Name Image
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
English
"place on a riverbank"
Remington Steele was the perfect name for an upper-crust action hero on 1980s television. Now, Remington is catching fire along with a new generation of predatory baby boy names such as Hunter,…
English surname
"one who lives on the hillside or riverbank"
Banks is a topographical surname that refers not to those places where people keep their money but to riverbanks or hillsides, and specifically the people who live and work on them. A name with two…
"small stream"
Brooke has long projected an aura of sleek sophistication, and can also be seen as a stylish water name. It was Brooke Shields (born Christa) who took it from quietly fashionable to ultra trendy when…
English from Latin
"from France; free man"
Frances, a soft and gentle classic last popular a hundred years ago, is trending again. The cool nickname Frankie is one reason for the revival of Frances, adding lightness and sass to a serious…
"valley of the river Kent"
Originally an English surname, borrowed from the place name, Kendale, Kendall was given almost exclusively to boys until the 40s when it began to be used for a small number of girls each year. By the…
Irish or Welsh
"little poet or fair"
As Meghan/Megan and Reagan/Regan show signs of wilting, along comes Teagan to take up the slack: definitely one to consider. The vast majority of American babies named Teagan are now girls. A variant…
"meadow town"
One of those names that's suddenly on the map because of a celebrity's influence, Leighton Meester of the TV show Gossip Girl . She pronounces it LAY-ton but some will intuitively say LEE-ton.
English, occupational name
"page to a lord"
Paige is more name, and less word than the occupational Page. Paige is also sleek and sophisticated a la Brooke and Blair and reached as high as Number 47 in 2003, when there was a very popular…
"house steward, dispenser of provisions"
Spencer is a name that has everything: it's both distinguished sounding and accessible, dignified but Spencer Tracy-like friendly. Picked by several celebrities (a couple of times even for a girl),…
Latin
"young ceremonial attendant"
The Spanish Camila, pronounced ka-MEE-la, is the fastest rising version of this ancient Roman name, but recent royal Camilla may have helped promote the British brand. In Roman myth, Camilla was a…
"dweller near the woods"
Forrest is one of the earliest appealingly sylvan, outdoorsy choices, borne by newsman Sawyer, actor Whitaker, and football Hall of Famer Gregg. Forrest Gates was a character on "Buffy the Vampire…
Irish
"one from south Munster"
Desmond is a sophisticated and debonair name, with noble ties to 1984 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Desmond Tutu, and with some great nicknames: Des/Dez, Desi/Dezi. Another notable Desmond is…
"from Laurentum or bay laurel"
Laura is a hauntingly evocative perennial, never trendy, never dated, feminine without being fussy, with long-standing literary links. All this makes Laura a more solid choice than any of its more…
"son of Lawrence"
Appealing way, à la Dawson, to honor an ancestral Lawrence. Lawson is also an English pop rock band. Lawson has history or use that dates far back, but it fell off of the charts in 1950. The name…
English occupational name
"tailor"
Taylor is one of the prime unisex surnames used for girls and has also been a soap opera favorite. Taylor was in the Top 10 for the last several years of the twentieth century, so that now it tends…
Spelling variation of Bryn, Welsh
"hill"
Brynn outshines the original Welsh Bryn in the popularity stakes. This simple, brisk name might be seen as a combination of Bree and Lynn, an androgynous-sounding choice that especially in this…
Welsh
"ardor"
Rugged but gentle, Rhys is the traditional Welsh spelling of this name, which can also be anglicized as Reese or Reece. Up until 2010, Reese was the preferred spelling in the US, perhaps because…
German
"brave counsel"
Solid and intellectual, with just a touch of ruggedness thanks to that rad ending, Conrad has appeared consistently in on the US popularity charts since the 19th century. Over the years, it has been…
"Frenchman or free man"
Since this was the name chosen by the late Roman Catholic pope in 2013, Francis has come into the spotlight. The name, which was in the Top 10 at the turn of the last century, has been pretty much…
Surname or word name
"wild, untamed, uncontrolled"
Rugged, outdoorsy, and full of energy, Wilder entered the US Top 1000 back in 2015. Part bad boy, part Western, part preppy, and part nature-loving, Wilder is given to nearly 800 babies each year.…
