Presidential Baby Names
- Nixon
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Nicholas"Description:
A fresher spin on Jaxon, with built-in cool nickname Nix, and a great way to honor an ancestral Nick. But the association with disgraced former president Richard Nixon remains strong, which might explain why this otherwise bang-on-trend surname name has remained under the radar, peaking at #482 in 2017.
- Jefferson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Jeffrey"Description:
The name of the third U.S. President sounds, like Harrison and Jackson, more modern and stylish now than its root name. Used as a first name long before our surname-crazed era, Jefferson was most famously used as a first name by the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, which may justifiably make you not want to use it. Jefferson is the middle name of another Prez, William Clinton.
- Roosevelt
Origin:
DutchMeaning:
"rose field"Description:
Presidential surname adopted as a first by numbers of midcentury African-American parents.
- Eisenhower
Origin:
German occupational surnameMeaning:
"iron cutter"Description:
Eisenhower is derived from Eisenhauer, a German surname composed of the elements eisen, meaning "iron," and hauer, "hewer." In modern English, that translates to "iron cutter." It's best known as the surname of President Dwight D., "Ike" Eisenhower, making Ike an appropriate nickname (and you might need one, with a name this stately!)
- Cleveland
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hilly land, from the cliff"Description:
A presidential and place-name that's not a stand-out in either category.
- Rutherford
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"cattle ford"Description:
Stuffy presidential choice: consider Hayes instead.
- Dwight
Origin:
German and DutchMeaning:
"white or blond"Description:
This presidential name is in style limbo today - or, some might say, in the the sweet spot of familiar but little-used.
- Obama
Origin:
Luo; JapaneseMeaning:
"bending or leaning; little beach"Description:
The surname of the 44th US President has been been adopted as a first, for girls as well as boys, by admiring parents around the world. And the O beginning even makes it fashionable. Though Barack Obama's name derives from the Luo people of Kenya, Obama is also a Japanese place name and a surname that means "little beach."
- Clinton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"hilltop town"Description:
Like many names that have strong political connotations, the attractiveness of the name Clinton will be affected by your world-view. But, taking politics out of the equation, Clinton has a lovely pastoral meaning, a strong sound and a tremendously wearable nickname - Clint - all which would seem to be in its favor for at least a second thought.
- Garfield
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"triangular field"Description:
Despite the presidential pedigree, it's still hard to shake the image of the cartoon cat (named after his creator Jim Davis's grandfather). However, there are other Garfields, such as Barbadian cricket player Sir Garfield Sobers, who carries it with gravitas.
- Hoover
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"owner of a patch of farmland"Description:
A huve is 40 acres of land, so the occupational name Hoover refers to the farmer who owned and worked it. Hoover also relates to the rock band, the vacuum cleaner, the dam, and former FBI head J. Edgar.
- Biden
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"button-maker"Description:
While presidential surnames as first names are much rarer today than they were in the early 20th century, our 46th President's last name joined the ranks of given names (for boys) in 2021. That year, 11 baby boys were named after President Joe Biden, but it did not make it into the charts in 2022.
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