Names rooted in history, whether ancient or modern, evoke memories of great men and great accomplishments. History provides us with a cast of characters perfect for inspiring today’s baby boy names.
Why Choose a Boy Name from History?
The strongest reason of to give your son a historic name is that naming your son after someone well-known from history will draw associations to whatever that person, place, or time is. Even the names of some of our more recent leaders, like Martin Luther King, Jr., have been drawn from history.
Names from the Bible have been well liked for all of time. Choices like Adam, Joshua, David, and John all are strong namesakes. If you’re inspired by Camelot or the Round Table, maybe a name like King, Knight, or Arthur is right for your boy. Scientists and inventors also provide wonderful inspiration for historic baby boy names – think Edison or Galileo. All of these are examples of names with interesting and positive connotations.
Top 100 Historical Boy Names
In this list you will find some well known historical boy names drawn from all over the globe, throughout all of time.
- George
- Henry
- Thomas
- John
- Alexander
- Martin
- Neil
- Benjamin
- Oliver
- Paul
- James
- Samuel
- Albert
- William
- Richard
- Theodore
- Franklin
- Mark
- Cicero
- Cesar
- Ralph
- Frederick
- Oscar
- Sidney
- Muhammad
- Abraham
- Julius
- Marcus
- Charles
- Maximus
- Cassius
- Augustus
- David
- Orville
- Aurelius
- Eli
- Felix
- Daniel
- Audie
- Nikola
- Joseph
- Quintus
- Lucius
- Winston
- Rufus
- Isaac
- Atticus
- Ronald
- Lincoln
- Woodrow
- Andrew
- Romulus
- Brutus
- Kareem
- Marlon
- Anthony
- Nero
- Gabriel
- Cornelius
- Titus
- Carter
- Thor
- Magnus
- Humphrey
- Dwight
- Everett
- Nelson
- Ty
- Isaiah
- Arthur
- Josiah
- Clark
- Wilbur
- Cato
- Booker
- Charlton
- Jonas
- Caesar
- Leonardo
- Duke
- Horace
- Octavius
- Bernard
- Warren
- Decimus
- Andreas
- Florian
- Carlos
- Ulysses
- Langston
- Bartholomew
- Proximo
- Edward
- Aristotle
- Commodus
- Ezekiel
- Amadeus
- Conrad
- Achilles
- Hugo
Unique Historical Boy Names
If you want to inspire future greatness in your little boy, this list may be for you. Here we have collected names inspired by a wide range of momentous historical figures. These names were chosen especially for boys with unique and original personalities, destined to make a lasting impact.
- Archer
- August
- Barrett
- Blake
- Bradley
- Caleb
- Carson
- Curtis
- Digby
- Elias
- Ellis
- Ford
- Gray
- Grover
- Gus
- Hank
- Harlan
- Harrison
- Harvey
- Holden
- Hollis
- Hugh
- Jack
- Jacob
- Jake
- Jasper
- Jay
- Jonah
- Julian
- Landon
- Lawton
- Layton
- Lee
- Leon
- Levi
- Lewis
- Mario
- Max
- Maxwell
- Miller
- Oakley
- Otis
- Preston
- Raleigh
- Ray
- Reid
- Remington
- Ridley
- Rylan
- Sebastian
- Shepherd
- Silas
- Tobias
- Watson
- Wesley
- Willard
- Wyatt
Cool Historical Boy Names
The names assembled on this list combine heritage with modernity. These names are infused with historical significance while still remaining highly stylish, making them a perfect fit for a boy who looks to the future.
- Axel
- Baron
- Bentley
- Brewster
- Cade
- Calvin
- Caspian
- Channing
- Copper
- Crew
- Crewe
- Dayton
- Easton
- Garrett
- Guy
- Hawk
- Huntley
- Jericho
- King
- Kipp
- Knox
- Lancelot
- Lawson
- Mace
- Mack
- Marshall
- Ned
- Palmer
- Phoenix
- Ransom
- Rigby
- Ripley
- Roman
- Ryker
- Samson
- Saxon
- Solomon
- Tanner
- Thorne
- Tripp
- Troy
- Tye
- Wells
- West
- Winter
- Wolf
- Wolfe
- Zachary
- Zale
- Zeke
- Zeus
- Zion
Old Fashioned Historical Boy Names
The popularity of old-fashioned names continues to grow. This list compiles names with historical and old-fashioned significance. Inspired by longstanding tradition, these names offer a meaningful legacy.
