Middle Names, Surnames, and Nicknames · Unisex Baby Names
Last Names That Are Adorable First Names
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About this list
Last names as first names have been growing in popularity for boys and girls too over the past few decades. Last names as first names are among the top gender neutral names.
Harper is the top last name for girls in the US and Jackson is the top last name baby name for boys on the US popularity list. Nameberry parents also favor such last names as first names as Archer, Sawyer, and Hudson.
Along with Harper and Jackson, other popular last names as first names include Carter, Madison, Riley, Addison, Lincoln, Hudson, Everly, Hunter, and Kennedy. Celebrity surnames are an especially hot subcategory of surname baby names, with Anniston, Bowie, Dempsey, and Winslet among the most stylish choices.
Trending last names as girl names include Irish surnames such as Clancy and Flannery along with last names that end in S such as Hollis and Ames.
Last names as boy names trending now include s-ending surnames such as Oakes and Rhodes and er-ending names such as Foster and Baker. Surname names of heroes are also trending, including King, Edison, and Wilde.
For last name baby names, anything goes, so look for long-lost surnames in your family or even search the phone book for something you love.
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The names
Harper
English
"harp player"
You might think of Harper as the hottest name of the last decade, jumping from obscurity to the Top 10, where it remained until last year. Victoria and David Beckham's choice of Harper for their…
Hudson
English place-name and surname
"Hugh's son"
Hudson has risen quickly up the charts over the past 30 years, getting a lot of its style value from New York's Hudson River. That makes it a nature name and a place name that's also got the fashion…
Cooper
English occupational name
"barrel maker"
The genial yet upscale and preppy Cooper was one of the first occupational last names to catch on -- and Cooper remains a pleasing option. Cooper began his rapid climb in 1982 and is a popular choice…
Jackson
English
"son of Jack"
Jackson is one of those names that's much more popular than you think, coming in near the top of our annual Playground Analysis, which ranks names by grouping all their spellings together. Last year,…
Avery
English
"ruler of the elves"
Avery is a hugely popular name in the US, especially for girls. But while nearly four times as many girls as boys are named Avery today Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls while it…
Mason
English occupational name
"worker in stone"
Mason is an occupational surname that ranked among the Top 10 name for boys throughout the 2010s, after its choice as one of the first Kardashian baby names. It remained a Top 10 choice in the US…
Madison
English
"son of Matthew"
Since we wrote a book called Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana , encouraging parents to move beyond overused names, it's no secret what we think of this trendy surname name, inspired by a…
Dylan
Welsh
"son of the sea"
Dylan still feels poetic and romantic after years of popularity. It still ranks highly on the charts, among the top boy names starting with D , so if you choose it, be aware that yours may not be the…
Carter
English occupational name
"transporter of goods by cart"
Carter has ranked in the Top 100 since the the turn of the millennium, but despite its recent popularity, it's not a trendy new name. In fact, Carter is one of those names that just misses ranking in…
Riley
English, Irish
"rye clearing; courageous"
Riley—an upbeat, friendly surname name—is red hot for girls and still going strong for boys. If you haven't been spending much time around babies recently, you may be surprised to learn that Riley is…