English Last Names

Terry hit the Top 30 in the fifties when it was seeen as a cool, sleek <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">gender neutral name</a>, but it's long since lost that edge. Today's Terry would probably be Tess or Tessa.

Terry

Hunt

Sometimes pronounced MAY-nerd, which is death to a name. However, the name Maynard was given to 25 boys in 2022. 

Maynard

Rawlings was a surname brought to England with the Norman invasion and has ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel."

Rawlings

Actor Wood Harris, best known for his role as Avon Barksdale in The Wire, brought this one into the lexicon. Wood is Harris's nickname -- his real name is Sherwin David -- but it's the name he's exclusively known by. And it fits right in with the current hot trend for woodsy names for boys.

Wood

Last name occasionally used as a first, can be seen as a Lance Armstrong athlete-hero name. 

Armstrong

A new name with the potential for spanning across a far-reaching future. Bridges and Bridger are other possiblities.

Bridge

More common as a surname, a handful of boys get this bovine equivalent of Shepherd each year in the US. It may gain more exposure as one of the occupational names that are one of the most popular classes of <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/502/english-names-for-boys">English names for boys</a>.

Calvert

It's easy to love a name that rhymes with "cuddly" and is also attached to the surname Do-Right -- once you ignore the "dud" connection. 
 Dudley has aristocratic roots--the name was originally famous via a sixteenth century noble British family, one member of which, Robert Dudley, came close to marrying Queen Elizabeth I.
 Dudley was the name of the angel played by Cary Grant in "The Bishop's Wife," later remade with Denzel Washington in the role, while Dudley Dursley is a Harry Potter character. The name's most well known bearer in modern times was comic actor Dudley Moore.

Dudley

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

Bell

Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name. 

Hill

This artistic surname name derives from a diminutive of Laurence/Lawrence, and was famously borne by the English painter LS Lowry.
 
Country singer Sam Hunt and his wife Hannah have a son named Lowry Lee, a combination of their middle names.

Lowry

Mosley has seen a handful of uses — mostly among baby girls — since 2012, the year after Peyton Manning gave it to his daughter. It's much more familiar as a surname, such as that of novelist Walter Mosley.
 
Frankie Muniz used it as the middle for his son Mauz. The names derive from the same Old High German word, mus, and each have a mousy meaning.

Mosley

In British slang, a "prat" is an idiot -- enough said. 

Pratt

Long-used surname name that's up for promotion to greater popularity. 

Prentice

Radford is a masculine name of English origin derived from Old English elements meaning 'red ford' or 'reedy ford,' initially referring to a river crossing that was either reddish in color or lined with reeds. Like many English surname-turned-first-names, Radford began as a topographic surname indicating where a family lived before eventually transitioning to use as a given name. It carries a distinguished, traditional English quality with connections to place and landscape. While never extremely common as a first name, Radford peaked in usage in the United States during the early 20th century. The name conveys strength and dignity with its two-syllable structure and 'ford' ending that connects it to other classic English names like Bradford, Clifford, and Stanford.

Radford

Rogers originated as a Germanic surname meaning 'famous spear' from the elements 'hrod' (fame) and 'ger' (spear). As a masculine given name, it represents a surname-to-first-name transition, a common naming pattern in English-speaking countries. Most prevalent in England and America, Rogers peaked in popularity during the early-to-mid 20th century. The name carries associations with dependability and traditional masculinity, while also connecting to the longer form 'Roger.' Today, Rogers appears more frequently as a family name than a given name, making it somewhat distinctive as a first name choice. Its classical sound and surname quality give it a professional, established character that balances formality with familiarity.

Rogers

Surname name with an uplifting meaning. Just beware that this is a well-known mattress brand. 

Seeley

Sims is a medieval English surname, also found in Ireland and Scotland, that has many variations all deriving from the Hebrew Biblical name Simon.  Sims is a simple, straightforward, yet proper-sounding name that works well as a first, whether you find it in your family tree or pluck the idea from someone else's.  It was used for only five boys in the US in 2013.

Sims

Wild

are commonly used as first names in America, but other English-speaking cultures — including the UK — have not taken to this trend as readily.

 is Smith, which is currently rising as a given name in the States. Other

 that are used as first names include Sawyer, Brooks, Harrison, and Everly — a very fashionable choice for girls.

Celebrities especially love English last names as first names. Hilary Duff's oldest daughter is named Banks, and Kieran Culkin has a son named Wilder.

found here are well-established as first names, such as Oliver, Cooper, and Taylor. Others are yet to be discovered but have great potential, including Groves, Catesby, and Westcott.

English last names as first names including popular English surnames in the US and England, with origins, meanings, and popularity (Page 21)