User-created list
By athena95 · Updated May 2023
Across 8 pages
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Occupational name
Painter is among the most creative choices in this very fashionable category of names, with a particularly pleasant sound. Whereas most occupational names conjure up physical labor, this one feels…
English
"farm near the willows; willow town"
Energetic Willoughby is a familiar last name, but, as yet, makes for a unique choice in the first spot. An unexpected way to get to popular short forms Will and Billy, Willoughby could make an…
French
"esquire"
Conjures up a tweedy English country gentleman with a large paunch.
Latinized form of German Tielo or Till
"people"
One of the coolest of names, thanks to legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk, who inherited it from his father. It has been used very sparingly since the 1960s--just a sprinkling of baby boys…
Gardiner is a masculine name of Old French and English origin functioning primarily as a surname before its occasional use as a first name. Derived from the occupational term for one who tends or…
Irish place-name
With Galway and Ireland in play as names (not to mention Shannon and Kerry), there's no reason this one can't work, too.
Dutch artist name
The name of the most renowned of the Old Masters is a potential option for families who put an emphasis on the creative. Rembrandt Peale was a member of the Peale family of painters, all named for…
Irish
"pup, cub"
This is the original Gaelic spelling of the Anglicized Colin -- more authentic, yes, but could make your American child's life unnecessarily complicated.
Scottish
"lord of the land"
Laird is a Scottish title for the landed gentry – it ranks just below a Baron – with a pleasantly distinctive Scottish burr that must have appealed to Sharon Stone, who chose it for her son. Laird…
"place with thatching"
The name of the famous British man of letters might just appeal to some English majors as a more interesting alternative to Zachary. An appropriate playmate for Russell Crowe's boy Tennyson.
French variation of William, German
"resolute protection"
An everyday name in France, a charismatic possibility elsewhere, Guillaume is a French form of the classic Germanic William. It's heyday was back in the 1980s and 90s, when it ranked in the French…
Latin clan name
"wealth"
Lucretius is the name of the Roman philosopher who invented Epicureanism. But even in these days of old Roman name revival, Lucretius sounds a bit long-white-beardish, though it can be enlivened with…
Scottish from Norse
"Thor's cauldron"
Torquil, is a quirky but intriguing option that evolved from an ancient Scandinavian name and was imported into Scotland by the Vikings. The Gaelic form of the name is Torcaill. Torquil MacLeod was…
"son of Peter"
Paterson is a surname-name to continue a line of Peters and also the name of a city in New Jersey, hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg.
Literary name
The surname of father-son British writers Kingsley and Martin could work very well as a first, though its Amy connection makes it sound a tad feminine.
Cavanagh is a masculine name with Irish Gaelic roots, derived from the surname 'Caomhánach,' which means 'born of the handsome one' or 'born of Kevin.' Historically a family name associated with the…
American nickname
First Woody Allen, then Spike Lee named their children to honor the great early black pitcher, Leroy "Satchel" Paige. A bit luggage-related for non-celebrity use, however.
Latin
"yellow, blond"
Flavius is an ancient Roman family name associated with a dynasty of emperors. It has an appealingly flavorful first syllable, and is the name of a stylist in the Hunger Games series. Earlier…
Spelling variation of Wilfred, English
"desires peace"
Wilfrid is a distinguished masculine name of Anglo-Saxon origin, combining the elements "will" (determination or desire) and "frid" (peace), creating the meaningful combination "desires peace" or…
