User-created list
By thelovelyscones · Updated April 2022
Across 3 pages
of 3
Irish
"lover"
A growing number of high-profile (and other) parents are choosing to honor their musical idols, such as Hendrix, Presley, Jagger, and now Lennon. Lennon first came to notice when Liam Gallagher and…
English
"one who hunts"
This surname gained momentum in the 1990s, when it was particularly in vogue for males. However, it seems to be experiencing a surge for females—it was one of the fastest-rising names of 2013,…
"pilgrim; one who holds a palm"
Palmer is a name that derives from the fact that pilgrims often carried palms, thus the double meaning. It's a fresher sounding twist other surname style names, such as Spencer, Carter, Porter and…
English occupational name
"roof thatcher"
Thatcher is an open and friendly freckle-faced surname, fresher sounding than Tyler or Taylor, that dates back to the days of thatched-roof cottages. It is catching on with modern parents—it reached…
"hound of the plain"
Historically tied to country music legend Conway Twitty, it’s now gaining traction alongside names like Connor, Colton, and Corbin. Growing in usage along with other surnames as first names, Conway…
English and Irish
"little dove"
The name of three hundred saints, a mustard, and your own baby boy. Coleman was off the US Top 1000 list for much of the 1960s and 1970s, but it was a mainstay before and has been for most years…
"settlement with a mill"
Once an upper-class British surname conjuring up the epic poetry of John Milton, it then descended to the antics of "Uncle Miltie" Berle, and now has left the stage completely.
"rocky water"
A cool, rugged sounding name, Calder is connected to an ancient Scottish clan, an English village, and a Scottish River, along with the sculptor Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile (as in,…
Diminutive of Huckleberry, word name
Though forever tied to Huck, short for Huckleberry, Finn, this is an undeniably cute short form that may have some life as part of the hipster taste for names like Duke and Bix.
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
Adair has flair, the grace of a Fred Astaire, and a daring, spirited vibe. It's usually considered a Scottish surname, derived from the name Edgar, though other possibilities are that it derives from…
German
"farmer, tiller of the soil"
A surname name with an occupational background, but although it derives from the German language it is not used as a first name there as it has pejorative connotations – sometimes used as slag for an…
French occupational name
"a merchant"
Mercer is an attractive possibility which is an occupational name that doesn't sound like one. Mercer and its cool, sophisticated short form Merce project a super creative image via their artistic…
"coal miner"
This occupational surname could find new life with those wishing to honor someone in their heritage who was connected to the tough-as-nails breed that was the pre-modern coal miner. Coll and Collie…
Scottish
"son of Dick"
A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than…
English place-name
This spelling of Devon, as opposed to Devin or Devan, makes it a pretty and popular British place-name, evoking the beautiful county of farmlands and dramatic seascapes and moors in southwest…
English surname and occupational name
"shoemaker"
Sutter is a new entry to the fashionable class of occupational surnames, brought to the fore by the hero of the 2013 indie film The Spectacular Now. More masculine than Sutton and more distinctive…
Geographical name
Vale is part place name, part nature name -- a poetic term for a type of valley. Today Show coanchor Savannah Guthrie put Vale on the baby name map when she chose it for her daughter, but there's no…
Norse
"from the deer estate"
Spirited and bubbly, but handsome and preppy too, Darby is a surname style choice that fits in well with the likes of Alby and Lennox. Derived ultimately from Old Norse, as a surname, it likely…
Dutch
"scholar"
Originally a Dutch surname, imported by the early Dutch colonists, has been all but overpowered by the phonetic spellings in the US -- Skyler for boys and Skylar for girls. With the…
"love, friendship"
Connelly is an open, inviting, and rarely used Irish surname that can make a perfect alternative to the overused Connor or Colin for a boy.
