By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
English and Scottish
"treeless hill"
Unless it runs in your family, or Alexander Hamilton is your particular hero, you might consider something less imposing -- and without the teasable nickname Ham. Scottish curler Hamilton McMillan Jr…
English occupational name
"stoneworker"
Mason is a supertrendy name for boys that's starting to cross over -- Kelsey Grammer used it for his daughter. Creative speller's delight.
English, diminutive of James
"supplanter"
Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.
Word name
Hard and shiny, Steel projects an image that's smooth, macho...and cold to the touch.
Place-name from Dutch
"marshland"
It may be the hippest of hispter neighborhoods, but as a baby name Brooklyn is now on the decline: down from a peak of 120 births for boys in 1999, and over 7000 births for girls in 2011. The most…
"rebel"
Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly…
English, diminutive of Emmanuel
He can get it for you wholesale.
English surname derived from Tobias
"God is good"
Tobias-related name that makes an attractive and modern-sounding form of the biblical original. It was recently chosen by Karolina Kurkova for her son.
English
"peace town"
Set apart from other once-male-only surnames because of its peaceful element. This is one of the newest and trendiest names that mean peace .
"from the walled city"
This stuffy English surname and hotel name took on Twilight cool when attached to vampire Carlisle Cullen. Inspired by the character, it's more popular in this spelling than as Carlyle and more…
"wealthy ruler"
Formerly in style limbo, Edric has recently started to see more use by parents. It could be because it sounds medieval yet accessible - which George R. R. Martin took advantage of for several…
"Ella's hill; old friend"
A name with old-fashioned charm, akin to Elton, Elwin, and Elwood, Elden is a variation of two Old English names, Eldon or Alden. Meaning "Ella's hill" or "old friend", it combines strength and…
Diminutive of Virginia, Ginevra, Genevieve, or Imogen
"virgin, pure; white wave; maiden"
A nickname to Latin Virginia, French Genevieve, Italian Ginevra, English Imogen, and any other name with the 'gin' sound in there, Ginny ranked in the latter end of the US charts in the mid 20th…
Variation of Marlow, English
"driftwood"
While Marlowe (and Marlow and Marlo) are surname names that are not intrinsically or traditionally gendered and so in theory work equally well for boys and girls. About 10 percent of the babies named…
"fighter's town"
Patton is an attractive name in the fashionable Haden-Peyton mold, though there is that association with the severe wartime general.
Feminine variation of Julian
"youthful"
Gillian is a name that was in common usage in Great Britain until the 1970s, when it dropped out of the Top 100 and is yet to return. Until recently, it had not crossed the Atlantic in significant…
English diminutive
Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.
"from the valley"
An All-American, surname style Dale relative that finds place amongst similar names like Cullin and Hamelin as well as the more common Allen and Dylan. It is borne by Youtuber Dallin Lambert, of…
Jazz as a full name is used slightly more often for boys than girls and has a distinctive, well, jazzy feel. Jazz is also occasionally used as a nickname for Jasper, much more often for Jasmine or…
"town of the keels"
This unusual two-syllable K name relates to shipbuilding.
