English Names

Cyan is a highly unusual blue-green color name, a classmate of Celadon and Cerulean. It does come with the homey nickname Cy.

Cyan

Baby girl Danas outnumber baby boys with the name nearly ten to one. But Dana is an attractive, sleek name that can certain work for babies of either gender.

Dana

Ellington is a swinging musical name, evoking the jazzy and elegant persona of the Duke (born Edward Kennedy Ellington). While that reference may seem to make Ellington a male name, it is also occasionally used for girls.
 Ellington is the winning middle name of Cynthia Nixon's son Max.

Ellington

Abbreviated form of Harley that might also be spelled, for girls, Arleigh or Arlee.

Arley

Christy was one of the coolest girls in the class of '73, still cute but not quite as youthful.

Christy

Ethel is a name we once declared as 'So Far Out They'll Probably Always Be Out,' but with the return of other names on that list and with its new starbaby cred via Lily Allen, its soft sound and admirable meaning, we're not so sure.
 At the turn of the last century, when Ethel Barrymore was the belle of Broadway, her first name was wildly popular, a Top 10 name for sixteen years and in the Top 100 until 1939. Other well-known bearers have been musical stars Ethel Merman and Ethel Waters and Robert Kennedy's widow. Not so distinguished: Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy".
 Ethel fell away from such Old English appellations as Ethelberta, Ethelreda and Ethelinda. Now THOSE, we think we can safely say, are so far out they'll always be out.

Ethel

Katherin

Kim was the coolest name... of the 1960s. Kim was popularized by actress Kim Novak, and its energy is still maintained by rapper Lil' Kim, but it holds lil' or no appeal for new babies. Parents who like Kim's short, sweet sound might look to a choice such as Sam, Lou, or Belle.

Despite the voluptuous doll's various career choices, from astronaut to doctor, her name still remains a euphemism for "bimbo". 

Barbie

The newest addition to the Kylie, Rylie family, really catching on with some parents.

Brylie

Ella may well be used as an unusual spelling variation of the familiar Ella, though it is also a Biblical name. Derived from the Hebrew word for the terebinth tree (and occasionally equated with the oak tree in some translations), Elah appears in the Bible as a masculine name, and a place name (where David battled Goliath), the latter fact helping it to appeal as a neutral option.
 
As a variation of Ella, it would be pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, while as a Hebrew name, it would be pronounced as eh-LAH, with the latter syllable being more distinctive.

Elah

Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in style to the likes of Wilder and Ranger, to Sullivan, Chester, and Stanley.
 President (Stephen) Grover Cleveland was considered well-liked and respectable in his time, notable for his integrity and fight against political corruption. As such, many children were named after him, popularizing the name and pushing it to Number 20 in the 1880s, around the time of his presidency. Today, however, some may recall his passing and enthusiastic support of the Dawes Act which was so devastating to Native Americans.
 
 Another well known Grover is jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.
 
A recent year saw Grover used for 26 boys in the US.

Grover

The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>, for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more approachable? How about Hank or Hal instead?

Hawthorne

Nelle, typically pronounced like the one-syllable Nell, is an elegant form of the name used by author Nelle Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. With whatever spelling, Nell/Nelle is a charming old-fashioned nickname name currently on the rise again.
 
Originally short for Ellen, Eleanor, or Helen via the affectionate term "mine Ell-", it has since been used as both a stand-alone option and as a nickname for Penelope, Antonella, and Noelle among others too. In fact, this spelling may appeal to those who are honoring names such as Janelle, Nicole, and Danielle. 
 
Variations of the name are popular in Finland, Poland and notably, England and Wales, where Nellie has ranked in the UK Top 100 in recent years and Nell, Nella, Nel, and Nelly also sit within the Top 1000. Nelle, however, was given to just 16 girls in the latest count. 
 
In the US, Nellie is in Top 600, and though Nell has yet to catch up, it has doubled in popularity since 2020. Nelle however is well outside the charts, given to 26 girls in the latest count.
 
Thought NEHL is the go to pronunciation, NEHL-ee and even NEHL-uh are plausible, based on other names like Emme and Lotte. 
 
TV personality and influencer Lo Bosworth recently chose Nelle for her daughter, born in 2026.

Nelle

Noreen's in limbo, especially now that Nora has made a comeback. 

Noreen

A trendy spelling of Maddox, with a hint of Matthew, Mattias, and Matrix about it too. Appearing in the US stats back in 2004, around the same time Maddox began to rise, it peaked in 2012 when it was given to nearly 40 boys. Derived from a Welsh surname meaning "son of Madoc" or "son of good fortune", Matix is another similar spelling. 

Mattix

A winning unisex word name, fresher than Victoria or Victor. While Victory ranked only once on the US Top 1000, in 1918 at the end of World War I, it's a Top 25 name for girls in France.

Victory

If you're torn between Marissa and Alyssa. 

Arissa

With its rich aural relation to names like Aubrey and Audrey, this color name could be the next Amber, or Scarlett. 

Auburn

Brooke variation – or is the other way around? – that makes it more a nature name, less an eighties-style androgynous name.

Brook

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 54)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)