Updated October 2026
Across 105 pages
of 105
English from French
"pretty valley"
Belden is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.
French
"war horse"
Destry rides again, this time as a Western flavored baby name. Derived from the French surname Destrier, from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "warhorse", this rugged name was popularized by the 1930…
"pretty face"
Try telling the kids it really means "pretty face" and not "burper".
English
"son of Dick"
Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it.
"prayer"
A famous seventh-century saint and church historian whose name has not survived as well as his works. Known as the Venerable Bede, this Benedictine monk is considered the first known writer of…
English word name
Adventurous word choice, but still quite a burden for a child to bear.
Baby name as political statement.
"low, rolling hills"
Unusual, but clear and strong.
"Roger's son"
Fresh way to pass down Roger.
English place-name
With Devon so overused, consider a move to the undiscovered neighboring county -- though it's nowhere near as euphonious, rhyming with corset.
"from Orsay"
Associated all through the swing years with bandleader brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.
"trumpet player"
Might make a good middle name for the child of a musician, though people could think you were honoring your BMW.
English occupational name
"cloth merchant"
Other occupational names would be more commonly accepted, though the Mad Men character has certainly brought it to the fore.
Medieval English variation of Tristan, “noise or sorrowful"
This version of Tristan, known to English Lit students from the novel Tristram Shandy , is rarely used in this country, but, though its similarity to the popular Tristan could prove confusing, still…
"beekeeper"
This occupational choice is less appealing than such brethren as Baker and Baxter.
"dark stone"
A two-syllable surname feel puts this name of an important English saint in the running -- though it could sound like a confused cross between Duncan and Dustin.
"doorkeeper"
Literary, occupational, and very neglected.
"fair, handsome"
Could be a possible and more modern, namesake for Uncle Neal.
"russet-haired"
An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse. Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin is a…
"grace protector"
Eastman is a solid, old-style Atlantic seaboard surname. But as a first name, we think Easton works better.