English Names

When actress Susan Ker Weld changed her name to Tuesday, she opened up a whole calendar of possibilities. This was decades before the arrival of Sunday Rose Urban and years before Wednesday Addams made midweek a possibility.
 
Meaning "Tiw's day", "Tui's day", or "Tyr's day", the name honors both an Indo-European sky god (equivalent to Zeus perhaps) or the Norse God of combat, justice, and law. More figuratively, it could mean "shining day" or "sky day" from the meaning of Tiu and Tyr
 
Tuesday has a very quiet heyday back in the 60s when Tuesday Weld was on screen and "Ruby Tuesday" and "Tuesday afternoon" had entered the charts. In a recent count however, just 8 girls were give the name.

Tuesday

Acre feels at home with other modern, fresh word names like Rumor, Snow and Ace. But with the feeling of wide open spaces and nature, Acre also offers a softer, earthier tone that will appeal to those seeking a unique name with a distinctly Americana feel.

Acre

A word name occasionally used for boys over the decades, and more recently for girls too, Worthy joins the likes of Sage, Merit, Chosen, and Brave. While some may see it as encouraging entitlement, a more positive viewpoint is that it promotes self-esteem and the belief that every child has merit and value.
 
Nine boys and five girls were called Worthy in a recent year.

Worthy

A musical word name with a lot of strength behind it, Anthem is used to describe both an uplifting song connected to a particular belief or group, or a form of a religious text, performed by a church choir. As such, the name may be considered spiritual, motivational, patriotic, or simply musical.
 
Anthem entered the US stats for boys back in 2008 and is now given to a small handful of babies each year, with 15 boys and 5 girls receiving the name in a recent year. It was chosen by YouTubers Savannah Jean and Josh Alexander (Sav&Josh) for their son born in 2026, which may encourage others to use it.

Anthem

An upbeat and friendly nickname, Bud is more often reserved as a term of endearment, though it was once a Top 500 choice in the US and remained in the charts right up until the 60s. While long-form Buddy may feel more wearable, it does have the vintage yet energetic feel of Teddy, Kit, or Scout.
 
Now meaning "friend" or "companion", the terms "Bud" and "Buddy" likely emerged from children's mispronunciation of the word "brother". This form also coincides with the botanical word, used to the growths on plants that turn into a leaves or flowers, and as such, it is connected wit growth and promise too. 
 
While short form Buddy made the England and Wales Top 7000 in a recent year, Bud has yet to appear in the stats as a stand-alone name, while in the US, nearly 30 boys were called Buddy and 13 were called Bud.

Buxton

Carder may well be used as a rarer form of popular Carter, though it was traditionally used as an occupational name in its own right, associated with the old occupation of carding, the combing on wool fibres. Appearing in the US charts for boys since the 1990s, it was given to around 20 boys in a recent year. 

Carder

With its lively, happy-go-lucky meaning, Chipper could be fun and jaunty nickname – and may work especially well for those looking for more unique options for names like Christopher, Charles, Chandler, and Phillip. 
 
Chipper has been quietly appearing in the US data since the 1940s, but has been used more frequently – and consistently – since around 2011. Its current peak was back in 2021 when 24 boys were called Chipper, while in the latest count, 12 boys were given the name.

Chipper

One of many spellings of Kaylee, itself a name created from Kay and Lee or from Kelila; or, an anglicization of the Gaelic Ceilidh, meaning "companion" but generally referring to a social occasion of dancing, music, and story telling. 

Cailey

Similar in style to Carter, Harper, and Hunter, this arty occupational name has been gaining attention in the US in recent years — mostly for boys, but also a small number of girls. Predominantly associated with wood carving, it could also be linked to those who carve stone, marble, ice, pumpkins, or meat. 
 
While some may read the "carver" meaning as creative and artistic, others may find it a little grisly and violent, but there is a way around this association if you love the sound or it's a family surname. It may also have its origins in the Norman French caruier meaning "wagon, cart" which could feel more neutral.
 
In a recent year, Carver was given to 11 girls, compared to 120 boys, however, celebs Amanda Marie Mizell and JJ Mizell named their daughter Carver Christine in 2025, which may put Carver on more people's radar.

Carver

Delbert

A modern and edgy choice, Ekko may appeal to fans of Indigo, Arlo, and Arrow. Used as both an alternative spelling to Echo and as the Norwegian and Danish form of the word, it was given to 15 babies in the US in a recent year.
 
As a word, it refers to a reverberating and repeated sound, though it may also be used to describe an ideal, a feeling, or a person that closely parallels something or someone else. This could make it a fun choice for a baby who closely resembles on of their parents.
 
From its mythological roots, Echo was the name of a nymph, cursed to only repeat the last words spoken to her.
 
Used for a character in the show, Arcane: League of Legends, Ekko could additionally work as a nickname for Erik, Enriko, Eneko, or Emrick.

Ekko

Fenton is the kind of surname name that's starting to sound almost like a normal first name these days.  While it made a brief appearance on the Top 1000 in the late 1800s, today it's distinctive but in step with the times.  And Fen as a nickname is undeniably cute -- a Ben of the future.

Fenton

With a hint of old-man clunkiness and modern surname style, Glendon is a name with Scottish and English origins. Connected to nature, it can mean "valley between the hills" (from its English roots) and "from the dark glen" (from Scottish Gaelic). It is also the name of an English place, whose name means "clean hill". 


Glendon

Rarely heard Hayden alternative -- though, mark our words, you'll spend your life correcting everyone's pronunciation and spelling. 

Hadden

Hemingway readers will recognize this as the name of Papa's first wife (and, eventually, actress Mariel's grandmother). But in Victorian times, Hadley and Hedley were actually more popular for boys.

Hadley

An alternative to Harley, Harvey, and Harlan, and a way to the nickname Hart, Hartlen was a fast rising choice in 2024, when it was given to 49 boys compared to seven the year before, and less than five the year before. Derived from an English surname relating to a place inhabited by deer, it may be one to watch out for. 

Hartlen

A familiar and usable last name turned first. Or you could look at it as a homophone of the verb howl, which gives it a wilder feel.

Howell

A surname style choice, originally borrowed from a place in the South West of England, Huntlee has an active and outdoorsy feel which might appear to those who also like Hunter, Wesley, and Leland. It could also work if you particularly wanted to honor a Lee.
 
While the Huntley spelling ranked as nearly gender neutral in 2024, Huntlee leans feminine in the US, given to double the number of girls than boys.

Huntlee

A nickname-y choice with a touch of vintage charm, Jeannie is ultimately a feminine diminutive form of the classic John, via Johanna and Jean. With sounds reminiscent of magical genies and of genius, Jeannie (or sleeker Jeanie) might just have the energy to climb back up the charts, as Joni and Joanie have done.
 
Fitness influencer Alice Liveing named her daughter Jeannie Isabella in 2025, which might remind parents of the name. In a recent count, however, it was given to 22 girls while Jeanie was given to 16.

Jeannie

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 64)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)