Choosing a name for your baby boy can feel easier when you start with a letter you love. If you’re drawn to boy names that start with W, you’ll find familiar choices alongside names that feel more distinctive and unexpected.

Each name below includes a meaning or origin. As you read, keep a shortlist of the names you return to and try saying them aloud with your last name.

Boy Names That Start With W

The names are grouped by style so you can jump to the sections that interest you most.

10 Popular Boy Names That Start With W

These W boy names ranked among the 1,000 most popular boy names in the United States in 2025.¹ The names are listed alphabetically.

1. Wade — Old English for “ford.”

2. Walker — This is an English occupational name for someone who walked on a raw, damp cloth to thicken it.

3. Walter — A German name meaning “power of the army.”

4. Warren — English for “animal enclosure.”

5. Waylon — This name means “craft” or “cunning” in Old English.

6. Wesley — In English, this name means “west meadow.”

7. Weston — Old English for “west enclosure.”

8. William — A Germanic name formed from elements meaning “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.”

9. Winston — An English surname derived from an Old English given name or a place name meaning “town belonging to Wine.”

10. Wyatt — An English name meaning “brave in battle.”

10 Common Boy Names That Start With W

1. Watson — This name means “son of Wat” in English.

2. Waylen — Old English for “craft” or “cunning.”

3. Wayne — An English occupational name for a wagon maker.

4. Wells — This is a Middle English name for someone who lived near a well or a spring.

5. Wes — English for “west meadow.”

6. Wesson — In English, this name means “west enclosure.”

7. Westin — This name also means “west enclosure” in English.

8. Westley — This name means “west meadow” in English.

9. Wilder — Old English for “untamed.”

10. Wilson — This name means “son of William” in English.

92 Unique Boy Names That Start With W

1. Waddell — A Scandinavian name meaning “able to go.”

2. Wadsworth — This is an English habitational name for someone who lived in Wadsworth, England.

3. Wafi — An Arabic name meaning “reliable.”

4. Wagner — This is a German occupational name for a wagon maker or cartwright.

5. Wagoner — A Middle High German occupational name for a wagon builder or driver.

6. Wainwright — This is an English occupational name for someone who makes or repairs wagons.

7. Wakefield — This name means “vigil” and “open field” in Old English.

8. Waker — An Old English occupational name for a watchman.

9. Waldek — A Polish name meaning “authority” and “famous.”

10. Waldemar — This name means “authority” and “famous” in German.

11. Walden — Old English for “wooded valley.”

12. Waldo — A Germanic name meaning “power” or “authority.”

13. Waldorf — This name means “village in the woods” in Old German.

14. Wales — This place name means “Welshman” or “foreigner” in Old English.

15. Walken — A Noongar word meaning “rainbow.”

16. Walton — Old English for “stream town” or “wood town.”

17. Walworth — In Old English, this name means “foreign enclosure.”

18. Warburton — This name means “fortress town” in English.

19. Wang — Chinese for “king.”

20. Ward — An Irish name meaning “son of the bard.”

21. Wardell — Old English for “watch hill.”

22. Warfield — This name means “field by the weir” in Middle English.

23. Waring — English for “guard.”

24. Wario — A pop-culture name associated with Nintendo’s character Wario, Mario’s rival.

25. Warley — In Old English, this name means “meadow across the weir.”

26. Warrin — A Dharug word meaning “winter.”

27. Warwick — Old English for “dam settlement.”

28. Wason — This name means “son of Walter” in German.

29. Wassim — An Arabic name meaning “handsome.”

30. Watkins — English for “power of the army.”

31. Watts — This name means “army ruler” in German.

32. Wayde — A Scandinavian name meaning “able to go.”

33. Waylan — This name means “craft” or “cunning” in English.

34. Wazo — German for “pledge.”

35. Weatherly — This name means “from the sheep meadow” in English.

36. Webster — This is an English occupational name for a weaver.

37. Wednesday — Old English for “Woden’s Day.”

38. Wei — Chinese for “power” or “great.”

39. Welburn — An English name meaning “from the spring brook.”

40. Welby — An English name meaning “from a farm by the spring.”

41. Welch — This name means “foreigner” in English.

42. Weller — A German name for someone who lived near a spring or a stream.

43. Wellington — English for “holy settlement.”

44. Welwyn — Old English for “Welsh friend.”

45. Wen — In Chinese, this name means “literature.”

46. Wendell — German for “vandal” or “wanderer.”

47. Wentworth — This name means “winter enclosure” in Old English.

48. Wenzel — A German name meaning “greater glory.”

49. Werner — Dutch and German for “cautious army.”

50. Wesa — This name means “cat” in Cherokee.

51. Wessen — English for “from the west town.”

52. Westcott — Old English for “west cottage.”

53. Westerly — This name means “winds from the west” in English.

54. Weymont — An Old English name meaning “protection in war.”

55. Wheaton — This name means “from the wheat town” in Old English.

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56. Whelan — An Irish name meaning “descendant of the little wolf.”

