When it comes to naming a baby boy, it might seem tricky to come up with a name that seems out-of-the-box here in the US. Name like William, James, Jacob, Michael, and Alexander are perennial favorites. And while we certainly love a classic name, there are literally millions of boy names to choose from. Getting some inspiration from other parts of the world might help in coming up with something that feels a little different but has longevity and meaning.
Thankfully, Laura Wattenberg and her team at Baby Name Wizard track the top names in countries around the world.
"Every one of our lists is based on official statistics," she explains. "We looked to statistics bureaus and newspapers and found the current top name trends from around the world. Just know that not every country bothers to track baby names, so we couldn't include every country."
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The cool thing about baby names is that even though names can vary widely, there are certain trendy ones that are popular in different parts of the world, thanks to today's modern forms of communication.
"Parents around the world are still somewhat more conservative with boys' names vs. girls' names," says Wattenberg. "But that's starting to change."
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So for parents looking for boy name ideas that have history but also aren't found in every kindergarten in America, looking to other countries' top names might be just the thing. Want to know which boy names are topping baby name charts in Australia, Japan, South Africa, Colombia, Italy, and many other countries around the world? Look no further.
Luka
We're all familiar with the name Luke, but how about giving it an unexpected twist by naming a baby Luka? The name — meaning "light" or "man from Lucania" — is currently number one for boys in Slovenia.
Callum
A popular choice for baby boys in Scotland, Callum means "dove."
Bandile
Bandile is the number two baby name for boys born in South Africa. The name means "they have increased" in three different languages: Zulu, Xhosa, and Ndebele.
Thiago
Thiago means "St. James" (aka San Diego). This is the second most popular name for boys born in Uruguay.
Raphael
Topping baby name charts in France, Raphael means "God has healed."
Lachlan
Lachlan is an Irish name that's popular for baby boys in Australia right now. It's Gaelic for "war-like."
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Matias
Argentine and Chilean parents are naming their baby boys Matias. It's the Portuguese and Finnish form of Matthew, which means "gift of Yahweh."
Kaito
A popular baby name in Japan, Kaito comes from the word kai, meaning "sea" or "ocean."
Mario
The meaning of the name Mario either comes from Mars (the Roman god of war) or from the Latin word meaning "male." It is used in Italy and in many Spanish-speaking countries. Currently, it's the number three name for boys born in Bolivia.
Aksel
This spelling of the more conventional name Axel, is on the top 10 list of names given to baby boys in Norway. It's a Biblical name meaning "the father is peace."
Ameer
A popular name for boys born in Jordan, Ameer means "prince" or "commander."
Tomas
To pronounce Tomas, put the emphasis on the second syllable (instead of the first, as in Thomas). This name is common in the Czech Republic and in several other European countries.
Uri
A top five baby name in Isreal, Uri is Hebrew for "my light."
Angel
Angel means "messenger" or "messenger of God." It's popular in Puerto Rico and is common in several Spanish-speaking countries too.
Kai
Kai is used all around the world. In Scandinavia, it's a traditional baby boy name with unknown meaning. In Hawaii, it means "sea." And in China, it means "victory" or "music of triumph." Recently, this cool name has become popular in Australia and New Zealand as well.
Charlie
In England and several other English-speaking countries, parents are naming their baby boys Charlie, which is typically thought of as a nickname of Charles and not its own given name.
Antoine
Antoine gives a fun French twist to the more common Anthony. The name is popular for baby boys in Quebec and other places where parents parlent Francais.
Ramon
The number one baby boy name in Paraguay, Ramon means Raymond or "wise protection."
Liam
Who knew the Irish form of William — meaning "determination" and "protection" — would hit it big in so many countries, including England, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia? (This one is an exception on this list — it's popular here in the US too! We just couldn't resist including it.)
Ren
A baby boy name popular in Japan, Ren means "lotus" or "love."
