Updated October 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
English surname
"son of Job"
Bouncy surname name from the same origins as Joplin, which may be easier to convert to a first name.
English or Irish surname
"kite"
Keating is familiar as a surname but unexpected as a first. It boasts the always energetic -ing ending.
"pork butcher"
The Kellogg surname — these days associated with cereal and the Northwestern University business school — has rather grotesque origins. It is derived from the Middle English word kellen , meaning "to…
Dutch and English surname
"son of Lans; family of Wlanc"
Lansing is perhaps best known as the state capital of Michigan, which was named after the town of Lansing, New York. The original Lansing was named in honor of John Lansing Jr., a Chancellor of New…
English word name
Loving is a lovely virtue name to bestow upon a child, but would likely make a better middle name for a boy. Richard and Mildred Loving were an interracial couple who married in the 60s, spurring a…
Tagalog
"elegant"
Chinese
"frost"
Frosty unisex choice.
English place name
"William's town"
An unlikely place name today, but one that was found among enslaved people in the 1800s.
English and German surname
"son of Willa; son of Wille"
Likely to be construed as a virtue name (a nice one, at that!), even though Willing is a traditional surname with both English and German roots. As an English name, Willing is a patronymic form of…
Armenian, French, Arabic, Hebrew
"Easter; righteous, truthful, loyal"
Zadig is the name of the hero and philosopher in Voltaire's 1747 novella, Zadig, ou la Destinée ("Zadig, or The Book of Fate"), though it may be better associated today with the fashion retailer…
Irish
"small, fair one"
If you like the Irish surname feel, there are loads of more congenial options.
Beag is a masculine name with Scottish and Irish Gaelic origins, pronounced similar to 'bayg' or 'byug.' The name literally means 'small' or 'little one' in Gaelic and was traditionally used as a…
Beng is a masculine name with origins in several Southeast Asian cultures, particularly in the Philippines and parts of Malaysia. In Filipino contexts, it often serves as a nickname for names like…
German
"son of Bernhard"
Conjures up the military image of Fort Benning in Georgia — or the surname of actress Annette.
"mountain, hill"
Earthbound surname that few would make as first choice.
Burg is a masculine name with Germanic origins, derived from the word meaning 'fortress,' 'castle,' or 'fortified settlement.' Historically, it functioned primarily as a surname for people who lived…
"kettle-shaped hollow"
When Kate Hudson named her second son Bingham and announced that she would be calling him Bing, it put this zingy nickname name out on the table. Before that, there was only one, further nicknamed…
Brigg is a masculine name with strong Germanic and Norse roots. It may have originated as a topographic surname for someone who lived near a bridge, derived from the Old Norse 'bryggja' or the Old…
Welsh
"battle"
Variant of Cadoc, a Welsh saint's name.