57. Whitcomb — English for “wide valley.”

58. Whiteley — An English name meaning “white meadow.”

59. Whitford — English for “white ford.”

60. Whitley — This name means “white clearing” in English.

61. Wick — This is an English name for someone who lives in an outlying settlement that’s dependent on a larger village.

62. Wigmar — Old German for “battle famous.”

63. Wilburn — An Old English name meaning “stream.”

64. Wilford — This name means “willow ford” in Old English.

65. Wilhelm — German for “will-helmet.”

66. Wilka — A Kashubian name meaning “will helmet.”

67. Wilkes — This name means “will-helmet” in English.

68. Willard — English for “desire” and “brave.”

69. Willem — This Dutch name means “will-helmet.”

70. Willis — This name also means “will-helmet” in English.

71. Willoughby — Old English for “willow town.”

72. Willow — English for the willow tree or “freedom.”

73. Wilmer — Spanish for “desire” and “famous.”

74. Windsor — This name means “riverbank with a windlass” in English.

75. Windu — This name means “eight years” in Javanese.

76. Winfield — Old English for “meadow field.”

77. Wingate — This name means “windy gap” in Old English.

78. Winslet — English for “joyful stream.”

79. Winslow — This name means “friend’s hill” or “wine’s hill” in English.

80. Winton — Old English for “enclosure belongs to a friend.”

81. Winwood — This name means “friend’s woods” in Old English.

82. Wira — This name means “hero” in Indonesian and Sanskrit.

83. Woodrow — Old English for “row of houses by a wood.”

84. Woods — A Scottish and English name for someone who lived or worked in a forest.

85. Woodstock — English for “wooden place.”

86. Worthington — This name means “farmstead estate” in English.

87. Wray — Old Norse for “corner” or “nook.”

88. Wright — This is an English occupational name for a craftsman.

89. Wu — Chinese for “military.”

90. Wybert — A Middle English name meaning “battle bright.”

91. Wyler — This is a German habitational name for any of the places with this name in southern Germany.

92. Wynden — An English name with an unknown origin.

18 Cute Boy Names That Start With W

1. Wadud — An Arabic name meaning “lover” or “affectionate.”

2. Wally — German for “power of the army” or Scottish for “foreigner.”

3. Walt — This name means “power of the army” in German.

4. West — This is an English and German name given to someone who came from the West.

5. Whitney — Old English for “white island.”

6. Wilbur — A Middle English name meaning “wild boar.”

7. Wiley — This name means “willow” or “woodland clearing” in Old English.

8. Wilfred — Old English for “desiring peace.”

9. Wilkie — In English, this name means “will-helmet.”

10. Will — English for “will-helmet” or German for “desire and brave.”

11. Willy — This name also means “will-helmet” in English or “desire and brave” in German.

12. Winnie — A Welsh name meaning “blessed.”

13. Wolfie — This is an English nickname meaning “wolf.”

14. Wonder — This English word name means “awe” or “miracle.”

15. Woody — In English, this name means “row of houses by a wood.”

16. Wren — An Old English name for a small songbird.

17. Wrenlee — This English name is a combination of “small songbird” and “meadow.”

18. Wynn — Welsh for “white” or “blessed.”

22 Cool Boy Names That Start With W

1. Wallace — A Scottish name meaning “foreigner.”

2. Walsh — This name means “foreigner” in Old English.

3. Warrick — English for “dam” and “village.”

4. Warrior — This name means “a person who can protect, defend, and fight” in Old French.

5. Washington — In Old English, this name means “settlement belonging to Wassa’s people.” Wassa means “enclosure.”

6. Wave — This name means “arched form of water or sound” in English.

7. Wenceslas — English for “greater glory.”

8. Westwood — An English name meaning “by the west wood.”

9. Whiskey — Gaelic for “water of life.”

10. Whittaker — This name means “white field” in Old English.

11. Williamson — English for “son of William.”

12. Winchester — A Celtic and Latin name meaning “camp” or “fortress.”

13. Winner — This English word name means “one who wins.”

14. Wisdom — Old English for “wise.”

15. Wise — This is an Old English word for “learned person.”

16. Wizard — Middle English for “a wise man skilled in magic.”

17. Wolf — This is an animal name of German origin that represents courage and freedom.

18. Wolfgang — Old German for “wolf path.”

19. Wolverine — An English word name referring to the powerful mammal, also associated with Marvel’s X-Men character.

20. Wrangler — This English word name means “cowboy” or “person who disputes.”

21. Wrecker — An English occupational name for someone who works on the wrecks of ships.

22. Wrestling — An English word name with historical Puritan use; Wrestling Brewster was a child passenger on the Mayflower.

