1450+ English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

  1. Temple
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "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.
  2. Jetta
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "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.
  3. Jex
    • Origin:

      English surname derived from Jacques
    • Description:

      Decidedly offbeat name that combines jauntiness with that uber-cool X, and would certainly set your son up for life outside the mainstream.
  4. Barton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from the barley settlement"
    • Description:

      More user-friendly, though less substantial, than Bartholomew.
  5. Thornton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "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..
  6. Dean
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "church official"
    • Description:

      Like many passé boys' names, this one sounds fresh again for girls.
  7. Blackwell
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "black well or stream"
    • Description:

      Dark.
  8. Fleetwood
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "woods with a stream"
    • Description:

      For die-hard Fleetwood Mac fans, though Fleet is definitely a cool short form.
  9. Windsor
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "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.
  10. Darnell
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "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.
  11. Barnett
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "place cleared by burning"
    • Description:

      Has some creative credibility via abstract painter Barnett Newman, but we'd prefer his nickname, Barney.
  12. Wylda
    • Origin:

      Variation of the word wild or German
    • Meaning:

      "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?
  13. Faine
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "joyful"
    • Description:

      Faine is a very unusual one-syllable option.
  14. Seldon
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from the house on the hill"
    • Description:

      Seldom heard as a first name.
  15. Marvel
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      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.
  16. Potter
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "maker of drinking and storage vessels"
    • Description:

      Could join such up-and-comers as Miller and Gardener.
  17. Poe
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "peacock"
    • Description:

      Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe.
  18. Bud
    • Origin:

      English nickname
    • Description:

      This is a name you get stuck with, not (we hope) one your parents choose for you.
  19. Peace
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "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.
  20. Sherwood
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "bright forest"
    • Description:

      Unfashionable surname, best left in the forest with Robin Hood and his Merry Men.