English Names

The name of a large Air Force base in the US, Langley is a surname style choice that may appeal to fans of Langston, Landon, and Oakley, but also Banner, Navy, and Cannon. Quietly used for boys in the 20th century, it has leaned slightly feminine since the 1990s after actress Mariel Hemmingway chose it for one of her daughters.

Langley

Putting a C before Albert doesn't make this old occupational name any more contempo. 

Calbert

Byram

For fans of the (female) author A. S. ; makes an interesting alternative to Wyatt or the hotelish Hyatt. 

Byatt

An English occupational name and surname that brings to mind old, stately homes, black suits, and white gloves, Butler peaked back in 1919 when 30 boys were given the name. It hasn't appeared in the stats since the 90s and, despite the popularity of occupational names, that first syllable likely puts parents off using this one.

Butler

Lindsay is one of the few truly unisex names (rather than being a name that has changed genders). Over time the ey ending was usually reserved for women and the ay ending reserved for men, although both spellings are overwhelmingly female these days.

Lindsay

One occupational name unlikely to find a single taker. 

Butcher

In Wuthering Heights, Cathy's milquetoast husband; Heath is so much more appealing. 

Linton

Slightly less stiff and small if spelled Lytton. 

Litton

This English surname offers an interesting mix of images: it sounds upper-crusty yet macho, and also conjures up the coziness of a wintery ski lodge.  As a surname it is associated with the Massachusetts Republican Senate Minority Leader in the Woodrow Wilson era, Henry Cabot Lodge, who was the father of poet George Cabot Lodge and grandfather of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was ambassador to the UN and Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential running mate.


Lodge

A busby is the English name for the fur military headdress originally worn by the Hungarian hussars. As a first name, Busby is also the <a href="https://nameberry.com/unique-names">unique name</a> of iconic movie choreographer Busby Berkeley.

Busby

Longfellow is the first name of the eponymous hero of the classic 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, later remade with Adam Sandler. But it's hard to imagine a modern parent using it except as a middle name to honor the poet.

Longfellow

Most parents attracted to this name will be devotees of the author William and would be better off using it in the middle. 

Burroughs

Rarely heard surname name that lacks the lightness of other o-ending names.

Ludlow

Ruggedly appealing word name in the Thorn/Rider/Storm school of boys' names. 

Burr

An international and unisex choice, Malin is a rare northern English name associated with the city of Sheffield. In this case, it would mean "little warrior". As a Bulgarian choice, it is a masculine form of Malina, a Slavic name meaning "raspberry". It is more common as a feminine name, however, as a contracted form of Magdalene and Madeleine. 

Malin

Manley

We don't see this one making it unless you have a compelling family reason. 

Burnet

This name has a nicely fragrant woodsy feel, bringing it into the nature-tree name category. Its only well-known bearer, folk singer and Oscar-winning actor Burl Ives, had the full birth certificate name of Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives — nothing compared to his two siblings named Argola and Lillburn. 


Burl

Related to the word bourgeois; actor Burgess Meredith put this surname in first place. 

Burgess

English names -- names originating in the English language -- rank among the top names in the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries, along with such European countries as Sweden, Germany, and France.

 in the US Top 300 include Georgia, Juliet, Lily and Olive for girls, and Emmett, Miles, Oscar, and William for boy.

 include Alfie, Lily, Edward, and Ella. In Sweden, the English girls' name Alice ranks near the top of the list, while the English boys' nickname Tom is fashionable in France.



Less conventional English names that rank highly in the US include, for girls, Kendall, Kinsley, Madison, Marley, Peyton, Presley, Sutton, Willow, Winter and Wren, For boys, this group includes Archer, Brooks, Carter, Fletcher, Graham, Huxley, Mason, Reed, Sawyer, and Wilder.

 that carry a lot of style value include, for girls, Araminta, Arden, Azalea, Birdie, Blythe, Clover, Lilac, Lavender, Posey, and Waverly. For boys, unique English names to consider include Birch, Booker, Dane, Garrison, Hale, Kit, Oberon, Shaw, Tobin, and Winston.



Our collection of English baby names also includes surname names such as Lancaster and Huffington, nature names such as River and Marigold, English word names such as Love and Journey, along with place names like Devon and occupational names such as Driver.



Browse Nameberry's complete range of English names for girls and boys, continued, below, or consult our individual lists of 

English names including girl names and boy names of English origin from the English language and culture (Page 102)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)