98 Rare Boy Names That Start With W

1. Wacian — English for “watchful.”

2. Waclaw — A Polish name meaning “greater glory.”

3. Wadald — This name means “ruler of the forest” in German.

4. Wadley — Old English for “woad” or “woodland clearing.”

5. Wafai — This Arabic name means “loyalty.”

6. Wafula — This name means “born during the rainy season” in Luhya.

7. Wahkan — In Cherokee, this name means “sacred.”

8. Wahyu — Indonesian for “revelation.”

9. Waine — An English name meaning “craftsman.”

10. Waite — This is an English occupational name for a watchman.

11. Wakinyan — This name means “thunder” in Lakota.

12. Walder — Old German for “commander of the army.”

13. Waldreg — This name has an unknown meaning and origin.

14. Waldwyck — German for “village in the forest.”

15. Walhberht — Old German for “bright foreigner.”

16. Walid — An Arabic name meaning “to give birth” or “newborn.”

17. Walmond — In German, this name means “mighty protector.”

18. Wahid — This name means “unique” or “one” in Arabic.

19. Walwynne — This name means “Welsh friend” in Old English.

20. Waman — “Waman” means “eagle” or “falcon” in Quechua.

21. Wanamaker — This is a German occupational name for a basket maker.

22. Wandrille — A French name meaning “to wander” and “pledge.”

23. Wangchuk — This name means “mighty” in Tibetan.

24. Wanjala — Luhya for “born during the famine.”

25. Warriner — French for “watchman.”

26. Washburne — This name means “from the flooding brook” in English.

27. Waverly — An English name meaning “from the brushwood meadow.”

28. Waya — This name means “wolf” in Cherokee.

29. Weaver — In Old English, this name means “to weave.”

30. Webb — This is an English occupational name for a weaver.

31. Wedgewood — This name means “triangular woodland” in Old English.

32. Weldon — English for “a farmstead by a spring or stream.”

33. Wella — A Cornish name meaning “will helmet.”

34. Wetherby — This name is a combination of “ram” in Old Norse and “farm” in Norwegian.

35. Wetherell — Old English for “wether-sheep corner.”

36. Wharton — An English name meaning “farm near the river.”

37. Wheatley — This name means “from the wheat field” in Old English.

38. Wheeler — This is an English occupational name for a wagon wheel maker.

39. Wheelwright — This is an English occupational name for someone who fitted wheels and wheeled vehicles.

40. Whetu — This name means “star” in Māori.

41. Whistler — English for “one who whistles.”

42. Whitlock — A Middle English nickname for someone with white or fair hair.

43. Wian — The meaning and origin of this name are unknown.

44. Wicahpi — Lakota for “star.”

45. Wicket — A French word for a small door or gate.

46. Wickham — Old English for “village settlement.”

47. Widald — An Old German name meaning “wood power.”

48. Widogast — This name means “wood” and “guest” in Old German.

49. Wiebe — A Frisian and Dutch name derived from a Germanic element meaning “war.”

50. Więcesław — An archaic Polish name meaning “greater glory.”

