English Names

Braylen is a trendy boys' name that's ranked on the US Top 1000 for nearly 20 years now. While the name is definitely given to some baby girls in the US -- 40 last year, to be exact -- it's used less than ten percent of the time for girls and so does not make out cutoff for being considered gender neutral.

Braylen

Too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl. 

Candy

The modern name Dena can be considered to come from either of two Old Testament names. Adina, which means delicate, was the name of a male soldier in the Bible. Dinah, meaning judged, Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Dena is a common name in Amish communities.

Dena

Dovie was a fairly popular nickname name a century or more ago, dropping off the Top 1000 in the 1940s only to be heading back uphill now. Given to around 30 girls in a recent year, Dovie has a way to go to enter the Top 1000 again but with Novie, Jovie, Goldie, and Stevie in the charts, it might rank in the future. 

Dovie is also an antiquated nickname for Deborah (likely via Devorah) that sounds a lot fresher than Debbie and gives the name a second nature meaning.

Dovie

Once a staple of the 1920s, like Leroy and Elwood, Elroy is languishing in style limbo now. One feature that might make it worth a second glance is its royal meaning, for those looking for a vintage twist on names like Royal and Reign. If you're in search of unique <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/339/vintage-baby-names">vintage baby names</a>, this may be one for your list.

Elroy

A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially with the Favour spelling. It might be used as a nickname for the longer, perhaps even bolder form, Godfavor (as in, "favored by God").
 
The name was chosen for 31 girls and 8 boys in the US in a recent year.

Favor

This spelling variation of the traditionally masculine Corbin may lean feminine in some parents' minds — similar to Cameron versus Kamryn.

Korbyn

Sweet but sharp, Lemon was given to a surprising 50 girls back in 2021, while in a more recent year, it was given to just shy of 30. Some parents may find it summery and refreshing, while others may feel it leaves a sour taste in the mouth; either way, Lemon sounds similar enough to on-trend choices like Lennon, Clementine, and Leni that it does have the potential to be used more often.
 
One thing to bear in mind is that Lemon is sometimes used as a slang term with a couple of meanings. It may refer to: a defective and faulty car or gadget; to an unhelpful person who won't take action (as in, standing there like a lemon); and, in a more niche (and perhaps slightly outdated?) way, for explicit content in fanfiction. Make of that what you will. 
 
Content creator Mercedes Okray named her daughter Lemon in 2025.

Lemon

Arguably, an even more Anglicized spelling of László than Laszlo, this stripped back form of the Hungarian name has begun to see occasional use in the US, though the longer spelling is still twice as popular. Given to 13 boys in a recent count, the name ultimately comes from the Slavic Vladislav. 
 
The name is associated with an 11th century saint and king, celebrated for his bravery and Christian virtue, and in its traditional form, is a top ranking choice in Hungary.

Lazlo

Most often associated with Rolling Stone Jagger, Mick is also used as a generic, and derogatory, term for an Irishman. 

Mick

The name of a character in Dawson's Creek, from a surname derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius, of unknown meaning.

Pacey

About 60 girls were named Alise in the US last year, making it an uncommon but not truly rare name. While it's pretty and intriguing as a spin on the very popular Alice, it's pronounced more like Elise or -- in Latvian -- Elisa, and so may prove more confusing than it's worth. If you want to name your daughter Alice, name her Alice, and if you want to name her Elise, name her Elise. Choosing Alise in many ways gives you the worst of all worlds.

Alise

The spelling Pearce softens the name's sharper edges, though we prefer the original Piers.  That "pear" snippet could confuse pronunciation, which is just like Pierce.

Pearce

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in different spellings and forms, from John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Ella Bleu to Alicia Silverstone's Bear Blu. Dave 'The Edge' Evans named his daughter Blue Angel back in 1989.
 Despite all these high profile female references, less than 40 percent of the babies name Blue today are girls. Blue is the heroine of the Marisha Pessl novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Blue

Brazil

This simplified spelling of Claire does not improve on the more popular version.

Clair

This spelling variation of Daisy ranks in the British Top 1000 but was only used for a few dozen baby girls last year in the US. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, it made the Top 1000 during the craze for ie-ending names.

Daisie

The most famous Sinclair was the (male) writer Lewis, but these days the name works at least as well for a girl. 

Sinclair

Though modern parents seeking to honor an ancestor named Thelma might opt for the airier Thea instead, Thelma is starting to make its way back onto adventurous vintage name lovers' radars. It is currently experiencing a revival in France, where ranked at the #250 mark in a recent year.
 The meaning of Thelma is unknown, although it is sometimes claimed to be derived from the Greek thelema "will". Alternative possibilities are that it's spin on Velma or Wilhelmina, meaning "resolute protection", a feminization of the saintly, Germanic Anthelm, meaning "zealous protection", or perhaps a spin on Ethelmary, meaning "noble and beloved" or "noble drop of the sea">.
 
It was extremely rare as a given name until British writer Marie Corelli used it for the Norwegian heroine of her eponymous novel in 1893. It went on to become a popular choice in the early 19th-century before falling out of style in the 80s. 
 In the English-speaking world, Thelma is associated with Geena Davis' character in the iconic female-centred crime movie Thelma and Louise (1991). It was also the birth name of first lady Pat Nixon.

Thelma

A rarely-used place name (probably because of the last three letters), Essex was the ancient kingdom of the East Saxons and is now a county in England. The singer David Essex used it as his stage surname, and reality TV couple JP and Ashley Rosenbaum used it for their daughter's name, though few have followed suit.

Essex

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 56)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)