UK Baby Names

With the still popular Allison ranking at Number 60 in the United States, and variant Alison sitting at Number 343—not to mention Allyson (Number 490 and Alyson (Number 835)—it makes sense that Alisson is still getting some attention from parents today, although it may unfortunately seem more like a spelling error than a legitimate name to some.
 
Alisson had a significant rise of over 100 places in 2022, with parents possibly influenced by Brazilian footballer Alisson Euler de Freitas Castro, frequently known by just his first name.

Alisson

Analeia combines three popular elements: classic and international Ana, the pop cultural, Star Wars inspired Leia, and the Biblical Leah. It was one of the fastest rising names in the US in 2024, when it entered the Top 1000 for the first time, and again in 2025, when it climbed 400 places up the charts.
 
As a Portuguese and Brazilian name, it is an alternative spelling of Analeah — Leia being a Portuguese form of the Biblical classic. In this case it would be pronounced as u-nu-LEE-u (u like the sound in up) and might be interpreted tomea "graceful but weary" or "gracious in grief." 
 
As an English name, it is a smoosh of Ana and Leia, and while the meaning remains the same — Leia having been drawn from Leah — the ending would be pronounced "LAY-uh", just like the Star Wars princess.
 
Given to 579 babies in a recent count — twice as many as the year prior — you could also consider the less popular Annaleia if you're put off by the first four letters together.

Analeia

Soft and simple, but no less magical, Faye is enjoying a quiet spell of popularity in the US. It broke the Top 1000 in 2014, and by 2023, was one of the fastest rising names on the charts. Faye is a perfect example of a name that fits in and stands out, recognizable and yet unexpected. It also makes a beautiful middle name option, if Mae and Rae are feeling too overdone.
The original Fay, Morgan le Fay, was a sorceress of the Arthurian Legends. Faye may also be used as a short form of Faith.

Faye

Clover is a charming, perky choice if you want to move beyond hothouse blooms like Rose and Lily, and it's recently become a new celeb favorite, chosen by both Neal McDonough and Natasha Gregson Wagner, who used it to honor her mother, Natalie Wood, one of whose most iconic films was Inside Daisy Clover. 
 Clover also has a long association with good luck, via the four-leaf clover, and through the shamrock symbol of Ireland. It first came to wide notice via a couple of soap opera characters.
 In the movie The Good Shepherd , Angelina Jolie's character is called Clover--but her birth name was actually Margaret.

Clover

Before there was Aspen, Denver was the Colorado city name of choice, and it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after a 14 year absence as a stylish two-syllable boy name with its trendy -er ending. Its decade of greatest use was the 1920s, when it reached as high as Number 422, though the 2020s have seen it rise up to the #518 mark, given to nearly 580 boys.
 
One noted Denver was actor Denver Pyle, who played Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard. The state capital was named for politician James W. Denver, and others who bore the surname include singer John (born John Deutschendorf), and actor Bob, the face of Gilligan's Island.

Denver

Though perhaps not as currently stylish as Ruby, Jade, or Pearl, Amber has a colorful history (remember the notorious Forever Amber heroine?). Unfortunately, it does come with the "Amber Alert" connotation for modern parents (and their children).

Amber

A name which strikes the balance between gentle and strong, Truett has been a fast rising option in the 2020s. Given to 131 American boys in 2019, a more recent count saw it given to 578, placing it just outside the Top 500. 
 
Ranking alongside Tru and Truce, Truett likely comes from the English place name Trewhitt, which takes its meaning from the Old Norse tyri meaning "dry resinous wood" and the Old English whit, which means "river bend". As such, it's an outdoorsy, nature-connected choice, with the additional appeal of sounding adjacent to the virtue Truth.
 
In fact, it is also considered a variation of the Germanic Treuhardt, meaning "true, faithful" and "strong, brave", reinforcing the more virtuous associations.
 
Some may well relate the name to the Baptist church in the Southern USA due to former leader George Truett. Others may think it sounds like "truant" or, more favorably, "truest".

Truett

Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name. 
 
Deriving from the classic Katherine, Kate has been used since the Middle Ages. It might have emerged from one of the possible Greek origins of the name, Aikaterine, to get that longer 'A' sound. 
 
