A Spanish occupational surname with the international flair of Mateo and the charm of Monty, Montero was originally given to those who worked as assistants and beaters for hunting parties in the mountains.

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.

Mc- names beyond McKenzie are catching on, with Mccoy and Mac now in the US Top 1000 for boys. Rugged but cool McRae might be another possibility, given to just five boys in a recent year.

As a first name, Valent is most often seen as a variant of Valentine used in Croatia. But individuals with Valent as a surname can be found all over the world, making this name an intriguing blend of "offbeat European" and "on-trend surname". Either way you look at it, its chic romantic sound makes Valent a handsome possibility.

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.

Luckey can be considered an alternative spelling for the felicitous word name Lucky, or as an English surname derived from Lukey, a diminutive of Lucas or Luke. This option was chosen by (disgraced) former Congressman Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger in 2025, to honor her maiden name.

Ellington's popularity may be inspired by jazz great Duke, but the name is used slightly more often for girls today, perhaps because of its trendy El- beginning. Like a host of other El- names, from the familiar Ella to Eleanor to the more niche Elodie and Elula, Ellington carries the popular Ellie nickname.

In German, the word eisen means "iron." It was adapted as a surname for Ashkenazi Jews — many of which were ornamental and had no ties to one's family history. Metals such as gold (Gold), silver (Zilver or Silver), copper (Kupfer or Copper), and iron (Eisen) were common elements in ornamental surnames. Eisen was also seen as a habitational surname for someone from Eisenstadt, Austria.

Eisele was originally a nickname for the Old German given name Isenhart, which derived from Isenlin — a nickname for a blacksmith.

Though Embry became famous as the name of a boy werewolf in Twilight, we think its Em- beginning and -y ending make it perfectly appropriate for a girl. You might consider it as an alternative to Emma, Emily, or Aubrey. Embry or Embury is an established English surname. 

English surname used as one of the middles for Boris Becker's son Amadeus.

A surname not often heard as a first, except in the case of English Gardner, the American track and field Olympian.

This French last name is often written as Dupont, but can also be rendered as Du Pont, DuPont, duPont, or du Pont. In the US, it's commonly associated with the du Pont family — one of the wealthiest old money American families whose fortune arose from manufacturing gunpowder.

Epes is often considered a variation of the surname Epps, which typically refers to the aspen tree, from the Old English word æpse. Some branches of Epes may have derived from the Middle English given name Eppe — Eoppa in Old English — from a root meaning "red". It has also been proposed the Eppe came from the Old Norse Øpi, meaning "cry out" or "shriek".

Sex doesn't belong in a baby name.

At one time associated with the fictional detective Bulldog Drummond, this formal surname name does boast the cute nickname Drum.

Drover, an ancient occupational surname, is right in step with today's styles and would make a distinctive choice. Drover and brothers are fresh updates of such now-widely-used names as Carter and Cooper.

A WASPy surname that fits in with names like Clayton, Layton, and Payton. Drayton peaked in 2012, when it was given to 78 baby boys in the US.

Talented actress Rooney Mara (originally born Patricia Rooney) has single-handedly transformed this Gaelic surname into a wearable and elegant girls' name. Often said to mean "red-haired", the original surname, rendered as O' Ruanaidh, actually means "descendent of the champion". Trivia note: the most famous Rooney, Mickey Rooney, was originally born Joseph Yule.

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