UK Baby Names

Celebrated in song—the rock 'n' roll classic "Louie, Louie"—this is a gregarious, friendly spelling of Louis which will hopefully get you the -ee pronunciation you want. A familiar choice in the late 19th- and early 20th-century, Louie re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 and is currently a Top 50 choice in England, Wales, and Scotland.
 
Ultimately derived from the Germanic Ludwig, via the French Louis, it combines a softer sound with a strong, warrior meaning. Also familiar in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, it may appeal to those who like Bennie over Benny, Albie over Alby, Margo to Margot.
 It's the given name of actor and comedian Louie Anderson.

Louie

Most famous as a Dracula victim (where Mina is short for Wilhelmina), Mina is a name that can stand on its own or be a diminutive of any name ending in -mina, most usually Wilhelmina.
This Old World German nickname name was popular in the US in the 19th century, then dropped from sight after World War II along with many other German names. That's turned around in the last 20 years, and Mina is now heading up the charts again.
Mina is also a nickname name that has its own nickname, Minka, used in many European countries and occasionally in the US, though usually identified as Polish.
Mina Loy was a modernist artist and writer who associated with the likes of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein.

Mina

A pretty princess-connected choice, with a compact, no-frills appearance, Tiana's debut in the US charts was likely thanks to actress Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant making her own debut in the 1975 movie The Killer Elite. Given to just 50 girls in 1974, but the following year, 247 babies received the name.
 
Familiarly used in the 80s and 90s, it was boosted up the charts again in 2010, after Disney bestowed the pretty name upon its first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog. It nearly doubled in use in the US, while in France, Slovenia, England and Wales, New Zealand, and Australia it also saw a surge in popularity.
 
Usually considered a diminutive form of Tatiana (meaning unknown), it may also come from Christiana ("Christian"), or Bastiana ("venerable, from Sebaste"). It may be pronounced as tee-AHN-uh or as tee-ANN-uh, while spelling variations included Tianna, Tianah, and Tiyana.
 
In recent years, Tiana has declined in popularity, however, it's not in anyway out of style: the latest count saw it given to 490 babies, placing it in the US Top 700.

Tiana

Hot young actor Alden Ehrenreich, the new Han Solo, gives this formerly-stodgy surname name an attractive new image, making it a fresh successor to Aiden or Holden. Before it got this fresh shine, Alden was among the classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/645/delicious-thanksgiving-names">Thanksgiving baby names</a>.

Alden

While Elliott and Elliot are well-established for boys, parents are now considering both these <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/79/boy-names-for-girls">boy names for girls</a>, too. 
 
Credit the possibility of nickname Ellie, as well as literary associations with writer George Eliot - born Mary Ann Evans.
 
Elliott is the spelling used by the lead character in the Aubrey Plaza movie My Old Ass.

Elliott

An Anglicized spelling of the Welsh Rhys, this traditional boys' name got a big boost for girls in the early 2000s, thanks to the high-profile Ms. Witherspoon (who was actually born Laura Jeanne Reese, her second middle being her mother's maiden name). This spelling has been on the decline for boys since 2003, possibly for the same reason, but remains a strong, simple choice which might pose fewer spelling and pronunciation issues outside of the UK than the Welsh original.

Reese

The uber-popular nickname-name Ellie has led to the surge of all names that can be shortened as such. This includes Eliana, a current go-to for parents seeking a frilly name that shortens to a cuter option. Aliana is riding a similar wave, though this time the presumed nickname is Ali/Allie.
 Aliana Lohan is the younger sister of Lindsay. She goes by Ali.

Aliana

Lachlan is as Scottish as haggis and tartan plaid kilts—a favorite used throughout England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand—and just beginning to be noticed in the US: it reached the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013. An ancient name, Lachlan was originally used to describe the Viking invaders of Scotland, those from the land of the lochs.
 Americans and Australians tend to pronounce the first syllable of the name like Lock, but the genuine Scottish pronunciation sounds more like Lack.
 In Ireland, the name was Anglicized as Laughlin; in Scotland the pet forms are Lach, Lachie, or Lockie.
 Lachlan has been a top name in Australia for at least a decade. It has been in the headlines recently via the eldest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
 Somewhat surprisingly, Lachlan has US presidential cred, as the son of tenth president John Tyler, whose other children included Lyon, Letitia, Tazewell, and Pearl.

