English Names

A confusing-looking name — is it BRY-anna or BREE-anna? There are other feminine variants of Bryan/Brian which look less made up, such as Brianna and Breanna. We recommend looking into those choices to avoid pronunciation issues.

Bryanna

Yet another noble name to join King, Prince, Princess, et al. The name Empress was given to over 100 baby girls in the US last year.

Empress

A name in tune with the likes of Heaven and Ever, Eternity is a spiritual choice, given to 85 girls in a recent year. Associated with life-after-death and with God (and gods) in general, it has been in the US charts since the 90s. 
 
Alternative spelling Eterniti also appears in the stats, while Eternal is used for boys.

Eternity

Popular in the 1920s, Eldon is a retro name that's waiting to be rediscovered. It has a similar placename/surname appeal to current Top 1000 names Alden and Holden. Several towns in the US and UK bear the name.

Eldon

Eliott is a masculine name representing a variation of Elliott, which originated as an English surname derived from the Hebrew name Elijah, meaning 'my God is Jehovah' or 'the Lord is my God.' This specific spelling with one 't' is less common than the double-t version, giving it a slightly more distinctive appearance while maintaining the familiar sound. Eliott combines traditional roots with a clean, modern feel. The name has seen steady usage throughout English-speaking countries, experiencing an uptick in popularity during the early 21st century as part of the trend toward classic names. It offers the friendly nicknames Eli or El. Eliott carries an intellectual, approachable quality that works well from childhood through adulthood.

Eliott

Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.

Elton

An alternative to the no-longer-fresh Molly, the initial 'P' gives Polly a peppier sound, combining the cozy virtues of an old-timey name with the bounce of a barmaid. 
 Associated with Tom Sawyer's aunt, 'Polly, put the kettle on,' parrots, Polly Peachum, Nirvana and Kinks songs, and the movie Along Came Polly, as well as characters in Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes, C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia and now on the Netflix show Orange is the New Black, Polly never achieved the comeback that her cousin did, perhaps because she sounds too Pollyanna-ish. 
 
Although she has been off the Social Security list for decades, Polly sits in the middle of the Nameberry's own Top 1000. We'd love to see some new baby Pollys!

Polly

Marlow is a suave, unusual surname-name that was chosen by Celine designer Phoebe Philo for her older son. This is a name with many spellings and many difference in gender identity. Marlowe is decidedly female, with only 10 percent of the babies named Marlowe male, while Marlow is 25 percent male, and Marlo is evenly divided.


Marlow

Audrina is a name that owes its fame to overnight reality TV sensation Audrina Partridge, one of the original cast of the MTV reality series The Hills.

Audrina

Bayleigh

Among the Top 20 names of the 1990s, today's Courtney is more apt to be the babysitter than the baby. Courtney has dropped since its peak at Number 17 in 1995. Familiar from Courtney Love and Courtney Cox.

Courtney

This choice feels more familiar than other hall-related English surnames, thanks to designer Halston, the single-named disco-era society playmate of Liza and Elton. 

Halston

This rising name, possibly a variation of the Irish Kian, has been associated with several accomplished athletes. 

Keyon

A charming addition to the ever-growing crop of virtue names, Soul feels spiritual, musical, and strong. Similar in sound to Sol, Sully, Solomon, Saul, and Cole, it is a distinctive choice that doesn't feel over the top when said aloud. Given to 61 boys (and 47 girls) in a recent year, it is a rising choice in the US. 

Soul

Thompson is not as popular as Jackson or Harrison, but a novel way to circumvent Junior for the son of a Thomas. 

Thompson

Clint

 A fresh take on Adley, Ashley, and Hadley, Atley is less political than its alternative spelling Attlee, attached as the latter is to the former British prime minister. A rising star for boys in the UK, where it debuted in the Top 1000 for the first time, it has that unisex sound and vibe that could see it catching on for girls too

Atley

Has an old-time country feeling, perhaps due to Ma Rainey, considered the "Mother of the Blues". This is the most popular spelling of the name, given to about 50 girls last year, with half as many called Rainy and a quarter named Rainie, the spelling used by Andie MacDowell for her now-grown daughter.

Rainey

Similar in style to Ripley and Murphy, Ramsey is a Scottish and English surname, borrowed from a place name meaning "garlic island", likely due to the the growth of wild garlic in the area. Associated with chef Gordon Ramsey and actor Bella Ramsey, it was chosen for around 90 boys and 70 girls in the US in a recent year.

Ramsey

Honor is a somewhat more straight-laced virtue name than Hope or Grace, placing a high standard on any girl carrying it, but it's a goal worth setting. By choosing Honor for her daughter, Jessica Alba brought it very much into the modern world. 
 
Honor has become popular as a nonbinary name, given to nearly equal numbers of girls and boys but not ranking in the Top 1000 for either.
 
Probably the best known bearer is British actress Honor Blackman, remembered for her roles in The Avengers and the James Bond Goldfinger.
 The more feminine Honora is also pretty and a fresh route to Nora. In another variation, Honoria Blake is a character in the Dickens novel Bleak House, Honoria Brady is the hero's cousin in the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by W. M. Thackeray and Honoria Glossop, a character in the Jeeves stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

Honor

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 41)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)