1450+ English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)
- Temple
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller near the temple"Description:
The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she was played by Claire Danes.
- Jetta
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"jet"Description:
Although this is a legitimate name, most people would associate it with a line of Volkswagens -- you'd be better off choosing a Mercedes.
- Jex
Origin:
English surname derived from JacquesDescription:
Decidedly offbeat name that combines jauntiness with that uber-cool X, and would certainly set your son up for life outside the mainstream.
- Barton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"from the barley settlement"Description:
More user-friendly, though less substantial, than Bartholomew.
- Thornton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place in the thorns"Description:
Despite Thornton Wilder, playwright of the perennial Our Town, only a handful of baby boys receive this name each year..
- Dean
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"church official"Description:
Like many passé boys' names, this one sounds fresh again for girls.
- Blackwell
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"black well or stream"Description:
Dark.
- Fleetwood
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"woods with a stream"Description:
For die-hard Fleetwood Mac fans, though Fleet is definitely a cool short form.
- Windsor
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"riverbank with a winch"Description:
Windsor may have male references, such as Britain's royal House of Windsor and a tie's windsor knot, but this name also has a definite feminine feel, as in Windsor Rose. That seems appropriate, as Windsor is used equally these days for boys and girls. Nicknames might include Win, Wind, Windy, and Winnie.
- Darnell
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the hidden spot"Description:
Like so many names starting with Dar- (e.g. Darcy, Darius, and Darbey) this name feels so suave and aristocratic. British musician Darnell Bristol went by nickname Dee.
- Barnett
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"place cleared by burning"Description:
Has some creative credibility via abstract painter Barnett Newman, but we'd prefer his nickname, Barney.
- Wylda
Origin:
Variation of the word wild or GermanMeaning:
"to strive"Description:
The German name for girls Wylda was introduced to the world by British filmmaker/artist, director of Fifty Shades of Gray Sam Taylor-Wood and her actor husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who named their daughter Wylda Rae. Is that Wylda, which rhymes with Hilda, and might be found inhabiting a sod hut on the Kansas prairie in 1901? Or Wylda, sister of Wilder, destined for a future as a hell-raising singer in a rock band?
- Faine
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"joyful"Description:
Faine is a very unusual one-syllable option.
- Seldon
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"from the house on the hill"Description:
Seldom heard as a first name.
- Marvel
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century, when Marva was also in style.
- Potter
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"maker of drinking and storage vessels"Description:
Could join such up-and-comers as Miller and Gardener.
- Poe
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"peacock"Description:
Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe.
- Bud
Origin:
English nicknameDescription:
This is a name you get stuck with, not (we hope) one your parents choose for you.
- Peace
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"peace"Description:
Peace may be an admirable sentiment to convey in a child's name, but the translated and thus more subtle versions, like Pax or Placido, might work better as first names.
- Sherwood
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"bright forest"Description:
Unfashionable surname, best left in the forest with Robin Hood and his Merry Men.