Finding the perfect short name for your little one can be quite a difficult task.
If you’ve been finding it tough to choose the perfect short name for your little boy, you’ve come to the right place, as I’m going to reveal the magic of short names with a list of adorable 4 letter boy names for your young man.
Long names have been considered sophisticated and elegant for many years.
However, this idea is now slowly fading away, and short names are finally getting more recognition.
A lot of successful people today have simple 4 letter names, like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, etc.
There are a number of reasons why parents choose to give their little one a short name, especially parents who want to avoid their children having nicknames.
On the list below, you’ll be sure to find some of the most interesting and adorable 4 letter boy names with meanings you will love!
4 Letter Boy Names And Their Meanings
Names that start with A
1. Adam
A popular name with roots in the Hebrew language. It translates to “son of the red Earth.”
It’s one of the better known 4 letter biblical names for boys.
2. Aldo
An Italian name meaning: “the elder one, an old one”. Some say this name has Old German roots with a similar meaning.
3. Aron
Another important Hebrew name from the Bible meaning: “the mountain of strength”. This is another way to spell the name Aaron.
4. Amos
A name of Hebrew origin that translates to “burdened”, “brave”, or “carried”.
5. Aden
An Irish name that translates to “small fire”. It was derived from the word “aohd” which means “little fire”.
Even though Aiden is more popular nowadays, Aden is still a fairly common name.
6. Arlo
An Old English name meaning: “a hill that is fortified”.
7. Andy
This unisex name is often used as a nickname for the masculine name Andrew and the feminine name Andrea.
However, Andy is also an individual name of Greek origin which means: “brave” or “manly”.
8. Ajax
A name from Greek mythology (hero from Homer’s “Iliad”, Aias) meaning: “of the Earth”.
9. Alex
Short form of the Greek name Alexander meaning: “a warrior and defender of men”.
10. Axel
An interesting name with Hebrew roots. It translates to “my father of peace”.
11. Abel
One of the most famous Biblical names of Hebrew origin, which means: “vapor, breath”.
Names that start with B
1. Bran
A name with origins in Gaelic, Scottish and Irish. It means: “crow” or “raven”.
2. Buzz
Buzz is often used as a nickname, but it’s primarily a masculine given name of American origin which means: “a village in the woods.”
3. Bane
This short name has an interesting historical background.
It is known as a name of Slavic origin meaning: “a glorious protector”.
However, it’s also known as a Hawaiian moniker meaning: “long-awaited child”, while some people claim it’s an alternative spelling of the English name Bain.
4. Beau
One of the most beautiful four-letter names of French origin meaning: “handsome and beautiful.”
5. Brad
An old English name that became popular around the world because of Brad Pitt, one of the most famous actors in Hollywood.
Unfortunately, the name Brad doesn’t mean devilishly handsome, but: “wide or broad wood”.
6. Bill
One of the classic 4 letter boy names usually carried by fathers and grandpas nowadays.
It has English roots and translates to “great protector”. This moniker is often used as a short version of William.
7. Blue
A modern name of American origin that represents a color and a colloquial term for being sad or down.
8. Beck
An old Norse name meaning: “stream”. This name could also mean “axe” in Old English.
Names that start with C
1. Clay
This one-syllable baby name with English roots translates to “mortal” or “clay maker”.
2. Chip
Chip can be used as a first name and a nickname for Charles or Christopher. It translates to “a man” and has English roots.
3. Chaz
A moniker of German origin meaning: “free man” and is sometimes used a nickname for Charles.
4. Chad
An English name with Welsh origin meaning: “warring” or “battle”.
5. Cory
A baby boy name with Irish roots. It translates to “hollow”. It can be used as a girl name, but usually as Cora.
6. Czar
An interesting Russian name derived from Caesar which means: “the emperor”.
7. Cody
One of the most popular 4 letter boy names of English origin meaning: “pillow” or “helpful”.
8. Cleo
A unisex first name that represents a proud person who deserves all the glory.
Cleo is of Greek origin and has been used as a short form of the names Cleophus or Cleopatra.
9. Cruz
This name is a blend of Spanish and Portuguese, and translates to “Cross”.
It’s deeply connected to Christianity but has been used non-religiously as well.
10. Cole
Cole was more common as a surname than a first name in the past, but nowadays it has become quite a popular given name.
This English name means: “charcoal” or “black as coal”.
11. Colt
A name of American origin meaning: “young horse”.
12. Carl
Another German short version of the name Charles that means: “free man”.
13. Cain
Biblical name; the brother of Abel and Adam and Eve’s firstborn son.
Names that start with D
1. Deny
A name of English origin that means: “an official of the Church”.
2. Demi
A girl and boy name meaning: “half” in Greek.
