Ivy League schools. New England coastlines. Sailing. Nantucket. Martha’s Vineyard. Plaid. These are just some of the things I think about when I think about preppy kids. If that’s your vibe, I’ve got some cute preppy baby boy names that have Ivy League written all over them.
Oh, the joy of naming a baby. I don’t know about you, but I found it hard to name my kiddos. Also, I never realized that I only had girl names picked out, so naturally, I had only boys! I actually fretted quite a bit when I was choosing the names for my boys. Admittedly, I also never expected to get pushback from family members and friends on names I was considering. I have a friend who was even pressured into giving her son a family name. It happens friend and the best advice I can give is to just brush it off and do your thing.
One of the lists I made when choosing a name was preppy baby boy names. I admit I love this style of names so I thought I’d share the list I compiled with you. I’ve also tried to give you some basic meanings when available. When I hear preppy names I kind of think about Ivy League universities and New England coastlines. I think upper-class and clout.
Before you scroll down the list, I know that you’ve got lots to do before baby arrives. That’s why I’ve created the Baby Registry Checklist to help get you started on your registry shopping list. You may also want to check out my post 10 Things You Don’t Need On Your Baby Registry.
Preppy Baby Boy Names
- Alexander – though most well known for the Greek emperor Alexander the Great, Alexander is popular in many European countries
- Anders – A Norse / Scandanavian version of Andrew, it was also the name of a notable physicist
- August – A shortened version of Augustine, August graced three Polish Kings and also Augustus an emperor of Rome
- Anderson – A more formal take on the name Andrew
- Asher – A biblical name, Asher is the son of Jacob and also means happy and blessed in Hebrew
- Aston – A rare name, it means East Town in Old English
- Ashton – An Old English version of “Ash Tree Town”
- Basil – Originally a Greek name, Saint Basil the Great was an early doctor of the church
- Bastian – A suffix shortening of the name Sebastian meaning “venerable”
- Beau – pronounced “Bo,” it means “beautiful” in French and has become a unisex name
- Bernard – A Germanic name meaning “brave” or “bear”
- Blake – An Old English name meaning “black” or “pale”
- Blaine – Originally a Scottish surname meaning “yellow”
- Brett – An Old English name to describe a Briton.
- Brooks – Originally the English surname “Brook” it was used literally to describe someone who lived near a brook.
- Bryce (or Brice) – A French name that also graced a saint
- Camden – An Old English name that was originally used to describe a place like a valley.
- Carlton – This is actually a variant of Charlton, meaning “settlement of free men”
- Casey – Originally an Irish surname, It was also the name of hero Casey Jones, (1863-1900) who gave his life to save train passengers
- Cecil – An ancient Roman name
- Chauncey – A Norman surname of unknown meaning
- Charles – A classic name, it is actually a derivation of the Germanic, Karl
- Chase – English surname meaning ” huntsman”
- Chett – A short form of Chester
- Chip – Often a nickname for Charles or Christopher, this name is also occasionally used on it’s own.
- Clarke – An English surname that was used to describe a cleric or scribe
- Colin – Believe it or not, this is actually a shortened form of Nicolas.
- Davis – A derivative of Davis
- Desmond – An Irish surname describing the region from which they came
- Drake – Old English surname meaning dragon or serpent
- Drew – Shortened form of Andrew
- Easton – English surname
- Edmond – French form of Edmund. The famous bearer is Edmon Halley for whom Halley’s comment is named.
- Ellis – A surname that derived from Elijah
- Ferris – British surname
- Forrest – English surname for someone who lived near the forest. Saw a resurgence with the movie Forrest Gump
- Franklin – An English surname meaning “freeman” it was notably the name of American Statesman Benjamin Franklin president Frankling Roosevelt
- Francois – The French form of Frank
- George – Also considered an aristocratic name because many kings have donned the name
- Graham – A Scottish surname that eventually developed into a Scottish given name
- Granville – An English surname named after a place in Normandy
- Hamilton – Originally an English surname meaning “crooked”
- Harris – A name that derived from Harry
- Harrison – A name meaning son of Harry
- Horatio – most commonly associated with British Admiral Horatio Nelson who defeated Napolean at the Battle of Trafalgar
- Hugh – Popular among French nobility
- Hyde – An English surname used to describe someone who lived on about 100 acres
- Jack – a derivation of John. In the middle ages, it was slang for “man” in the same way we use “guy” today which is why it is common in fairy tales
- James – Originally a Hebrew name and used in England from the 13th century
- Keaton – An English surname
- Miles – Originally derived from Milo, it is a Germanic name with uncertain origins.
- Montgomery – An English surname named after a mountain
- Nicholas – a Greek name meaning “victory for the people”
- Parker – An English surname meaning “keeper of the park”
- Patton – English name deriving from Patrick
- Pierce – a medieval form of Peter
- Prescott – An English surname meaning “priest’s cottage”
- Price – Welsh surname from Rhys
- Quincy – English surname
- Reid / Reed – Old English surname meaning “red”
- Rhodes – Old English name meaning “cleared lands”
- Royce – Medieval name meaning “rose”
- Rupert – German form of Robert
- Sebastian – Greek name meaning “venerable”
- Spencer – Middle English for pantry or “dispenser of provisions”
- Sutton – English surname meaning “south town”
- Sumner – Middle English surname for someone who had to summon witnesses to court
- Tanner – English occupational surname
- Tate – Derived from the English name Tata
- Trey – name meaning “three”
- Warren – a Norman name meaning “animal enclosure”
- William – A Germanic name meaning “helmet” it has graced many Kings in history
- Winston – An Old English place name
Other Baby Names
By the way, if you enjoyed this name round up, you should see some of my other posts such as Strong Baby Boy Names, Biblical Baby Boy Names and Biblical Baby Girl Names. I’d love it if you subscribed to my blog for future posts and don’t forget to PIN this post for later.