English Names

Similar in style to Everett and Avery, Avett is a zippy, musical choice that many will associate with the American folk-rock band, The Avett Brothers. The exact etymology of the name is unknown, but theories include that it comes from the French avette meaning "bee", that it's a diminutive of Avery, meaning "little elf ruler", or that it is comes from the Hebrew ʾAvraham, meaning "father of multitudes".
 
Additionally, it may come from Avis, meaning "bird", Everett meaning "brave, wild boar", Averell meaning "april" or Armenian Avetis meaning "good news".
 
Avett has been appearing in the US stats since 2009, with around 30 boys given the name in a recent year.

Avett

Timber as a name is given to slightly more girls than boys each year.  It's actually got a cute sound, ala Kimber(ly) and may be an original tree choice for a girl.  Timberly and Timberlee are also found (but not encouraged).

Timber

One instance where a phonetic spelling might be better. 

Creighton

Fay, also spelled Faye, who had been napping quietly since the 1930's, has, like cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae, sat up and started rubbing her eyes, ready for a mini-comeback, especially as a middle name. In 2014, Faye hopped back onto the US Top 1000, though Fay is used much more quietly as a first name.
 The original of the name, Morgan le Fay, was a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian Legends. Two prominent Fay W.'s are the British novelist Fay Weldon, and actress Fay Wray, most famous for sitting in the hand of King Kong, and there is a character named Fay in Nathanael West's The Day of the Locust. Most well-known Faye is actress Dunaway.
 Fay was most popular in the U.S. in the early decades of the twentieth century, reaching Number 202 in 1907, while Faye was Number 146 in 1934.
 Fay may also be a short form of Faith.

Reminiscent of more familiar 'nickname' style names, like Odie, Toby, and Coby, Opie has been notably borne by clarinet player Opie Cates, artist Opie Ortiz, and by the characters Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show and Opie Winston from Sons of Anarchy. Typically used as a nickname for Opal or for someone with the initials O.P, it may also be an English and Cornish name, taken from names like Osborn and Oswald ("god's warrior"; "god's power").
 
Given to 29 boys in a recent year in the US, it may remind some people of opioids, opium, or "original poster".

Opie

Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics competition.  The problem with Rigby may be its similarity to the word "rigid."

Rigby

Alyce is an aceepted enough variation that there were more than 50 baby girls given the name with this spelling in the US last year. Of course, there were more than 3600 baby girls named Alice, spelled the conventional way.

Alyce

Stanton

The Ashlee variation of the megapopular 90s favorite Ashley is best-known as the name of Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of Jessica.

Ashlee

Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative to the ubiquitous William. The central character of Walter Scott's Ivanhoe is the knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe while Wilfred Owen is a well-known British poet, noteworthy for his war poetry.

Wilfred

If Ellie and Evie are fashionable, why not Elvie? This is a diminutive of the Anglicized version of the Irish name spelled Ailbhe.

Elvie

Word name Poppy with a contemporary make-over. Poppi was given to 6 girls in England and Wales and 49 babies in the US in a recent year. WWE star Torrie Wilson chose this spelling for her daughter in 2025.

Poppi

A surname style name could feel stuffy and edgy, depending on how you look at it. Originally, it was given to those who came from Staffordshire, a county in the West Midlands of England. The name appeared sporadically in the US Top 1000 in the late 19th- and early 20th-century, and has been given to a small handful of boys more years since. Chosen for 14 boys in a recent count, nickname Ford might widen its appeal. 

Stafford

Originating in Madagascar, Kamara has a pleasant and familiar sound, with a cool, unexpected animal meaning. 

Kamara

Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae. 
 Kay has been out of sight since the mid-eighties, but was in the double digits from 1936 to 1945, attached to several glamorous actresses of the period, such as fashion plate Kay Francis, as well as Eloise author Kay Thompson.
 Kay was also once a unisex name, as in Sir Kay, in Arthurian legend one of the Knights of the Round Table.
 Bottom line: Parents in search of a fresh, more cosmopolitan alternative to Kate might consider Kay..

Abbott is a neglected masculine surname with religious overtones, used to describe the head of a monastery or a prominent church figure, such as a priest. Though the feminine nickname Abby could be seen as a slight drawback, that's hardly stopped Abner or Abraham rising up the charts, and besides, there's nothing wrong with a gentler boy name.
 
Derived from the Italian abate meaning "priest, abbot", the name ultimately comes from the same Hebrew and Aramaic root as Abram or Abraham, giving it the additional meaning of "father". While the Abbot spelling is used to describe the head of an abbey of monks, Abbott was originally used as an English nickname or a last name for someone who worked for a high-ranking church official. 
 
An unexpected honor for an Abraham or Abigail, or perhaps for a family member who works within the church, Abbott fits in with the trends for spiritual names, occupational names, and names with a double -tt ending, like Everett, Barrett, Bennett, and co. 
 The political activist and co-founder of the Yippies, Abbie Hoffman's birth name was Abbott, while Abbot (one 't') Kinney is known for developing Venice, California--whose main throughfare bears his name.
 
Quietly used in the US, it was given to 30 babies in a recent year.

Abbott

It may have peaked at #1 for girls in 1991 and 1992 in the US, but Ashley actually has a long history as a male given name, as evidenced by the sensitive Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind. It's always been more popular for boys in England and Wales, where it currently ranks at #414.

Ashley

A charming addition to the ever-growing crop of virtue names, Soul is a warm yet mystical choice with links to spirituality, feelings, and music. While it is a bold word name, its similarity to Sol and Sal grounds it slightly. 
Given to 47 girls (and 61 boys) in a recent year, it was also chosen by content creator Sydney May Crouch named her daughter Soul in 2025, sister to Ocean.

Soul

Made famous by the iconic and macabre character Wednesday Addams, this name has the spooky and Halloween-inspired feel that some parents might be looking for. The character has appeared in various adaptations of The Addams Family over the years, but the 2022 television series starring Jenna Ortega has given the name an unexpected boost in popularity. 
 
Wednesday originates from the Anglo-Saxon times, when it was known as Wōdnesdæg, or Woden's Day -- Woden being the English equivalent to the Norse god Odin -- who is also linked to the Roman god Mercury. Cartoonist Charles Addams who created the character of Wednesday Addams however chose her name based on the popular Monday's Child rhyme, in which "Wednesday's child is full of woe."
 
A choice that is gloomy, offbeat, quirky, wordy and celestial all at once, Wednesday has been quietly climbing up the charts since the 60s, but has been gaining increasing momentum. Not only has the newest adaptation made it feel more familiar, but actors Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome chose if for their daughter in 2020, making it feel more usable for everyone else. 
 
Given to 75 girls in the US in 2024, it's not quite so popular as the sunny Sunday yet, but it is on the rise. 
 Vintage nicknames Wendy and Winnie might make it feel more approachable, or, if you love it but find it a bit much as a given name, Gwendolyn Daisy "Wednesday" perhaps?

Wednesday

Can be used as a middle name to honor Dad or Grandpa David. 

Davidson

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 52)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)