UK Baby Names

A color name, a gemstone name, and an ocean-inspired choice, Coral has a lot going for it with its sharp C sounds yet sweet vintage feel. Unlike Scarlett or Violet, however, it is only quietly used in the US these days, perhaps because of its similarity to more 'dated' Carol.
 
First appearing as a name during the Victorian craze for jewel names, Coral could never the less rise again alongside Ruby, Pearl and Opal — and as an alternative to Cora, Caroline, or Clara.

Coral

Irvin is an Old Man name that has an uncertain future.  Losing the final g in Irving makes the name slightly less dated -- but just slightly.  There's something about the 'erv' sound that makes Irvin and brothers feel unappealing. 

Irvin

This would be an intriguing choice for an illustrator's child, thanks to Norman Rockwell and Rockwell Kent. But most babies called Rockwell today are named after Porter Rockwell, a companion of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. 

Rockwell's last name is still going strong as a first name in Utah. In 2023, 66 baby boys in the US were named Rockwell, of which 20 were in the Western States, of which 14 were in Utah.

Of course, Rock and Rocky are adorable nicknames.

Rockwell

An English surname and place name, typically referring to someone who lives by or at the top of a hill, Bowden has similar sounds to other popular choices like Bodhi and Brody, or to Rowdy and Howie, depending in which pronunciation you choose to use. Also appearing as Boden or Beauden, it can also relate to the German word for "floor", to the French Beau, meaning "beautiful", or to the Old English name Bucge, meaning "fortress".
 
While Beauden is in the charts in the UK and New Zealand and Boden features in the US, Bowden is comparatively rarer. This may change in coming years, after dancer Dianne Buswell and YouTuber Joe Sugg chose it for their son born in 2026. The stars have chosen to pronounce it BOW-duhn (bow to rhyme with cow), though BO-duhn (Bo to rhyme with slow) is acceptable too.

Bowden

Charlene is a Charlotte variation that, along with similar names like Arlene and Marlene, spiked in popularity in the 1940s and fifties, reaching a high of Number 100 in 1949. Most parents today would prefer one of the note classic versions -- or even nickname Charlie.

Charlene

Has a bit of a hayseed image, and that oy sound is tough to work with. 

Boyd

Walker is an outdoorsy, Old Western-style name that leapt into the US Top 100 for boys back in 2022. Now, like a number of occupational names before it (think Sawyer, Palmer, and Parker), Walker is being used for an increasing number of girls. 
 
Rarely used as a feminine name before 2018, Walker is now used seven times more than it was a decade ago, with 120 girls receiving the name in 2023. Preppy, cool, and tough, Walker has a stylish-cowboy feel to it and could also work as a nod to the writer of The Color Purple, Alice Walker.
 
American television host Courtney Hansen used the name Walker as one of her daughter's middle names in 2014 — as a tribute to her mother's maiden name.

Walker

Cute but slight mix of stylish sounds Cam and Bree, chosen by Rick Schroder for his daughter. 

Cambrie

Tough, cool, and rugged, Ramsey is a Scottish and English surname that has plenty of potential as a given name. Similar in style to Murray, Murphy, and Rafferty, it was chosen for around 90 boys and 70 girls in the US in a recent year.
 
Also written as Ramsay, the surname comes from an Old English place name, meaning "garlic island", likely owing to the growth of wild garlic in the area. Today, it is perhaps best associated with chef Gordan Ramsey and actor Bella Ramsey, though other bearers include physicist Norman Foster Ramsey, radio personality Dave Ramsey, and footballer Aaron Ramsey, among many more. 
 
Villainous Ramsay Bolton in the series A Song of Ice and Fire and its adaptation Game of Thrones may however have tainted the name for some, and it should be noted that the Ramsay spelling is rarely used.

Ramsey

A modern choice with plenty of gravitas, Rexton blends regal Latin Rex with English suffix -ton. In tune with Kingston, Weston, Luxton, Ashton, Preston, Boston, and similar, it was a fast rising choice in 2025, given to 78 babies compared to 21 the year prior. 
 
Also the name of a hearing aid brand and a model of car, it may continue to rise in coming years thanks to its popular sounds and nickname Rex.

Rexton

Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred, Deborah, Millicent, and Gwendolen, it's not entirely out of the question that Mildred might make a return in coming years 
 Mildred is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that became popularized in England via the daughter of the 7th century saint and princess Ermenburga. Mildred herself became a saint and abbess in the 8th century and was noted for her kindness, especially to those made outcasts by society. Her name, meaning "gentle strength" was then fitting. 
 
In the US, she was a Top 10 choice from 1903 to 1926, with notable beaters including jazz singer Mildred Bailey and the character of Mildred Pierce, played by Joan Crawford in the hit movie of the same name.
 
Around 100 girls are currently called Mildred in the US each year.

Mildred

Tyrell is kind of part Tyrone and Tyler, part Terrell, though it has never made the US Top 1000. As a form of Terrell it means "to pull", from the French tirel and from here, it gets the additional meaning "stubborn", Terrell being given to an obstinate. Alternatively, it may mean "land", from terre.

Tyrell

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.
 
The Yiddish variation of Usher is commonly used in the Hasidic community.

Usher

With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future. Similar in cadence to popularly Everly, it was given to around 80 girls in a recent year.
 
Writer and parenting blogger Rebecca Woolf was well ahead of the trends when she named one of her daughters Reverie back in 2011, a twin to Boheme and sister to Fable and Archer.

Reverie

This is a name that deserves more attention. Cordell is an occupational name that, through its similarity in sound to Cornell, Denzel, Dashiell,  Boswell and Maxwell, feels both on-trend and upmarket.

Cordell

Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have sons called Harper.

Other high-profile Harpers, like author (Nelle) Harper Lee and starbabies Harper Burtka-Harris and Harper Beckham, are female, but it makes a handsome choice for either sex (and is in the US Top 1000 for both boys and girls).

Harper

Charity is one of the Big Three abstract virtue names, along with Hope and Faith, though far less widely used than the others. But as Faith, Grace and Hope grow more common, some parents are beginning to look at the more unusual three-syllable choices like Verity, Amity, Clarity and Charity, which sound much fresher and also have that pleasingly rhythmic 'y'-ending sound.
 In the Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit, there are two sisters named Charity and Mercy, who are known as Cherry and Merry.
 In the musical Sweet Charity the title character, Charity Hope Valentine, is an all too charitable girl with a heart of gold. In the novel"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" Charity Burbage is a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and in Two Broke Girls there's an Aunt Charity who's not very charitable.
 Charity was in the Top 500 in the 1880's and 1890's, remained in the Top 1000 until 1927 when it dropped from sight, then reappeared in 1968. For a period in the 1970's and eighties, Charity was a Top 300 name.

Charity

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into non-literary use in the 1840's, peaking in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s: Melinda was a Top 100 name from 1967 to 1980. It began to fade as nickname Mindy ascended. Nowadays, however, Melinda feels more contemporary than cousins Melissa, Mindy, Belinda and Linda.
Melinda is a name fashioned from two common elements in girls' names. Mel means honey or honeybee, or alternatively dark, and is found as an element in such names as Melissa and Pamela. Linda means beautiful.
 Melinda was the name of the lead character played by Jennifer Love Hewitt in Ghost Whisperer; her most prominent modern bearer is philanthropist Melinda Gates. If you don't like the nickname Mindy, you could go with Mel, Lin, or Lindy.

Melinda

Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period. 

Cambria

Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and Huck. 

 The traditional name of the full moon in July, Buck Moon, relates to the fact that the antlers of male deer reach their peak growth around this time of year.

Buck

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 43)