Last Names That Are Adorable First Names

A last name as a first name, Redell began to appear in England after the Norman invasion. Likely connected to the names Raymond and Radulf, it could mean "counsel, advice, decision". Another possible interpretation is that it merges the word red with the word dell to form the meaning "red valley". This could also mean it borrows from land feature in the Lake District of England, known as Red Dell.

Ridge and Riggs have already made the US Top 1000, and Ridges feels like a possible progression. Rugged, rough-and-tumble, and cool, Ridges could be an unexpected root to vintage nickname Reggie.

Borne by an early Egyptian pharaoh in around 2850 BC, Nebra's meaning is contested. A likely possibility however is that it means "Lord of the sun", implying the pharaoh's rule over the sun, which wasn't viewed as independent deity during his reign.

Sommers is a surname-y spin on the word name Summer, made all the more fashionable by the final S. If Hayes, Rivers, and Brooks can be trendy gender-neutral names, why not Sommers?

Lynda and Linden meet Kendall and Randall in this surname-style choice, familiar in South African, owing to its use by author and activist Olive Schreiner in her 1883 novel, The Story of an African Farm. In the book, Lyndall is borne by a female character and drawn from the maiden name of Schreiner's mother.

Also spelled as Lyndell and Lyndal, Lyndall is likely an English surname name meaning "lime tree valley" or "linden tree valley", giving it an an outdoorsy feel. Alternatively, however, Lyn may be drawn from the Welsh word for lake, lending it the meaning "lake in the valley".

Updates Lindsey for the 21st century.

Chosen by Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher as the middle name of their son Dimitri.

Dropping the H off hot surnames gets you a whole new name. The trend is multiplying: Hadley becomes Adley, Harley become Arley, Harlow becomes Arlowe, and now Halston becomes Alston.

Sander would be an unconventional short form of Alexandra, variation of Sandra, or surname-name for girls. It was given to 41 baby boys in the US last year but no girls, but it certainly can be a gender-neutral choice.

A stylish sounding last name, similar to Marlowe in sound and Murphy in style, Malone is a gender neutral choice in the US that has leaned just slightly feminine in recent years. Adapted from the Irish surname Ó Maoil Eoin, it means "devotee of St. John".

Hunter is gaining favor among girls—for those in search of something less common, we recommend Hutton.

Familiar English surname now associated with the Abercrombie & Fitch offshoot.

A unisex nickname style name, similar in sound and feel to Andie, Candy, Indy, or Danny, Landie could be a short form of any name including the land element. This includes Holland, Orlanda, Scotland, or Ireland.

A German surname, Tessin is drawn from several places in or near the Mecklenburg region of northeastern Germany. This rare first name can work for either sex.

While Kendrix is predominantly used on boys — likely owing to its musical namesakes, Kendrick Lamar and Jimi Hendrix — the most noteworthy Kendrix (as yet) is in fact Kendrix Morgan, also known as the Pink Galaxy Ranger from the Power Rangers franchise.

A last name as a first name, Redell began to appear in England after the Norman invasion. Likely connected to the names Raymond and Radulf, it could mean "counsel, advice, decision". Another possible interpretation is that it merges the word red with the word dell to form the meaning "red valley". This could also mean it borrows from land feature in the Lake District of England, known as Red Dell.