UK Baby Names

Mari enjoyed some mid-century popularity as a nicknameish version of Mary, but now deserves a second look as a multicultural classic. Popular in Norway and Armenia as a variation of Marie, it is also the name of a Basque goddess and an Estonian word name.
 
As a Welsh, Breton, Swedish, Norwegian, Finish, Portuguese, Spanish, Georgian, and Armenian choice, Mari ultimately comes from the Hebrew Miriam, via Mary, Maria, Marie, or Mariam, giving it the possible meanings "drop of the sea", "bitter" and "beloved". The pronunciation of the name would vary depending on where it is used, with MA-ree used in Welsh and Spanish, mah-REE used in Swedish, MAH-ree in Finnish, and MAW-ree in Hungarian and Norwegian. 
 
From its Basque roots, Mari has mythological ties, appearing in Basque legend as a goddess of nature, fertility, and the weather. She is said to live on the slopes of Mount Anboto and cares for both the environment and for justice. In this case, the name comes either emari or amari meaning "gift" and "mother" respectively. MA-ree is the pronunciation here. 
 
The name also has its roots in Japanese, though the meaning shifts depending on what Kanji combination is used. Possibilities include "truth", "genuine logic", "real village", "long distance", and "hemp, white jasmine". MA-REE is the pronunciation in this case.
 
Additionally, Mari may also be used in Korea as a name meaning "mountaintop" or "good, greatest", while in Estonia, it is both a Mary/Marianne variant, and a word name meaning "berry"! 
 
Finally, it is also a male saint's name, borne by Mari of Edessa, venerated by the Assyrian Church. His name may relate to Mary or to the Latin Maris meaning "sea".

Mari

Benton is an old English surname of a type usually given to local landowners. It is also recorded in early records as Beneton and Bentune. Benton newly returned to the Social Security list in 2011 after a forty-plus year absence, perhaps as a fresh route to Ben.

Benton

This modern mash up of Kendrick and Hendrix felt almost bound to happen. Perfect for parents wanting something cool and contemporary but also familiar, Kendrix has in fact been quietly used since the 70s. Given to 145 baby boys in 2024, up from 110 the year before, the increased popularity of the name is likely owing to rock musician Jimi Hendrix, rapper Kendrick Lamar, and (female) Power Ranger, Kendrix Morgan. 
 
Kendrick derives from the Welsh Cynwrig meaning "champion", the Anglo-Saxon Cyneric, meaning "royal ruler", and the Scottish and Gaelic surname, MacEanraig, meaning "son of Henry", or "son of the home ruler". Hendrix meanwhile comes from Hendrik, a variation of Heinrich and Henry, again meaning "home ruler", so it might make most sense to associate this hybrid name with this meaning in particular.

Kendrix

Nell, once a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor, is a sweet old-fashioned charmer that is fashionably used today in its own right. While Nell is perfectly in tune with contemporary vintage name style, it hasn't taken off the way some of its sisters have and so maintains an air of distinction. Use Nell or Nellie as a short for any name from Eleanor to Penelope or just name her Nell.
 Nell was the pet name Franklin D. Roosevelt called his wife Eleanor (along with Babs), the famous Little Nell in Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop was Elinor, and the infamous mistress of Charles II, Nell Gwynne, was born Eleanor as well.
 Nell was the belle of the ball in the US back in the late 19th century but has been off the charts since 1956. Meanwhile across the pond in England and Wales, it a much more on-trend choice, currently in the Top 400, though it has seen a decline in use in recent years. 
 Sister name Nellie has been rising faster however, and entered the Top 100 in the UK for the first time in 2023; Nelly also ranks in the UK, just behind Nell. In the US, Nellie saw a big jump in a recent year and reached the Top 600, which might make Nell feel more popular than it is. 
 Jodie Foster played the title character of the 1994 movie Nell, and Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton named their daughter Nell, keeping the family tradition of names related to Helen.

Nell

Popular in the US from the 1920s to the 1950s, Arlene is of uncertain origin and seems to be a modern innovation, perhaps based on names like Marlene and Darlene which were popular around the same time. Nowadays, the -lene names are mostly outdated, although the recent rise of retro Arlette could make Arlene seem plausible again as well.

Arlene

On one hand, Elanor is a spelling variation of the classic Eleanor with a slightly lighter, contemporary look about it. Usually said to derive from the Latin phrase, alia Aenor meaning "other Aenor", the exact origins and meaning of Eleanor are unknown. 
 
Parents choosing this spelling however might be thinking of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings rather than the stately classic. Within the fictional world. the name comes from a yellow, star-shaped flower and means "sun star" in Sindarin. This gives the spelling an edge perhaps, in that it's a literary creation and has a single meaning.
 
While Elanor has been given as a name throughout history, it started to see significant use in the early 2000s, around the time the Lord of the Rings films were first released. Currently trending upwards, the name was given to 128 girls in the US in a recent year, joining Tolkien-inspired name Arwen as a distinctive but wearable nod to the epic high fantasy novels.

