By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
"great, magnificent"
Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
Diminutive of Ryder or Riley or word name, English
"cavalryman, messenger; rye"
Rye has the potential to become the masculine version of Rue—a short and sweet name for nature lovers (and whiskey fans too!). Rye might be short for Ryder or Riley or Rylan or any Ry-beginning name,…
English surname
"dark wood or clearing"
Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, updating the 80s darlings Blake and Ashley.
English flower name
"first rose"
A quaint and quirky flower name, until recently considered a bit too prim for most American classrooms but brought back to life in recent years by the attractive character of Primrose "Prim" Everdeen…
English variation of Evan, French place name
"god is gracious; water"
A pleasant-sounding name that might be more popular were it not a brand of bottled water - something that is noted in the 1999 movie Superstar , which features a female Evian. The brand is named…
English
"old friend"
A softly poetic surname name, associated with poet W.H., Auden is enjoying quiet but marked fashion status. It was chosen for his daughter by Noah Wyle and is definitely one to watch.
"son of Henry"
Bulky surname honoring Grandpa Henry or Saul Bellow's Rain King.
English, Yiddish
"gold"
A name with an obvious meaning, for a long time associated with Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Nickname Goldie seems to be catching on in the celebrity community.
Feminine variation of Henry, German
"estate ruler"
Despite a return to such feminizations of male names as Josephine, Clementine, and Theodora, starchy Henrietta has not made it into that group. Still, if you look hard enough, you'll see that…
"church settlement"
Unisex name around for several decades for boys and now ripe for girls.
English surname or place name
Lathan is a surname recorded as relating to the towns of Layton or Latham and meaning, depending on its derivation, barn or leek farm or farm by the water. As a first name, it's reminiscent of the…
"son of Morris"
Morrison is one of the more uncommon patronymics; it could be used to honor an ancestral Morris, or one of the well-known surnamed Morrisons: Toni, Jim or Van.
English from German
"resolutely brave"
Unfortunate identification with an army of rats in the movie of the same name.
"from Britain"
One case where a spelling variation improves the name, Britton is used about four times as often as Britain for both genders. Currently, the count of baby Brittons is running at about 4 to 3 in favor…
English from French
"oak grove"
A rising surname name for girls — it's overwhelmingly feminine, despite the association with Kenny Chesney.
"steep-sided valley"
Like Marvin and Melvin, Sheldon has been perceived as about as far out as you can get, though there are very pretty towns in Devon and Derbyshire that inspired it. Sheldon Lee Cooper is the lead nerd…
Diminutive of Jane
"God is gracious"
Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of…
Feminine variation of Robert, English from German
"bright fame"
Roberta has been one of the most successful feminization names, up at #64 in 1936. It's a name that's found all over children's lit, often nicknamed Bobbie or Robbie, though Bertie is another…
Diminutive of Christina et al
Tina, despite its petite and tinkly image, is apt these days to be replaced by the more elegant originals, Christina and Martina.It does have some strong namesakes, though, in Tina Turner (born Anna…
"from a coal town"
One of the first reality show-inspired names (he was a Texas hunk on an early season of "Survivor"); hugely trendy for boys but just starting for girls.
