English Names

Projects the sleek and playful image of the aquatic mammal, plus that of the striking British-born Brazilian/Nigerian/Afro-Caribbean singer (born Sealhenry). 

Seal

Hippie name of the Jonathan Livingston Seagull era. 

Seagull

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Boo may have started out as a nickname for the male character Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird and these days may be closely associated with another male Boo, the "world's cutest dog" or with the adorable little girl in Monsters, Inc. 
 A couple of other contemporary female references: reality television's Honey Boo Boo and chef Jamie Oliver's daughter Daisy Boo Pamela. And it's an equal opportunity term of endearment and near the top of any list of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/507/cute-baby-names">Cute baby names</a>.

This is an occupational surname for one who made nails and has been used by one Berry to honor a Canadian World War I hero, Col. George Nasmith. Other related names with the same meaning nclude Nayler, Naismith, Naysmith and Neasmith.
Trivia note: Dr. James Naismith is considered the inventor of basketball.

Nasmith

Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. In the novel, the character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name or refer to a crossing of the river Nahe. Alternatively, it may translate to "dweller by the cross", from Kreuzbewohner.
 
Short form Cru was given to over 100 boys in the US in a recent year, while Crue was chosen for around 440. Crusoe, however, has only ranked occaionally, most recently in 2021 when it was given to 10 boys.

Crusoe

Stiff and sedate surname name, despite its salty start. 

Salton

<a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>are in, and even fish names like Pike and Salmon are open for consideration.

Salmon

Over the top for even the most ardent Anglophile. Sacheverell Sitwell was a member of the prominentliterary Sitwell family.

Sacheverell

This scary word name was given to five baby boys in the US in 2013, entering the lexicon for the first time.  Are the boys named Vice destined for a life of crime, or the creation of a media empire?

Vice

While Pistol might be more positively spun as a word name for an enterprising and spirited person, it's the small, handheld firearm that most people will think of first. As such, it joins the ranks of Cannon and Hunter, of Shooter and Gunner: a name with a violent image and in this case, an unfortunate first syllable. 
 
Nevertheless, Pistol entered the US name stats for boys back in 2010 and then for girls in 2013. Since then, at least 80 babies have been given the name.
 
You'd probably be better off going with a pistol brand name, if you must, so the name has a little more versatility. Try Remington, Bond, Calico, Colt, Horizon, Kimber, Montana, Shiloh, or Zenith.

Pistol

A contemporary choice, Pistol entered the stats in the US back in 2010 for boys and then in 2013 for girls too. Given to around 80 babies throughout the 2010s, it has fallen out of favor in the 2020s.
 
While it could be positively spun as a word name for an enterprising and spirited person, most people will only think of the small handheld firearm. For fans of Gunner, Hunter, Thrasher, Blade, and similar, this would be part of the appeal, though it might be worth bearing in mind that Pistol combines a violent (or rugged) image with an unfortunate first syllable.
 
You could alternatively consider a Pistol brand name, like Colt, Remington, Bond, Kimber, or Zenith.

Stuffy presidential choice: consider Hayes instead. 

Rutherford

Rugby

Often thought of as a one-peson name because of Jungle Book writer Kipling, this was actually his middle name. He was middle-named for Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, the beauty of which inspired his parents to reference it in their first child's name. Trivia tidbit: Actress Kim Raver gave her son Leo the middle name of Kipling.
Rudyard Kipling's first name was actually Joseph. There were fewer than five baby boys given the name Rudyard in the US in 2021, making it a truly unique name.

Rudyard

Obsolete Swanhild gives way to oh-so-modern Swan, joining the flock of newly fashionable bird names such as Wren and Lark. In France, the Swann spelling is fashionable for both sexes. But Swan carries an image of grace, though perhaps also a bit of languor. It's a lovely and original name, right for our times.

Swan

Riggan found fame as the first name of the hero of the Oscar-winning film Birdman, played by Michael Keaton.  Riggan has the two-syllable n-ending surname feel so trendy for boys' names today.  It may be a variation of Reagan or Regan or it may be a play on the word rigging.

Whatever its origin, we bet this is one fictional name that will find wider use in real life.

Riggan

One way to refer to an ancestral Roy, if not the most mellifluous. 

Royden

The x gives it some modern cool, but the bury part buries it. 

Roxbury

Jagger, made famous as the surname of Rolling Stone Mick, gets an entry in the girls' column thanks to Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, who chose it for their daughter. For either gender, this name rocks...but a bit jaggedly. 

Currently, there are nearly 20 times as many baby boys than girls are given the name Jagger. That balance may shift, making Jagger a more truly <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">gender neutral name</a>.

Jagger

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 130)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)