1450+ English Names

  1. Win
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Winifred or Winslet
    • Description:

      Win might be an upbeat short form for a girl named Winifred or the new-fangled Winslet, or can stand on its own. The Welsh name Wynn feels more complete and sounds the same.
  2. Author
    • Origin:

      Word and occupational name
    • Description:

      An occupation name that sounds odd to the modern ear but enjoyed some use a century ago. May make a comeback as a more genteel brother to the new union of boys (and girls) with worker names such as Mason, Carter, and Bailey.
  3. Verle
    • Barnes
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "someone who lives or works near the barn"
      • Description:

        This is a solid surname choice for people looking for a change from Cooper, Parker and Carson. Australian parents will probably instantly associate this name with famous rock legend Jimmy Barnes, but this has an even older pedigree as a namesake - Barnes Wallis was a UK aviator and inventor, most remembered for designing the Dambuster bomb (a bomb that bounces across water to reach its target) and working on supersonic flight in the 1940s and 50s.
    • Upton
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "upper town"
      • Description:

        Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.
    • Alcott
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "dweller at the old cottage"
      • Description:

        Intriguing alternative that goes beyond Louisa and May, for Little Women fans.
    • Robertson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Robert"
      • Description:

        A better modern solution than Robert Jr. ; known to fiction readers via Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.
    • Faxon
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "hair"
      • Description:

        A rare place name and surname, with possible potential as an alternative to Jaxon. Famous wearers of the surname include biologist brothers Charles Edward and Walter Faxon, and composer Nancy Plummer Faxon.
    • Marston
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "residence near a marshy place"
      • Description:

        Streamline it to Marsh, Mason, or Carson.
    • Hilton
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "hill settlement"
      • Description:

        Do you really want to name your baby after a hotel? Or a famous-for-being-famous starlet?
    • Pistol
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        Pistol is one of the new names that entered the lexicon in the US in 2013, when it was given to nine babies of each gender. Call it an equal-opportunity badass baby name with an unfortunately violent image.
    • Taft
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "building site"
      • Description:

        A solid, brief but not brusque single-syllable surname with a presidential pedigree.
    • Chaucer
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "maker of breeches"
      • Description:

        One of the most distinguished names in literature could become a hero name in a family of poetry-lovers -- or be seen as a trendy new occupational name.
    • Harpo
      • Origin:

        English nickname
      • Description:

        The mute, horn-honking Marx Brother's real name was Adolph -- so Harpo represented a huge step up. Also, it's Oprah's production company (her name spelled backward).
    • Fortitude
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored, but would not be easy for a modern boy to carry. Stick with something a little simpler than Fortitude, like Justice or True.
    • Fairbanks
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "bank along the pathway"
      • Description:

        Alaska's second most populous city makes a baby name with a preppy, even aristocratic, flavor.
    • Simpson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Simon"
      • Description:

        Try Simon. Or Homer.
    • Gore
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "wedge-shaped object"
      • Description:

        Surname from a landscape feature, associated with author Gore Vidal and Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore. Its alternative meaning - as in gory - may explain why it's never made it into the charts.
    • Belden
      • Origin:

        English from French
      • Meaning:

        "pretty valley"
      • Description:

        Belden is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.
    • Spalding
      • Origin:

        English and Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "divided field"
      • Description:

        Has diverse links to a Groucho Marx character, a bouncing ball, and late performance artist Spalding Gray.