There are just under 200 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">baby boy names</a> that have been on the Top 1000 since 1880, when the U.S. Social Security office began tracking baby names. The classic boy names here — such as Oliver and William — are included among that elite group that has been perennially popular.
 
Along with Oliver and William, many of the other top names for boys have always appeared in the Top 1000, including Noah, Elijah, James, Benjamin, Mason, Alexander, Henry, and Jacob. You may be surprised to learn that less conventional names such as Troy, Jefferson, Harley, and Dallas have maintained their memberships to this exclusive club.
 
The number of boy names that have always been in the Top 1000 is almost double that of girl names. Boy names have traditionally been more stable in popularity, although now we are seeing a shift as boy names become more trend-driven. Names such as Willie, Ralph, Jerome, and Mike recently dropped out of the Top 1000, relinquishing their status, and Gerald, Reginald, Rodney, or Will (yes, Will!) could be the next to go.
 
If you’re looking for an unshakable classic name for a son, a boy name always in the Top 1000 is the right choice for you. Browse all 189 boy names that have always been in the Top 1000, below.

Boy Names Always in the Top 1000

The Latin Ramon has been in the U.S. Top 1000 since the beginning of baby-naming time, i.e. the past 130+ years. Ramon is the perfect blend of worldly and familiar, with a rocker edge via The Ramones. A <a href="https://nameberry.com/lists/category/cool-names">cool name</a> classic, if there ever was one.

Ramon

The ultimate midcentury nickname, retaining a good measure of retro charm, was chosen for her son by Mira Sorvino. 

Johnny

Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.

Emanuel

There was a time in the early twentieth century when Matthew and Mathew were closer together in terms of popularity; today, Matthew is America's clear preference.
Mathew is also the standard Welsh spelling.

Mathew

Tony, as in classy. Or To-nyyy, as yelled out a tenement window. 

Tony

Bryant has a longer history as a first name in the US than its father name Brian, ranking among the Top 1000 since the list began in 1880 while Brian only jumped on in 1925.

That may be because the Vikings, the Bretons, and the English turned it into a surname from ancient times, when the high king Brian Boru ruled Ireland in 1002. But native Irish names like Brian were banned in Ireland for centuries during British rule, until the Irish war for independence in 1916 restored them to use.

The early 20th century saw a huge wave of Irish immigration to the US, and after the First World War, Irish immigrants began using Irish names like Brian and Kevin, propelling them up the US charts.

Bryant never hit the heights of Brian, which was a Top 10 name throughout the 1970s, and now seems to be falling out of favor more quickly. Bryant has been on a steep downward slide for several decades, with a brief upward blip following basketball star Kobe Bryant's tragic death in 2020.

In New York it's also associated with fashionable Bryant Park, named for editor William Cullen Bryant, and in Alabama with University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Bryant

boy names always in the top 1000

Baby boy names that have always ranked among the Top 1000 baby names in the US, every year from 1880 to the present including classic timeless traditional names with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 10)

Boy Names Always in the Top 1000

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