Not gonna lie, I don’t particularly envy parents assigned with the momentous task of coming with names for their kids. On one hand, endowing children with sui generis names might draw unintended attention – case in point, Elon Musk and his son’s cryptically conceived name.
But, giving them names that are far too common spells inconvenience as well; roll call confusion, embarrassing cases of mistaken identities at Starbucks, you name it. Today, we’re taking a cheeky jab at the latter, so here are the most common boy names in Singapore, which statistically speaking, is bound to resonate with the Jayden-ridden crowd.
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Probably 2 of the most famous Ryans in show biz, Reynolds and Gosling.
Image credit: Hello Canada
For starters, I’m willing to put good money on the fact that you’ve bumped shoulders with a Ryan at least once in your life. The painfully generic boy name has snuck its way into our lives whether we liked it or not. My neighbour is called Ryan, I’ve got a few in my contacts, and poor Ms Ng back in primary school had to deal with 3 of these buggers in the same class.
And don’t think you’re off the hook too, Bryans and Brians. The extra letter is truly apt, as the name does come off as pretty basic.
What a modern pre-school name list looks like in Singapore.
Image credit: u/aikfan via Reddit
With the current onslaught of names ending with the -den suffix, bumping into a lil’un called Jayden or Ayden has never been more common.
Playing with 1-year old Aiden when your relatives came over for Chinese New Year was adorable the first time, but after welcoming Eden, Kayden, and Hayden into the family in the following years, I think it’s time to get a little more original.
An accurate depiction of the difference between Shawns/Shauns.
Image adapted from: @shawnmendes & @shaunthesheep via Instagram
Despite being pronounced the same, the difference between the multiple variations of Shawn couldn’t be any more drastic. Shawns are the bad boys of the group; a little rough around the edges but if you look past the secondhand smoke and rebellious night outs, they’re nice people deep down.
Shauns, on the other hand, pride themselves on living a life free of vice; most likely because they’re religious. That doesn’t mean they’re not fun to be around, as they’re pretty goofy from what we’ve gathered. We don’t talk about Seans though – if your name is not pronounced how it looks, we’ve got a problem.
If you’re looking to bag a Kelvin or Kevin, you’d best be prepared for a life dedicated to the gym too. The iron temple is just teeming with them, and you’ll spot one on the grind at your local 24-hour gym. That personal trainer over there? Most likely a Kelvin. Need a friend to spot you while you’re hitting the weights? Better call Kev.
No one really understands their obsession with sculpting a grecian rig, but here’s a thought: they probably want to look their best in those Calvins.
No Christians and Roberts here – Batman’s best actor is coincidentally named Ben too.
Image credit: @the_gotham_geek via Instagram
We all know a Ben; he’s an old soul who has a penchant for taking things slow and easy. While others might call them old-fashioned and dated, we see this as an absolute green flag. Bens are all-round nice chaps, so if you need a good heart-to-heart, he’s your guy to look for. In fact, he probably drops sagacious advice on the daily, just ask Spiderman.
He’s even kind enough to shorten his name to a mere 3 letters, rather than straining your vocal chords by sounding out the 3 syllabled Benjamin or Benedict.
Image credit: @jjlin via Instagram
Wei Jie and Jun Jie: these common boy names are undoubtedly etched into the psyche of every Singaporean. From the world-famous JJ Lin to your table mate that used to cheat off you for ting xie, calling for a Wei Jie or Jun Jie turned the heads of essentially half the guys in Chinese class.
Cool thing is, you can take apart these first names and arrange them in any order to still form a legit name. Wei Jun? I know that guy from NS. Jun Wei? Bro works in IT at my company. Jie Jun? Last I heard, he’s running a podcast and is in cahoots with Ryan from #1. Jie Wei? You get the gist.
Image credit: Disney+
For some reason, the names Xavier, Zavier, and Javier (pronounced with a hard ‘J’) were never used to address a trio of brothers. Curiously, they were also usually the only child of the family.
But, bonus cool points goes to you if you made your friends and families address you by Ex-zay-vee-er, as in Prof. Xavier à la the X-Men series. For a Spanish flair, adopting the more authentic pronunciation of ha-vee-er can set you apart from the sea of Javiers too; if you don’t mind also being called pretentious, that is.
Zul even takes up ¾ of our sister site’s name. Coincidence? I think not.
Image adapted from: Zula
Zul might be a name that’s a tad too recurring, but we’re actually thankful for this one.
Borrowing a page out of Bens’ book, Zulfeqhars and Zulhilmes have taken the liberty of truncating their names too. A simple “Just call me Zul” is music to our ears, because we won’t get all tongue-tied when pronouncing their names in full. From personal experience, they’re quite brudder one, especially once you’ve trudged through an outfield exercise or 2 together.
Actual picture of a Pravin at work – drawing chuckles out of entire crowds.
Image credit: Pexels
Class clowns – every class needs one to liven things up from time to time, and unfortunately the names that oftentimes claim that title is Pravin/Praveen. Troublemakers, hecklers, pranksters; any way you slice it, they’re always the ones causing a ruckus and we’re all for it.
Image adapted from: _this_initial_is & cheekyweeinitials via TikTok
Speaking of Js, Joshua, Jacob, John, Jonathan, Josiah, Jovan, Justin… or really any name that starts with J are the ones you have to stay on high alert for. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but those branded with the accursed J have garnered a real bad rep all over social media.
A few rotten apples have ruined the bunch, because Js all over the world are currently having it rough, from being accused of eating children to exuding crusty rat energy. Hey, I didn’t point any fingers, but if TikTok and Instagram Reels say it’s true, who am I to rebuke?
Image adapted from: Council for Estate Agencies
Jeremy is another common boy name that starts with J, but it deserves a whole entry on its own due to its infamy. A quick search on the Internet for real estate agents named Jeremy returns dozens of results. Let’s be honest, you’ve probably been invited out for a meal by one wanting to suspiciously “catch up”, years after sharing a singular class with you way back in poly.
Interestingly, it’s the go-to option for dudes with non-English-sounding names looking to dip their toes into the field. Please, I’ve known you as Ming Han for over 2 decades and suddenly you’re reintroducing yourself as Jeremy? They say it’s easier for clients to remember English names; fair enough, but leave me out of any dubious dinner dates, thank you very much.
Of course, this list is all in good fun, and there’s nothing wrong with having a common boy name that’s more widespread than the others. Who knows, these very names might become rare themselves in the coming years. We’re calling it: names ending with -ius will dethrone the -dens soon enough. Julius, Lucius, Darius; you’re welcome for the name suggestions, new parents.
For more humorous reads to perk up your day, we reviewed and ranked the common bottled water brands in Singapore. Here’s a compilation of things in Singapore that feel illegal but aren’t, and if you’ve truly nothing better to do, a directory of boring things to do in Singapore.
Cover image adapted from: @shawnthia, @shaunthesheep & @seansay30 via Instagram
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