This name became popular because of the Hollywood actress Demi Moore.
3. Dave
Dave is one of the most common forms of the Hebrew name David, and means: “beloved”.
4. Dale
An old English name that translates to “valley”.
It can be a unisex name, even though it’s usually used as a male name.
5. Dean
A boy name with English roots that also translates to “valley”. It’s a variant of the name Dale.
6. Deon
A unique name of African origin meaning: “God”.
It’s also known as a variant of the Greek name Dion (Dionysius, god of wine and revelry).
7. Drew
A popular name in the USA of Welsh origin, which describes a very wise person.
8. Dewy
Another Welsh name meaning: “beloved”.
9. Doug
This four-letter baby name of Irish origin means: “dark river, dark water.”
Names that start with E
1. Edie
Primarily known as a classic girl name, Edie has become quite popular as a masculine first name as well.
It translates to “rich in the war”.
2. Evan
This name represents a young warrior in Irish, but also means: “God is gracious” as a Welsh form of the name John.
3. Eric
A boy named Eric might become a president or CEO in the future, as his name means: “eternal leader” in old Norse.
4. Ezra
An adorable name with Hebrew roots that translates to “help, helpful”.
5. Eden
A Unisex name that translates to “delight”. It has Hebrew roots.
Eden was also the name of the “heavenly garden” from the Bible.
6. Elio
An unusual name of Spanish origin that represents the Sun.
7. Enzo
A famous Italian name meaning: “winner” and the name of the founder of Ferrari.
8. Elon
A Hebrew name for boys that translates to “the oak tree”.
Names that start with F
1. Ford
An old English name meaning: “river crossing” and the surname of the founder of the Ford motor company, Henry Ford.
2. Fred
An English version of the German moniker Friedrich. The name means: “peaceful leader or ruler”.
3. Finn
An Irish baby boy name that translates to “white, fair”.
Names that start with G
1. Glen
A Scottish name that means: “a narrow valley”. It’s common as both a first name and surname.
2. Geri
Typically a feminine name, it has become popular as a baby boy name in recent years.
Geri is a name with roots in the English language, and translates to “the one who rules with a spear”.
3. Gene
This English name represents a very noble person of high status.
4. Gary
A male English name that means: “a bold spear” which is not a great surprise as it’s a variant of the name Geri.
5. Gabe
A soft boy name with roots in Hebrew that translates to “God’s hero”.
It’s often used as a nickname for Gabriel.
Names that start with H
1. Hyde
An English name meaning: “hide”.
2. Hart
An unusual name with roots in English that translates to “brave and strong”. In Gaelic, it means: “a hero”.
3. Hank
Old German name describing a person who is the ruler of the home.
4. Hugh
A name with German roots that translates to “bright of mind and spirit”.
5. Hawk
Hawk is an old English name that represents the falcon, a bird of prey.
It’s a very strong name for a brave boy.
6. Hugo
This is a two-syllable name variant of Hugh with the same origin and meaning.
Names that start with I
1. Igor
Igor is a very interesting name with roots in Russian, Slavic, and Old Norse.
The meaning of the name is: “a warrior”.
2. Ivan
A Slavic name that is popular in Southeastern Europe meaning: “God’s gracious gift”.
It’s also considered a variant of the English name John and has the same meaning.
3. Iker
One of the most popular 4 letter boy names in Spain, Iker means “visitor”.
Names that start with J
1. Jake
A well-known English name with roots in Hebrew. It translates to “supplanter”.
It is also used as the short form of Jacob.
2. Juan
A very popular Spanish variant of the English name John. It means: “God’s grace”.
3. Jeff
An English name meaning: “God’s peace”. This name is a short version of Jeffrey.
4. John
The most famous four-letter boy name in the world and third on the list of the top male names of the last 100 years.
It translates to “God is gracious” and has roots in the English language.
5. Jack
Many would confidently guess that the name Jack is among the top 10 most popular boy names, but that isn’t actually the case.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), Jack is 48th on the list of the top 100 boy names.
Jack has the same meaning and origins as the name John.
6. Jude
This name has Greek roots and describes a person who is praised by others.
7. Jace
A Greek name that translates to “a healer”. However, it also means: “God of salvation” in Hebrew.
8. Jazz
A boy name of English origin mostly known as the genre of music.
9. Joel
Joel means: “Yahweh is Lord” in Hebrew.
This name is known from the Old Testament as the name of the son of Pethuel.
10. Joey
A name with Hebrew roots that translates to “God will increase”.
It was quite popular during the early 2000s because of the sitcom “Friends” as one of the main characters is called Joey Tribbiani.
11. Jose
A Spanish version of the name Joseph that means: “The Lord increases”.
12. Jett
This English name usually refers to the color black, but it’s also connected to aviation.