Lachlan

Though Loretta has long ago lost its Latin flair, fashionable Sarah Jessica Parker's choice of it as the middle name of one of her twin daughters freshens it up a bit. It's one of several such names, like Anita and Rita that we can envision making a comeback.
 It's a name that was once strongly associated with the glamorous, long popular movie and then TV star Loretta Young (born Gretchen), as well as country singer Loretta Lynn--who was named after Loretta Young.

Loretta

Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names that's making a big comeback. Short and sweet, it joins Cora, Florence, Iris, and Ivy in the charts. 
 
Also the name of a saint, Flora has long been a favorite in Scotland where it was the name of the young heroine who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie make his way to the Isle of Skye. In Gaelic, her name was Fionnghal nic Dhòmhnaill, but the Anglicized Flora caught on with the Scots, who used it disproportionately compared to the rest of the UK until the 20th century.
 
Flora was a Top 100 name in the 1880s and 1890s but gradually descended until it finally fell off the list in 1972, but 2019 saw it return to the US charts in a big way. Now in the Top 700, it was given to 450 girls in recent year. Across the pond in Europe, it's even more popular: it ranks in the Top 300 in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and England and Wales, while in Hungary and Austria, it makes the Top 50. 

There have been a number of memorable Floras in literature, including the angelic yet eerie little girl in Henry James's Turn of the Screw, the exasperating but charming Flora Poste in Stella Gibson's Cold Comfort Farm, Flora MacIvor in Walter Scott's Waverly, and one of the three Good Fairies in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Flora is also the name of the eighth child and fifth daughter of Ballerina Farm Instastar Hannah Neeleman. 
 
Variations of the lovely Flora include the Italian Fiorella and Fiore, Spanish and Portuguese Florinda, Dutch Floor and Flortje, French Fleur, and English Floretta, Floy, and Flower.

Flora

Brinley was a surprise entrant to the US Top 1000 in 2009, however, in 2023, it doesn't feel surprising at all. In fact, alternative spellings Brynleigh and Brynlee also rank in the Top 1000, with Brynley not too far behind.
 
Combining the sounds of Brynn with popular suffix -lee, Brinley can also be an English surname. Either way, you get a contemporary sounding choice, in tune with Oakley and Everly, plus two possible nature-inspired meanings. 
 
Currently in the US Top 500, Brinley has declined in use in recent years, though it is still given to around 600 girls each year, while favored spelling Brynlee is given to double that. 
 
American wrestler Brinley Reece and social media and YouTube star Brinley Rich are notable bearers.

Brinley

Combining the sounds of Colton and Toby, Colby has been in the US Top 1000 since the 70s. It peaked in 2021, entering the Top 100 thanks to Colby Davidson's appearance on reality TV show, Survivor that same year. Currently on the rise in the UK, in the US, its popularity has been shaky, dipping one year, rising the next. Given to around 490 boys in 2024, it is also chosen for around 50 girls each year.
 
Derived from an English surname and place name, it is made up of the Old Norse elements koli and býr meaning "coal settlement". It could work as a fresh way to honor a Colin or a Nicole.

Colby

The seventh most popular surname in Scotland and an alternative to Camryn, Cameron, and Camila, Campbell is a cool, contemporary unisex choice — a no-frills sort of name that nevertheless offers feminine nicknames like Cammie and Belle. It was one of the fastest rising choices in 2025, rising 338 places up the charts for girls, and 159 for boys.
 
Traditionally used for as a masculine (given) name — and still used as such in the UK — it first started appearing in the US stats for girls in the late-80s. By the 2000s, it began to lean more feminine, perhaps owing to the journalist and TV news correspondent Campbell Brown (born Alma), who began appearing on TV around the same period. 
 As a surname, Campbell is connected to philosopher-writer Joseph, singer Glen, actress Neve, model Naomi, GB Shaw muse Mrs. Patrick, and to Andy Warhol's soup cans — and the soup company more generally. 
 Derived from a Scottish nickname, it means "crooked or wry mouth", though if you strongly dislike this meaning, it has additionally been written as de bello campo in Latin documents, giving it the more pleasant meaning "of the fair field".
 
Occasionally spelled as Cambell too, Campbell ranked as a gender neutral choice in a recent year, featuring in the Top 1000 for both boys and girls. Given to 337 boys and 474 girls, it is split 42:58.

