Updated October 2026
Across 65 pages
of 65
English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.
English
"island-dweller"
Intriguing meaning, but stuffy sound.
English occupational name, carpenter or "nailer"
"nailer"
Unique name for the son of a woodworker.
"land or river bend shaped like a nose"
A family name that wouldn't appeal to many parents.
"new building"
Surname choice that's neither new nor bold. Newbold was the middle name of Edith Wharton.
"new borough, new settlement"
A name only a bully could love.
English variation of Neville
One of several surnames beginning with New that nevertheless sound anything but.
"new land"
Some will see this as spirited, others stuffy. The protagonist of the Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence was a popular and successful lawyer named Newbold Archer.
"newcomer"
Family name best used in the middle, especially since it was seen as the portly postman in Seinfeld.
English place-name
"new port"
For sailors or jazz lovers. Or smokers of menthol cigarettes.
"son of Nicol"
If you're looking for a Nicholas substitute or namesake, Nicholson would make a more distinctive path to the likable nickname Nick, fitting in with other newer patronymics like Anderson and Harrison.…
"Nicholas's village"
Charming Dickensian route to Nick.
"place of the northern people"
Would make a difficult choice even for those with ties to the Virginia city or British county.
"northern cliff"
Stick with North.
"northern farm"
Again, North is so much crisper.
"northern town"
Forever the upstairs neighbor on The Honeymooners.
"woods in the north"
Another stiff northerly choice.
"walnut tree"
As always, that oy sound is problematic.
"Andrǣd's hill"
A rare surname name that could follow in the footsteps of Harlow, Marlow, and Winslow, Onslow comes from the Old English name Andrǣd , which likely relates to Andrew and Anders. In turn, this could…
"divinely brilliant"
Some cutting-edge parents might revive Osbert as a substitute for Oscar. We like the "divinely brilliant" meaning. Cool or terminally nerdy? Your call. Osbert Sitwell, born Francis Osbert Sacheverell…