Names that start with K
1. Karl
A Germanic form of the name Charles meaning: “manly, strong man”.
2. Kobe
A name with roots in Swahili meaning: “tortoise”.
In Hebrew it means: “supplanter”, and it’s famous in Japanese culture because of the famous beef.
Late basketball player Kobe Bryant has helped popularize this name even more.
3. Kaan
A Turkish name that translates to “ruler” or “the King of all Kings”.
4. Kyle
This name has a mixture of Scottish, Gaelic, and Irish roots and means: “straight, narrow”.
5. Knox
This name has Scottish roots and translates to “a round hill”.
6. Kade
A name of American origin meaning: “simple happiness”.
Names that start with L
1. Lane
A typical English name for boys meaning: “a small path”.
However, this name is also becoming more and more popular for girls.
2. Leon
A name that comes from Greece and translates to “lion”.
This name is quite popular in Europe as a modern name, even though it has been quite common in most European cultures for centuries.
3. Levi
A Hebrew name that translates to “united or joint in harmony”.
It’s also known as a Biblical boy name from the Old Testament as it’s the name of Jacob’s son.
4. Liam
A common name from Ireland that is used to describe a strong-willed and protective person.
5. Lord
A name of Latin origin meaning: “of God or the Lord”.
6. Loyd
A traditional Welsh name that has become quite common in the USA.
It means: “sacred” or “gray-haired”.
7. Luca
A classic Italian name that represents a person from Lucania.
However, in English it means: “the one who brings the light.”
8. Luis
Luis is a Spanish name of German origin (Hludowig) that means: “a famous and renowned warrior”.
9. Luke
This name comes from the Roman name Lucas and the Latin word “lux” and means: “light”.
Therefore, this name translates to “giving light”.
10. Lyle
This boy name has a mixture of Scottish, French, and English origin and was used to describe someone who lives on an island.
Names that start with M
1. Marc
A Welsh and French form of Mark, which is derived from Latin.
Marc means: “warrior” or “of Mars” (referring to the ancient god of war).
2. Mike
Mike is usually used as a nickname for the name Michael but has gained quite a lot of popularity as a given name as well.
This Hebrew name was derived from the phrase: “Who is like God”.
3. Milo
This name comes from the German language and translates to “merciful” or “soldier”.
It’s commonly considered to be a short form of the name Miles.
4. Matt
A beautiful name with roots in Hebrew that means: “the gift of God”.
5. Miro
A Slavic name meaning: “peace”.
It’s a common name in the Southeastern part of Europe, especially in Serbia and Croatia.
6. Mano
This name has roots in a mixture of Hungarian, Spanish, and Italian and means: “shark”.
7. Mars
A unisex name with Greek roots that represents a Roman god of war.
His Greek equivalent was called Ares.
8. Mica
A gender-neutral name with roots in Latin. It describes a person who is loved as a friend.
Names that start with N
1. Nick
A short form of the name Nicholas which has two different meanings: “Lord” in English and “people’s victory” in Greek.
2. Nile
This Greek name means: “a champion” and is deeply connected to Gaelic and Irish culture.
3. Nico
A Greek variant of the name Nick with the same meaning.
4. Nate
A Hebrew masculine name which means: “God has given, gives and will give.”
5. Neil
A male Irish name that means: “champion”, “passionate” or “a cloud”.
6. Noel
This name translates to “Christmas” in French and “Lord’s birthday” in Latin (“Natalis Dies Domini”).
7. Nash
A masculine name that comes from the US and translates to “ash tree”.
8. Noah
A classic Hebrew name with biblical roots that means: “to rest”.
It’s also known as a cute rustic name for boys that has recently become popular again.
RELATED: 145 Classic And Unique Middle Names For Noah
Names that start with O
1. Otis
According to the meaning of this name, Otis is the son of a wealthy man or a man named Otto.
However, you may use this German name for your little one even if you’re not rich or called Otto.
2. Owen
A name with both Celtic and Welsh roots which was used to describe either a young person or someone of high status.
3. Omar
This cute name with Arabic roots translates to “long-lived” or “long life”.
It can also be spelled as Omer.
4. Olaf
This is a name with Scandinavian roots that translates to “relic” or “ancestral”.
5. Onyx
An English unisex name that is also a gemstone for boys.
6. Odis
This is another form of the name Otis with the same meaning and origin.
7. Olly
This interesting name is often used as a nickname for Oliver, but can also be used as a given name.
This English name has Latin roots and symbolizes an “olive tree” or a peaceful person.
Names that start with P
1. Paul
The name Paul comes from Latin and means: “humble” or “little”.
It’s one of the classic names, even though it’s usually carried by older people nowadays.
