk |
| Eugene | OK | If you want your kid to be a playwright |
| Evan/Owen | No | Use the English "John", unless you're just off the boat |
| Francis | OK | He'll want you to call him "Frank" |
| Franklin | No | No matter how left-wing you are |
| Frederick | OK | Everybody loved Fred Rogers |
| Gabriel | No | Belongs to the women now |
| Garth | No | But hey, you could still name him after Chris Gaines |
| Gary | OK | "Tryin' hard to look like Gary Cooper, super duper!" |
| Geoffrey | No | Let's face it, the "Jeffrey" spelling has won, except among toy-store mascots |
| George | OK | Don't forget to tell him about the rabbits |
| Gerald | OK | No "Geraldo", even if you're Hispanic |
| Glen/Glenn | No | Wait until the "-n"/"-nn" debate has been resolved |
| Grant | No | Sounds too much like "grunt" |
| Gregory | OK | Sixteen popes can't be wrong |
| Guy | No | Unless you can give a detailed explanation of the Gunpowder Plot |
| Harlan | OK | Means "army land", so pacifists beware |
| Harold | OK | Under no circumstances should you name his sister "Maude" |
| Harrison | No | Use it as a middle name, if you must use it at all |
| Henry | OK | But not if he's the eighth child |
| Herbert | No | Herbert Hoover had it, and look how unlucky he was |
| Herman | No | And this goes for any other Melville homages |
| Homer | No | Have you been living under a rock? |
| Howard | OK | Only fussy people will call him "Ward" |
| Hugh | OK | But be on the lookout for puns |
| Humphrey | No | Unless you're naming a pet hippo |
| Hunter | No | An odious occupational name |
| Ian | OK | If you're actually Scottish |
| Irving | No | The 142nd fastest gun in the west |
| Isaac | OK | The long form of "Ike" |
| Jacob | OK | Spell it with a "C", and expect the inevitable nickname, "Jake the Snake" |
| James | OK | Used by 5 U.S. presidents - five! |
| Jared | No | Find out why not at www.freeverse.com |
| Jason | No | Way too popular at the moment |
| Jeffrey | OK | Has beaten out "Geoffrey" as the preferred spelling |
| Jeremy | No | Pearl Jam's in the collective consciousness to stay |
| Jerome | OK | The proper way to pay tribute to Hieronymus Bosch |
| Jesse | OK | Popular name for uncles (cf. "Dukes of Hazzard", "Full House") |
| Joel | OK | Even though the Old Testament prophet of that name is dull |
| John | OK | You needed to ask? |
| Jonathan | OK | Don't get in a huff over "Jon"/"John" |
| Jordan | No | Middle English for "chamber pot" |
| Joseph | OK | Name book people think this is Che Guevara's real name. It isn't |
| Joshua | No | Far too common at the present |
| Julian/Julius | OK | Go ahead, call him "Jules" |
| Justin | OK | But you ought to know who Justinian is |
| Keith | OK | Scots Gaelic for "forest", so don't go to Scotland and hang out in forests |
| Kenneth | OK | But if "South Park" continues much longer, forget it |
| Kevin | OK | Not if McAllister is your last name. Aaaaugh! |
| Kirk | No | Insert your own "Star Trek" joke here |
| Kyle | No | Wait until people stop using it for girls |
| Lance | No | Derived from "Lancelot", and who could live up to those expectations? |
| Lawrence | OK | We will accept the nickname "Lon" |
| Lee | No | Gender issues aplenty |
| Leonard | OK | Don't even think about "Leonardo" |
| Lloyd | OK | Variant "Floyd" is just too silly |
| Louis | OK | Two odd English variants- "Lewis" and "Aloysius". Skip 'em |
| Luke | OK | "Lucas" is not the long form of this name |
| Luther | OK | Variant "Lothair" is great if you're writing a novel about barbarians |
| Malcolm | No | Looks like "Malcolm in the Middle" is here to stay |
| Marcus/Mark | OK | Don't insist on "Marc" |
| Marshall | No | This is a very high rank, too much pressure |
| Martin | OK | Don't name his brothers "Abraham" and "John" |
| Matthew | OK | Still a good name, despite Matt Damon |
