Updated October 2026
Across 105 pages
of 105
English
"yew-tree valley"
A secret nature name for boys.
"upper town"
Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.
"upper forest"
Even more uppity than Upton.
Scottish surname
"worship place"
Best known to most as a brand of Whisky, Ballantine is a Scottish surname relating to the Celtic god Bal. It has potential as a off-the-beaten-track boys name that is still familiar. Ballantine is…
"banner"
He'll have to prove his humility.
English, Irish
"from the marsh or fen; fair"
No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic,…
English from French
"alder"
Upper-class surname in England that might be prime for adoption here.
Scottish
"true sovereignty"
Ferelith is an unusual yet deeply-rooted Scottish girl's name, also found in ancient Ireland and drawn from the Gaelic Forbhlaith or Forbflaith. While it went through a period of dormancy after the…
English nature name
Unusual and simple nature name worthy of further consideration.
Scottish variation of Jean
"God is gracious"
Teasagh or Teasag, which can be Anglicized as Jessie, is a Scottish form of Jean, which itself originated as a Scottish feminine form of John. Scotswomen called Jessie are more likely to be properly…
English occupational name
"wagon maker"
A surname style name that could make an alternative to Wayne or Wyatt.
Scottish occupational name
"piper"
Fifer is a musical name that fits in seamlessly with the likes of Harper and Piper, but is much more unusual. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county…
Place name
Place names for boys are few and far between; this one would make a singular choice. Prince William of Wales uses this as a surname when required, as in his military life; Jimmy Wales is the…
Spelling variation of Wylie
Wylei exists because Corey Parker decreed it so: He gave his newborn son this variation of the classic surname more conventionally spelled Wylie or Wiley. The problem with the Wylei spelling is that…
Irish and Scottish, meaning unknown
The 6th century Irish saint Mirin emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. Mirren is one modern spelling; the Cornish Merryn,…
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Mirren is a lively and attractive Scottish name, popular in its native country but best known outside Scotland as the surname of the English actor Dame Helen Mirren. It is thought to be a Scottish…
"home of the Wassa people"
Lincoln, Tyler, Taylor, Jackson, Jefferson, Harrison, McKinley, Grant, Kennedy, Carter -- yes. Washington -- probably not.
Scottish variation of Randolph
"shield-wolf"
An old name still occasionally heard in the U.K., but still and perhaps forever a foreigner in the U.S. Can be spelled Ranulf.
Iagan is a masculine name with Scottish Gaelic roots, considered a variant of the more common name Eoghan (often anglicized as Owen). The name ultimately derives from the Celtic word 'eugenos,'…
"from farm by a spring"
Although it connotes a sense of well-being, not likely to be a popular choice.