User-created list
Names of Nobel Prize Winners
Across 36 pages
of 36
Kendall
English
"valley of the river Kent"
The name Kendall started life as a locational surname, referring to the town of Kendale in England, and was used as a masculine name for the first half of the 19th century. By the 80s, it was a…
Buck
English
"male deer or rabbit"
Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and…
Kurt
German, diminutive of Kurtis
"courteous, polite"
A name that defines itself, a bit more curt in the harder K version.
Powell
English, Welsh "alert; son of Howell"
"alert; son of Howell"
Powerful surname choice with many distinguished bearers, fresher sounding than Parker.
Faulkner
English
"falconer"
Faulkner is an old occupational surname that was used for someone who kept and trained falcons when falconry was a popular sport in medieval Europe. Anyone using it in contemporary America would…
Hideki
Japanese
"bright tree"
As well as Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, two Yankees ballplayers, Hideki Irabu and Hideki Matsui, made this name familiar to Americans.
Eliot
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of Elias
"Yahweh is God"
Sleekened spelling.
Arne
Dutch and Scandinavian variation of Arnold
"ruler; strong as an eagle"
Works better as a full name than Arnie does as a nickname.
GREENE
Wendell
German, English
"wanderer; to travel, to proceed"
This name has hardly been used since Wendell Willkie ran for president in 1940, and it may not quite be ready for revival yet. Still, clunky grandpa names like Lionel, Douglas, Benedict, Carl, and…
Meredith
Welsh
"great ruler"
Meredith has been considered primarily a girl's name since the fifties, before which it was more commonly used for boys. Comic actor Jay Mohr recently named his son Meredith, which might help it…
Northrop
English
"northern farm"
Again, North is so much crisper.
Sumner
English occupational name
"summoner"
Billionaire Sumner Redstone, the nonagenarian owner of CBS and Viacom, practically has a monopoly on his first name — for now. But Hunter, Asher, and Ryder have ushered in a major vogue "-er" names,…
Percy
French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge
Percy is an adorable old name that is finally shedding its pampered Little Lord Fauntleroy image in this new era of boys with soft yet traditionally male names like Jasper and Elijah. Originating as…
Williams
Williams is a patronymic surname that has evolved into use as a given name. Derived from the Germanic name Wilhelm (composed of elements meaning 'will, desire' and 'helmet, protection'), it literally…
Cordell
English occupational name
"maker or seller of rope or cord"
This is a name that deserves more attention. Cordell is an occupational name that, through its similarity in sound to Cornell, Denzel, Dashiell, Boswell and Maxwell, feels both on-trend and upmarket.
Mistral
Mistral is a feminine name derived from the powerful, cold northwesterly wind that blows through southern France and into the Mediterranean. The word comes from the Occitan language and ultimately…
Howard
German, English
"high guardian; brave heart"
Howard, once hugely popular in the Top 50 from the 1870s to early 1950s, hitting Number 24 in 1920 -- has been stuck in Dad-Grandad limbo for decades, but is showing some signs of stirring back to…
Corneille
Corneille is a French masculine name derived from the Latin 'Cornelius,' which was a prominent Roman family name. The name gained particular distinction in France through Pierre Corneille, a…
Ernst
German variation of Ernest
Concise and clipped European version of the earnest Ernest.