By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 47 pages
of 47
English
"from the willow farm"
British last name that, though rather gentle, feels like a sharper, sleeker Shelby. Todd Selby, known primarily by his last name, is a hip photographer of interiors.
English word name
Striker is one of the new gang of boys' names that have two syllables, end in -er, spring from words, and have a macho, even aggressive meaning and image. Other examples include Breaker, Heller, and…
"ford near the castle"
The stuffy-sounding name of a posh medieval village in the Cotswolds, in England, that some consider one of the most beautiful small towns in Europe.
"riverbank where burrs grow"
Beautiful downtown Burbank -- about as glamorous a place-name as Akron...or Detroit.
"roe-deer brook"
If you feel a burning need to gussy up Ray -- think again.
"son of the red-haired"
Inventive way to honor a redheaded ancestor, though most people would mispronounce it reeding, making it sound to some kids like a school assignment: Redding is a preferable spelling.
"highborn, shining"
A Middle English form of Adalbert (and therefore of Albert), which was the name of several Saxon kings. Nowadays, Ethel plus Bert is not a fashionable sound, but Albert is feeling fresh again.
English from French
"swelling"
Mythic lumberjack Paul may inspire some namesakes despite relation to similarly pronounced foot problem.
"monastery where deer dwell"
Innovative architect, inventor, and thinker Buckminster (universally known as Bucky) Fuller makes this vaguely possible.
"pock-marked face, scarred"
English surname that's very rarely found as a first name. The Colorado city was named after Horace Greeley, the nineteenth-century congressman and founder of the New-York Tribune .
"small stream"
The final e adds a big purple bow to what has already become a pink name. Try Brook or better, Brooks.
"broom meadow"
Bromley is an English surname-name that's more possible as a first name now than ever before. The -ley suffix has been adopted for many names, and surnames such as Bromley are fashionable. A short…
Diminutive of Bromley, English
Attached to one of the heroes of Christopher Paolini's megapopular fantasy novel Eragon , this name sounds strong yet sensitive. Paolini's character is named after another bestselling fantasy author…
English surname
"badger settlement"
Brock plus.
"wild boar in woodland clearing"
Evokes 1960s brotherly close harmony. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis named his son Everly Bear, and it is also an explosively popular choice for girls. We predict that all the "Ever" names…
"son of Robert"
A better modern solution than Robert Jr. ; known to fiction readers via Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.
"burnt meadow"
Surname name with feminine final ley. The Welsh name Bryn, though also unisex and veering toward the girl world, is far more attractive.
"stone camp or fortress"
Rochester was Jack Benny's famous valet and sidekick, played by early African-American comic Eddie Anderson.
English occupational name
"female brewer"
With its slightly cocky feel, this well-used surname is not often heard as a first.
"bank along the pathway"
Alaska's second most populous city makes a baby name with a preppy, even aristocratic, flavor.
