Last Names That Are Adorable First Names

This surname-style name may appeal to those who like the nickname Huck but find the literary long form Huckleberry too much for real-life usage.

A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.

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.

Paterson is a surname-name to continue a line of Peters and also the name of a city in New Jersey, hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg.

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.

An old-fashioned term for a coal miner, or nowadays, a sister to Harper and Piper.

Groves has yet to secure a place on the baby name charts, but we could see that changing very soon. Groves combines surname style with a nature meaning and a hotter-than-hot S ending. It's a recipe for success — just ask Banks, Brooks, and Wells.

Larimer is an occupational surname that originally denoted someone who made and sold spur bits, along with other equine hardware. It could be a fitting choice for a child of a horse-enthusiast.

Notable British surname associated with fashion designer Vivienne.

Writer James Baldwin could make this an inspirational choice for a child of either sex.

Makes Donna into a cool twenty-first-century unisex Irish surname.

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.

This preppy alternative to Gen Z favorite Summer has the potential to be a big surname hit for girls. It recently gained media attention from Instagram model Sumner Stroh.

As surname names for girls become more popular, we could see Catesby catching on among style-conscious parents. Bonus: it easily shortens to the girlish nickname Cate.

The name of a river and several places in Northern Ireland, Clady comes from the Irish cladaigh meaning "rocky shore; muddy river banks." Also used as a surname, it feels reminiscent of Clay, Cadie, Chloe, and Katie. .

Originally a Dutch surname, imported by the early Dutch colonists, has been all but overpowered by the phonetic spellings in the US -- Skyler for boys and Skylar for girls. With the surnames-as-first-names trend, however, and the popularity of the Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, which features the Schuyler sisters, perhaps Schuyler might receive some more interest in the coming years.

Royal and Rory are both in the US Top 1000 for girls where they join a number of surname-inspired names ending in -son, from long-time favorite Madison to the newer Emerson. The yet to rank Royson could be a new consideration with its rosy feel, but tougher edge.

Updates Lindsey for the 21st century.