English Names

Lyrania is a contemporary choice that may be viewed in several ways. On one hand, it's a pretty, elaborated form of the Greek Lyra, giving it a hint of Liliana, while on the other, it may be viewed as a smooth name, blending Lyra with the Arabic Rania, giving it the poetic meaning of "heavenly Lyra".
 
Other sources suggest it's a spin on Lyria ("lyre") or Liliana ("lily; pledged to God"), or perhaps a a blend of Lyla and Rania ("night + heaven"), Lyra and Ania ("graceful lyre"), Lyra and Rania (from its Norse roots, "to look on the lyre"). 
 
Similar sounding Liriana is another option.

Lyrania

A frilly, Romantasy-esque name, Lyrisia feels ready to appear in a novel — though it might equally appeal to parents looking for something rare and fanciful with a touch of familiarity about it too. The name could be considered an elaboration of the Greek Lyra, a form of the floral Portuguese Liria, a twist on the Greek and Russian Larisa, or an elongation of the Albanian Liri. 
 
Alternatively, you could consider it a blend of Lyra and Alisia ("noble lyre") or Lyra and Elysia ("lyre of Elysium"), or another compound of similar names.

Lyrisia

Fairy-like and evocative with a hint of cottagecore, Maeblythe is a blend of two popular middle names that come together to make a rare compound name. It might be interpreted as meaning "beloved and carefree" or "happy pearl". 


Maeblythe

Moore is recommended as a rich and satisfying middle name choice, whether it relates to your own family history or not. Of the numerous outstanding Moore-surnamed namesakes, count sculptor Henry, writers Clement, Marianne and Brian, entertainers Demi, Dudley, Garry, Roger, Julianne, Melba and Mary Tyler, and provocateur Michael.

Moore

In the currently popular solid, serious, two-syllable mold. 

Culver

A playful double-barrel name, given to round 20 babies in England and Wales each year, Maggie-Mae is simply, spunky, and sweet. Also spelled as Maggie-May, it could mean "pearl of May", "beloved pearl" or similar. 

Maggie-mae

One of the rarest of virtue names, Clemency could come back along with the more familiar Puritan virtue names such as Hope and Faith. It has a rhythmic three-syllable sound, and offers a more virtuous alternative to the more popular Clementine. 
 Clemence is the medieval French form, also heard occasionally in the UK. Writer Clemence Dane was born Winifred Ashton.
 Clemmie makes a cute nickname.

Clemency

Malkin is medieval short form of Maud or Matilda, popular in the Middle Ages. The name later developed folkloric associations, sometimes referring to a female cat (particularly a green-eyed one) or a witch's familiar in English folklore. In Shakespeare's time, 'grimalkin' referred to an old female cat or a fiery woman. 

This rich history gives Malkin a distinctive antique charm with subtle mystical undertones. Though very rare today, the name could appeal to parents interested in genuine historic English names or those seeking a name with a slightly mysterious, folkloric quality. Malkin's short, straightforward pronunciation contrasts with its unusual character, making it both accessible and unique.

Malkin

Manda

Has a fresh occupational name feel, combined with old-fashioned Currier & Ives charm. 

Currier

An update on Manfred perhaps, with a cool literary tie to Jane Austen's novel, Mansfield Park, Mansfield is an English surname, borrowed from a variety of places in England. It may be interpreted in two ways: as a blend of manu and feld meaning "man" and "open country or field" respectively, or as a mix of Maun (a Celtic river name), again with the aforementioned feld.
 
Most likely to be chosen by those honoring it as a family name, it does come with both the stylish nickname Fields and the friendly, more classic option of Manny. It has been appearing in the US stats since the 20th-century and was given to a small handful of boys up until the 60s when it fell (mostly) out of use.
 
Content creator Hayley Belle Mullins chose this name for her son born in 2025, which may spark new interest.

Mansfield

Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character. 

Merton

A sweet elaboration of Marcella, Marcia, and family, that may appeal if you like the style and frills of Marceline, Juliette, and Nicolette. Relating back to the Roman god of war, Mars, its meaning may be interpreted as "warlike", "little warrior", or "dedicated to Mars". 


Marcelette

Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from becoming more wearable? Bertie is a cute (and very fashionable) nickname option for this grand old name, though Curt and Kit might work too. 
 
Meaning "famous, brilliant" or "familiar, bright", Cuthbert is an Old English name, notably borne by a 6th century saint who lived as a hermit on an English island and was able to perform miracles.
 
The name notably appears as the surname of Anne Shirley's guardians, Marilla and Matthew, in L.M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, while in The Adventures of Tintin comics, there's a Professor Cuthbert Calculus. It's also used in the long-running British comic, The Beano, in which Cuthbert Cringeworthy is the "teacher's pet" of The Bash Street Kids.
 
Cuthbert last appeared in the US stats back in the 1950s, however, in England and Wales, the name has been given to 17 boys since 2020 and in the most recent data, it ranked alongside Crewe, Corby, and Crispin.

Cuthbert

Undiscovered single-syllable surname option, a friendly alternative to Reed. 

Mead

Some definite downsides: Massive, Messy. 

Massey

Medieval nickname for Mary that became a surname, then the name of a hotel chain, which makes it unlikely to be adopted as a baby name in modern times. 

Mariott

Medieval nickname for Mary that became a surname and then the name of a hotel chain, making it an unlikely modern choice for either gender.

Poetic and intriguing, Marivella possibly emerged as a variation of the Spanish Marivillas, a name inspired by one of many titles for the Virgin Mary, in this case, Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas "Our Lady of Wonders". Alternatively, it might come from the English Marvella, an elaboration of the word "Marvel", meaning either way, this name has a miraculous and wonderful air about it.

Marivella

 A rare compound name, blending two mid-century favorites, Markwayne is notably borne by American politician Markwayne Mullin. Named for his two paternal uncles, he is likely one of only a handful of Markwaynes to be born, given that it has never appeared in the US stats and global records show that only a small number have ever been registered in the Philippines.  As such, it might feel like a "one-person-name" in the US, at least. 

Markwayne

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 116)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)