By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
English surname
"badger settlement"
Brock plus.
English
"burnt meadow"
Surname name with feminine final ley. The Welsh name Bryn, though also unisex and veering toward the girl world, is far more attractive.
English occupational name
"female brewer"
With its slightly cocky feel, this well-used surname is not often heard as a first.
"meadow at the slope of the hill"
A rowdy name nobody ever heard of, till Nick Nolte gave it to his son.
"raven meadow"
The suffix Bran is familiar as raven-related since Game of Thrones , and the -ley suffix has been popular since the 1990s heyday of Ashley.
"firebrand, sword"
Rugged and straightforward brand-new name, though you might not like the idea of branding your son.
"son of Robert"
A better modern solution than Robert Jr. ; known to fiction readers via Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.
"well where the gorse grows; bramble well"
An unexpected route to nicknames Bram or Wells, this English surname derives from a historical hamlet in England, whose exact location has been lost to time. It comes from the Old English word for…
"stone camp or fortress"
Rochester was Jack Benny's famous valet and sidekick, played by early African-American comic Eddie Anderson.
"courageous raven"
We can hear the kids teasing him from here.
"broad forest"
Currently connected to football Hall of Famer turned actor Terry Bradshaw.
"dweller near the wood fort"
Possibility for fans of science fiction writer Ray.
"Romani"
Romany is a melodious name referring to the Roma or Romani community and their culture, which makes it a potentially controversial choice for a baby not of that heritage. Romany Malco is an actor who…
English from French
"circle"
The -el ending feels inevitably feminine; also a form of French poetry.
English and French
"bow-maker, cattle herder"
Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent.
"rough clearing"
A rough-and-tumble surname that has seen a small increase in use in recent years. Ten boys received the name in 2024 in the US.
"rook's town or fortress"
The x gives it some modern cool, but the bury part buries it.
"the brook"
Has a certain fiery charm.
"one who lives near a stream"
A surname with more force than most.
"rye hill"
One way to refer to an ancestral Roy, if not the most mellifluous.
