UK Baby Names

The poetic, soft-spoken Auden has recently started to be considered as a first name option, used for both sexes, appreciated for its pleasing sound as well as its link to the distinguished modern Anglo-American poet W.H. Auden.

Auden

Cosy and warm but with plenty of substance and strength, Tess is a literary diminutive that works perfectly well as a stand-alone name. Stylish in the Netherlands, it currently sits outside the Top 1000 in the US, where Tessa and Teresa are currently preferred. 
 Perhaps the most iconic and memorable Tess is the heroine of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the moral center of the tragic novel. Typically derived from Theresa, the name is associated with harvest time, though it may also be used as a nickname sunny Welsh Tesni, aristocratic Contessa, and rare Otessa. 
 
The name ranked in the US and UK charts back in the 2000s and 2010s, but has since been displaced by longer form Tessa, but we could easily see it returning to the charts in coming years. Chosen by fashion writer Plum Sykes in 2010 and by actor Luke Macfarlane in 2023, other notable bearers include writer Tess Gerritsen and presenter Tess Daly. 
 
International alternatives include Swedish Tessan and Dutch Tessel.

Tess

Short form of Donald -- or more stylishly, Donahue or Donovan -- that's acquired a new sixties-era suaveness thanks to Mad Man Don Draper.  The name also carries a Sopranos or Godfather-style double entendre.

Iconic folk singer Joni Mitchell lends this vintage nickname a cool, bohemian feel, while the streamlined spelling feels more contemporary and confident than the sweeter, cosier Joanie. While it may have disappeared from the US charts back in the 1980s, over in the nicknaming-loving UK, Joni has ranked in the Top 500 in recent years. 
 
Used as a nickname for Joan (the feminine form of John, meaning "God is gracious"), Joni could also work as a diminutive for Joanna or Josephine. Given to 106 babies in the US in a recent year, it has serious potential to rise along with other cute and spunky retro nicknames like Sadie and Edie, Billie and Birdie.

Joni

Lane is a unisex name equally accessible to boys and girls. Breezy, cool and contemporary, it might equally put in mind country lanes and banks of wildflowers. 
 
As a word name, Lane means "small roadway or path", however, it could easily be used as a nickname or diminutive of Delaney, ("dark river"), Elaine ("shining torch"), or similar. Currently as a given name, it is used nearly 14 times more often on boys than it is on girls, however, the Layne spelling is used more evenly, the Laine form leans feminine, and Lainey is a Top 1000 choice for girls. 
 
As a common surname, Lane is attached to such celebrities as Diane and Nathan, while as a given name, it it used in the English translated version of the novel Concerning My Daughter by Hye-Jin Kim.

Lane

Amaria is one of those rare names that sounds like a familiar and well-known choice. Part of this is done to its similarity to the likes of Amara, Amelia, Maria, and Aria, but another factor is it its multicultural roots. 
 
As an English name, it could be considered an elaboration of the Igbo Amara, meaning "grace" or an elaboration of classic Maria, meaning "bitter, beloved or drop of the sea". As an Arabic name, it could come from Ammar, meaning "to live long and thrive" or possible Amira, meaning "princess, ruler". 
 
From it's Hebrew origins, it could be a form of the masculine name Amariah, now considered unisex in the US. In this case, it would mean "Yahweh has said". There's also the possibility that it comes from the Greek Amaryllis or Maira, with the glittery meaning "to sparkle".
 
Other sources suggest it comes from the Sanskrit and Hindi Amariya, meaning "eternal" or from the Spanish and Portuguese name Amaro, meaning "bitter".
 
Given to around 110 girls in a recent year, it is currently outside the US Top 1000.

Amaria

A surname-style choice with jazzy ties to Cab Calloway and a more sporty association leant to it by a golfing company, Callaway has seen moderate gains in the US since the 2000s. In a recent year, 67 boys (and 58 girls) received the name, while alternative spelling Calloway was given to 87 boys (and 22 girls). 
 
The name may be viewed as an Anglicization of the French place name, Caillouet-Orgeville, meaning "pebbly place" from its Norman roots. Alternatively, it may be seen as a variation of the Scottish Galloway meaning "place of the foreign Gaels".

Callaway

A distinctive surname that, despite its meaning, has a cowboy swagger, a la Autry. 

