User-created list
By vintageluvs · Updated May 2023
Across 32 pages
of 32
German
"to turn"
Drexel is an occupational surname but the original meaning of what a person who "turned" for a living actually did is unclear: It may mean turning the soil or making hay or spinning cloth or creating…
Fowler is a masculine name of English origin that began as an occupational surname. It originally referred to a person who hunted wild birds or was a bird-catcher (from the Old English 'fugelere').…
English
"peasant, farmer; connection"
For 007 fans, a great middle name choice -- or even a first, Bond fits into the trend of one-syllable surname-style names like Banks, Brooks, Boone, Beck, and Briggs. As an English surname, it comes…
"God's peace"
Godfrey was very popular in the Middle Ages, but today you're more likely to hear it as a surname than a first name. It has a solid, old-man charm, but a couple of possible deal-breakers: the first…
"boundary valley"
A surname-style choice that could work as an alternative to Marshall, Mason, or Arden. A topographical name referring to someone who lived near the boundary of a valley, it could lead to nickname…
"brave one"
Richardson is a masculine name with English origins, traditionally used as a surname meaning 'son of Richard.' Richard itself combines Germanic elements meaning 'powerful' and 'ruler,' making…
"prickle"
Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorn? Add an E to give it a surnamey spin.
"place in the thorns"
Despite Thornton Wilder, playwright of the perennial Our Town, only a handful of baby boys receive this name each year..
Latin
"luck, fate, wealth"
Fortune is a middle name choice designed to generate good luck and prosperity.
"town in a grove"
Grafton is the name of dozens of towns, mostly in England, Canada and Australia, and has occasionally been used as a boys' name, with the surprisingly fun and quirky nickname Graf. Grafton is also a…
"from the oak valley"
Rarely used surname, associated with humorous poet Ogden Nash.
English or Mapuche
"villager, country-dweller; blue"
The y helps a bit, but still a painful image.
English, Welsh "alert; son of Howell"
"alert; son of Howell"
Powerful surname choice with many distinguished bearers, fresher sounding than Parker.
Word name
Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue.
Irish
"son of the priest"
Not your typical jovial Irish surname; but has a dark, craggy appeal, and Tag as a nickname.
"descendant of Hilary"
Ellery is a rhythmic three-syllable boy's name that is familiar and yet rarely used--and just waiting to be discovered. It's long been identified with Ellery Queen--which was both the pen name of two…
"desired; or water, island"
Renowned English author Evelyn Waugh pronounced his name "EEV-lin" (fun fact: his first wife, also named Evelyn, was referred to as "She-velyn"). But "EV-uh-lin" also works, and is probably the most…
Scottish
"field"
Forbes is a business magazine in the U.S., long led by Malcolm Forbes, with a buttoned-down Brooks Brothers image. If you name your son Forbes, you're definitely implying a connection to the…
"meadow, field"
An English surname derived from multiple place names, which ranked in the Top 500 for boys in the US until the turn of the 20th century.
