105 Southern Boy Names (With Their Meanings) For Your Genteel Little Gentleman

Y’all, from Beau to Lee and everything in between, these names are so charming.

Fixin’ to choose the perfect name for your baby boy can make you madder than a wet hen! It can be absolutely overwhelming to make up a short list of names that will suit your little dude. There are old-fashioned names that are becoming trendy again, long boy names that have an air of sophistication about them, names that begin with a specific letter, gender-neutral names, popular names, family names and more!

I reckon you could go over lists of baby names ‘til the cows come home, and still not ever find the perfect one!

But there’s no need to pitch a fit if you are looking for a moniker for your little boy that embraces the vibe of living below the Mason-Dixon line: We have put together a list of 105 Southern boy names (and their meanings) that are prime for the picking! Some of these are place names, some are inspired by literature. Others evoke visions of fine young men presenting a debutante, and others are fitting for country boys who will spend their days muddin' and huntin'.

So, if you are looking for a Southern-inspired name for your little boy, grab yourself a glass of sweet tea and take a gander at these 105 Southern boy names!

105 Southern Boy Names

1. Banks

“Riverbank dweller” is the meaning of this preppy boy’s name.

2. Austin

A contracted form of the medieval name Augustine, Austin means “great,” “magnificent” or “majestic.”

3. Beau

“Handsome” is what this name means in French, and it can either stand on its own as a given name or be used as a nickname for Beauregard, Beaufort, or even Robert.

4. Abbott

“Father” or “priest” is what this biblical name means.

5. Franklin

A “free man” or “free landholder” is the meaning of this name.

6. Colton

This name means “from the coal town.”

7. Atticus

In Greek, this name means “belonging to Attica”—the region surrounding Athens. In Harper Lee's classic young adult novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is Jem and Scout's widowed father.

8. Holden

“Hollow valley” or “deep valley” is what this name—popularized by J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye—means.

9. Theodore

Meaning “God-given,” this traditional name was the #10 boy’s name in 2021.

10. Easton

From an east-facing place is what this name means.

11. Clayton

After a “town with good clay.”

12. Dallas

Scottish in origin, this name means “from the meadow dwelling.”

13. Bennett

Meaning “blessed,” Bennett—not Benjamin!—is the full first name of The Wonder Years star Ben Savage.

14. Camden

Meaning “Winding valley.”

15. Dalton

This Old English name means “the settlement in the valley.”

16. Alden

Rooted in English origin, Alden means “wise, old friend.”

17. Barrett

“Mighty as a bear” or “bear strength” is what this name means.

18. Remington

Derived from the town of Rimington in Lancashire, England, this name means “from the raven’s home.”

19. Dixon

Since Dick is a nickname for Richard, this name literally means “son of Richard.”

20. Carlisle

“From the protected tower” or “from the walled city” is the meaning of this Old English name.

21. Prescott

English in origin, this name means “from the priest’s cottage.”

22. Preston

A brother to Prescott, Preston means “from the priest’s town.”

23. Gage

This French name means “plege” or “oath” and was an occupational name for a money lender. But we will forever associate it with the little boy in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary.

24. Bowen

A name given to the son of Owen.

25. Knox

“A round-topped hill” is the meaning of this name that originates in Scottish Gaelic.

26. Harrison

The son of Harry, it’s fitting that this is the middle name of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s little boy.

27. Rhett

Famously associated with Rhett Butler in the epic historical novel Gone With The Wind, this name has Latin roots and means “to speak” or “advisor.”

28. Duke

Meaning “leader,” this distinguished name is a perfect choice for a first-born son.

29. Ryder

Derived from the Old English word ridere, this name dates back to the Middle Ages and translates to “mounted warrior” or “knight”—someone who rode a horse.

Related: Baby Names That Mean “Moon”

30. Brody

In Gaelic, Brody means “ditch, mire” or a muddy place. Fitting for little boys who like to play in the dirt!

31. Archer

The Latin and English origin of this name is “bowman.”

32. Miles

The Medieval Latin word for “soldier” or “servant.”

33. Jasper

“Bearer of treasure” is what this Biblical Persian name means. (One of the three wise men was named Gaspar, a variation of the name Casper or Jasper.)

34. Curtis

Rooted in the Old French word curteis, meaning “polite, courteous.” And isn’t that exactly what you want for a well-bred young Southern gentleman?

35. Deacon

A deacon is a cleric or an officer in a church, so it’s fitting that this name means “messenger.”

36. Brock

This name sounds rather stuffy, but it actually means “badger.”

37. Braxton

Stemming from the Old English word for Brock’s Town or Brock’s Settlement, this name—like Brock—also means “badger.”

38. Lee

This name comes from the English word laye, meaning “clearing in the woods” or “meadow”—and is, of course, the surname of the Civil War’s confederate general, Robert E. Lee.

39. Ford

This British name means “dwellers at the ford” or “river crossing.”

40. Bentley

“Meadow with coarse grass” is the meaning of this name.

41. Garrison

Son of Garrett is what this name means.

42. Cameron

“Crooked nose” or “crooked river” is the meaning of this name.

43. Gatlin

This name means “wandering man.”

44. Porter

With origins as an old French occupational name, a portier was a gatekeeper.

45. Emmett

This timeless name is derived from an Old English name meaning “universal” or “truth.”

46. Graham

Derived from the English town Grantham, this name translates to “gravel area” or “gray homestead.”

Related: Unique Baby Boy Names

47. Buck

An English name that means “deer” or “cowboy.”