2. Paco
A traditional Spanish name with the very strong meaning of: “eagle” or “free”.
3. Pier
Surprisingly, Pier is not of French, but English origin.
This name for boys means: “stone, rock”.
Names that start with Q
1. Quin
A name of Irish, Gaelic, and Old French origin meaning: “wise” or “counsel”.
2. Quil
A Shakespearean name of Gaelic origin meaning: “from the woods”.
Names that start with R
1. Raul
A classic name that comes from Spain and translates to “wolf counsel”.
2. Reed
An English name for boys who have naturally red hair.
3. Rick
A name with English roots that was used to describe a brave and courageous leader.
It’s often used as a short form of the name Richard.
4. Rage
This name of Latin origin describes a person who is furious and full of rage.
5. Ross
A cute name for baby boys of Scottish origin meaning: “peninsula” or “upland”.
The name became very popular after Ross Geller, a character from “Friends”.
6. Raja
An interesting Sanskrit moniker that was used to represent a king.
Raja also means: “paradise” in Russian and “hope” in Arabic.
7. Rory
A male name from Ireland that translates to “a red ruler or king”. It’s deeply connected to Celtic roots.
8. Rene
Rene is a French name for boys and it means: “born again, rebirth”.
9. Ryan
A name with Irish roots that represents a little king.
This name was used as a traditional Irish surname before it became a given moniker.
Names that start with S
1. Sven
A name with Norse roots that translates to “a young warrior” or “youth”.
2. Shia
A Hebrew name meaning: “praise the Lord”.
This name has become famous after the Hollywood actor, Shia LaBeouf.
3. Shaq
Shaquille O’Neal has made this name widely popular, even though Shaq is usually used as a nickname.
This name has Arabic roots and it describes a handsome and well-developed man.
4. Sean
This name is considered to be an Irish form of the name John and has the same meaning.
5. Samy
A name of primarily Arabic origin meaning: “the name of God” or “God has heard”.
6. Seth
A Hebrew name meaning: “placed, appointed”. It’s a very common name in the USA.
7. Saul
A masculine name of Hebrew origin that means: “pray for” or “ask for something”.
Names that start with T
1. Thor
An Old Norse name for “thunder”. Thor is known as the god of thunder and storms in Norse mythology.
This name has become widely popular because of the Marvel superhero movies, including Thor, a superhero played by Chris Hemsworth.
2. Troy
An Irish name that translates to “a descendant of foot soldier”.
It’s famous after the ancient city of Troy.
3. Tate
A cute English name of Norse origin that is used to describe a person who is happy and cheerful.
4. Theo
A short form of the name Theodore. It has Greek roots.
The full name means: “a gift from God” but Theo as a prefix means: “God”.
5. Tedd
This is an alternative spelling of the name Ted with the same roots and meaning.
6. Toby
A Hebrew name and a baby boy nickname for Tobias. It means: “the Lord is good”.
7. Tazz
This unusual name is of Greek origin and means: “a gift of God”.
Names that start with U
1. Uzia
This very unusual name of Hebrew origin means: “God is my strength”.
Names that start with V
1. Vito
A classic Italian name meaning: “life” or “the one who gives life”.
2. Vega
Vega is quite common as a Spanish surname, but as a given name it is of Arabic origin and means: “swooping eagle”.
Names that start with W
1. West
A name for boys of English origin that means: “a western stream”.
2. Wren
A unisex name with English roots that translates to “a little bird”.
Names that start with X
1. Xavi
A short form of the Spanish name Xavier that means: “bright or new house”.
Names that start with Y
1. Yago
A Hebrew name that is quite common in Spanish-speaking countries. It means: “supplanter”.
2. Yury
A traditional Russian name meaning: “the light of the Lord”.
Names that start with Z
1. Zack
A popular boy’s name of Hebrew origin that means: “God has remembered”.
It can be spelled in many different ways including: Zac, Zak, Zach, etc.
2. Zayn
This moniker has Arabic roots and represents a person of grace, a noble individual.
Wrapping Up
I’m sure you found at least three good reasons why you should name your child with one of these 4 letter boy names in this article.
Every name is beautiful and special in its own way.
Even though these names are short, they still have very strong meanings, which proves that short monikers can be both noble and sophisticated.
Naming your child is one of the first parenting tasks and a great responsibility, one of the many that await you.
Just remember, it’s very important to respect your partner’s opinion as well.
If you can’t find a name that sounds good to both of you, you could make a compromise and add one name as a middle name for your boy.
Also, when you finally choose the perfect name, you can get a newborn onesie with the name on it.
It’s cute and practical because you won’t have to repeat his name all the time!
You can find printable onesies with almost any name on shopping sites such as Amazon, or order a custom one on Etsy.
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