Santiago
A Spanish name meaning "St. James," Santiago is the number one baby name for boys in Mexico. It's popular in other Spanish-speaking countries as well.
Gunnar
Gunnar comes from an Old Norse name meaning "war" or "strife." The name is currently in the top 10 names given to baby boys in Iceland.
Edvin
Edvin is a common boys' name in Sweden. It means "wealthy friend."
Lorenzo
Lorenzo is an Italian and Spanish name meaning "from Laurentum" (an ancient Italian city). It's the number three baby name in Italy.
Rodrigo
Rodrigo is the number three most popular baby boy name in Portugal. It means "famous ruler."
Emil
Popular in Denmark and Norway, Emil comes from a Roman name meaning "rival."
Omer
Commonly bestowed upon baby boys born in Turkey and Israel, Omer means "sheaf of wheat" in Hebrew.
Pablo
Pablo — the Spanish version of Paul — is a name with style. Currently, it's the number three baby name given to boys born in Spain.
Luuk
Luuk, the Dutch spelling of Luke, is the number four most popular baby name for boys in the Netherlands.
Lethabo
The number five baby name in South Africa, Lethabo means "happiness" or "rejoice."
Leon
It's probably no surprise that Leon means "lion." This strong name is popular for baby boys in many countries, including Switzerland, where it comes in at number five.
Jakob
Jakob comes from the Hebrew word, likely meaning "may God protect" and has a Biblical meaning of "supplanter." It's common in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe and currently clocks in at number three in Austria.
Ye-Jun
Ye-Jun is a top baby name for boys born in Korea. Ye means "art" or "craft." Jun means "talented" or "handsome."
Harun
The number five baby name for baby boys in Bosnia Herzegovina is Harun, which means Aaron, or "the exalted one."
Jonas
Jonas comes from the Hebrew word meaning "dove." It tops the baby name charts in Germany and is also common in Lithuania, Norway, and Switzerland.
Oskar
We're loving the idea of spelling this adorable boy's name with a K, which is how they tend to do it in Scandinavian countries as well as Germany, Slovenia, Estonia, and Poland. Some say it means "golden city." Others say "friend of deer."
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Alfie
Alfie has such an old-is-new-again vibe. The name means "elf counsel" aka "wise counsel." The name is a huge hit among parents of baby boys born in Wales.
Stefan
Stefan is the number three baby boy name in both Romania and Serbia. It comes from the Greek word meaning "crown" or "garland."
Nikau
The most popular baby name for boys in New Zealand is Nikau, which comes from the name of a type of palm tree native to the country.
Maxim
Meaning maximus or "greatest," Maxim is the most popular baby boy name in Ukraine, and it ranks number four in Belarus.
Zaid
Zaid comes from the Arabic word meaning "to increase." It's on the top 10 list of baby names given to boys born in Jordan.
Narek
The second most popular baby boy name in Armenia, Narek is often given in tribute to a 10th-century Armenian saint who hailed from a town by the same name.
Ivan
Ivan is a Russian form of the name John. It's the number two baby boy name in Belgium and it's popular in a variety of other European countries.
Alejandro
Alejandro is the Spanish version of Alexander, which means "defending men." The name is currently popular for baby boys in Colombia.
Markus
The name Markus may come from the Roman god Mars, or it may be from a Greek word meaning "soft" and "tender." The name is popular right now for boys born in both Estonia and Norway.
Dmitri
A popular name for baby boys in Russia, Dmitri comes from the name of the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility, Demeter.
Eitan
Meaning "strength" or "firmness," Eitan is high on the baby boy name charts in Israel.
Tobias
Tobias is a popular choice for baby boys born in Norway, as well as in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. It comes from a Hebrew name meaning "God is Good."
Onni
Onni means "happiness" or "luck" in Finland, where it's the third most popular name given to baby boys.
Roman
The Latin name Roman literally means "from Rome." It's a popular choice for baby boys in Ukraine and several other countries.
