UK Baby Names

Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010. 

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

Ricky

Mitchell has had something of a roller coaster ride, showing some panache in the forties and fifties, when it was seen as a sharper alternative to Michael with its cool Mitch nickname, slipping a bit, then resurfacing in the 90s when it reached as high as Number 71. Mitchell Pritchett is one of the leading characters on the TV sitcom Modern Family.
 Mitchell is an English/Scottish surname name, derived from a medieval nickname of Michael.

Mitchell

With sweet, sparky Rosalie revived and ranking in the US Top 200, this variant is also catching on. While some may consider it a modern, creative spelling, it has long been used in the US. In fact, it was in the Top 1000 from 1902, right up until 1951, and had appeared sporadically in the popularity charts before that too.
 
With plenty of vintage charm, Rosalee makes a cosy alternative spelling option to Rosalie, with the additional bonus that it could be read as a compound of Rosa and Lee, giving it the alternative meaning of "rose meadow". As such, it may work as a more direct honor name for those wanting to honor a Lee, but also fit in with other vintage choices like Marilee and Carolee. 
 
The name also appeared in the TV show Grimm, borne by the character Rosalee Calvert, played by Bree Turner. The airing of the show coincided with a renewed interest in Rosalee, which doubled in usage between 2012 and 2017.
 
A recent re-entry to the US Top 1000, it was given to around 270 girls in the last count. Rosalie by contrast was given to nearly 1700 girls, making it six times more popular.

Rosalee

Kinslee is a spelling alternative of Kinsley, a sweet, sassy choice in the style of Aubree or Bailee. It entered the US charts in 2014 and has been rising and falling in usage on a year-by-year basis, though it's peak was in 2017 when it ranked at #692.
 
Meaning "king's meadow", it was given to 269 babies in a recent year, compared to Kinsley which was chosen for 2671 girls: nearly ten times the number.

Kinslee

Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the US charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. 
 
Chosen for nearly 270 girls in a recent year — along with 21 boys — Love fits in with the likes of Dream, Blessing, Halo, Chosen, Dove, and Sunny. It was additionally used in the Marvel franchise, borne by the adoptive daughter of Thor; the release of the film Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022 coincided with the name entering the US stats for the first time. 
 
Used as a masculine name in Sweden, Love may also be said as LOO-veh if being viewed as a Swedish form of Louis,
 
Love Love but want something more subtle? Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Mabel, Amore, and Carys.

Love

This once perfectly respectable surname has suffered decades of abuse, not least by Jerry Lewis's character in the fifties. NFL running back Melvin Gordon stars for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Melvin

Enough parents have found naturalist Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, a worthy hero to keep Darwin relatively consistently in the Top 1000. It has a lovely meaning too—"dear friend."
 
A notable first name bearer is footballer Darwin Núñez.

Darwin

Wallace is so square could almost be ripe for a turnaround, especially with the hipness imparted by the British Claymation series Wallace & Gromit. And Wally makes an adorable Leave it to Beaver retro-style nickname. 
 A Top 100 name in the 1920s, as reflected in early film stars Wallace Beery and Wallace Reid, Wallace hung on in the Top 1000 until the early 1990s. A notable modern namesake is poet Wallace Stevens.
 Wallace stems from the names first given to the native British people as distinct from the Anglo-Saxons, later applied to the people living in Wales. Wallace is classically a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/428/scottish-baby-names">Scottish name</a>, popularized in the last century in honor of the medieval hero of the Scottish War of Independence. William Wallace--leading character in the film Braveheart.

Wallace

To some, Nancy is a sweet, sparkly, vintage choice with plenty of energy and style. For it strays too much into '"old-lady" territory to be cool again yet. It's out of fashion in France, New Zealand, and Canada; it lingers towards to bottom of the US charts. In the UK however, Nancy has been a Top 100 name for nearly a decade where it fits right in with Evie, Mabel, and Pippa.
 
Nancy originated as a contraction of "mine Ancy", with Ancy being a nickname for name Annis, a Medieval English variant of Agnes. Later, in the 18th century, it began to be used as a nickname for Ann too, but also as a name within its own right. This could give it the possibly meanings of "my pure and holy one" or "my grace". 
 It is also a French place name, though in this case, the name is likely derived from Nanciao, a Ghaulish personal name, which came from nanto, meaning "river or valley" in Proto-Celtic.
 
As a name in its own right, it has always been in the US Top 1000, peaking between 1931 and 1962 when it remained in the Top 20. In 1940 alone, Nancy was given to about 20,000 baby girls. In recent years, however it has been on a downward trend, and as of 2023, it was given to 280 girls, holding on to just a small fraction of the sway in held in the mid-century. 
 
Today, it might feel like a distinctly British choice then, nickname-y and old-fashioned, but pleasing to say and easy to spell. It also has a couple of interesting variations itself, such as Nan, Nance, Nanette, Nanny, Nansi, and Nanou.
 

Nancy is a major character in Oliver Twist and is fondly remembered by some as Nancy Drew, girl detective, while contemporary kids are enjoying the Fancy Nancy series. Frank Sinatra paid tribute to his daughter with the song "Nancy with the Laughing Face." Nancy also has political ties, via the mother of Abraham Lincoln, the wife of Ronald Reagan (born Anne), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy

One of many spelling variations of Cason, Caysen, Kasen, and so on, Kaycen made its debut in the US charts in 2025 when it was one of the fastest rising choices for boys. Climbing 241 places, it may have been propelled up the charts by the rise of Kayce, which appeared in the hit TV show Yellowstone. Chosen for 235 boys in the latest count, compared to 167 the year prior, it ranks significantly below Kasen, Kayson, Kason, and Kaysen, but not too far below Cayson, Casen, and Cason.
 
