23 Popular Baby Boy Names To AVOID (If You Want a Unique Name)

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Are you dreaming about a name for your baby boy? If so, you should keep in mind the most popular baby boy names.

There are so many baby boy names, it can definitely be overwhelming to think about!

You may be searching for a list of the most popular baby boy names over the past few years. I have a simple chart below with the most popular baby boy names and their rankings over the past five years.

Unless you are a preschool teacher, you may be a little out of touch with the names that have been trending in the past few years.

I know that several of the names on the list really surprised me!

When my husband and I were searching for a baby name, it was so tough!

We came across a few names that we loved, and then realized that a lot of babies were being born with that name.

We thought that the names on our list were unique, but they weren’t. I think it was because the names we chose were different from people in our generation.

Since we ran into that problem, I put together a list of the most popular baby boy names in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 to help you out!

Below is a list of the most popular baby boy names over the past five years. I wanted to make it super easy for you, so I’ve included a lot of useful tips for you in the list!

To make it really easy for you, I have included:

A list of the top 20 most popular baby boy names
Bonus names that you may want to add to your list if you love a name in the top 20
A chart with the rankings over time, and
3 names that fell out of the top 20 rankings during the past 5 years

Are you still waiting to find out the gender of your baby?

Be sure to read this article on the top 20 most popular baby girl names. You might want to steer clear of these names as well if you are searching for a unique name for a baby girl.

Before you start to pick out a name for your baby boy, there are a few mistakes that new parents make when choosing a baby name.

Picking a name is hard enough, make sure that you do not make these mistakes!

4 Mistakes Parents Make When Choosing A Baby Name

Here are a few common mistakes that new parents make when choosing a name for their baby.

1. Picking A Name That They Don’t Love

This may come as no surprise, but picking a baby name is not easy. There can be so many opinions to consider. Your parents, your in-laws, your siblings, and your friends may all have an opinion about the name.

It can be overwhelming and you may feel pressure to pick a name that you don’t love just to please someone else. At the end of the day, know that it is your baby and pick a name that you and your partner both love!

2. Not Considering How The Name Sounds Once Your Child Is An Adult

Some names are very cute as a child. Parents should also think about how that name will reflect on the baby boy after he grows up.

Will the name look reasonable on a job application?

The name “Bubba” may be adorable for a newborn or a three-year-old, but may not sound super professional on a resume.

3. Selecting A Name That Will Cause Teasing At School

True story. There was a boy at my high school who’s name was John St. John.

I definitely felt a little sorry for him because many kids mentioned his name with a little laugh.

4. Forgetting To Google The Name

Go ahead and google your potential name before you narrow it down to the final choice. You may want to check if the name you picked is shared with someone famous like a celebrity (or criminal).

23 Most Popular Baby Boy Names To Avoid (If You Are Looking For A Unique Name)

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Top 20 Most Popular Baby Boy Names

Here are the most popular baby boy names. They are ranked in order of popularity based on the birth records in the U.S. during 2018.

1. Liam

Liam has been in the top position since 2017. Before that, it was also a very popular name, as it was ranked either number one or two since 2014.

If you like the name Liam, here are a few names to consider that are less popular:

Luke
Ian
Finn

2. Noah

The name Noah has also been very popular over the past five years, ranking in the number one or two spot since 2014.

Here are a few alternative names you may like, if you like the name Noah:

Nathan
Adam
Isaac

3. William

William is a classic name that has been in the top five rankings since 2014.

You may consider these names as alternatives to the name William:

George
Thomas
Charles

4. James

James, like William, is another classic name. It has ranked in the top 10 most popular names in the United States over the past 5 years.

Other names you may wish to think about, if you like the name James:

Patrick
Samuel
Jack

5. Oliver

Oliver is a name that recently moved up the rankings into the top 5 baby boy names in 2018. In 2014, it was ranked number 32. Oliver has risen in popularity very quickly during the past five years.

Here are a few more names that you may like that are less popular than Oliver:

Levi
Lewis
Owen

6. Benjamin

Benjamin has held steadily as the number six most popular boy’s name over the past three years.

