Names That Mean English

Darling has history as an English surname, but it would most likely be read as a quirky and loving word name, a la Sweetheart or Honey.

Euston is best known as a London railway station, which got its name from a stately home and village in the English county of Suffolk. Ultimately it is thought to mean "settlement of a person called Efe". Unlike its Top 1000 soundalike Houston (as in Texas), Euston has never been recording on the charts.

Sincere is more common than you think as a given name, and so is variation Syncere, which sits right outside the Top 1000.

A patriotic spin on Armie, with roughly the same meaning whether you consider it a variation or a totally separate word name.

A forgotten nickname for Columbus, which itself is becoming ever rarer. Radio comedy program Lum and Abner, which ran for over two decades beginning in 1931, featured a character named Columbus "Lum" Edwards.

Uncommon nickname for Katherine.

Spiritual word names are a hot trend and ever-expanding category of baby names. Chapel was notably used in 2020 by Josh Brolin for his daughter. He said of her name, "Chapel Grace is, to us, a manifestation of that celestial feeling that was always felt as we meandered and knelt."

Chrysalis is a girls' baby name derived from the state of a butterfly or moth between larva and adult. A chrysalis is a hard-shelled pupa in which the transition of the butterfly or moth takes place. As a baby name, Chrysalis came to the fore as the rumored name of the baby girl of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, who reportedly love butterflies. Chrysalis does certainly have potential as a new word name or nature name for babies, with the simple familiar nickname Chrys.

Fur names. We don't think so.

A contemporary, feminized variation of Carson.

Not the most positive word name, but certainly full of meaning.

This alternative spelling to the word name Shine was given to 54 baby boys in 2022 — more than the original spelling. Shyne is the stage name of a rapper and Belizian politician — full name Moses Michael Levi Barrow — who currently holds the position of Leader of the Opposition in Belize.

This version of Tristan, known to English Lit students from the novel Tristram Shandy, is rarely used in this country, but, though its similarity to the popular Tristan could prove confusing, still makes an interesting literary choice.

The Finnish form of Peter was most common in its culture of origin in the 1950s and '60s.

It feels like a slenderized modern version, but Jennet actually has deep roots. Could this plucky name rescue Janet and Jenny from their datedness?

Khaos debuted in 2008, two years after Chaos appeared on the charts. These days, it tends to be more popular than the original.

With the tide coming in on a new wave of word names, this one just might catch on, especially for parents who relish sun, sand, and surf. Forest lovers can spell it Beech, like the tree.

Cute and eminently wearable surname name for girls.

Rein, along with Reign, have taken over from Rain as a trendy word name. Should you rein it in or let it rein? Okay, bad puns we know, but that's the downside of word names. This is a true unisex name, given to ten girls and eight boys in the US in one recent year.

Mormon supermodel Pyper America Smith Holder brought this spelling into the public eye. Pyper's younger brother is also a model, Lucky Blue Smith.