Gentry

A spelling variation of stylish Tiana, the form would likely get you to the tee-ANN-uh pronunciation more intuitively. Popularized by actress Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant back in the 70s and 90s, and then by the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog in 2009, Tianna may be considered a short form of Tatiana (from Latin Tatius, meaning unknown), or perhaps from Christianna ("Christian"). 
 
Less popular than its counterpart, Tianna did rank in the US charts between 1987 and 2011, but fell out of favor, likely because the Disney film has meant Tiana is the go-to.

Tianna

More universal than Elvis...and more conventionally attractive, too. Cindy Crawford used it for her son, though it's on the rise mainly for girls. 

The last time Presley ranked in the Top 1000 for boys was 1903, 120 years ago. Today, it's used for girls 14 times as often as for boys, mainly because of the -ley ending.

Presley

Hundreds of families have adopted this Scottish name, attracted by its trendy Ty beginning and upbeat second syllable. (Tyrell and Tyrese are also increasing in popularity. ) Tyree Glenn was a great jazz trombonist. 

Tyree

Used occasionally for boys since the early 20th century, Whitley became a hit for girls in the 80s following its use in the show It's a Different World. Recent years have seen it come back into style and this time, it's on the rise for boys too. While it is still used for girls nearly 85% of the time, it has doubled in popularity for boys since 2020.

Whitley

Winslet, Elowyn, Winnie, Winter, and Winry are all in use, so how about this Old English surname, which gets you that trending -ley ending too? Literally meaning "Wine's clearing", it more figuratively means "friend's clearing" or "friend's field", making it a cool way to honor a friend or someone called Winston, Winifred, or similar. 
 
The name of a village in the south of England, the name was given to 110 girls in a recent year, compared to 48 the year prior. Content creator Elyse L (lined.by.love) chose it for her daughter in 2025.

Winsley

A vintage short form of Roberta or Barbara, Bobbi fits into the boyish nicknames for girls renaissance. It's already ranked in the England and Wales Top 1000 in recent years. 
 
Barbara "Bobbi" Morse is part of the Marvel universe as Mockingbird, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. You may also be familiar with makeup artist Bobbi Brown, and her eponymous cosmetic line.

Bobbi

Radical Bradley. Radley is also the surname of one of the heroes of To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley is a reclusive and mentally challenged neighbor who saves the Finch children.

Radley

A modern(ish) invented name, only in widespread use since the 20th century. It is a combination of the English word darling and the popular midcentury suffix -lene. It was recently used on a character in the BBC comedy-crime drama, Death in Paradise.

Darlene

This attractive Scottish surname choice, has a certain amount of glamour thanks to feisty British-born red-haired forties Academy Award winner Greer Garson, who was born Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson--Greer was her Irish mother's maiden name).
Greer was chosen much more recently by Kelsey Grammer for his daughter and by Brooke Shields in the Grier form. As a surname, it's associated with feminist writer/activist Germaine Greer.
 Greer makes a good, strong, sophisticated and distinctive middle-name prospect.

Greer

Has an upscale aura, perhaps due to the luxury James Bond Aston Martin car. 

Aston

Richie was once a popular enough nickname for Richard that it made the Top 1000 all by itself, blending in with Ronnie, Reggie, Robbie, and Randy. In the US, it last appeared in the charts back in the 70s, but its still in style in the UK where a recent year saw it rank at the latter end of the charts, alongside Drew, Wilf, and Bobbie.
 
In the US, it's still out of style, though in the latest count, it was given to around 85 boys, just as it was back in the 90s.

Richie

Pippa, a peppy condensation of Philippa that turns it from serious to sprightly, has come into the public eye in a big way via the former Kate Middleton's sister. 
 
Pippa can and is given as a name in its own right, and may also be short for names other than Philippa: Penelope, for instance, or Patricia, or the more out-of-the-box Philippine.
 
Heard far more in the UK (where it's currently in the Top 200) than the US, Pippa has been used on its own since the nineteenth century, popularized by Robert Browning's dramatic poem, Pippa Passes. A recent book and film was titled The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
 
Expectant parents should be warned, however, that the word pippa or pipa has an unsavory slang meaning in several European languages, including Italian, Swedish, Polish, and Greek.

Pippa

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 41)