Campbell

The name of the sainted mother of the Virgin Mary was among the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> for centuries, in both the original English Ann spelling and the French Anne. Both left the Top 100 around 1970 but Anne is still among the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/322/classic-baby-names-for-girls">classic names for girls</a>, although others are more likely to choose the original Hannah, the Anna variation, or even Annabel or Annabella.
Anne was on a long slide from the early 1980s until about 2010, when its popularity in the US stabilized around the middle of the Top 1000.
 Anne was the name of six queens of England, two of them wives of Henry VIII, as well as the name of the present Queen Elizabeth's only daughter plus French and Russian royalty. More recently, Mindy Kaling chose Anne for her second daughter.
 Anne has too many distinguished namesakes to enumerate--but among them are Anne Hathaway, (both Shakespeare's wife and the contemporary actress), Anne of Green Gables, Anne Bronte, Anne Frank, and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Anne

Lexi and Lexie, pixieish offshoots of the prolific Alex family, have come into their own. While it's on a gentle downslope, Lexi still ranks in the US Top 500.

Lexi

Boyish nickname name that first heard in the Ricki/Terri era but finding new favor among parents who love names like Billie and Frankie, Scottie and Stevie. Sister spelling Andie has also been on the rise in recent years, and when you combine the two, around 700 girls received the slightly retro moniker.
 
The various spellings of this name are commonly found in pop culture. Andi is the titular character in the Disney series, Andi Mack/. Andi Dorfman is a former Bachelorette lead. Spelled Andy, she is the main character of The Devil Wears Prada played by Anne Hathaway, while Molly Ringwald played Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink.

Andi

If Destiny is your daughter's destiny, she probably won't be the only one in her school: until 2009, Destiny was in the Top 50, with three of its alternate spellings in hot pursuit. It has since dipped a bit in popularity but is still widely used. Destiny Hope was the birth name of Miley Cyrus and Destiny Jones is the daughter or rapper Nas. 

Destiny

When actress Tamera Mowry named her daughter Ariah, she said it was a Hebrew name meaning "lion of God" -- which it is, if you consider Ariah a variation of Ariel. But many sources consider Ariah a spelling variation of the Italian Aria, meaning song or literally air. 

The Ariah spelling may cause some pronunciation confusion, especially if you want to pronounce the name AHR-ee-ah. But if you want to use the pronunciation rhyming with Mariah, this spelling will help clarify.

Ariah

A strong, if slightly dated sounding choice, Ronald made the US Top 10 in the late 1930s through into the mid-1940s, before it became heavily associated with President Reagan, as well as with the McDonald franchise mascot. More recently, it has appeared in the Harry Potter series, borne by Ronald "Ron" Weasley, while others may immediately think of its rhyme, Donald. All of these factors may work against Ronald making a big resurgence, but popular nickname Ronnie might make others reconsider. 
 
The Scottish form of Ragnvaldr, a name brought to England and Scotland by the Vikings, it means "ruler's counselor", giving it a hint of wisdom and strength. It currently appears in the US Top 600 and the UK Top 800, it was given to just shy of 500 American boys in a recent year. Short form Ronnie made the England and Wales Top 50, while the longer form is preferred in the US.

Ronald

Eliana is a multicultural name, popular in the US, the UK, The Netherlands, France and Brazil. With the popular nickname Ellie and the classic sounds of Anna and Eleanor, it is no wonder this name has caught on.
 
While the Eliana spelling is popular internationally, Ellianna is uniquely popular to the US, where it entered the US Top 1000 in 2016. Given to nearly 500 babies each year, it ranks in the lower half of the charts, behind the more popular Eliana, Elliana and Elianna. 
 A name with two distinct origins, Eliana and co can derive from the Latin name, Aeliana meaning "sun", or from the Hebrew elements , El and ana, combining together to mean "God has answered". 
 
While Ellianna itself currently ranks outside the Top 600, it is worth keeping in mind that when you combine all the Elianas, Eliannas, Ellianas, and Elyannas etc. together, it begins to feel more like a Top 20 choice, ranking similarly to Camila or Sofia rather than Scottie, Romina, and Amoura. 
 If you like Ellianna but were hoping for something less popular in the US, you could consider Evelina or Anneliese.

Ellianna

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 18)