English Names

Bulky surname honoring Grandpa Henry or Saul Bellow's Rain King. 

Henderson

Could be a sister to Trinity, Genesis, or Heaven. 

Divinity

Kove has the beachy feel of Cove, but with a touch of Koa and less of Covid — visually at least. It shot up the charts in 2021 when it more than tripled in popularity, and the following year saw it given to nearly 100 boys. While it has declined in a more recent count, it is possible it could rise back up again. 
 
Like the more traditionally spelled Cove, Kove is associated with small sheltered bays by the sea such as Lulworth Cove in the UK, or McWay Cove in the US. More generally, a cove refers to an arch, a nook or a cranny.

Kove

Whether it be due to the Kardashian's or another manifestation of the creative spelling trend, we're seeing K spelling variations as some of the fastest-rising names of the past few years -- and Karly is no exception.

Karly

Ravyn is a modern feminine variant of Raven, derived from the bird name. This alternative spelling with 'y' instead of 'e' adds a distinctive touch while maintaining the original's mystical qualities. 

Ravens have symbolized wisdom, mystery, and prophecy across many cultures, giving the name a somewhat Gothic and elegant appeal. While never reaching mainstream popularity, Ravyn began gaining modest usage in the United States during the 1990s as part of the trend toward nature-inspired names with creative spellings. 

In this case as in many others, the y spelling tilts the name girlwards, with about ten percent of the female babies given the Ravyn spelling, as opposed to none of the boys.

The name conveys strength, intelligence, and a slightly unconventional spirit. Though less common than Raven, it provides a unique option for parents seeking a name with natural symbolism and a touch of mystery.

Ravyn

Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name. While most famous as the name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy, more than 60 percent of the babies named Blue are boys.

Blue

Bryar is a respelling of Briar, a trendy botanical name that is used nearly equally for girls and boys. About 50 baby girls were named Bryar last year, compared with about 500 named Briar.

Bryar

A name with plenty of glamor, Caliana is a compound name, blending Callie and Ana, which could give you the pretty meaning "beauty and grace" (from the Greek kallos and the Hebrew hanan, respectively).
 
Some sources suggest it is a variation on the Hawaiian names Kailani ("ocean + sky, heavens") or Kalia ("flower wreath, beloved"), while others list it as a spin on the Greek Caliadne (and Portuguese Caliandra) meaning "beautiful and masculine". It may also be read as a blend of Caroline, Calliope, or Callista and Ana.
 
This particular spelling of the name was the US favorite in a recent year, given to 94 girls. Other versions of the name in the US charts (listed with the number of times used) were: Kaliana (51), Calianna (35), Kalianna (17), Kalianne (6), and Kaliann (5).
 
Footballer O.J Howard has a daughter called Caliana Mia.

Caliana

The ie ending injects this late 20th century favorite with a bit of late 19th century charm. But not quite enough to make it a good 21st century choice.

Carlie

Ellamae was given to over 60 baby girls in the US last year, although the data doesn't record punctuation, so we don't know how many of those will actually go by Ella Mae or Ella-Mae. The fourth most popular compound name for girls in the US, It's a modern smoosh name with a sweet, old-timey feel.

Ellamae

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.

Golda

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 Henrietta has the same vintage charm. 
 The name arrived in England in 1625 via King Charles I's wife, the French princess Henriette Marie, who became known as Henrietta Maria. Her daughter shared her name but was known as Minette.
 It has been prominent recently through the bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the story of the poor black woman whose cells became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta Szold was a U.S. Zionist leader and founder of the Hadassah Women's Organization. 
 Henrietta has a number of charming vintage nicknames, including Etta, Hetty and Hattie.

Henrietta

A variation of bright and cheerful Jolie, this form may appeal to those who love the sound of the French name, but also enjoy the contemporary look of choices such as Charlee and Baylee.
 
You could however view it as a separate name from the pretty French one and see it instead as a compound name, blending Jo- and Lee. Ideal for anyone wanting to honor people with those names in a creative way, it could then mean "God's clearing", or "Jehovah's meadow".
 
Familiar though not popular in the the 2000s and 2010s, Jolee is less popular than counterpart Jolie. In a recent year, it was chosen for 75 babies. while Jolie was given to nearly 300. It is more popular however than Joely, Joley, Joelie, Joelee, and Joellie which all feature in the US stats.

Jolee

Unisex name around for several decades for boys and now ripe for girls. 

Kirby

Cutter was an old-fashioned term for a tailor or barber that was eventually adopted as a surname. That gives it more legitimacy than many of the other aggressive boy names — Striker, Shooter, Breaker, et al. — but Cutter remains equally threatening — and is associated with symptoms of mental illness. 

Despite or perhaps because of its violent image, Cutter was one of the fastest rising boys' names in 2023, jumping more than 1000 places in popularity though still fairly obscure below the US Top 1000. In a recent count, 48 boys were given the name, placing it alongside Collins, Hershel, Isaak, Cale, and Slate in the same year.

Cutter

Similar in sound to choices like Riley, Miley, and Kylie, Wylie has been sporadically featuring in the US stats for girls since the 1920s, though it has been more consistently used since the late 90s. A recent year saw it given to 65 girls — the highest number of girls called Wylie in a single year. 
 
One of those names with multiple origins, Wylie can be viewed as an English surname, denoting someone from the town of Willey (meaning "from the willow clearing" or "idol's meadow") or someone from the River Wylye (meaning "tricky river"). Alternatively, its a Scots form of the classic William, making this an unexpected way to either the name without using Wilhelmina, Willow, or Willa. 
 
Also spelled as Wiley (though less popularly for girls), the name is used around 3 times more often for boys.

Wylie

Annmarie

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 popular Nathan.

Lathan

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.


Morrison

Carley

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 44)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)