Updated October 2024
Across 6 pages
of 6
English
"from the house on the hill"
Seldon was seldom heard as a first name but that may change now that Elon Musk has used it for his 14th child, his fourth with Shivon Zilis. Little Seldon Musk's middle name is Lycurgus, the name of…
"seaman"
Associated with archetypal folksinger Pete Seeger.
Scottish and English
"town by the sea"
A perfectly fine Anglo surname, though we'd prefer Keaton. Oscar-winning writer-director George Seaton ( Miracle on 34th Street, The Country Girl ) was actually born George Stenius.
English and Scottish
"divided field"
Has diverse links to a Groucho Marx character, a bouncing ball, and late performance artist Spalding Gray.
English word name, German surname
"speck; one from Speck, bacon, butcher"
Not only did rocker John Mellencamp name his son Speck, but he appended the middle name Wildhorse to it.
English word name
A video-game name ("Final Fantasy VII") with an unappealing sound and meaning.
"boisterous"
A jolly, bawdy image that recalls the hero of the eighteenth-century novel Tristram Shandy ; also a drink in British pubs.
"blessed"
Has a positive meaning and a nickname feel. Sealey was a feminine name in medieval times but would be equally stylish (and rare) for both sexes now.
English word and nature name
Projects the sleek and playful image of the aquatic mammal, plus that of the striking British-born Brazilian/Nigerian/Afro-Caribbean singer (born Sealhenry).
Hippie name of the Jonathan Livingston Seagull era.
"owner of a farmstead"
Most people's sole association with this name is Oprah companion Stedman Graham -- cool and sophisticated.
"place in the willows"
Stiff and sedate surname name, despite its salty start.
"from the southern cliff"
Climbing a mountain somewhere with Radcliff and Heathcliff.
Animal name
"salmon, a fish"
nature names are in, and even fish names like Pike and Salmon are open for consideration.
"knight's attendant"
Old-fashioned, conjuring up an ardent suitor in a bow tie and straw boater.
"strong bear cub"
Variously spelled as Swithun or Swithin, this distinctive sounding name is belonged to St. Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon bishop known as the patron saint of Winchester and of the weather — making him the…
"roebuck leap"
Over the top for even the most ardent Anglophile. Sacheverell Sitwell was a member of the prominentliterary Sitwell family.
"tree stump"
Stockard Channing -- "West Wing" 's first lady -- picked this strong, Waspy first name over her original, Susan.
"near the stony meadow"
Perfect example of how your perception of a name can change when you apply it to the opposite gender: when used for a girl, Stanley suddenly becomes an attractive, upper-crusty name ala Ansley or…
"son of Simon"
Try Simon. Or Homer.