English Names

A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be seen as a more unusual possible alternative to Rosy or Josie.
 Posy is a little sister name in the Hunger Games series, while before that, Posy Fossil was a character in Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes. In 2026, it appeared on a character in the popular TV series, Bridgerton.
 
For now, Posy is the least popular spelling of the name with Posie first, Posey second, and Posy used for less than ten baby girls in the US in a recent count.
 Posy (or Posey or Posie) could also work as a nickname for a range of other names, from Penelope to Sophia to Primrose, though it started as a pet form of Josephine. Other P-beginning flower names you may want to consider along with Posey: Poppy, Petal, Primrose.

Posy

Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve could work as a distinctive alternative to Reese. While it is currently more popular for boys, nine girls received the name in a recent year, meaning around 20% of all Reeves born in the US were girls. 
 
The name comes from a Medieval occupational name, used to describe someone who enforced feudal obligations and whose role may be compared to that of a sheriff or bailiff.

Reeve

A name that looks simple on the surface but has a variety of complex roots, Senia is often used as an alternative form of Xenia, a Greek name meaning "hospitable, welcoming" or "guest". This spelling likely emerged via the Scandinavian variation, Senja, or from the Slavic Ksenia. 
 
Another possibility is that Senia is an elaboration of Sena, which opens up a whole variety of possible sources. On one hand, it may come from the Turkish spelling of the Arabic Thana, meaning "praise", while on the other, it may have emerged from any name with the sen sound, such as Selina, Serena, Asenath, Siena, and Rosena.
 
From Sanskrit, it could mean "army; missile, dart", inspired by Sena, the wife of Indra (or Kartikeya), and a personification of the armed forces or thunderbolts. 
 
Given to a handful of girls each year in the US, it makes a rare but familiar sounding choice.

Senia

Shaw is a streamlined and more modern-sounding Shawn, with many notable surname namesakes.

Shaw

In 2014, six little girls in the US were given the name Starlit. Starlit has a sweeter meaning than the similar Starlet, and a better ring than Starlight. 

Starlit

While Tessa is now preferred, this slightly sharper diminutive of Theresa was the more familiar option in the early 20th-century. It enjoyed a brief return to the US charts in the 60s and 70s but is currently given only to a handful of girls each year.
 Also associated with a word for long hair (tresses) and a river in Tuscany, it doubles up as a modern Cornish name, meaning "third".

Tressa

A winning, gold locket nickname name of the turn of the last century, though also a common nickname for Vincent. 

Vinnie

Windy

Abiana is a lively sounding option that may be viewed as a smoosh name, blending together Abigail and Anna. The two classic names may come together to give the meaning "my father is joyful and gracious", which may appeal to celebrating parents.
 
Alternatively, it may be seen as a blend of the Hebrew elements av and ana which could be interpreted as "my father has answered" when combined. Other sources however link the name to Abia or Abijah, meaning "my father is Yahweh". 
 
There is the possibility that it is a Ghanaian name too, derived from Akan to mean "fourth born child" or "born on Tuesday"; this however is speculation. 
 
Ghanaian singer Abiana (full name: Eldah Naa Abiana Dickson) is a notable bearer.

Abiana

A modern form of the surname and place name Afton, Aftyn has a similar feel to Aspyn, Austyn, Avalyn, and Paityn. Likely derived from Old English to mean "Æffa's farmstead", Æffa being an Anglo-Saxon given name of unknown meaning.
 
A notable bearer of this spelling is American politician, Aftyn Behn.

Aftyn

Mauve-tinted nickname with vintage charm that could just follow in the footsteps of ABBIE.  More prominent now as the nickname for the Texas A&M sports teams.

Aggie

Latter-day Ashley that comes in a range of spelling variations.  Ansley and Ainsley have both hit the Top 1000 in recent years.

Annesley

Notably borne by the 19th century palaeontologist and fossil collector, Mary Anning, this surname likely derives from the given name Hanno or Hana, ultimately linking it back to the Biblical Hanan meaning "gracious, favor". Other sources suggest it comes from Andrew, however, meaning "manly".
 
A rare choice as a given name, Anning could nevertheless make an interesting update on Anne or Hannah with an inspirational namesake behind it.

Anning

Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I — Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy. 

Bess

A handful of baby girls are still named Carlene every year, but today other feminizations of Charles or Carl, from Carly to Charlotte, are much more popular.

Carlene

A compound name that mirrors the cadence of Caroline but with a twist at the end. The name was briefly popular during the 30s and 40s. 

Carolann

Cashmere is soft, luxurious — and way out of the ordinary. One of the unique names found in The Hunger Games series, you might be surprised to learn that this fabric name has been appearing in the US stats since the 1920s, it spiked in usage for girls in 2009 and 2013, following the release of the first book and movie adaptation. Since then, it's done a switch-around, with 44 boys and 5 girls given the name in a recent count.

Cashmere

Feels like a hybrid of Celia and Belinda, but Celinda is also a Spanish botanical name for the sweet mock orange.

Celinda

Sweet and retro, Cherilyn peaked in 1972, when Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) rose to fame. Possibly not quite ready for a comeback, though perhaps fun nickname Cherry might swing it.

Cherilyn

More distinctive than Ella, if you're inspired by Cinderella, a rarer alternative to popular Ember, perhaps, or even a modern spin on Cindy. Cinder is the name given to partially burnt wood or coals which have stopped burning but may still be relit and combustible, or it is used to describe ashes, often still warm from the flames. 
 
Chosen occasionally for girls in the US, 6 girls were given the name in a recent year.

Cinder

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 

. The English origin names below are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

English names including girl names and boy names of English origin from the English language and culture (Page 82)

1450+ English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)