Updated October 2026
Across 180 pages
of 180
English
"land or river bend shaped like a nose"
A family name that wouldn't appeal to many parents.
"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…
Word name
Doctor is an honorific used as a name, somewhat like names such as Bishop, King, and Princess. Banned in New Zealand, Doctor can lead to the kind of confusion you may feel would be only positive for…
Word and occupational name
"writer"
An occupation name with a preppy, scholarly air, Author could fit in alongside Arthur and August or Chosen and Booker, in terms of sound and style. Author saw more usage that you might think in the…
English occupational name
Plummer might be an occupational name for someone who works with pipes -- yes, like a plumber -- or with feathers, from the Olde English (from the French) plume. Or it could indicate someone who…
English occupational name, carpenter or "nailer"
"nailer"
Unique name for the son of a woodworker.
"son of Simon"
Try Simon. Or Homer.
"island-dweller"
Intriguing meaning, but stuffy sound.
English word name
"a group operated under unified control"
Fleet is one of the uncountable number of new word name possibilities, and a particularly cool choice at that. Connoting speed, Fleet beats Rush any day. Might be short for Fleetwood, but we prefer…
English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.
"town near the moor"
An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.
Verle is a rare masculine name with Germanic origins, possibly derived from words meaning 'truthful' or 'honest man.' It may also be a variant of Verlin or Verlon, which share similar etymological…
English surname and place name
"Cyneburga's meadow"
Kimberly is a variation of the South African (and Australian) place name Kimberley, named after John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley. The name comes from a Norfolk earldom (first spelled…
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
"moor, meadow clearing"
Gently pleasant English family name long associated with 60-Minuteman Morley Safer.
English place-name
"the moors"
Moore is recommended as a rich and satisfying middle name choice, whether it relates to your own family history or not. Of the numerous outstanding Moore-surnamed namesakes, count sculptor Henry,…
Spelling variation of Dalton
Stick with the original.
"town by the lake"
Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character.
"from the meadow"
Undiscovered single-syllable surname option, a friendly alternative to Reed.
English, Scottish, and French place-name
Some definite downsides: Massive, Messy.