English Names

Harley is a tough guy, while the rhyming Marley has a softer, gentler image. The name brings to mind reggae great Bob Marley, as well as the lovable dog from bestseller Marley and Me.
 
Marley is among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">top unisex names</a> in the US today.

Marley

Chosen for their daughter by Bruce and Demi (inspired by the To Kill a Mockingbirdcharacter), and for her son by Tai Babilonia, an interesting choice for either sex, with overtones of a "good scout" and the upstanding qualities of a Boy/Girl Scout.

About a third of the babies named Scout in the US each year are boys.

Scout

Eliot

A light and breezy nature name that's currently in style limbo, despite its pleasant meaning, Dale was originally a surname, used for someone who lived near a valley. It was a Top 100 choice in the US between the 20s and 70s, though it has been out of the Top 1000 since the 2000s.
 
Given to just shy of 150 boys in a recent year, it makes a familiar-but-unique option.

Dale

Variation of the very trendy Addison, perhaps lending itself more obviously to the nickname Addy.

Addyson

The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Gray (or Grey), is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative--if slightly somber-- choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney recently named their son Leo Grey.
 A common surname, Gray/Grey is still an unusual first name choice--it hasn't made it into the Top 1000 in this century--while longer forms Grayson and Greyson are climbing rapidly, with Grayson at Number 97, and his twin at 200.
 The best known bearer of the name, former Governor Gray Davis of California, was born Joseph Graham Davis, Jr, and others with Gray names include Graydon Carter (born Edward Graydon), editor of "Vanity Fair," and Grayer, the child in "The Nanny Diaries."

Gray

Long a popular upper-crust form in England, where it's pronounced George-ee-AH-na, Georgiana has been been neglected here. But with Georgia growing more popular and the general fashion for elaborate <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">feminine names</a>, Georgiana might have room to grow. 
 Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, was a famed beauty and ancestor of Princess Diana who was portrayed by Keira Knightley in the 2008 film The Duchess.
 Georgiana was a favorite character name for early English novelists: Georgiana was Mr. Darcy's younger sister in Pride and Prejudice, Georgiana Podsnap appeared in Dickens's Our Mutual Friend and Jane Eyre had a cousin named Georgiana.
 Drew Barrymore's great grandmother was Georgiana Drew Barrymore (called Georgie) and Molly Ringwald used it as her daughter Adele's middle name.
 Georgiana has been off the U.S. list since 1952, but once was as high as Number 256.
 If you want to reduce the syllable count, you can also consider Georgina (a Scottish favorite) or Georgia. Or you can pronounce Georgiana the antique way: George-AY-na.

Georgiana

Haylee dropped out of the Top 500 for the first time since 1992 recently, in step with a decline by Hailey (though the alternative Hadley is still near the Top 100).

For some, Haylee is one E too many, but it reflects the broader popularity in -lee suffixes.

Haylee

An alternative spelling to Zaiden, Zayden, and Zaden, with an unexpected X initial, in tune with Xander. Given to a small handful of American boys every year since 2002, this spelling shot up in popularity in 2024, likely due to the character of the same name the popular book Fourth Wing, part of The Empyrean Series.
 
Explaining the thought process behind his name, author Rebecca Yarros said she made a list of "what [she] thought hot guys' names would be" before finally settling on "Xaden" because she loved the "X" and thought that "he's a bad boy in this bad boy name."
 
New parents in 2024 seemed to agree. Nearly seventy boys received the name, compared to just eleven the year prior. With a potential TV adaption on the way along with several graphic novels, time will tell if the series continues to influence baby names. 
 
While Xaden is considered a modern invention, as Zayden, Zaiden, and Zaden are, it might also be considered a spin on the Arabic Zaydan, meaning "growth, increase".

Xaden

Kailey

The Marlie pushes reggae king Bob's surname toward the popular Charlie. Marley is one of those names with several well-used variations, particularly for girls. Here they are ranked, with each spelling going to about half as many baby girls as the spelling before. The classic Marley is Number 1, given to about 1100 baby girls in the US, followed by Marlee, Marleigh, our girl Marlie, Marli, Marly, and Marlei, used for about 25.

With all the spellings counted together, the name was given to nearly 2500 baby girls last year, about the same number that were named Hadley, Juniper, and Bella, which all rank close to the Top 100. And then there are all the trendy little Marlows of various spellings. Meaning: Whatever way you spell it, you might be giving your daughter a name that's more popular than you think.

Marlie

Is Haze a spiky, contemporary form of Hayes or is it an obscure, slightly trippy word name? Is it what Blaze is to Blaise and Jaxon to Jackson or is it more in line with Misty, Stormy, Rainy, and Rocky, Dizzy and Merrily?
 
As a variation of Hayes, it would mean "hedged area" while as a word name, it would mean "obscurity in the atmosphere", "foggy, misty, or cloudiness", or "a state of mental confusion",
 
This form was given to 126 boys in a recent year.

Haze

Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh. 

Rush

A spelling variation of Ava, perhaps influenced by the biblical-style, ends-in-H names currently trending: Delilah, Alayah, Aniyah, et al, along with more classic options like Leah and Hannah. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2008 where it remained for 14 years, peaking in 2018 when it was given to nearly 680 girls. Now in decline, it was given to just under 200 girls in a recent year.


Avah

Finnick has risen to prominence as a first name via The Hunger Games, in which Finnick Odair was a winner of the games. A wearable literary creation, Finnick was given to 136 boys in the US in a recent year.
 
The name has a number of possible sources, one being that it is an elaboration of 'Fin', as in a fish's fin, to reflect that the character came from a fishing district. Combined with -nick, meaning "victory" from its Greek roots (nike), it could be interpreted as "victory of the fin", to reflect the character's success.
 
Alternatively, it may be inspired by the popular Irish Finn (or Fionn) meaning "white, blessed"; by the English names Fennec and Fenwick, meaning "marshland farm" or "town by the swamp"; or by Finnix, a creative respelling of Phoenix. Others have suggested it comes from the word finnicky meaning "fussy", though this has been disputed by fans of the character who see him as highly likeable.

Finnick

Once an upper-class British surname conjuring up the epic poetry of John Milton, it then descended to the antics of "Uncle Miltie" Berle, and now has left the stage completely. 

Milton

Names of classy places -- Aspen, Paris, and now, Hampton -- are in favor with aspiring parents. Associated with a stylish area of New York and with the stately Hampton Court Palace in the UK, the name has received increased interest  in recent years, with more than 90 boys called Hampton in a recent year. 

Hampton

Phonetic spelling of Esme, popular in the UK.

Esmae

The classic strong-yet-friendly nickname name, much used for charming movie characters. 

Nick

Smart and preppy, but with plenty of heart, Hartley is a surname style name that could work as an alternative to the popular Harley, Harlowe, Harper, and Hadley. Quietly used for boys throughout the 20th century, Hartley took off for girls in 2010 after both Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath and baseball player Matt Cain used the name for their daughters.
 
Ultimately deriving from a place name, it comes from the Old English words heorot meaning "stag, male deer" and leah meaning "meadow, clearing". They come together to make a name that evokes images of English parks, while also feeling stylish and contemporary. 
 
Used by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge for his son, giving it a hint of literary flair, the name is also a jam and marmalade manufacturer in the UK, which might put some people off.
 
In the US, it is now predominantly used as a girls name, given to four girls for every one boy. It doubled in use after the two celebrity-baby-Hartleys were born in the early 2010s, and is currently given to 130 girls.

Hartley

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 30)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)