Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames · Nature, Place and Word Names
Habitational Surnames
Across 8 pages
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Newton
English
"new town"
Named after Isaac. Or Wayne.
Keaton
English place and surname
"place of hawks; river town; Káti's town"
A cool, engaging surname, Keaton might feel like a fresh spin on Katelyn, Keeley or Katherine. While it is used ten times more often for boys, 27 girls were still given the name in a recent year.…
Gates
English surname
"person living near town gates"
Reality TV star Raven Gates gave her on-trend s-ending surname to her son, named Gates Zev. Gates joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and…
Carlisle
English
"from the walled city"
Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think…
Sebastia
Feminine form of Sebastian, Latin from Greek
"person from the city of Sebastia"
Some names rise in tandem in their male and female forms, but Sebastia is very rare while the male Sebastian is quite popular. But it certainly might be an attractive choice.
Alameda
Spanish
"cottonwood grove"
Common California place-name that could work for a girl.
Percy
French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge
Percy is an adorable old name that is finally shedding its pampered Little Lord Fauntleroy image in this new era of boys with soft yet traditionally male names like Jasper and Elijah. Originating as…
Carson
English and Scottish surname
"son of the marsh dwellers"
Very popular surname choice — it's in the Boys' Top 100 — beginning to catch on for girls. First female association: novelist Carson McCullers.
Austen
Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
"great, magnificent"
Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
Linden
Variation of Lyndon
"linden tree hill"
The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson. A sturdy tree that can live for centuries, Linden was actually quite a popular boys' name from…
Darby
Irish, English, Norse
"free from envy; from the deer estate"
Once a common boy name in Ireland, the dynamic Darby now has a definite unisex feel. A bit like a mash up between Darcy and Ruby, it appeared in the US Top 1000 in the 90s, peaking in 1995 when it…
Ellery
English
"island with elder trees; descendant of Hilary; cheerful, happy"
In the past few years Ellery has gone from middle-aged male detective -- from old school fictional hero Ellery Queen -- to a plausible girls' name, a la Hillary. Ellery is one of the golden names…
Sinclair
Scottish
"from the town of St. Clair"
Could be a novel way for a boy's name to honor an ancestral Claire.
Kelvin
Scottish
"narrow or wooded river"
A tributary of the River Clyde in Scotland, called in Scottish Gaelic Abhainn Cheilbhinn : caol ("narrow") or coille ("wooded") + abhainn ("river"). As a surname, it derives from the name of the…
Hollis
English
"dweller at the holly trees"
Hollis is a surname-name used quietly for both genders. At last count, it was given to over 200 baby boys and 160 baby girls in the US. Now a Top 1000 name for boys, it could well break into the…
Murray
Scottish
"settlement by the sea"
Murray, you may be surprised to discover, is a Scottish surname name --that of an ancient noble clan--with a sea-swept meaning, and just could be in the next wave of reevaluated grandpa names.…
Poston
Old English, Germanic
"Botwulf’s stone; town by the post"
A rare alternative perhaps for Boston, Paxton, Ashton, and Preston, Poston is a surname style name that is as yet undiscovered. Too similar perhaps to the phrase "post on" in an age of social media,…
Adair
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
Adair has flair, the grace of a Fred Astaire, and a daring, spirited vibe. It's usually considered a Scottish surname, derived from the name Edgar, though other possibilities are that it derives from…
Briscoe
English, Norse
"wood of birches"
Could Briscoe work as a rare alternative to the likes of Roscoe, Bridger, Briggs, Brixton, Nico, Brycen, or Bruno? Possibly, given its brisk sound, cool O ending, surname-y vibe and snappy feel. In…
Clarendon
Place name, English
"Clare's hill"
An English place name associated with a now ruined palace and a set of 12th century laws which defined the relationship between church and state, Clarendon is a surname-style choice with historical…