Names that end in y
- Hartley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"stag meadow"Description:
Smart and sharp but with a touch of heart and charm, Hartley is a surname style name that could work as an alternative to Harley, Harvey, Artie, or Harry. Quietly used as a masculine name throughout the 20th century, the arrival of two celebrity-baby girl Hartleys in 2010 has meant the name has been used as a predominantly feminine one in recent years. However, since 2020, Hartley has doubled in use for boys too, and was give to a modest 30 in 2023. .
- Sky
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010.
- Terry
Origin:
Diminutive of Terence or Thierry, EnglishMeaning:
"soft; thresher; ruler of the people"Description:
One of the first breakaway unisex baby names, Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates. Popular in the mid-20th-century, it has fallen out of favor in recent years, replaced by Tommy, Sonny, and Ozzy.
- Maisy
Origin:
Scottish diminutive of MargaretMeaning:
"pearl"Description:
The Maisie spelling may be more widely used, but Maisy is perfectly proper and also makes the British Top 100. And as Maisy, she feels like a closer relative to Daisy, another Margaret diminutive.
- Kay
Origin:
English, diminutive of Katherine, GreekMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae.
- Tansy
Origin:
Flower name, from GreekMeaning:
"immortality"Description:
Tansy is a flower name rarer than Rose, livelier than Lily and a lot less teasable than Pansy.
- Kelsey
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"Cenel's island"Description:
Yesterday's hottie, today's mom name. It derives from several English place names and may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".
- Bentley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"meadow with coarse grass"Description:
Bentley, a somewhat stuffy British surname, previously associated primarily with an incredibly expensive English car, has had a recent surge in popularity, thanks largely to the reality TV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, with Bentley being the name of the son of breakout star Maci (another new favorite) Bookout.
- Shelby
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"estate on the ledge"Description:
Southern name still occasionally heard in a male context (author Shelby Foote and the son of singer/sitcom star Reba McEntire), but it's much more associated with girls.
- Barry
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"spear"Description:
This Anglicized form of Bearach or short form of Finbarr was in the Top 200 in the USA for 50 years until the early 80s when it rapidly fell out of favor. Barry has not yet found popularity in the modern era - but that may well change as people rediscover their love of classic figures like musician Barry White, baseballer Barry Bonds or even Barack Obama, whose nickname as a young man was Barry.
- Waverly
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"meadow of quivering aspens"Description:
Waverly, with its literary resonance and lilting three-syllable sound, could well become the next generation's successor to Kimberly. Its upper-crusty surname feel places it among the new stylish English names for girls, successors to Ashley and Whitney.
- Nelly
Origin:
Variation of Nellie and NellMeaning:
"light"Description:
Nelly or Nellie is an adorable nickname name that can be short for a wide range of more formal appellations or that can stand on its own, and is typical of the vintage nickname genre that is growing in popularity. While Nelly can be used for several different names, from Helen to Eleanor to Cornelia, it has stood on its own for more than a century. It was one of the most popular names – spelled as Nellie – in the U.S. at the end of the 1800s.
- Ripley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"strip of clearing in the woods"Description:
The "Believe It or Not" jokes will get old fast, but this surname feels fun and on-trend for both girls and boys, reminiscent of Riley, Tripp, Bridger, and Oakley.
- Cindy
Origin:
Diminutive of Cynthia or LucindaDescription:
Cindy as a name in its own right made it into the Top 20 in 1957 and remained a Top 200 girls' name until the end of the 20th century. Although it's fallen precipitously since then and left the Top 1000 completely in 2015, Cindy remains a name commonly heard in the US. Today, though, it would more likely be attached to moms or grandmas than to babies.
- Godfrey
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"God's peace"Description:
Godfrey was very popular in the Middle Ages, but today you're more likely to hear it as a surname than a first name. It has a solid, old-man charm, but a couple of possible deal-breakers: the first syllable being God, and no obvious nickname. Goff, maybe? For a different feel, we also like the Italian artist's version Giotto.
- Everly
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"wild boar in woodland clearing"Description:
Evokes 1960s brotherly close harmony. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis named his son Everly Bear, and it is also an explosively popular choice for girls. We predict that all the "Ever" names will be one of the defining trends of the 2010s-20s.
- Rowdy
Origin:
American word nameDescription:
Rowdy was first famously used as a given name in the television series Rawhide, with the young Clint Eastwood playing Rowdy Yates. More recently, competitive swimmer Rowdy Gaines has been featured in a series of TV commercials, and a new badass baby name is gaining notice. The word Rowdy originated in the U.S. in the early 19th century, used to describe a rough or lawless backwoodsman. It's one of the distinctly American names.
- Valley
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"valley"Description:
A natural phenomenon that makes a stylish baby name. Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry used it for her daughter, twin to Verse.
- Tuesday
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"Tiu's Day,"Description:
When actress Susan Ker Weld changed her name to Tuesday, she opened up a whole calendar of possibilities. This was decades before the arrival of Sunday Rose Urban.
- Tiggy
Origin:
English diminutive of Antigone, GreekMeaning:
"worthy of one's parents, in place of one's parents"Description:
An energetic nickname name occasionally encountered in England, particularly among Telegraph-reading circles. It is traditionally short for Antigone, but nowadays it's just as often bestowed as a standalone name.