930+ English Names for Boys

A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.

Stiff and sedate surname name, despite its salty start.

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 is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.

Despite two distinguished surname-bearers — the great British statesman William Pitt and heartthrob Brad, this would be a tough name to pull off in first place. William Thackeray used it for two generations of baronets in his novel Vanity Fair, the Sir Pitt Crawleys.

Patsy has been rarely heard for half a century, for either gender, and we're not expecting that to change in the near future..

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

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

A rare surname name that could follow in the footsteps of Harlow, Marlow, Winslow et al.

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.

Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.

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.

Associated with archetypal folksinger Pete Seeger.

Thompson is not as popular as Jackson or Harrison, but a novel way to circumvent Junior for the son of a Thomas.

A Middle English form of Adalbert (and therefore of Albert), which was the name of several Saxon kings. Nowadays, Ethel plus Bert is not a fashionable sound, but Albert is feeling fresh again.

A fresher alternative to Dalton.

Possibility for fans of science fiction writer Ray.

Barker may be appealing to parents looking for a name with many layers - not only does it share a meaning with the more common Shepherd and Tanner, it also brings to mind the bark of a tree, making this a surreptitious choice for nature enthusiasts.

You won't win with Sherwin.