English Names

A surname associated these days with Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston.

Cranston

In the currently popular solid, serious, two-syllable mold. 

Culver

Has a fresh occupational name feel, combined with old-fashioned Currier & Ives charm. 

Currier

Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from becoming more wearable? Bertie is a cute (and very fashionable) nickname option for this grand old name, though Curt and Kit might work too. 
 
Meaning "famous, brilliant" or "familiar, bright", Cuthbert is an Old English name, notably borne by a 6th century saint who lived as a hermit on an English island and was able to perform miracles.
 
The name notably appears as the surname of Anne Shirley's guardians, Marilla and Matthew, in L.M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, while in The Adventures of Tintin comics, there's a Professor Cuthbert Calculus. It's also used in the long-running British comic, The Beano, in which Cuthbert Cringeworthy is the "teacher's pet" of The Bash Street Kids.
 
Cuthbert last appeared in the US stats back in the 1950s, however, in England and Wales, the name has been given to 17 boys since 2020 and in the most recent data, it ranked alongside Crewe, Corby, and Crispin.

Cuthbert

Forever the hapless cartoon husband of Blondie. 

Dagwood

Dancer feels like a name ready to leap into the charts with its sense of life and joy; and if names like Hunter and Archer can be used, why not Dancer. There will be some danger of other kids relating this one to Santa's reindeer and it might make a good <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">name for a Christmas baby</a>, but that might be a positive connotation for a child.

Dancer

It's a hat, it's a race, and it's even been known to be a name. In Britain, it would be pronounced darby. 

Derby

This British river name sounds sleek and strong but perhaps a bit too energetic. 

Dart

Obscure, though legitimate, name that could be used to honor a relative named Barton or Martin. 

Darton

This old-time name for a sofa would not be comfortable as a baby name. 

Davenport

Nature surname with an aristocratic edge. Spelling it DeForest distances it from deforestation.

Deforest

A case in which the son is now more attractive than the father. There have been Colonial settlers surnamed Dennison on this side of the Atlantic since 1623. 


Dennison

Destry rides again, this time as a Western flavored baby name. Derived from the French surname Destrier, from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "warhorse", this rugged name was popularized by the 1930 novel Destry Rides Again by Max Brand, subsequently adapted for the big screen. 

 It has only ranked in the US Top 1000 once, in 1964 at #637, after a popular TV series based on the novel was aired that year. It was given to fewer than 10 baby boys in the latest year on record.

 Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw named their daughter Destry in 1996.

Destry

Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it. 

Dickinson

Adventurous word choice, but still quite a burden for a child to bear. 

Discovery

Diversity

Doane

Dodson

With Devon so overused, consider a move to the undiscovered neighboring county -- though it's nowhere near as euphonious, rhyming with corset. 

Dorset

Associated all through the swing years with bandleader brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. 

Dorsey

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 94)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)