Likely created as mix of popular sounds, it may additionally have its roots in the surnames Cawston ("calf town") or Casey ("brave in battle").

Kaycen

Arden, the name of the magical forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It, is a stylish A name with a strong, straightforward image. Another reason to love Arden: its similarity to "ardent." Arden is solidly unisex, with the current gender distribution running about 49 percent girls and 51 percent boys.

 A locational surname name deriving from several places in England, there are multiple legitimate derivations for this name. One is from Old English earn "eagle" + denu "valley", while another is from the Celtic ard meaning "high".

 As a girl name, Arden has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a number of years, just missing out in a recent count when it was given to 237 girls. A solid Nameberry favorite, it currently ranks in the UK Top 800 for boys, where is leans notably more masculine (15:85)

 Arden is more familiar as a surname, as in cosmetics entrepreneur Elizabeth and actress Eve, and the narrative poem by Tennyson, Enoch Arden, along with Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden. 
 
A notable first name bearer is Arden Cho, actress and singer, and the voice of a lead character in hit movie, KPOP Demon Hunters, while social media influencer Lacey Douthat (of The Glitter Gospel) named her daughter Arden Laine in 2025.

Arden

Quinton is among several attractive Q-beginning, n-ending two-syllable <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">names for boys</a>, that also includes Quentin (the most popular iteration) and Quenton. They only suffer from their similarity and possible spelling confusion, ala girls' names Kristin, Kirsten and sisters.
 
Quinton has slipped a bit in the standings over the past few years but remains an appealing choice. Quinton may be a descendant of the Roman family name Quintus, which means fifth, or may also be an English place-name meaning queen's manor or town.

Quinton

Alec, a clipped British short form of Alexander, is less fresh than Alex, but leans more off-beat classic than Xander. Used since at least the 19th-century, Alec became particularly popular in the English-speaking world during the 1990s, possibly following actor Alec Baldwin's appearance in the movies Beetlejuice (1988) and The Hunt for Red October (1990). 
 
Used as both a full name and as a nickname, it has also been notably borne by actor Alec Guinness, writer Alec Waugh, and cricketer Alec Stewart. It's got literary credentials too, appearing in Maurice by E.M Forster, while in fiction more generally it has been used in Twilight, The Shadowhunters, GoldenEye, and Broarchurch.
 
Sharing the same strong meaning as long-form Alexander ("defending men"), Alec has been declining in recent years, possibly because it could easily get misheard as Alex, or because the aforementioned Alec Baldwin was accused (and later cleared) of involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed during filming in 2021. 
 
Ranking at #977 in the US in a recent year, it was chosen by Vice President J.D Vance and his wife Usha for their son, born in 2026. For some, this may spark renewed interest in the name, though others may be further put off.

Alec

Sweet and spirited, kindly and handsome, posh and approachable, Toby is a versatile nickname, popular in the UK as a stand-alone choice, but familiar in the Netherlands and New Zealand too. In the US, it had its heyday in the 70s but has since been outranked by long form Tobias.
 
Derived from the Hebrew Tobiah, meaning "God is good" (or more specifically, "Yahwah is good"), it has appeared in everything from Shakespeare and Dickens to The Office and Gravity Falls.

Toby

For centuries, this name had a romantic, windswept image due to its strong connection to the poet Lord Byron, who inspired its use as a first name. It is one of those surprise names that's appeared on the Top 1000 every year since 1880. 
 William Faulkner used Byron for characters in two of his novels--Light in August and The Town' It was seen as a character on Arrested Development (the real name of Buster), is the appellation of several high-scoring athletes, was given to his son by Lost 's Matthew Fox in 2001 and--trivia tidbit bonus--was James Dean's middle name.

Byron

Loyal is one of the few <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/373/virtue-names">virtue names</a> suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history.
 Loyal was a mid-list name at the end of the nineteenth century, reaching Number 555 in 1890. It has been on hiatus since 1948--and this might be the moment to bring it back as an unusual but usable choice with real meaning. Loyal probably originally signified devotion to country rather than person, but in either case, fidelity is a great attribute to impart to a child. And who knows?--maybe Loy could be the new Roy.

Loyal

Another spin on the mega-popular Adeline names, this form could stop any confusion about whether the ending is said lin, line, or leen, though with Adeline, Adaline, Adelyn, Adalyn, Adelina, and Adalynn all ranking above it, it may well be one of the last spellings people assume.
 
Ultimately from the Germanic element adal, via the French Adele and Adeline, Addilyn means "noble" or "nobility". It peaked in 2016 when it nearly made the US Top 300, however, recent years have seen it fall quite rapidly, and in a recent year, it was one of the least popular Adeline names in the Top 1000, only outranking Adalee and (the rising) Adele. 
 
Given to 364 girls, it is still substantially used however, and when combined with all its sister spellings, it is borne by a combined number of around 11760 babies, making it at least feel like a Top 10 choice

Addilyn

Elvis naming his daughter Lisa Marie and Nat King Cole's hit song "Mona Lisa" conspired to catapult one of Elizabeth's many offshoots to a high of #4 in 1970. 

 It has largely fallen from favor in the English-speaking world since then, but still ranks highly in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. It has a sweet and simple charm that could be ripe for an early revival in the US too.

Lisa

Blending the sounds of Bryce, Brian, Riley and Kylie, Brylee is a modern invention that ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2005 to 2022. It peaked back in 2012 when it was given to around 770 babies, but has since been in decline. Given to around 230 girls in a recent year, Brynlee and Oakley are now preferred. 
 
Possible meanings include "speckled meadow", "hill by the meadow", or " thorny woodland clearing", depending on what roots you follow.

Brylee

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 26)