User-created list
By athena95 · Updated May 2023
Across 8 pages
of 8
Latin
"spear"
Corin was used by Shakespeare in As You Like It , an unusual name that could make a more distinctive alternative to Corey or Colin. It is a name used in the illustrious Redgrave family of actors.
German surname and literary name
"from Gaddesby"
Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby . The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is…
French form of Aurelius, Latin
"golden"
More traditionally spelled as Aurélien, this is the elegant French form of the golden Aurelius. Ultimately derived from aureus meaning "gold, gilded", this form is in the French Top 500, albeit near…
English
"place in the thorns"
Despite Thornton Wilder, playwright of the perennial Our Town, only a handful of baby boys receive this name each year..
English surname and place name
Kipling calls to mind writer Rudyard (b. Joseph) Kipling, author of the stories familiar to schoolchildren Gunga Din and The Jungle Story. Certainly, Kipling is a friendlier name than Rudyard these…
Yiddish
"defender of men"
Also an English surname, Sender derives from Alexander and has an attractive modern sound. Though given to only a handful of baby boys per year, it nevertheless is in step with the brotherhood of…
Thayne is a distinctive masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may derive from an English surname meaning 'thane's land' (referring to a medieval Scottish or Anglo-Saxon nobleman), or it…
"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.
Irish surname from O Corrain
"descendant of Curran"
Curran is a common surname in Ireland, but unusual even there as a first. With its savory feel, calling to mind curry and currants, Curran can make for an attractive update on Colin or Connor.
"peacock"
An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…
Jewel name, from the French
"pomegranate"
One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl.
French surname
"noble strength"
Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the…
Irish
"born handsome or son of Caomhan "
Pleasant Irish last name that could be a more masculine alternative to the overused Cassidy. Early kings of Leinster bore the name, which relates to the first name Caomhan or Kevin and can also be…
Welsh
"May hawk"
With a noble air and a distinctive yet familiar sound, Gawain is drawn from Arthurian legend, in which he is one of King Arthur's loyal knights and his nephew. Also appearing as the hero of the 14th…
Diminutive of Kieran or alternate spelling of Keir, Irish, Scottish
"little black-haired one; thicket, marsh"
Succinct and snappy, this name is both an alternative form of Keir and a short form of Kieran. It could therefore stem from the Irish ciar meaning "black" or the Scottish Kerr (via Norse kjarr ),…
English and Scottish surname
"dear friend's place"
When Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves chose the old English surname and place name Livingston for their third child, they elevated it from half of a Stanley & Livingston joke to a modern…
"woodcutter or reciter"
One of the more subtle occupational surnames, Sayer is a pleasant, open, last-name-first name, particularly apt for a family of woodworkers -- or writers. Some parents are beginning to consider Sayer…
"true"
The o ending and the positive meaning in many languages makes this a winner, and with the feminine Vera making a surprise return, and the new love for the letter 'V', this becomes a name that has…
English surname
"wood clearing"
Yardley is an English surname with a distinguished vibe, a la Chauncey and Clancy. Extremely rare for either sex, it would make a stand-out choice that still fits in with current trends.