Kate has an image that's independent, smart, and energetic, recalling Kate Hepburn, the heroine of The Taming of the Shrew/Kiss Me Kate, and contemporary Kates: Winslet, Hudson, Moss, Spade and Beckinsale. Cate Blanchett has helped popularize an alternative spelling of the name, while Kate Sheppard was a prominent member of the New Zealand suffrage movement and played a key role in making New Zealand the first country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections. 
 Kate is also the female equivalent of Jack as a favorite character name in the movies, TV, and books. It's down-to-earth yet classy, common yet cool.
 Kate has always been, and remains, mega popular in Ireland, where it ranks in the Top 100, and more recently, it has found favor in Latvia and The Netherlands. Elsewhere, however, it has declined in use since its moment in the 90s and 2000s. In England and Wales, Kitty, Katie, and Caitlyn are now preferred, while Kate is out of the Top 1000. In the US, it was still given to around 570 girls in a recent year, but is on a downward trend.

Kate

Marlowe is very much in the air, with its lovely -o ending and the modern twist it offers on the likes of Margaret, Margot, Martha, and Marlene. But is it Marlowe, Marlow, or Marlo? Well, for a girl in the US at least, it's probably Marlowe, with this spelling the only one to appear in the Top 1000. 
 
With the intriguing meaning "driftwood", Marlowe was one of the fastest rising names of 2024 in the US, when it was given to more than 475 girls. It also rose slightly for boys, however, 90% of all Marlowes born were assigned female. As for Marlo and Marlowe, they also saw a small increase in used for girls 75% and 55% of the time respectively. It is worth noting however, that Marlo and Marlow rank in the UK Top 1000 for boys, so ne sure to check the stats where you are.
 Marlowe is, of course, a popular surname, going back to sixteen century poet and playwright Christopher and also exemplified by iconic Raymond Chandler private eye Philip.
The name first achieved prominence when Margaret Julia Thomas aka That Girl became known by her nickname Marlo. More recently, Jason Schwartzman used the e-ending version for his young daughter, Marlowe Rivers, as did Sienna Miller for her baby girl Marlowe Ottoline.

Marlowe

Sweet Charlotte nickname Lottie might be considered a nostalgic great-grandma name that conjures up lockets and lace, and — like Nellie, Josie, Hattie, Tillie, and Milly — has considerable vintage charm. In the UK, however, it feels like a totally familiar choice, having ranked in the Top 1000 since the 90s, the Top 100 since 2014, and the Top 50 since 2023. 
 
In the US, it was Top 100 name at the end of the 19th-century, but fell off the popularity list in 1960 with classic longform Charlotte remaining the preferred option. Now, with "nicknames-as-given-names" truly back in style, it made its reappearance in the US charts back in 2022 and has since risen to sit just outside the Top 500 in a recent year.
 
Sharing the meaning of Charlotte, Charles, and Caroline ("free man"), Lottie notably appears in the novel The Little Princess and in the film The Princess and the Frog.
 
While Charlotte is the classic full name for Lottie, you might also consider it a nickname for Loretta, Liselotte, and Ottilie. And if you love Lottie but want something less popular, there's Lettie, Dottie, Lissy, Leni, and Lolly.

Lottie

Ridge may be the quintessential daytime drama name, but it's still better than most. This is one word name rising rapidly through the ranks, reentering the US Top 1000 in 2015 for the first time since 1989.

Ridge

As parents were finding too many Tylers at the neighborhood playground, they began looking to Tyson as an alternative, no longer concerned with possible connections to Mike Tyson or Tyson chicken. 

Tyson

The e-addition takes the name from slightly hippie-ish nature name to the place name of a picturesque island off the coast of Scotland, and for baby namers it's by far the more popular spelling. 
 Skye entered the girls' list in 1987, a year after the introduction of Skye Chandler, a popular character for decades on no fewer than three soaps—All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital.
 As a first name, Skye is a sleek gender-neutral choice, used for ten times as many girls as boys. It makes a lovely middle-name choice.

Skye

This sweet nickname name has seen a recent revival in the US, breaking the Top 1000 in 2019 for the first time in 40 years. By 2024, it became one of the fastest rising girl names, chasing sister name Eleanor up the charts, spurred on by the rise of other vintage gems like Margot, Millie, Willa, and Lottie. 
 
