By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 47 pages
of 47
English word name
Baby name as political statement.
English literary name
"kite"
Poetic and easy to pronounce (it's keets), this is one of many poets' names to consider, such as Auden, Eliot, Frost, Byron, Lorca, Marlowe, Blake, Emerson and Tennyson. Likely meaning "kite", in…
Adventurous word choice, but still quite a burden for a child to bear.
English
"brave, bold helmet, keen protection"
A rarely used member of the Ken- family, Kenelm has a rugged, surname-style feel. Borne by a 9th century martyr and a member of the Mercian royal family, it could make an intriguing namesake for a…
"son of Dick"
Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it.
French
"war horse"
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…
"old counsel"
This marvelously medieval name had a moment in the 1910s and 1920s but has dropped completely off the radar now.
"son of Dennis"
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.
English surname
Téa Leoni and David Duchovny named their kid Kyd in 2002, but he usually goes by his middle name, Miller. Probably a wise choice, given the homonym. On the other hand, the association with…
"royal peace settlement"
A dignified yet gentle surname name occasionally heard in England and the West Indies.
English place-name
British place-name unlikely to evoke much passion in any baby namer.
"living near the forest"
Nature surname with an aristocratic edge. Spelling it DeForest distances it from deforestation.
This old-time name for a sofa would not be comfortable as a baby name.
"narrow way"
Surname choice that could be used to honor the playwright Lanford Wilson.
"long hill"
Classy-sounding surname name usually bypassed in favor of the simpler Landon.
"long meadow"
The name of a large Air Force base in the US, Langley is a surname style choice that may appeal to fans of Langston, Landon, and Oakley, but also Banner, Navy, and Cannon. Quietly used for boys in…
"deer town"
Obscure, though legitimate, name that could be used to honor a relative named Barton or Martin.
English place- and word name
This British river name sounds sleek and strong but perhaps a bit too energetic.
"settlement near hazel trees"
Unless it was your grandmother's maiden name, and you're using it in the middle place, we don't think so. Could be confused with Hazelden, a leading rehab facility.
"park with deer"
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.
