930+ English Names for Boys

Though we usually think a name's image in contemporary culture supersedes its ancient meaning, this is a case where the definition could undermine a child's self-esteem.

Double whammy: the expression "Seward's folly" and inevitable sewer jokes.

Gently pleasant English family name long associated with 60-Minuteman Morley Safer.

Old-fashioned, conjuring up an ardent suitor in a bow tie and straw boater.

Only if it's a family name, and even then, better in the middle.

No competition for Jackson.

If you prefer the woods to the ocean, you'll want to name your son (or daughter) Beech instead of Beach.

A noble surname from northern England that has occasionally been used as a first name.

One step up from Irwin, and that's not nearly enough.

Forster, a variation of Foster or potentially even Forester, is associated with British novelist E.M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, Howard's End, and A Room with a View. But if you choose Forster, you'd always have to force that 'r'.

Bates is a fresh version of Bartholomew, and feels more wearable than Bart. Bates could be considered a patriotic choice for American parents - Katharine Lee Bates was an author and professor best known for penning the words to "America the Beautiful".

Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.

If you find West not substantial enough, this would make a more solid path to it.

Better suited to a stuffy school than a little boy.

If it's royalty you're after, stick with Earl or Prince -- this is too deified.

Upper-crusty hotelish surname.

Admirers of the haunting works of esteemed Irish poet and playwright William Butler Yeats might consider this, especially as a middle name.

Here too lies the danger of entitlement.

Has a positive meaning and a nickname feel. Sealey was a feminine name in medieval times but would be equally stylish (and rare) for both sexes now.

Climbing a mountain somewhere with Radcliff and Heathcliff.