Adorable One-Syllable Baby Names
Long names aren't all they're cracked up to be. Sure, they might sound impressive, but they can also be a bit imposing. In contrast, there is something about short names that people find comforting, and there's even some research which indicates that people with shorter names might be more approachable. While there is certainly nothing wrong with giving your baby a longer name, it's worth considering a moniker that has just one syllable.
Short names are often dismissed too quickly. They are often considered informal and viewed as nicknames for longer monikers, but a lot of one-syllable names can pack a surprisingly powerful punch. The names on this list each have a pretty great ring to them — you'll see – and each one is just one syllable long. What could be better for your little bundle of joy? These incredible names are enough to convince anyone that short and sweet is the way to go.
Reese
This sweet moniker shares its name with a delicious chocolate peanut butter treat and an iconic Academy Award-winning actress, so it has a pretty good track record. Reese's peanut butter cups are pretty much the most delicious thing ever, which already makes that reason enough for this name to be beloved. Confectioneries aside, Reese Witherspoon is one of the most admired actresses of the century.
While Reese Witherspoon might be one of the most famous people to bear the name, Reese is technically a masculine name — at least in Wales where it originated. It's an Anglicized version of the name Rhys which means "beloved." In spite of its masculine origins, the name is often used as a gender neutral name, especially in the U.S. where it's far more commonly used for girls than it is for boys. The spelling variation of Reece, however, is a version of the name that is more commonly associated with boys.
Jade
Jade is the name of a precious stone, and could also be the name of your precious little one. The origin of the name is a fascinating one. Jade comes from the Spanish phrase "piedra de la ijada" which means "stone of the flank." The stone is referred to this way as it was once thought that jade had powerful properties and was able to cure those suffering from renal colic.
In China, Jade also holds special significance. The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius said that "jade is like virtue and its brightness represents heaven." To this day, disks of pierced jade are still used to symbolize the heavenly realms.
The name first became popular in the 1970s. While it originated as a gender neutral name, these days Jade is more commonly given to girls. While it is so close to making the top 100 names for girls in the U.S., coming in at 110, it's ranked in the top five names for baby girls in France.
Lance
Anyone who remembers the glorious era of the boy bands that ruled the radio back in the late '90s and early 2000s will recognize the name Lance. Lance Bass was one of the members of NSYNC, which is arguably the best boy band to have ever existed. While he isn't as famous these days as fellow NSYNC member Justin Timberlake, true fans know that Lance was the real heartthrob of the group. Professional cyclist and philanthropist Lance Armstrong is another famous figure to bear this name, which comes from the Germanic name Lanzo, meaning "land."
The name also brings to mind the days of chivalry, when lances (a type of spear) were commonly used in jousting. The name was fairly popular in the 1960s and 1970s, although it has seen a decline in popularity since the early 1970s when it was in the top 100 baby names for boys.
Elle
Who can forget Elle Woods, the protagonist of the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde? Whether or not your little girl ends up going to Harvard Law School, she will be served well by this short, but powerful, name. If law isn't up her alley, she might be inspired to go into journalism, and might even end up working at her namesake, Elle magazine.
This adorable name got its start as a nickname for names such as Eleanor and Elizabeth. From there, it became a name in its own right, although Elle is still fairly new on the baby name scene. It started making waves in the early 2000s, not-so-coincidentally popping up on the charts the year after Legally Blonde was first released. It has slowly climbed up the ranks since then, debuting at 613 in 2002 and making it to 380 by 2018. While it isn't mega-popular yet, given its steady rise it's only a matter of time before Elle tops the charts.
Cole
"Old King Cole was a merry old soul," according to the nursery rhyme, and what better legacy could there be for a name? If the children's rhyme isn't enough to convince you that the name Cole is a great one, consider that it also happens to be the name of one of Hollywood's hottest young actors, Cole Sprouse. You may recognize Sprouse from his role as Jughead on Riverdale, or maybe you remember him from his younger days as one of the stars of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. He also played the son of Adam Sandler's character in Big Daddy as a kid, a role he shared with his twin brother, Dylan. His biggest claim to fame, however — at least for Friends fans — is playing Ross' son, Ben, on the show.
The name Cole originally comes from a last name, but is incredibly popular in English-speaking countries as a given name. It's in the top 100 names for boys in Scotland and Canada, and in the top 200 in England, Wales, and the United States.