- Alfred
- Amos
- Angus
- Archibald nn Archie
- Arthur nn Artie
- Barton
- Brigham
- Brock
- Carl
- Cecil
- Charles nn Charlie
- Chester
- Clarence
- Cuthbert
- Earl
- Earnest
- Edison
- Edmund
- Edward nn Ed
- Elmer
- Emmett
- Floyd
- Griffin
- Hal
- Hamilton
- Herbert
- Herman
- Hilton
- Homer
- Hubert
- Irving
- Kendrick
- Lester
- Llewellyn
- Lloyd
- Luther
- Nathaniel
- Oberon
- Orson
- Othello
- Percival nn Percy
- Piers
- Rainer
- Randolph
- Reuben
- Rex
- Roland
- Rudolph
- Rupert
- Sheldon
- Sherman
- Sherwood
- Stanley
- Sumner
- Sylvester
- Truman
- Wilfred
- Willis
- Winthrop
- Wright
See more Old Fashioned Boy Names
Strong Historical Boy Names
Here we have listed names that are strong and mighty. Based on significant historical figures and events, these names are sure to give your baby a name as strong and noteworthy as he is.
- Alcott
- Alder
- Auberon
- Augustine
- Bancroft
- Barclay
- Boyd
- Brent
- Calder
- Chad
- Claud
- Clayton
- Clifton
- Clinton
- Dirk
- Doyle
- Drury
- Elbert
- Emil
- Fairfax
- Fitzgerald
- Hardy
- Hunt
- Jamieson
- Jennings
- Jerry
- Jones
- Kano
- Kenzo
- Leland
- Matthias
- Millard
- Nash
- Nicholson
- Radcliff
- Roscoe
- Rudyard
- Sanford
- Thatcher
- Warner
- Will
Classic Historical Boy Names
These classic, historic names for boys will definitely take you back to much simpler times in history. The following classic names have definitely stood the test of time and will never go out of style.
- Aaron
- Abe
- Adam
- Alex
- Allen
- Arnold
- Ben
- Bill
- Burt
- Clifford
- Clyde
- Dominic
- Donald
- Douglas
- Edgar
- Edwin
- Ethan
- Fred
- Gene
- Gerald
- Gilbert
- Glen
- Glenn
- Gordon
- Harold
- Howard
- Jason
- Jeff
- Joe
- Kenneth
- Laurence
- Leroy
- Leslie
- Lou
- Luke
- Marvin
- Matthew
- Maurice
- Melvin
- Mervin
- Morris
- Nathan
- Nathanael
- Norman
- Owen
- Patrick
- Peter
- Philip
- Phillip
- Randall
- Raymond
- Robert
- Ross
- Roy
- Russell
- Sam
- Stephen
- Timothy
- Vernon
- Victor
- Wallace
- Wayne
- Whit
Powerful Historical Boy Names
There are so many historic names that make great boy names. Here is a list of powerful baby names. Your little guy will grow up strong with one of these names.
- Adolphus
- Armstrong
- Chester
- Colter
- Cromwell
- Goldman
- Gustavus nn Gus
- Hardwin
- Horton
- Hutton
- Keyon
- Quillon
- Thorburn
- Ulric
- Valerio
- Wayland
- Webster
- Wyndam
Badass Historical Boy Names
Choosing a cool, badass name for your little tough guy could give him a confidence boost. These badass, masculine names are inspired by powerful men from history.
- Adonis
- Attila
- Axton
- Beacher
- Bruto
- Burne
- Buster
- Catcher
- Fidel
- Hannibal
- Hulk
- Ram
- Rawlins
- Slade
- Spike
- Studs
- Thorn
- Zoro
Masculine Boy Names from History
There is just something so intriguing about taking a step away from modern baby names. You will feel like you are going back in time with one of these masculine, historic boy names.
- Ackley
- Aldrich
- Alonzo
- Bartholomew nn Bart or Barty
- Boaz
- Caldwell
- Carlyle
- Darius
- Fielding
- Hamlet
- Hendrick
- Hudson
- Irvin
- Israel
- Jared
- Jeremiah
- Joel
- Manley
- Manning
- Marsden
- Newman
- Parker
- Redford
- Regis
- Rutherford
- Sherlock
- Washington
- Wetherby
- Wheaton
- Zachariah
City Names for Boys that sound Historic
Here is a list of historic boy names that are inspired by cities all around the globe. If you love traveling to places that are rich in history, then you will fall in love with one of these names.
