By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
English occupational name
"hoop-maker"
Lively, friendly surname that might appeal to basketball fans.
English
"from the walled city"
Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think…
"residence near a marshy place"
Streamline it to Marsh, Mason, or Carson.
"peacock"
An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…
"Ralph's settlement"
Down-to-earth surname name with a drawl, also associated with cereal and dog food.
"low-lying land"
A surname occasionally used as a first, as in former attorney general Ramsey Clark. This spelling is now closely associated with the psychopathic Game of Thrones villain Ramsay Snow (later Ramsay…
English from German
"powerful counsel"
Serious surname choices, the latter form known via award-winning author Reynolds Price.
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Rob has claimed Bob's turf.
English variation of Ulrich and Wulfric, German
"rich and noble heritage; wolf power"
Also related to the word for wolf, this name has a first syllable that's not appealing to the American ear. Better ic-ending choices: Dominic, Frederic, Eric.
"friend's farm"
See WYNTON.
"lighthearted, happy"
She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic names for Christmas babies .
Germanic
"old, wise ruler"
In an era with so many created, modern names, Aldrich oozes history and substance. But it is also fit for modern times, given its surname-as-name status and the nickname potential (Al, Richie, etc).
English and Scottish surname
"strong arms"
Last name occasionally used as a first, can be seen as a Lance Armstrong athlete-hero name.
"dweller near the temple"
The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she…
English, diminutive of Albert and Bertram
A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.
"Dudda's meadow"
It's easy to love a name that rhymes with "cuddly" and is also attached to the surname Do-Right -- once you ignore the "dud" connection. Dudley has aristocratic roots--the name was originally famous…
"hill peninsula"
Gentle and southern-inflected, redolent of the North Carolina landscape.
"old, wise leader"
Name long associated with eloquent Black Panther activist Eldridge Cleaver and jazz great Roy Eldridge.
Place-name
Long before the current place-name craze, a pair of the more daring pop singers of the Age of Aquarius picked this name for their daughters. Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick used the conventional…
"someone who lives by a hill"
Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.
