Updated October 2026
Across 65 pages
of 65
English
"settlement near hazel trees"
Unless it was your grandmother's maiden name, and you're using it in the middle place, we don't think so. Could be confused with Hazelden, a leading rehab facility.
"hedged area"
Could be difficult to grasp: Hoss. The "Bonanza" cowboy.
English nickname
The mute, horn-honking Marx Brother's real name was Adolph -- so Harpo represented a huge step up. Also, it's Oprah's production company (her name spelled backward).
English, Scottish, and French place-name
Some definite downsides: Massive, Messy.
"shellfish-gatherer"
Surname of Declaration signer sure to present playground complications.
"from the meadow"
Undiscovered single-syllable surname option, a friendly alternative to Reed.
English surname
A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.
English from German
"mountain home"
A cross-cultural possibility, but a bit heavy and somber.
"town by the lake"
Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character.
"scarred"
Though we usually think a name's image in contemporary culture supersedes its ancient meaning, this is a case where the definition could undermine a child's self-esteem.
"hallowed island"
Although this was the surname of rugged World War II admiral William Halsey, these days it's more closely identified with uninamed female singer-songwriter Halsey. Five baby boys were named Halsey in…
"hay meadow"
Young actor Haley Joel Osment to the contrary, this name in all its variations has become too popular for girls to survive as a boys' choice. Hailey, Haily Halley, Hallie, Hayley.
"pock-marked face, scarred"
English surname that's very rarely found as a first name. The Colorado city was named after Horace Greeley, the nineteenth-century congressman and founder of the New-York Tribune .
"wedge-shaped object"
Surname from a landscape feature, associated with author Gore Vidal and Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore. Its alternative meaning - as in gory - may explain why it's never made it into the…
"puffy cheeks"
A popular first name in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, giving rise to surnames Gifford et al. Could enjoy a comeback thanks to trendy Griffin.
English place-name
"the moors"
Moore is recommended as a rich and satisfying middle name choice, whether it relates to your own family history or not. Of the numerous outstanding Moore-surnamed namesakes, count sculptor Henry,…
"moor, meadow clearing"
Gently pleasant English family name long associated with 60-Minuteman Morley Safer.
Could catch on in tandem with the newfound popularity of Griffin and Griffith.
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
"town near the moor"
An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.