- Augusta
- Buford
- Carlisle
- Charleston
- Cleveland
- Dorset
- Dover
- Dudley
- England
- Eugene
- Euphrates
- Firth
- Gower
- Hastings
- Henley
- Hobart
- Ives
- Leicester
- Maitland
- Marlow
- Napier
- Orlando
- Oxford
- Rochester
- Trent
- Tyne
- Wakefield
- Walton
- Winslow
Cute Historical Boy Names
There are many great lessons to be learned from history’s monumental events and individuals. These baby boy names are the perfect blend of history and charm.
- Alvin
- Ashley
- Austin
- Beaumont
- Bert
- Birch
- Cameron nn Cam
- Charley
- Chet
- Denver
- Eddie
- Hadley
- Kent
- Madison
- Percy
- Perry
- York
Ancient Greek Boy Names
If you are interested in Greek mythology or ancient Greek culture, then you will definitely appreciate this list of baby names. These intriguing names for boys are inspired by all things ancient Greece.
- Acacius
- Alaric
- Aldo
- Apollos
- Caius
- Cassander
- Cassian
- Castor
- Claudius
- Cleon
- Clovis
- Cosmo
- Cyprian
- Cyrus
- Demetrius
- Dunstan
- Durant
- Falco
- Flavius
- Gaius
- Godric
- Hagen
- Horatio
- Iolo
- Ivo
- Jevon
- Justus
- Lazarus
- Marcellus
- Marius
- Pascoe
- Pippin
- Primus
- Rayner
- Remus
- Romanus
- Seneca
- Septimus
- Severus
- Stephanus
- Thurstan
- Tiberius
- Timon
- Ultimus
- Urban
- Wulfric
Biblical Historical Boy Names
This list of divine baby names will teach your son how important his faith and religion is. These boy names are straight out of the Bible.
- Abel
- Abner
- Asher
- Barnabas
- Barnaby
- Cain
- Elijah
- Emmanuel
- Esau
- Ezra
- Gideon
- Goliath
- Heli
- Jethro
- Joachim
- Job
- Joshua
- Judah
- Jude
- Lucas
- Malachi
- Micah
- Moab
- Mordecai
- Nicodemus
- Noah
- Omar
- Phineas
- Pontius
- Raphael
- Saul
- Seth
- Simeon
- Stephan
- Thaddeus
- Timeus
- Tiras
- Tobiah
- Uri
- Uriel
- Uzzi
- Zeb
- Zebedee
- Zebediah
- Zebulon
- Zedekiah
- Zimri
- Zuriel
139 Boy Names Inspired by Heroic Men from History
If you’re looking for a boy name that sounds heroic, then look no further. These historic boy names are inspired by some of the greatest heroic men from history.
| Boy Name | Heroic Male from History |
|---|---|
| Abraham | Abraham Lincoln |
| Albert | Albert Einstein |
| Alexander | Alexander the Great |
| Andrew | Andrew Jackson |
| Antonie | Antonie van Leeuwenhoek |
| Aristotle | Aristotle |
| Audie | Audie Murphy |
| Augustus | Augustus Caesar |
| Babe | Babe Ruth |
| Bach | J.S. Bach |
| Beethoven | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Benjamin | Benjamin Franklin |
| Benny | Benny Goodman |
| Bernard | Bernard Montgomery |
| Booker | Booker T. Washington |
| Boris | Boris Yeltsin |
| Carlos | Carlos Montezuma |
| Carter | Carter G. Woodson |
| Cary | Cary Grant |
| César | César Chávez |
| Charles | Charles Eastman |
| Charlton | Charlton Heston |
| Clark | Clark Gable |
| Claude | Claude Monet |
| Clint | Clint Eastwood |
| Constantine | Emperor Constantine |
| Dag | Dag Hammarskjöld |
| Dalai | Dalai Lama |
| Daniel | Daniel Boone |
| Dante | Dante Alighieri |
| Dennis | Dennis Banks |
| Desmond | Desmond Tutu |
| Duke | Duke Ellington |
| Dwight | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Edward | Edward Jenner |
| Elie | Elie Wiesel |
| Elon | Elon Musk |
| Elvis | Elvis Presley |
| Emile | Emile Zatopek |
| Ernest | Ernest Hemingway |
| Errol | Errol Flynn |
| Euclid | Euclid |
| Eugene | Eugene Debs |
| Francis | Francis Bacon |
| Frank | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Franklin | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Frederick | Frederick Douglass |
| Galileo | Galileo Galilei |
