User-created list
Names of Nobel Prize Winners
Across 36 pages
of 36
Pearson
Pearson is primarily known as an English surname meaning 'son of Piers' or 'son of Peter,' with Peter ultimately deriving from the Greek 'petros' meaning 'rock' or 'stone.' As a masculine given name,…
Todd
English
"fox"
A 1970s beach boy surfing buddy of Scott, Brad, and Chad, Todd is given to relatively few babies these days.
Dickinson
English
"son of Dick"
Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it.
Cyril
Greek
"lordly"
A British-accented Greek name with an intellectual image that has been off the U.S. charts since 1966, but was a Top 300 name at the turn of the last century. We have the feeling Cyril's ready for a…
Willis
Diminutive of William, German
"resolute protection"
A common surname that was popular as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th century, Willis dropped off the US Top 1000 back in the early 90s, just as alternative William diminutive, Liam,…
Hemingway
English place name
No matter how much you love the novels of Papa H., don't saddle your son with this unwieldy appellation.
Robbins
Robbins is a masculine name that originated as an English surname derived from the personal name Robin, itself a medieval diminutive of Robert (meaning 'bright fame'). The transition from surname to…
Elihu
Hebrew
"Jehovah is God"
Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.
Linus
Greek
"flax"
Can Linus lose its metaphorical security blanket and move from the Peanuts page onto the birth certificate? We think it has enough charm and other positive elements going for it for the answer to be…
Born
Born is an uncommon masculine name with profound symbolic meaning. As a name, it evokes themes of beginning, emergence, and new life—literally meaning 'carried' or 'brought into existence.' This name…
Churchill
English
"hill of the church"
Distinguished though it is, it will never shake its portly cigar-smoking image.
Frits
Frits is a masculine name primarily used in Dutch and Scandinavian countries, particularly the Netherlands and Denmark. It originated as a diminutive form of Friedrich (German) or Frederik (Dutch),…
Selman
Selman is a masculine name with diverse cultural connections, appearing in Turkish, Albanian, and Bosnian traditions. Its primary origin is from the Turkish name derived from Arabic 'Salmān', meaning…
Laurence
English from Latin
"from Laurentum or bay laurel"
Lawrence is the dominant spelling in the US, but in the UK Laurence and Lawrence are given in almost equal numbers each year, often with the adorable nickname Laurie or Lawrie. British actor Sir…
Mills
Feels akin to Brooks and Rivers, two other boys' names that double as plural nouns. It's been used as a first name for centuries, including by a two time governor of Virginia.
Purcell
Purcell is a masculine name derived from an English and Irish surname with Norman French origins. The surname comes from 'porcel' meaning 'little pig' or 'piglet,' possibly originating as a nickname…
Glenn
Scottish
"valley"
Glenn appealed to a lot of post-World War II parents for its cool, leafy image, also calling up the Big Band sounds of Glenn Miller and the calm, composed image of actor Glenn Ford, whose name at…
Walton
English
"fortified town"
Slightly more modern than Walter, but only just.
Ralph
English from German
"wolf-counsel"
Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…
Bertrand
French from German
"magnificent crow"
This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director…