Names That Mean Holly

Hollis is a rugged, gentle and quietly used name, given to over 200 boys and 150 girls each year in the US. In 2023, it became one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000, where it fits in with the surnames-as-first-names trend, and other familiar choices like Ellis, Silas, and Holden.

Hollis is a surname-name used quietly for both genders. At last count, it was given to over 200 baby boys and 160 baby girls in the US. Now a Top 1000 name for boys, it could well break into the charts for girls too in the coming years.

Cullen is an appealing Irish surname name that upped its cool factor considerably when it became the Twilight family name of Edward et al. It's considerably less popular than it was at its peak in 2010, but is still widely used.

A Scottish place and surname that was once adrogynous but now leans about 20 to 1 toward the girls' side, Leslie has a pleasant, heathery feel that kept it in or near the Top 100 for several decades; the Lesly and Lesley spellings are also frequently used, especially in Britain. While Leslie may not be the freshest name in the bunch, it's become a modern classic and is one of the surprising names always to have ranked among the US Top 1000 for girls.

This Scottish place name and surname was more popular for boys in the US until the mid-1940s; in the UK, the Leslie spelling is predominantly masculine, with Lesley widely used as the feminine variant. Now ranking in the mid-400s for girls and not at all for boys in the US, it could be time to bring this smart, subtle nature name back, especially considering the current popularity of -ley names for both sexes.

Celyn, which starts with the hard K sound and rhymes with Helen, is a Top 100 name in Wales although largely unknown outside that tiny, beautiful country. It is usually a masculine name.

Part Hollis, part Colin, Hollin definitely has a cool factor. It's also the medieval English word for holly.

The Latin name for the holly tree would make an interesting nature-inspired alternative to Alex.

Traditionally a masculine name in Wales, Celyn (pronounced with a hard K) is now used for both boys and girls. It could work as an alternative to Holly or an honor to a Kelly or a Caitlyn perhaps.

Cornish cognate of the Welsh Celyn.

Familiar English surname now associated with the Abercrombie & Fitch offshoot.

Morgelyn is a Cornish compound name derived from the Welsh mor, meaning "sea" and kelyn, "holly." Sea holly is another name for the Eryngium plant, which showcases prickly purple blooms, making Morgelyn a botanical name.

Related to the Welsh name Celyn (and ultimately a distant cousin of the English word Holly), this makes a rare and modern-sounding nature name. Outside of Cornwall, it may be a struggle keeping the stress on the second syllable.

An intriguing surname option with ties to the natural world and to cool names like Hollis and Holland. But beware: another origin of the surname is from Old French horier meaning "pimp, brothel keeper".

An intriguing surname option with ties to the natural world and to cool names like Hollis and Holland. But beware: another origin of the surname is from Old French horier meaning "pimp, brothel keeper".