Surnames As First Names - For Boys

Anderson

English from Scandinavian

"son of Anders"

Rugged and tough, Anderson shot up quite a bit on the pop list in the 2000's, no doubt in large part due to the prominence of white-haired cable newsman Anderson Coopers, more recently, it has…

Ryland

Old English

"place where Rye is grown"

Similar to popular Riley and Ryan and the origin of Rylan, this Old English surname has been in the US Top 1000 since the early 2000s. While it has declined in recent years, it was still given to…

Stanton

English

"stony town"

Seems to stand at attention and salute.

Axton

English

"sword stone"

Macho to the max. But with the rise of x as a fashionable letter anywhere it appears in a name, ala Jaxson or Maxon, we may be hearing more of Axton.

Alby

Diminutive of Albert or Albin, German or Latin

"noble, bright or white"

Alby is a diminutive form of Albert or Albin, friendly and approachable. It can also be spelled Albie.

Dayton

English, variation of Deighton

"place with a dike"

If Dayton, like Trenton and Camden, is finding favor with parents, it's more because of its popular two-syllable surname feel and -on ending than the industrial city in Ohio.

Adley

Variation of Adlai or Hadley

Adley is one of those rare unisex names that probably developed via different paths on the girls' and boys' sides, with the male Adley a phonetic spelling of the Hebrew Adlai, while the girls'…

Barclay

English and Scottish

"where birches grow"

Americans may not realize Barclay is the phonetic spelling of the British Berkeley -- though both sound like old-fashioned butler names.

Bristol

British place-name

"site of the bridge"

This name of a busy British port city -- as well as of several places in America -- has a brisk and bustling air. It will now--and for years to come--be identified as a Sarah Palin name, chosen for…

Law

Law is a masculine name with multiple origins and meanings. As an English surname-turned-first-name, it derives from the Old English 'hlaw' meaning 'hill' or as a shortened form of Lawrence, meaning…

Ridley

English

"cleared wood; reed clearing; channel clearing"

Director Ridley Scott and actress Daisy Ridley made this surname-style name familiar, and with its outdoorsy meaning and rugged yet preppy sound, it could blend in with Oakley, Reid, Riley, and…

Rowley

English

"rough clearing"

A rough-and-tumble surname that has seen a small increase in use in recent years. Ten boys received the name in 2024 in the US.

Warwick

English

"settlement by the weir"

Pronounced the same way as Warrick, Warwick is the name of an historic university town on the River Avon in England. The name is attached to several notable historical figures, both real and…

Windsor

English

"riverbank with a winch"

Windsor may have male references, such as Britain's royal House of Windsor and a tie's windsor knot, but this name also has a definite feminine feel, as in Windsor Rose. That seems appropriate, as…