English Names

An modern spelling of a modern invention, Grayli is more commonly spelled as Graylee. 

Grayli

A name in the style of Hayley, Kaylee, and Baylee, Graylie is a spelling variant with a softer look.

Graylie

A surname style choice with a nature-related meaning, Graylin was given to six boys in the US in a recent year.  Alternative spelling Graylen is about five times as popular. 

Graylin

Derived from the surnames Grayland and Graylin, this spelling has occasionally been used for boys, but in recent years, it has been given almost exclusively to girls. For boys, Graylon, Graylen, Graylin, or Graylan are usually preferred. 

Graylyn

A surname style name that may have emerged from either the Old English elements grene and beorg, meaning "green hill", or from grene and berie, associating it perhaps with gooseberries or green berry nightshade. Very occasionally used as a given name in the US, it may have once been chosen in honor of the 17th-century governor of Maryland, Colonel Nicholas Greenberry, and later as a family name.

Greenberry

An earthy, whimsy feeling name, used as a surname, a place name, and very occasionally as a first name, Greenleaf could make an intriguing middle name option, in tune with Wildflower, Forrester, or Woods. 
 
A notable bearer was Greenleaf Whittier Picard, a radio communications pioneer and an inventor, named for his uncle, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier.

Greenleaf

A bold word name, a grenadier refers to a soldier who throws grenades during battles. Originally, when it started being used as a term in the 18th century, it referred to those who threw hand grenades and required soldiers to be robust and physically strong. 
 
Similar in sound to Gideon, Graham, and Greer, and in vibe to Hunter, Navy, Mariner, and Gunnar, it may appeal to those honoring someone in the armed forces. Derived from the French word for "grenade", it is currently a very rare choice.

Grenadier

Clunky for a boy, but with the potential to be cool, this one hasn't caught on for girls. While it did see some use in the 1920s, the tiny numbers may be the result of data input errors.

Grover

As an English word name, Gruff is rough round the outside with playful air, similar to Rowdy or Wilder, while as a Welsh nickname, it comes from the more stately Gruffudd meaning "strong lord". It would be said to rhyme with rough or bluff in the first instance and as GRIF in Welsh. 

Gruff

Boyish nicknames for girls are trending! Gus - short for the proper Augusta - fits alongside casual cool girls Jo and Lou. With August and Gus rising for boys, maybe Gus will be next to cross over.

Gussie fits the growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls - alongside Charlie and Frankie. But Gussie is a bit fussy — try Gus.

Gussie

An upper-crusty-sounding name with humble origins, Bancroft is a surname and a place name that may appeal to those who like Banks and Banner but prefer something rarer (or who've found Bancroft in their family tree!)
 
Also used as the title of a 2017 British crime show and as a the name of an American literary award, it additionally appears in the Solar Pons stories by August Derleth (a pastiche on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes).

Bancroft

A preppy surname of hidden German origin that would fit right in with currently trendy s-ending <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boy names</a> like Brooks and Hayes, Haines ultimately comes from the name Hagen. 
 
Also spelled as Haynes, it has surprising connections to mythology, appearing in the medieval saga, the Nibelungenlied. This spelling is currently less popular than the alternative Haynes in the US, though both are rare.

Haines

Babson

A surname-style choice with two cool nickname options — retro Hal and on-trend Ford — Halford is an Anglo-Saxon place name that appears on the map in various places across England. It is made up of the element ford, meaning "shallow place in a river", combined with either halh meaning "nook, remote recess" or haforce meaning "hawk". 
 
The name was notably borne by geographer Halford Mackinder, considered one of the founding fathers of geopolitics and geostrategy, while as a surname, musician Rob Halford, footballer Greg Halford, and actor Charles Halford.
 
Used occasionally in the US in the first half of the 20th-century, it might feel fresh today, though in the UK, it will likely just be associated with the car and bike store, Halfords.

Halford

A way to Hal and an alternative to Callum, with English surname refers to somewhere rocky. Also spelled as Hallam (the form used by the poet Lord Tennyson for his son, in honor of his friend, Arthur Hallam), this variation was chosen in 2025 by influencers Josie and Kelton Balka for their son's middle name, chosen in honor of Kelton's grandfather.  

Hallum

Scottish curler Hammy McMillan Jr pulls off this unlikely nickname and might make it feel like a cool alternative to Harry. For some, however, it may ever be associated with hamsters and ham. 

Hammy

A Medieval nickname for names in the "John" family, including Hann, Iohannes, and Johan, Hankin is a rare choice these days and has never appeared in the US stats. Nevertheless, it has an almost surname-y sound to it, and could perhaps fit in with the likes of Franklin, Austin, Quinn, Ronin, Kelvin, Finley, Anakin, and, of course, Hank itself. 

Hankin

Hankins is a cool, surname-style name with an intuitive nickname and a fashionable -s ending. It likely emerged as a patronymic of Hankin (a Medieval nickname for John) or from Henry, Henrik, or Henk (meaning "estate ruler"). 
 
A rare choice, it may appeal as an alternative to Banks, Hayes, Franklin, or Hendrix.

Hankins

Used by Emily Brontë in her novel Wuthering Heights , Hareton is a distinctive, rugged and literature-inspired choice. With the sounds of an English place name and the vibes of a last name as a first name, Hareton was likely an invention of Emily Brontë's, which she created by changing up the name of a neighbourhood family, The Heatons. 
 
While Brontë's character is very proud of his name, some may find it just a little too "hairy" for the real world. Ayreton and Hartley are similar options if the sounds of Hareton do intrigue you.

Hareton

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 94)

1450+ English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)