Elanor

If you're seeking a solid but underused occupational name with a warm, friendly sound, and an earthy feel, Granger is one to consider. Associated with faming, grain, and the outdoors, it fits in with the likes of Colton, Sawyer, and Cooper, with a hint of classic George about it too. 
 Granger is much better known as a surname — think mid-century actors Stewart and Farley -- though currently, the fictional Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series may well be people's main association. For some that could be a plus while for others, it would be a strike against it, but nevertheless, sound and style wise, Granger makes an uncommon but accessible first.
 
The name appeared briefly in the US Top 1000 back in 2021, but has declined slightly since then, with a recent count showing it was used for about 180 boys in a year.

Granger

Kenley is an area in the burrough of Croydon in South London, making this a place name in a couple of senses of the term. Kenley and its twin sister Kenlee may be favored by parents looking to name a daughter after dad Ken...or Lee.
Kenley is technically a unisex name, with about a fifth of the babies named Kenley in the US male.

Kenley

Though it still swims out of sight below the Top 1000, Lowen jumped more than a thousand places in rank for girls between 2022 and 2023, a mark of a name destined for far greater popularity. Nearly a hundred baby girls were named Lowen in the US last year.

It's also on the rise for boys, though less dramatically in the US. About 80 boys were named Lowen, making this name solidly gender-neutral. In the Netherlands, Lowen is the fastest-rising name for baby boys.

Lowen

A popular choice in the US in the early 20th-century, Lester made the Top 100 consistently for 46 years between 1886 and 1931. It then remained in the Top 500 until the mid-80s before dropping out of the charts in the late 90s. Since then, it's been given to around 100 babies each year, making it an out-of-style but not forgotten name. 
 
Derived from the English place-name and surname, Leicester, this streamlined, phonetic form was in its prime alongside Elmer, Chester, Sylvester, Hester, Melvin, and Leroy. Its meaning comes from the Latin castra, referring to a fortified or military camp, blended with the name of a river. 
 
While retro and vintage names are on trend at the moment, contemporary parents may be put off by Lester's similarity and rhyme with "molester" or "pester", preferring instead options like Ledger and Everest, or alternative vintage names such as Walter, Wes, and Maurice.

Lester

Craig is a single-syllable baby-boomer name, still common in its native Scotland, but most modern Americans would prefer something like Kyle.

Craig

Elvin had his peak in the 1920s — which was when jazz musician Elvin Jones was born — but parents are still using it for over 100 boys a year. That's less than Kelvin, but more than Delvin.

Elvin

Aside from President Wilson (born Thomas), most Woodrows, including Herman, Guthrie, and Harrelson, have chosen to be known as Woody, which says it all. 

Woodrow

A variation of the popular Adeline, Adilene appears in the title of a popular song by Mexican band, Los Yonics. It may be inspired by the Biblical place name Abilene or perhaps by the Arabic names Adlene, Adlan, and Adil,  meaning "just, fair".

Adilene

Ervin is an old-school great-grandpa name, like Irving and Ernest, that may just be ready for revival. It's also a well-known name in Hungary and elsewhere in central and eastern Europe. As a surname, it's associated with jazz sax player Booker Ervin.

Ervin

Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt. 

Kent

A superlative word name along the lines of Saint, King, Princess, and Chosen, Royal was mostly used for boys — as in Wes Anderson's anti-hero Royal Tennenbaum — until Lil' Kim named her daughter Royal. Reign in 2014. While it was Reign that really took off for girls, Royal also got a boost and entered the Top 1000 in 2015.
 
Associated with kings, queens, princesses, and power, Royal has a cool but lofty air: it feels totally modern while also evoking history. Also used as a surname (in which case it likely denoted someone who worked in the royal household), it comes from the Latin regalis and rex meaning "king".
 
Recent years have seen it fall to the latter end of the US charts while it remains a high ranking option for boys. Longer form Royalty, however, rankers more highly as a girl name.

Royal

A key cheerleader in the nickname game of the 1970s, Stacy is now the mom. Consider Stacia, or the original Anastasia. 

Stacy

This lively Scottish surname is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Coinnich, Coinnich being one of the original Gaelic forms of Kenneth.
 
As a given name, it caught on for girls in a big way starting from the 1970s in the US, thanks to the actress Mackenzie Phillips. Before that it was rare as a given name, never used on more than 4 babies a year until 1973. The following year it appeared for the first time as a boy name, and while it has always remained more popular for girls, it has been consistently used on boys.
 
Across the pond in the UK meanwhile, Mackenzie, or the slightly preferred spelling, Mckenzie, is far more familiar on boys than it is on girls. It peaked at #109 for boys in 2005 (#303 for girls the name year), and while it has now left the Top 1000, Mckenzie remains.
 
Currently used on 86 boys a year in the US (compared with around 1740 girls), Mackenzie is actually trending slowly upwards among baby boys, despite trending downwards for girls. With in-built nicknames Mack and Kenzo, perhaps Mackenzie will be considered more often in the future, as an alternative to the likes of Malakai, Avery, and Maverick.

Mackenzie

There are ordinary folk named Prince, Earl, and Duke, so why not this rank of nobility as well? Many spellings compete, the most common being Marquis, Marquise, and Marquez. Rapper 50 Cent chose the Marquise version for his son; David Caruso chose Marquez.

Marquis

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 38)