Old Harvard Names

By ash13 · Updated April 2023

Names40

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Total Names40

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About this list

If you bleed Crimson (like me) or are simply looking for something preppy, waspy and ambitious, look no further. Try out some of these family names of individuals and families who featured prominently in Harvard University's illustrious history and even had buildings named after them.

The names

Showing 1–20 of 40

Holden
English
"hollow valley"
Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the…
Lionel
Latin
"young lion"
Lionel is one leonine name that hasn't taken off as cousins Leo and Leonardo have, though it did reenter the Top 1000 in 2010 after several years away; it was at its highest point in the 1920s and…
Quincy
French from Latin
"estate of the fifth son"
Quincy is a Presidential surname name that actually sounds both cute and strong when used for a girl. For the first time ever, Quincy joined the Top 1000 roster for girls in 2023, given to over 250…
Hollis
English
"near the holly bushes"
Hollis is a rugged, gentle and quietly used name, given to over 200 boys and 150 girls each year in the US. In 2023, it became one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000, where it fits in with the…
Eliot
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of Elias
"Yahweh is God"
Sleekened spelling.
Kennedy
Irish
"misshapen head"
This attractive surname name still projects that Kennedy family charisma. While it didn't come into widespread use until long after the deaths of martyred heroes President John F. or Senator Robert…
Lamont
Scandinavian
"man of law"
Outmoded comic book choice.
Willard
English from German
"resolutely brave"
Unfortunate identification with an army of rats in the movie of the same name.
Lowell
French
"young wolf"
Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…
Chauncey
Latin
"chancellor"
A name halfway between its old milquetoast image and a more jovial Irish-sounding contemporary one.
Thayer
French variation of Taylor
"tailor"
Thayer is an affable, less-common alternative to Taylor, with a much more indirect connection to its occupational source. Actor Thayer David (born David Thayer: Thayer was his father's first name)…
Bertram
German
"bright raven"
Last in fashion in the 1930s, Bertram might once have been firmly in the best left in the past category, but with sweet nickname Bertie and the cool option of Bram, Bertram might just be one to…
Cotton
Word name
A name heard in Puritan times -- Cotton Mather was a minister involved in the Salem witchcraft trials -- which really deserves modern consideration as it blends nature and softness into a really…
Apley
Brattle
Cabot
French
"to sail"
Cabot is an attractive English surname associated with the daring early Italian-born British explorer known as John Cabot; his birth name was Giovanni Caboto.
Canaday
Canaday is an unusual masculine name that originated as a surname before occasionally being adopted as a given name. It likely has geographic associations with Canada, possibly indicating ancestral…
Conant
Conant is an uncommon masculine name with roots as an Old English and French surname. Originally derived from the word 'conan' meaning 'wise' or 'intelligent,' it was typically a family name before…
Dunster
Eaton
English
"riverside"
Eaton's similarity to Eton gives it an upscale Old School feel, though in the U.S. a name that sound like eatin' could have teasin' potential. Eaton could also sound like the much-more-familiar Ethan…

Old Harvard Names

About this list

The names

Holden

Lionel

Quincy

Hollis

Eliot

Kennedy

Lamont

Willard

Lowell

Chauncey

Thayer

Bertram

Cotton

Apley

Brattle

Cabot

Canaday

Conant

Dunster

Eaton