Nellie is an elaboration of Nell, a medieval diminutive of names starting with El, such as Eleanor and Ellen, though it equally works for Penelope, Antonella, and more. It may have arisen from the affectionate phrase "mine El" which was later reinterpreted as "my Nel", much like "mine Anne" became "my Nan" and then "Nancy". 

Nellie is an international choice, well-used throughout Europe. She is one of the top names in England and Wales and Sweden, while succinct spelling Nelly is also popular in Czechia and the UK. Over in the US, Nellie was given to around 590 girls, and featured in the Top 600.

Nellie

A cool, windswept, surfer babe-magnet in 1965, a nice dad -- or even granddad -- today. 

Scott

This punchy surname has some favor in the last couple of decades—potentially due to rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was one of the quickest rising boy names in 2013 when it reached its high point at #318. It has since declined in popularity, but as of 2024, it remains in the US Top 500 and in the UK Top 1000.
 
The name has a number of origins and meanings, one of which is from the Welsh Cynwrig meaning "champion". Alternatively, it can derive from the Anglo-Saxon name Cyneric, meaning "royal ruler" or "king", and from the Scottish and Gaelic surnames, MacEanraig or <Machendrie, which ultimately mean "son of Henry", or "son of the home ruler".
 
Given to 641 boys in a recent count, notable bearers include baseball player Kendrick Nunn, footballer Kendrick Norton, drummer and bandleader Kendrick Scott and science writer Kendrick Frazier.

Kendrick

Bruce is a Norman place name made famous by the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who won Scotland's independence from England in the fourteenth century. Hugely popular in the 40s and 50s, it has since declined in popularity, but nevertheless remains in the US Top 600 and has featured consistently in the latter end of the England and Wales Top 1000 since the 90s.
 
A nature connected choice, meaning "from the brushwood thicket" or "from the willow land", Bruce has a plethora of famous connections: Lee, Springsteen, Dern, Forsyth, and Willis being just a few. Noteworthy fictional Bruces include Batman's Bruce Wayne, Marvel's Bruce Banner, and the shark from Finding Nemo, while in Australia, the name was at one time Bruce was so widespread, it became a nickname for any Ozzie man. 
 
Strong and solid, but perhaps a little too close to word brute for some, could Bruce regain some of its lost popularity in coming years, riding on the back of word name Truce? Time will tell, but an interesting alternative is Brix, the Normandy place name where the Bruce family originated.

Bruce

The combined inspiration of reggae master Bob and the dog-loving romp "Marley and Me" catapulted this name up the chart in recent years.  But what goes up....

Marlee

A lovely (and uncommon) longer form for Nora, one of the most fashionable international nickname names around. Lenora fell off the US charts in the 70s, but just re-entered in 2022 as parents' love for short forms Leni and Nora is growing.

Lenora

Augustine is more substantial (and saintly) than August, less pretentious than Augustus, and, along with its nickname Gus, is definitely a viable choice. 
 Augustine is actually the diminutive form of Augustus and achieved its fame via the great fourth century saint, St. Augustine of Hippo, whose teachings and writings had a great effect on early Christianity.
 A major character in Uncle Tom's Cabin is Augustine St. Clare. The full name of the author of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake is James Augustine Aloysius Joyce.
 Model Linda Evangelista chose the French form Augustin for her son, also used by Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger as a middle name for their son James.
 The Spanish Agustin is experiencing a wild burst of popularity in South America: in recent years it has been the number one name in Uruguay and in the Top 5 in Argentina.

Augustine

Baby names from the UK include names with origins from through the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, along with Manx and Cornish names from those corners of the kingdom. UK baby names encompass a wide range of styles, from some of the most popular names throughout the English-speaking world, such as Jennifer and Mason, to such unique baby names as Nolwenn, Pembroke, and Sholto. There are hundreds more UK names that are just as unusual.

They along with all the names in the Nameberry database that originate in the English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, Cornish and Manx languages and cultures appear on this master list of UK baby names. 

Baby names from the UK include names with origins from through the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, along with Manx and Cornish names from those corners of the kingdom. UK baby names encompass a wide range of styles, from some of the most popular names throughout the English-speaking world, such as Jennifer and Mason, to such unique baby names as Nolwenn, Pembroke, and Sholto.  (Page 16)