Surnames AKA Last Names
- Capri
Origin:
Italian from Greek or LatinMeaning:
"wild boar; goats"Description:
Chosen by the late Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa for their youngest daughter, Capri is the name of an Italian island, lending it a light, bright and sunny feel. Derived from either the Greek kapros meaning "wild boar" or from the Latin capri meaning "goats", it has a contemporary feel to it, especially with that -i ending.
- Parker
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"park keeper"Description:
Indie actress Parker Posey put a female imprint on this sophisticated surname that's still about three times as common for boys but rising for both sexes. Parker has the advantage of its nature connection, relating it to such occupational names as Gardener and Forester.
- Ross
Origin:
English and ScottishMeaning:
"upland, peninsula"Description:
Like Friends, Ross is off the air and into syndication as a baby name, having plummeted from its zenith in the late 80s to fall off the US Top 1000 in 2013. Today, Ross is more likely to be a dad name than a newborn name.
- Grey
Origin:
Color nameDescription:
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if slightly somber—choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney named their son Leo Grey.
- Ash
Origin:
Diminutive of Asher, EnglishMeaning:
"ash tree"Description:
Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or any other "Ash" name.
- Davis
Origin:
Surname derived from David, HebrewMeaning:
"beloved"Description:
Davis is a fresh way to say David. Some sources define it as "son of David," but we see it as a surname spin on the original. While David is an everyman name, Davis has some creative edge -- and still gets you to the classic guy nickname Dave.
- Gray
Origin:
Color name, also diminutive of GraysonDescription:
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Gray (or Grey), is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative--if slightly somber-- choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney recently named their son Leo Grey.
- Roma
Origin:
Italian place-nameDescription:
Never as popular as Florence; today's parents might prefer Venezia, Verona, or Romy. It is also a Hindu name meaning "one with shiny hair" and is another name for the goddess Lakshmi.
- Wiley
Origin:
Scottish, German, EnglishMeaning:
"resolute protection; from Wylye; clearing of willows"Description:
Wiley may be considered a variation of Wylie, a Scottish diminutive of strong, classic William. As such, it may work an appealing way to honor a Bill, Will, or William, or as an alternative to popular Liam.
Alternatively, Wiley may be considered a surname-style name, ultimately derived from two English places: Willey (meaning "clearing of willows") or Wylye (the name of a river, meaning "tricky").
- Fisher
Origin:
Occupational nameMeaning:
"fisherman"Description:
As a member of two trendy name categories, animal and occupational, this name broke into the Top 1000 in 2004 and would make a nice tribute to an angler Grandpa.
- Allen
Origin:
English and ScottishMeaning:
"handsome, cheerful"Description:
Allen is the spelling of this name -- other common spellings are Alan and Allan -- most associated with the surname; it might also be the most appropriate if you're trying to steer clear of Al as a nickname, as this can easily offer you Len or Lenny as options.
- Brady
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"broad meadow or large-chested"Description:
The Irish name given to Miranda Hobbes's son on the dearly departed Sex and the City is a friendly and energetic choice. You well might want to make your son part of the Brady bunch.
- Jordan
Origin:
English from HebrewMeaning:
"flowing down"Description:
Originally used for children baptized in holy water from the river Jordan, it became one of the leading androgynous names of the nineties. As the balance tips toward the boys' side, it's slipping on the girls' popularity chart. Alternate spelling Jordyn is now more popular for girls.
- Mika
Origin:
Finnish short form of MikaelMeaning:
"who is like God"Description:
This short form of Mikael, a variation of Michael, may originate in Finland but it's most popular in Germany and The Netherlands. Mika can make a cute and original way to honor a Michael in the family, but be prepared for a lot of people pronouncing it with a long i as in Mike.
- Rollo
Origin:
Latin form of RolfMeaning:
"wolf"Description:
Rollo is a livelier, roly-poly, o-ending version of Roland.
- Harper
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"harp player"Description:
Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have sons called Harper.
- Clayton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place with good clay"Description:
Clayton is one of those names that feels like it could be recently popular but does in fact have a long history of use. It has made the US Top 400 every year since the records began, and though more recently it has been in decline, it is still given to more than 1000 babies every year
- Murray
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"settlement by the sea"Description:
Murray, you may be surprised to discover, is a Scottish surname name --that of an ancient noble clan--with a sea-swept meaning, and just could be in the next wave of reevaluated grandpa names. Currently Number 60 for baby boys born in its native Scotland; it was at its highest in the US in 1922, when it reached Number 208, but has been off the list since 1975. Could it be time for a comeback?
- Holland
Origin:
Dutch place-nameMeaning:
"wooded land"Description:
Holland, like most place names, is intrinsically gender neutral, but in practice today it's mostly female. There's about one boy Holland born in the US these days for every five girl Hollands. That's a reversal of the last century, when Holland peaked as a boys' name in 1893, falling off the Top 1000 completely in 1913.
- Kelly
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"war"Description:
Once the quintessential bouncy teenager name, Kelly helped launch the trend of unisex Irish names . But it now takes a backseat to more substantial surname names like Kennedy.
Introducing the Nameberry App

Find your perfect baby name together with our new mobile app.
- Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
- Names you match on are saved to your shared list
- Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
- Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
- Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
Sign up to be notified when the app launches and to receive a discount on full access.