51. Wikus — This name means “famous in battle” in Afrikaans.

52. Wilberto — Spanish for “bright will.”

53. Wilf — In English, this name means “desiring peace.”

54. Wilfredo — This name means “desiring peace” in Spanish.

55. Wilguens — A Haitian Creole name meaning “will-helmet.”

56. Wilkinson — English for “son of Wilkin.”

57. Willet — This name means “little Will” in French and English.

58. Williston — German for “resolute protector.”

59. Wilmot — Medieval English for “will-helmet.”

60. Wilt — In English, this name means “willow town.”

61. Wim — This name means “will-helmet” in Dutch.

62. Wincenty — A Polish name meaning “to conquer.”

63. Windom — English for “village homestead.”

64. Winiata — This name means “vineyard” in Māori.

65. Winley — An English name meaning “wooded meadow.”

66. Winsome — English for “charming” and “engaging.”

67. Winter — The English word for the season.

68. Winthrop — Old English for “Wine’s (friend) village,” or “Wigmund’s (battle protection) village.”

69. Wiremu — This name means “will-helmet” in Māori.

70. Witold — A Polish form of the Lithuanian name Vytautas.

71. Witten — English for “wood” or “forest.”

72. Wlanc — This name means “proud” in Old English.

73. Wohali — This name means “eagle” in Cherokee.

74. Wojciech — A Slavic name meaning “warrior” and “comfort.”

75. Wolcott — English for “cottage near a stream.”

76. Wole — Yoruba for “God has come home, God has entered, wealth has come home.”

77. Wolfhart — A Gothic name meaning “hard wolf.”

78. Wong — This name means “king” or “monarch” in Cantonese.

79. Wongani — Chewa for “be thankful.”

80. Woodland — This is an English habitational name for someone who lives in or near a woodland.

81. Woodson — An English name for a descendant of a woodcutter.

82. Woojin — Korean for “house” and “genuine.”

83. Worden — Old English for “watchman.”

84. Workneh — An Amharic name meaning “you are gold.”

85. Wortham — English for “enclosed homestead.”

86. Worthy — An English word name that means “deserving of praise.”

87. Wout — This Dutch name means “power of the army.”

88. Wouter — This name also means “power of the army” in Dutch.

89. Wukong — In Chinese, this name means “awakened to emptiness.”

90. Wulfsige — Old English for “wolf victory.”

91. Wulfric — An Old English name meaning “wolf ruler.”

92. Wrigley — This name means “woodland clearing” in Old English.

93. Wyclef — English for “dweller at the white cliff.”

94. Wykoff — This name means “wine seller” in Old German.

95. Wylei — A Scottish name meaning “cunning.”

96. Wymond — Middle English for “battle protection.”

97. Wyndham — This name means “home” and “settlement” in English.

98. Wyre — Celtic for “winding river.”

With so many W boy names to consider, narrowing down your favorites may take a little time. Keep your shortlist nearby for a few days and notice which names continue to stand out.

For more ideas, visit our full baby names hub or continue with the related name lists below.

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