| Max | No | Abundant puns |
| Michael | No | Yell "Mike!" on any playground and watch twenty kids come running |
| Miles | OK | Good for you DS9 fans |
| Morgan | OK | Help reclaim this one for the men |
| Nathan | OK | Stick to this, rather than the longer "Nathaniel" |
| Neil | OK | The Neil Armstrong spelling is better than the Neal Anderson spelling |
| Nelson | No | Remember the band? |
| Nicholas | OK | One variant is "Nikita". Don't use that |
| Noah | OK | Can't possibly misspell this one |
| Norman | OK | Inevitable nickname - "Stormin' Norman" |
| Oliver | OK | Cromwell failed to kill it, which means "Adolph" will be back in a few hundred years |
| Otto | OK | The Germans are our pals now |
| Patrick | OK | Silly for non-Irishmen |
| Paul | OK | Even though one variant is "Pol", as in Pol Pot |
| Perry | No | Short for "Peregrine", and who'd name their kid that? |
| Peter | OK | Norman spelling "Pierce" is also OK |
| Philip | OK | That's one "L" |
| Ralph | No | Use as a verb killed its use as a name |
| Randolph | OK | Nickname "Randy" is OK - in the U.S. |
| Raphael | No | We at the Institute will never forgive Raef LaFrentz for going to Kansas |
| Raymond | OK | Avoid "Rae", lest he end up like Rae Carruth |
| Reese | No | You're thinking of "Rhys". Don't use that either |
| Reginald | OK | Use among white people is rare |
| Reuben | OK | Name book says you can call him "Ruby". No, you can't |
| Richard | OK | Diminutives are spelled "Rick" and "Ricky". Forget Ric Flair and Rickey Henderson |
| Robert | OK | Rebels rejoice |
| Roderick | OK | If you don't mind association with Rod Roddy |
| Rodney | No | Go with "Roderick", it's got pedigree |
| Roger | OK | If you think this can be spelled with a "D", you're wrong |
| Ronald | OK | Conservatives only |
| Roy | OK | Better than variants "Rex", "Royce", etc. |
| Rudolph | No | Sing it |
| Russell | No | Means "red-skinned". Native Americans might be offended |
| Ryan | OK | Use "Ryan" or "Brian", but don't compromise and use "Bryan" |
| Samuel | OK | Great name for private eyes |
| Saul | OK | Biblical connections galore |
| Scott | No | Used only in the 20th century, and that's over now |
| Sean | OK | Though you really should use "John", and you sure shouldn't tamper with the spelling |
| Shane | No | Use "Sean" or "John" |
| Sidney | OK | Don't use it for girls, don't spell it "Sydney", and never, ever feed it after midnight |
| Simon | OK | The nickname "Si" is very silly indeed |
| Stanley | OK | 20th century, but since it has a foreign equivalent ("Stanislaus"), it's OK |
| Stephen | OK | There's a "V" in "Steve", but not in "Stephen". Got it? |
| Taylor | No | Every kid named "Taylor" is a brat. No exceptions |
| Terrell | No | Means "follower of Thor". You don't worship Thor, do you? |
| Theodore | OK | Nickname him "Ted". "Theo" is for Huxtables |
| Thomas | OK | Some people think you spell "Tom" with an "H". Don't be like them |
| Timothy | OK | Nickname "Timmy" signifies a very annoying child |
| Todd | No | Associated with dumb high-school jocks |
| Trevor | OK | Even though it faintly smells of social climber |
| Troy | No | For goodness' sake, look what happened to Troy! |
| Victor | OK | Have fun, Les Mis fans |
| Vincent | OK | Despite association with Vincent Van Gogh and Vince McMahon |
| Wade | No | It just sounds silly. Say it. "Wade". Heh heh |
| Walter | OK | As a nickname, "Walt" is preferable to "Wally" |
| Warren | No | Warren Harding plus Warren Beatty equals womanizer |
| Wayne | No | If you really want to name your kid for the Duke, call him "John" |
| Wesley | OK | Primarily for Methodists |
| William | OK | Although an inevitable nickname might be "Slick Willie" |
| Woodrow | No | President Wilson was as racist a president as any |
| Zachary | No | We've seen too many episodes of "Saved by the Bell" to allow this |