| Gary | Gary Cooper |
| Genghis | Genghis Kahn |
| George | George Washington |
| Giuseppe | Giuseppe Garibaldi |
| Golda | Golda Meir |
| Guru | Guru Nanak |
| Haile | Haile Selassie |
| Harry | Harry Truman |
| Henry | Henry Ford |
| Horace | Horace Mann |
| Humphrey | Humphrey Bogart |
| Isaac | Sir Isaac Newton |
| Jackie | Jackie Robinson |
| James | James Dean |
| Jesse | Jesse Owens |
| Jesus | Jesus Christ |
| Johann | Johann Gutenberg |
| John | John F. Kennedy |
| Jonas | Jonas Salk |
| Julius | Julius Caesar |
| Karl | Karl Marx |
| Konrad | Konrad Adenauer |
| Langston | Langston Hughes |
| Lao | Lao Tzu |
| Lawrence | Lawrence of Arabia |
| Lech | Lech Walesa |
| Leif | Leif Eriksson |
| Leo | Leo Tolstoy |
| Leonard | Leonard Bernstein |
| Leonardo | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Louis | Louis Pasteur |
| Luis | Luis Alvarez |
| Lyndon | Lyndon Johnson |
| Mahatma | Mahatma Gandhi |
| Malcolm | Malcolm X |
| Marcus | Marcus Aurelius |
| Mark | Mark Twain |
| Marlon | Marlon Brando |
| Martin | Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Melvil | Melvil Dewey |
| Michael | Michael Faraday |
| Michelangelo | Michelangelo |
| Milton | Milton Friedman |
| Mohammed | Mohammed Ali |
| Moses | Moses |
| Muhammad | Muhammad |
| Napoleon | Napoleon Bonaparte |
| Neil | Neil Armstrong |
| Nelson | Nelson Mandela |
| Nicholas | Tsar Nicholas II |
| Nicholaus | Nicholaus Copernicus |
| Nikola | Nikola Tesla |
| Oliver | Oliver Cromwell |
| Orville | Orville Wright |
| Oscar | Oscar Hijuelos |
| Otto | Otto Hahn |
| Pablo | Pablo Picasso |
| Paul | Paul Revere |
| Pele | Edson Arantes do Nascimento |
| Plato | Plato |
| Ralph | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Rembrandt | Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn |
| Rene | Rene Descartes |
| Richard | Richard Burton |
| Salvidor | Salvidor Dali |
| Samuel | Samuel F.B. Morse |
| Sergey | Sergey Brin |
| Sidney | Sidney Poitier |
| Sigmund | Sigmund Freud |
| Simon | Simon Bolivar |
| Socrates | Socrates |
| Spencer | Spencer Tracy |
| Sri | Sri Aurobindo |
| Steve | Steve Jobs |
| Theodore | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Thomas | Thomas Edison |
| Thurgood | Thurgood Marshall |
| Tim | Tim Berners Lee |
| Tom | Tom Paine |
| Ty | Ty Cobb |
| Vincent | Vincent Van Gogh |
| Virgil | Publius Vergilius Maro |
| Vladimir | Vladimir Lenin |
| Voltaire | Voltaire |
| Walter | Sir Walter Raleigh |
| Wilbur | Wilbur Wright |
| Wilhelm | Kaiser Wilhelm II |
| William | William Wilberforce |
| Winston | Winston Churchill |
| Wolfgang | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| Woodrow | Woodrow Wilson |
Random Baby Name Generator
Our baby name generator will give you lots of ideas for boy names. Add your last name, and select a theme to find a baby name.
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Famous Celebrity Boys with History-Related Names
Celebrities can be history buffs too! There is no shortage of baby names taken from history in recent years.
Russell & Nina Westbrook named their son Noah.
Matt Hardy & Rebecca Victoria Reyes-Hardy chose Wolfgang for their son, which could have been drawn upon inspiration from the world of music.
Chelsea Houska & Cole Doboer have their boy a name with a modern feel, Watson.
Lesley-Ann Brandt & Chris Payne Gilbert used another way to pull from history, by using the name of a city, Kingston for their son.
Katy Mison & Breaux Greer chose Saint for their little boy.
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