48. Reeves

British in origin, this was traditionally a surname given to a man who worked as a bailiff or steward.

49. Landon

This name may have originally been bestowed upon a man who lived by a long hill.

50. Jameson

Literally meaning “son of James,” this name was the top choice for Pink’s “miracle” little boy.

51. Oakley

Someone who lived by a meadow of oak trees may have been given this name.

52. Hayden

“Of the hay fields” or “fire” is the meaning behind this Old English name.

53. Otis

In Greek, this name means “keen of hearing,” and the German origin of this name is “wealthy.”

54. Sawyer

“Woodcutter” is what this name means.

55. Tanner

The origin of this name is occupational for someone who had worked as a leather tanner.

56. Henry

A regal name that has been used for centuries, Henry stems back to the German word heim, meaning “power” or “ruler.”

57. Trevor

“From the large village” is what this Welsh habitational name means.

58. Cash

Rooted in English and Latin, this name means “hollow”—and is widely associated with iconic singer Johnny Cash.

59. Weston

The literal translation of this British surname is “from the western town.”

60. Travis

Derived from the old French word traverser, meaning “to cross,” this name means “toll collector.”

61. Brooks

As in a small stream.

62. Dawson

“Son of David” is the meaning behind this name.

63. Miller

A name with Middle English roots, a miller is literally a person who grinds grain.

64. Hayes

British in origin, Hayes means “hedged area.”

65. Jefferson

“Son of Jeffrey” is what this English name translates to.

66. Briggs

A name with British roots, it comes from the word brigge, which means “bridges.”

67. Tripp

Meaning “the third,” this is a cute nickname for a boy whose given name has the suffix III.

68. Trey

Like Tripp, this nickname can be given to a boy whose name has been passed down from his grandfather—the Senior—and his father—the Junior.

69. Chase

Stemming from the Old French word chacier meaning “to catch, seize,” this name was originally given to hunters during the Middle Ages.

70. Edison

Meaning “the son of Edward.”

71. Ashton

English in origin, Ashton literally means “ash tree town” or “from the ash tree.”

72. Parker

“Park keeper” is what this Old English name means.

73. Walker

The “inspector of the forest” is what this occupational name means.

74. Fulton

“Settlement of the fowl” or “people’s estate” is what this Old English name means.

Related: Short Boy Names

75. Nash

This trendy name has English roots and means “by the ash tree.”

76. Wyatt

An old English name that means “brave at war.”

77. Pierce

A name with Welsh, English, and Irish roots, Pierce means “son of Piers.” It also has Greek and Latin roots meaning “rock.”

78. Finn

Inspired by Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this name means “fair or white.”

79. Boden

This Scandinavian name means “shelter” or “one who brings news,” while the English root of Boden is “hill.”

80. Wells

“From the well” or “spring” is the meaning behind the name given to Bachelor in Paradise star Wells Adams.

81. Grady

“Illustrious” or “noble” is the meaning of this Irish name.

82. Paxton

Of Old English roots, this name means “peace town” and comes from the village of Paxton in Huntingdonshire.

83. Keaton

An Old English place name, Keaton means “shed town” or “hawk’s town.”

84. Lincoln

“Town by the pool” or “settler by the lake” is the meaning of this Old English name.

85. Rowan

A name with Gaelic roots that means “little redhead” or after the rowan tree, known for its red berries.

86. Mason

A name derived from the Old French word masson, meaning “stone worker.”

87. Nolan

This Irish name means “champion.”

88. Presley

This name comes from the Old English word preost, meaning “priest” and leah meaning “forest clearing or meadow.” Using this name could be a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll, Southern boy Elvis Aaron Presley.

89. Riley

Derived from the Gaelic word raghalach, which means “valiant.” It also has roots in the Old English words rye and leah, meaning “wood clearing.”

90. Price

There are several meanings for the name Price. In Welsh, it means “son of Rhys” and the given name Rhys itself means “enthusiasm.” Additionally, the Old French origin of the name Price is “prize.”

91. Quinn

This Irish, Celtic, and Gaelic name means “wise,” “counsel” or “intelligent.”

92. Bailey

With British roots, this name means “city fortification” or “berry clearing.”

93. Sutton

A Southern boy’s name can’t get much more southern than this British name, which means “from the southern homestead” or “southern settlement.”

94. Tennessee

The Native American roots of this name come from the Cherokee word Tanasi, meaning “meeting place” or “river of the great bend.” It is also the name Louisiana native Reese Witherspoon chose for her 10-year-old son.

95. Thaddeus

“Valiant” and “wise” and “courageous” are all meanings for this Hebrew name.

96. Tucker

This name is derived from the old English verb tucian, meaning “to torment”—as in the process of softening cloth. Tucker was traditionally an occupational name assigned to tailors.

97. Raleigh

In Old English, this means “meadow of deer.”

98. Sterling

“Of high quality” and “pure” is the meaning of this Middle English name.

99. Bates

Derived from the given name Bartholomew, this name means “lush pastures.”

100. Boone

“Special” or “good” is the meaning of this name of French origin.

101. Carter

This Irish, English, and Scottish name means “someone who used a wagon or cart to transport goods.”

102. Oliver

Taken from the Latin word olivarius, meaning “olive tree planter,” this name also has Old Norse roots meaning “ancestor’s descendants.”

103. Forrest

This French and English name means “dweller near the woods.”

104. Hollis

As an English surname, this was given to someone who lived “near the holly bushes.”

105. Crawford

“Ford of the crows” is the meaning of this Scottish and English name.

Next, check out these 206 Best Middle Names for Boys!