English Names

Harrington

Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.

Hopper

Succinct and to the point, Joss may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Jude, Jesse, Jem, and Ozzy. Brought into the spotlight by Joss Whedon , creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and various Marvel movies, it has never been hugely popular in the US, given to a small handful of babies each year -- though recent controversy surrounding the filmmaker may put future parents off.
 
Derived from Jocelyn, referring to an Old Germanic tribe, or from the Biblical Joseph, it nevertheless could make a cool, one-syllable option for boys.

Joss

An emerging unisex surname name. Radley is more common for boys — it could be seen as an updated version of Bradley — but for girls, it's a rare alternative to Hadley and Adley. Radley is also a literary name via To Kill a Mockingbird, the surname of mysterious recluse Boo Radley.

Radley

This common variation of Tanya makes it less international and more ordinary. 

Tonya

Tucker is used far more often as a boy name and has ranked as such in the US Top 1000 since the late 1970s. However, it has also been given to a small but consistent number of girls each year since the mid 90s. Chosen for 11 girls in 2024, compared to more than 1700 boys, Tucker might also work as a fun, boyish-nickname for the likes of Octavia or Tallulah, in the same way Flick might be used for Felicity or Max for Matilda. 
 
The name is considered an occupational surname, borne by someone who cleaned and thickened raw cloth and who pleated fabric.

Tucker

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance.
 Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben Johnson character in 1614, and it is also the name of the protagonist in James Fenimore Cooper's Ned Myers. In Australia, Ned Kelly is famous as a larger-than-life legendary outlaw figure. In this country, Ned Rorem is a respected modern composer.
 There was a 1990s sitcom called Ned and Stacey, and other Neds have appeared in The Simpsons (neighbor Flanders), Groundhog Day and School of Rock. Ned Stark is a prominent, and unusually heroic, character in Game of Thrones, giving the name some new cultural cache, though we can't recommend using his proper name, Eddard.

This jazzy old name could make a comeback, the way Josephine and Ella have. In England the name was popularized by Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, after whom her governor general of Canada husband named the North American province. Jazz singer Alberta Hunter  was a noted bearer.

Alberta

Allena may feel like a somewhat antiquated feminization, though Allen itself is a tad old-fashioned. In many ways, Allena -- pronounced ah-LEN-ah -- feels more appealing that Alana or ah-LAH-ah.

Allena

When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her daughter. Many have called it ridiculous, but we have to admit, we find it appealing enough to list as one of our top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/508/cute-baby-names-for-girls">cute baby names</a>. Rocker Bob Geldof named one of his daughters Peaches; Banana Yoshimoto is a hipster writer. Another choice in this genre is the luscious Plum, though for different reasons, neither Prune nor Cherry will fly.

Apple

The most outlandish Beatles-inspired name, if Lennon or McCartney are too tame for you. Ringo Starr is the stage name of drummer Richard Starkey, taken from his nickname Ringo (because he wore lots of rings) and the first part of his surname. A bold rock-n-roll inspired choice!

Ringo

Royston

Bunny may be adorable, but is it really enough of a name for your daughter? Plus if Buffy is fluffy, what would that make Bunny? 

Still, Bunny as a baby name is in the spotlight since Bryan Adams named his little girl Mirabella Bunny. It makes an old school Waspy nickname for any name that starts with B.

Bunny

Cady is one of those names that sounds popular but is actually rare in this form, given to only a few dozen baby girls in the US last year.

Its origins are unclear, and as many possible meanings and origins are cited as there are sources on the web. It may relate to male names Cade, which means round or barrel, or Caden, meaning battle. The similar Caddie is an antiquated nickname for Caroline.

One disadvantage is that Cady will forever be misunderstood as Katie. Advantage: It can be used, perhaps in the middle place, to honor women's rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Cady

Part Cameron, part Amber, Camber may be a new name but it feels right for our times. As a word, camber means a slightly arched surface.

Camber

Cathleen

Either an alternative feminization to Christina, an elaboration of the French diminutive Christelle , or a compound name, blending the element Christ- with either Stella or Ella. In the case of the latter, it could give you a rather powerful meaning. 

Christella

Christina who decided, at the last minute, she'd rather be Kristen.

Christen

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorne? The E ending gives it a surnamey spin à la Hawthorne.

 Thorne Smith (born James Thorne) was a comic fantasy writer most noted for his Topper novels.

Thorne

Made up of the contemporary and cool East, paired with popular Lyn, this compound name is slightly edgy and slightly trendy, but, is surprisingly literary too thanks to Ellen Wood's 19th-century sensation novel, East Lynne. Given to 11 girls in a recent year, it is also spelled as Eastlynn, which was chosen for an additional 9 babies. Content creator "_xoimher" named her daughter Eastlyn in 2026.

Eastlyn

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 72)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)