UK Baby Names

Ellia is one of the newer entries in the extremely popular El group of names for girls, which includes Ella, Ellie, Elle and so on, as well as L-starting names such as Lillia. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Ellia last year, but we're afraid that the name will not sound as distinctive as it should due to so many other girls with similar names.

Ellia

Slightly more modern than Walter, but only just. 

Walton

Rising star Banks manages to sound both preppy and outdoorsy, both working the land and working in finance. Banx adds another layer of possibility to the name, giving it an edgy, ultra-modern vibe. 
 
Deriving from English surname, the original Banks spelling refers to rivers and hillsides and more specifically to the people who live and work on them. Used occasionally as a given name since the 19th century, Banks took off in the 2010s, and entered the Top 1000 in 2019.
 
Banx meanwhile was rarely, if ever, used before 2012 but has gained far more interest in recent years thanks to Banks' fame. A recent year saw it given to 55 boys, while Banks was chosen for nearly 1099 in comparison (or nearly 20 times as often). Bankston and Banksy are other rare variants of the name.

Banx

Singer Alanis Morissette made this twist famous. She was named for her father Alan, who is said to have spotted this version in a Greek newspaper. So far it has been pretty much a one-person name, but could make a distinctive update of Alana — especially with s-ending names making a comeback. Alanis is a Top 100 choice in Puerto Rico.
 
Singer Perrie Edwards and footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain named their daughter Alanis Valentine in 2026.

Alanis

This name is currently best known on The Bachelorette's Tenley Molzahn. In the 1950s, it was attached to the Olympic figure skating champion Tenley Albright, and Jessica Biel played a Tenley in the movie Summer Catch. 
The trendy ley ending makes Tenley feel familiar, but the unique Ten beginning sets is apart from more popular names like Hadley, Oakley, and OG fashionable ley-ending name Ashley.

Tenley

A less political spelling of the English surname Atlee or Attlee, borne by midcentury British prime minister Clement Attlee, this surname style name was a surprise new edition to the England and Wales Top 1000 in 2025. Part Ashley, part Atticus and Atlas, it blends familiarity and freshness. The name appeared in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, borne by Will Patton's character, Atley Jackson.

Atley

Arlo, an unexpectedly popular name for boys these days, is also finding new life as a girls' name. Its roots are primarily as an Irish or English surname, but it might also be a short form of the Spanish Carlos or Italian Carlo, forms of Charles.
 
The first name Arlo may be derived from the surname Arlow or the place name Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands". As a surname, it also has roots in a place name meaning "rocky hill".

 Arlo is a name with several unexpected lives thanks to celebrity associations. It was first known as the name of folksinger Arlo Guthrie, son of Woody; then it was revived by television's "Justified" character Arlo Givens. Now it's been spun again as a girl's name first by actor Johnny Knoxville and then by celebrity couple Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who chose it for their daughters, no doubt inspired by soundalike girl names like Harlow and Marlowe.

 Arlo Parks (born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) is an up-and-coming British singer-songwriter, winner of the Brit Award for best new artist and the Mercury Prize for album of the year in 2021. 

 A growing number of girls are named Arlo in the US each year, with a handful more babies of both sexes receiving the Arlow and Arlowe spellings, which take this cool retro name more into sleek surname territory.

Arlo

Jayce has been trending the last few decades, and while Jaycee may have a more feminine feel it would work for a boy as well, perhaps as a twist on Biblical Jesse or initial name, J.C. As it is invented, it doesn't have a specific meaning, though you may consider it an elaboration of Jay, meaning "jaybird", a form of Jason (via Jace) meaning "healer", or a blend of James and Casey, offering "vigilant supplanter". 
 
Given to around 60 boys compared to 300 girls in a recent year, Jaycee leans 84% feminine and 16% masculine. Country singer Cody Johnson and wife Brandi named their son Jaycee in 2025.

Jaycee

One of the quintessential midcentury combination names, Leanne was spelled any number of ways: Lianne, LeeAnn, Leigh-Anne, and so on.  Like many similar combo names -- Joanne, Maryann -- they're all dated now.

Leanne

Has a slight aura of danger, from its being two types of weapons and a looming character in the Star Wars films. Best left as a nickname for Mason. 

Mace

A blend of contemporary favorites, unisex Avery and Irish Maeve, Mavery has a whimsical meaning and melodic sound. Also spelled Maevery, it was given to around 70 girls in a recent year.
 
It could also be considered a blend of Mavis ("songbird") or Maven ("one who understands"), with either Avery ("ruler of elves") or Emery ("industrious").

Mavery

One of the more widely used combination forms.

Annalisa

Out-of-the-way place name (it's an antiquated holiday spot on England's south coast) that might make a brilliant choice. Actor/director Jon Favreau named his daughter Brighton Rose.

Brighton

Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice. 

Austen

A friendly nickname for several classic choices, Bennie has the charm of Ronnie, Reggie, Archie, and Alfie. Familiar in the US in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, some may be reminded of the Elton John song, Bennie and the Jets on seeing this spelling. 
 
Given to 61 girls and 53 boys in the US in a recent year, it is a currently gender neutral spelling, while Benny is in the Top 1000 in England and Wales and the US for boys.

Bennie

Rye has the potential to become the masculine version of Rue—a short and sweet name for nature lovers (and whiskey fans too!). Rye might be short for Ryder or Riley or Rylan or any Ry-beginning name, but increasingly it stands on its own. It can also be considered a place name, after the town in England.
 
Country artist Hailey Whitters and her husband, Jake Gear, chose this name for their son in 2025.

This grandpa-esque nickname, traditionally short for masculine names like Osmond, Oscar, or Oswald, is starting to get traction on its own, thanks to its cool, zippy sound. In the Top 1000 for boys in the UK and the US, it given to almost 550 American babies in 2024, 60 of them girl. And Jack Osbourne gave it celebrity cred when he named his newborn daughter Ozzy after his late dad.
 Derived from the Old English element os meaning "God" or "divine", or from the Irish oss meaning "deer", Ozzy can also be spelled as Ozzie, or for those outside of Australia, Aussie. 
 
 If you love the idea of Ozzy but want something a bit more substantial, you could consider it as a nickname to August or Augusta, Odessa, Océane or Ocean, Ostara, Theodosia, Zosime, or Dolores.

Ozzy

This ancient royal Scottish name had a brief vogue in midcentury America, but it would be far from a fresh choice for a baby boy now. 

Stuart

Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, updating the 80s darlings Blake and Ashley.

Blakeley

The further you move away from the original Briana, the feminine form of Brian first used by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queen, the more invented and less authentic you get.  But many parents want the distance from Brian as Breanna -- or Breana or Breeanna or any of the other variations -- feels more like its own name.

Breanna

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 50)