English Names

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

An early unisex nature name that has been surpassed by others, Dale is still a simple, sylvan and serene option. 
 Most of Dale's recent best known bearers – father and son race drivers Dale Earnhart, glass sculptor Dale Chihuly – are male, but if you look further back to her heyday as a girls' name (she was Number 237 in 1952), you'll find singing cowgirl Dale Evans (born France Octavia) and Flash Gordon's gal, Dale Arden.

Dale

A bright and optimistic middle name choice. 

What do you do when you love two variations of the same name that also sound quite distinct? One option is to blend them together and keep the best of both. Elizabelle - and Elizabella - have been in use since the 2000s, though they haven't caught on just yet. Possibly divisive, but both are rather pleasing to say. 

Elizabelle

Likely used as a modern spin on Biblical Ezra, Ezryn appeared in the US stats for girls in 2021, and was more recently given to 5 girls compared to 27 boys in the same year. 

Ezryn

Similar in sound to Paris, Carys, Felicity, and Fern; and similar in style to Blair, Sloane, and Finley, Ferris has a lot of potential. Derived from either the Gaelic Fergus meaning "strong man" or used as an English surname referring to someone who works with iron, Ferris is notably connected to the cult-classic 80s movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The name is rare in general, though recent years have seen a slight revival in interest, with 10 girls (and 56 boys) given the name in the US.

Ferris

One of the best of this fashionable occupational group, strong and particularly well suited to a girl, also with alluring connection to glamour girl Ava Gardner. 

Gardner

More popularly spelled as Graylyn or Graylynn for girls, this modern sounding choice comes from an English surname, likely meaning "gray lake". 

Graylin

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.
 In Greek legend young Leander swam across dangerous waters every night to court his beloved Hero. In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Hero is the love interest of Claudio and cousin of Beatrice.

Hero

The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an eccentric aristocrat, much more accepted in the U.K. than she has been here.
 Hester's beyond-Hawthorne's literary appearances include as characters in Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy, in Oscar Wilde's play A Woman of No Importance, in John Irving's novel A Prayer for Owen Meaney, and as Niles and Frasier Crane's mom on Frasier.
 Hetty is Hester's usual nickname, sometimes used independently.

Hester

Joss is more fashionable than Jocelyn or Josslyn. This is a short form that could be used independently, a la the singer Joss Stone. One of a troupe of adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for girls a la Lou and Charlie. 

Joss

Suede, Velvet, Cotton, and Denim have all been given to babies, and now Linen has been added to the mix, given to a handful of babies in the US in the 2020s. One of the oldest fabrics to be woven, Linen is associated with freshness and with being cool in hot weather.
 
Ultimately derived from Latin and Greek, Linen shares its origins with the more familiar Linus, while sound-wise, it may remind people of Lyric, Lynn, Lennon, and Linnea.

Linen

A vintage-feeling compound name, blending two classic choices, Louanne was popular in France in the 2000s, both in this form and as Lou-Anne. While it may mean "graceful, renowned warrior" from Anne and Louise, it may also be considered a feminine form of the Breton Elouan meaning "light".
 
Other forms of the name include Louanna, Luann, and Luanna, which are more popular in the US.

Louanne

Lovetta can be viewed in two ways: an elaboration of Love, similar in feel to Loretta or Violetta, or spin on the surname Lovett, similar to Everette or Wyetta. As such, it could mean "little love" or "little wolf, wolf cub".
 
Used quietly across the 20th-century, Lovetta reappeared in the US stats in 2025.

Lovetta

Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree. 

Lucetta

Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola. With its cool island related meaning, derived from the Norman French l'isle, it has been appearing in the US stars for girls since at least the 1880s, given to a small number of girls most years.

Lyle

Today, Thompson could be a trendy way to nickname Tommie, more appealing to some parents than Thomasin or Thomasina
 Originally used as a patrynomic name, it refers to a son (or descendant) of a Tom or a Thomas.  More figuratively, you could interpret it as "son of the twin". 

Thompson

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 83)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)