UK Baby Names
- Macallister
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"son of Alasdair"Description:
Macallister as a first name is attracting new attention as the name chosen by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and venture capitalist Zack Bogue for their young son. Macallister is usually heard as a patronymic surname, meaning son of Alasdair or Alistair or any one of the spellings of the Scottish form of Alexander. Like all other names of this type, Macallister leads to the cute short form Mac.
- Ogden
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"from the oak valley"Description:
Rarely used surname, associated with humorous poet Ogden Nash.
- Osmond
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"divine protection"Description:
Too tightly tied to the aging musical clan featuring Donny and Marie.
- Paden
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"path hill"Description:
This could be a new variation on the megapopular Braden-Caden-Haden bunch, or a nonmilitaristic form of Patton.
- Poet
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of gender neutral names. A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last year. A perfect choice, especially in the middle, for the child of writers or those with a poetic bent. And Po is an adorable nickname for either gender.
- Islay
Origin:
Scottish place-nameDescription:
Islay is the name of a Hebridian island famous for its whisky. Don't be fooled by the "y" at the end - this name is pronounced exactly like the more well-known Isla.
- Alcott
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller at the old cottage"Description:
Alcott evokes shades of nineteenth-century New England, and memories of the author of the books Little Women and Little Men. Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, noted educator, writer and philosopher, and colleague of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
- Dai
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"great"Description:
A cross-cultural name that can be a nickname for David and can be pronounced Day (preferable to die), but is also the name of a vicious Asian villain.
- Dallin
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"from the valley"Description:
A fresh Dale relative that finds place amongst similar names like Cullin and Hamelin as well as the more common Allen and Dylan.
- Bethan
Origin:
Welsh, diminutive of ElizabethDescription:
Very popular in Wales, this perfectly nice name's only problem is its similarity to the dated Beth Ann.
- Faraday
Origin:
Scottish surnameMeaning:
"wood man"Description:
This unusual Scottish surname was made immortal by Michael Faraday, a British scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His name is now a unit of scientific measurement for electricity - a 'power'ful name for any little boy.
- Faulkner
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"falconer"Description:
Faulkner is an old occupational surname that was used for someone who kept and trained falcons when falconry was a popular sport in medieval Europe. Anyone using it in contemporary America would probably be honoring Southern novelist William Faulkner. While we love the author, Falconer would probably be a slightly easier name to carry on the playground.
- Dena
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"delicate or judged"Description:
The modern name Dena can be considered to come from either of two Old Testament names. Adina, which means delicate, was the name of a male soldier in the Bible. Dinah, meaning judged, Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah.
- Gwyn
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"fair, blessed"Description:
Short, simple, gentle, undeniably Welsh but easy to spell and pronounce – there's a lot to like about this underused gem. In the States it's been almost exclusively female, perhaps due to the greater familiarity of Gwen, but it definitely feels like a candidate to reclaim for the boys.
- Keyon
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"guide, leading"Description:
This rising name, possibly a variation of the Irish Kian, has been associated with several accomplished athletes.
- Manny
Origin:
English, diminutive of EmmanuelDescription:
He can get it for you wholesale.
- Unity
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"oneness"Description:
Like Verity and Amity, this inclusive virtue name used by the colorful British literary Mitford family is ready to join its more popular peers Hope, Faith, and Grace.
- Rumo
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"red"Description:
Ancient martyr name that sounds totally modern, but perhaps too close to rumor.
- Stanford
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"stony ford"Description:
Even if you're a loyal alumnus, consider something less ultraupright, like Yale or Cal.
- Dilys
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"genuine, steadfast, true"Description:
Common in Wales, but would really stand out here. One of the middle names of Stella McCartney's daughter Reiley; Dilys Powell was a well-known British film critic, Professor Dilys Derwent a Harry Potter character., a witch who worked as a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, and was a celebrated Headmistress of Hogwarts School..