You may want to think about these names as alternatives to the name Benjamin:

Brandon
Christopher
Bradley

7. Elijah

If you love the name Elijah, but are looking for a name that is slightly less popular, here are a few more names to put on your list:

Elliot
Gabriel
Isaiah

8. Lucas

Being in the top 10, the name Lucas is fairly popular in the United States. Here are a few other names to think about that are less common:

Leo
Landon
Louis

9. Mason

While the name Mason is still fairly popular, it has been declining in popularity over recent years. This baby boy name fell out of the top five most popular names in 2017 to number 7 and is now ranking at number 9.

If you like the name Mason, there are several other names that you may like too:

Maddox
Miles
Cooper

10. Logan

The name Logan quickly rose in popularity to the number 5 baby boy’s name in 2017, but then fell again to number 10 in 2018.

This name likely rose in the rankings in 2017 because of the release of the popular X-men movie “Logan” in March 2017.

Three more names that you might want to think about if you like the name Logan but want a less trendy name:

Landon
Jackson
Gavin

11. Alexander

You can keep these names in mind if you love the name Alexander: :

Anthony
Maxwell
Nicholas

12. Ethan

Here are a few more names to add to your list. They are all less popular than Ethan:

Evan
Dylan
Grayson

13. Jacob

If you like the name Jacob, then you might want to think about a few of these names for your baby boy:

Caleb
Joshua
Jason

14. Michael

If you like the name Michael, you may be leaning towards a more classic name. Here are a few more names you can add to your list:

John
Paul
Mark

15. Daniel

Daniel is another classic name. Here are a few extra names that you may want to add to your list:

Adam
Simon
Peter

16. Henry

Henry is a name which has been rising in popularity since 2014. This name first broke into the top 20 most popular baby boy names in 2017.

The name Henry has a regal tone to it. If you like this name, then you may want to think about these other names for your baby boy:

Albert
Robert
Edward

17. Jackson

Jackson is a trendy name that many parents love. Here are a few more baby boy names to add to your list if you like this name:

Hudson
Carter
Colton

18. Sebastian

Sebastian recently appeared in the top 20 rankings for the first time in 2018. Like Henry, the name Sebastian has been rising in popularity over the past few years.

Here are a few other names to think about if you are in love with the name Sebastian:

Julian
Damien
Simon

19. Aiden

Three more names that you may like if you like the name Aiden, are:

Riley
Declan
Nolan

20. Matthew

Here are a handful of other names you may want to think about if you love the name Mathew:

Adam
Mitchell
Steven

Rankings of the Most Popular Baby Boy Names Over Time

Here is a summary chart with the rankings of the top 20 most popular names over the past five years. You can easily see how the rankings of each of the baby boy names have changed during the years 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.

Name	2018 rank	2017 rank	2016 rank	2015 rank	2014 rank
Liam	1	1	2	2	2
Noah	2	2	1	1	1
William	3	3	3	5	5
James	4	4	5	7	9
Oliver	5	9	12	19	32
Benjamin	6	6	6	10	12
Elijah	7	8	9	11	11
Lucas	8	11	14	16	19
Mason	9	7	4	3	3
Logan	10	5	18	14	13
Alexander	11	13	11	8	8
Ethan	12	14	10	6	6
Jacob	13	10	7	4	4
Michael	14	12	8	9	7
Daniel	15	15	13	12	10
Henry	16	18	22	29	33
Jackson	17	20	17	17	17
Sebastian	18	23	24	35	34
Aiden	19	17	16	13	14
Matthew	20	16	15	15	16

3 Popular Baby Boy Names That Fell Out of The Top 20

These three baby boy names all fell out of the top 20 list during the past five years. These names are still fairly popular but have been declining in popularity recently.

1. Joseph

Joseph was in the top 20 most popular names in 2016 and 2017, but fell in the rankings in 2018. However, this is a classic name and is likely to come back in fashion over time.

2. David

David was in the top 20 most popular baby boy names from 2014 through 2016, but fell out in 2017. Like Joseph, this is a classic name and it may rise in popularity in several years.

3. Jayden

Jayden fell out of the rankings of the top 20 most popular boy names in 2016. This name has been slowly declining in popularity over the past few years.

Conclusion

I hope that this article was helpful for you!

You should now know all of the most popular baby boy names over the past five years, and how their rankings have changed over time.

Now that you know about the most popular baby boy names, be sure to check out this article on the most popular baby girl names!

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