Jude
Whether you're a fan of the Beatles song "Hey Jude" or an admirer of Jude Law's acting chops, you can't really go wrong with the name Jude. Aside from its strong pop culture associations, the name has a powerful history. The name has ancient roots and is a variation of Judas, a name used in the Bible's New Testament. Jude is a comparatively new version of the name, only popping up in the English-speaking world around the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
While Jude is holding steady in the top 200 names for boys in the United States, this brief moniker is even more popular in other English-speaking countries. It's in the top 100 names in England and Wales, and is climbing up the ranks in Scotland and Northern Ireland where it's in the top 50. Jude's long legacy proves that even tiny names can have a big impact.
Finn
The name Finn is derived from the Irish name Fionn which means "fair." It can be found all over pop culture, which makes it the perfect name to rep whatever fandom you happen to be a part of. For music lovers, there's Finn Hudson from Glee, the hunky football player-turned-show choir member. Hunger Games fans no doubt remember the heroic and handsome Finn Odair. In literature, there's the protagonist of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, who bears it as a last name. And then, of course, there's the former stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn from the latest installments of the Star Wars franchise.
With so many Finns all over the place, it's no wonder that the name is climbing up the charts. Finn is seeing a steady rise in the U.S., and is in the top 100 names for boys in a slew of countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
Brooke
This one-syllable name rolls right off the tongue, just like the body of water it was named after. The name started off as Brook, a last name given to those who lived, like the name suggests, near a brook. From there, Brook transitioned into a gender neutral first name. That version of the name has pretty much died out these days, although it has left Brooke in its place as a feminine name. Brooke started gaining traction in the 1950s, but it would be a few years before it really took off. Its catapult to its eventual popularity was heavily influenced by actress and model Brooke Shields.
Brooke was a top 100 name from the late 1970s through the 2000s, but has dropped off in popularity in recent years. Despite its drop from the top 100, Brooke is still a beloved name, and remains widely used in the U.S., Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales.
Beau
There are so many reasons to love the name Beau. First of all, it's the French word for "beautiful," which gives it an air of European sophistication. In English, the word is often used to describe a sweetheart or a suitor. The moniker has literary roots, too, appearing in Margaret Mitchell's classic novel Gone With the Wind. There are also some pretty famous people who bear the name, such as comedian Bo Burnham (who uses a different spelling variation) and actor Beau Bridges.
While Beau has long been considered to be a masculine name, people love this name so much that they have started to break tradition and give it to girls. In England and Wales, the name started growing in popularity for girls in 2005, and is now nearly as popular for them as it is for boys. The name also started gaining traction in the late 2000s in the Netherlands, and is now commonly viewed as a gender neutral name.
Brynn
Brynn is a lovely feminine variation of the gender neutral Bryn, which means "hill" or "mound" in Welsh. While in the past Bryn was more popular for girls in the U.S. and more commonly used for boys in England and Wales, this version of the name has generally fallen out of favor on both sides of the pond. Brynn, however, is getting some well-deserved recognition in the United States. It's a fairly new name over here, and only popped up on the charts in 1980. This underrated moniker has yet to break into the top 100 names for girls, but has hovered around the top 300 since 2010.
Though, we may see a jump in popularity in the name in the coming years thanks to Brynn Cartelli. The singer made it onto season 14 of singing competition The Voice at the tender age of 15, outsinging many people much older than her. Her powerhouse pipes might just catapult her name to fame.
Jett
You might remember the name Jett from the Disney Channel Original Series The Famous Jett Jackson which first aired back in 1998. The following year, the name started to become popular. It hit the charts for the first time in 1999 and has been steadily gaining ground since then. The name is also familiar to rock and roll fans, thanks to "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" singer Joan Jett.
This short name has a long history. The word jet has a lot of uses in the English language. It can be used to refer to airplanes, or an intense black color. It's also the name of a popular stone. Jet is a rock which is similar to coal, but can be polished to a sparkling shine. Jet has been carved for thousands of years, and is often used to make jewelry. With a name like Jett, there's nothing stopping your baby from soaring to the skies.
Zayn
Thanks to former One Direction member Zayn Malik, this name started gaining momentum in the U.S. In Arabic, Zayn means "beauty" or "grace," and the sweet-sounding name certainly lives up to its description. Its addition to the baby name charts is fairly recent, first popping up at number 893 in 2013 and jumping to 341 in just four years. The name also saw a popularity spike in England, Wales, and the Netherlands. In England and Wales, the name debuted at 315 in 2011, while in the name hit the Netherland charts in 2015.
While Zayn is the most popular version of this name, there are other spelling variations that are also slowly starting to trend. There's Zain and Zane, which could also be used as a feminine name as it is the Latvian version of the name Susanna. The adorable one-syllable name is also sometimes used as a last name, as is the case with actor Billy Zane.