930+ English Names for Boys

Paterson is a surname-name to continue a line of Peters and also the name of a city in New Jersey, hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg.

Possible middle name to honor an ancestral Philip.

A popular first name in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, giving rise to surnames Gifford et al. Could enjoy a comeback thanks to trendy Griffin.

Unusual, but clear and strong.

For fans of the (female) author A. S. ; makes an interesting alternative to Wyatt or the hotelish Hyatt.

Plummer might be an occupational name for someone who works with pipes -- yes, like a plumber -- or with feathers, from the Olde English (from the French) plume. Or it could indicate someone who lived near a plum tree.

Putting a C before Albert doesn't make this old occupational name any more contempo.

Dickinson is a possibility for Richard's boy, though that Dick nickname is problematic no matter how you get to it.

Legitimizes the newly coined Denim, as does the Scottish place-name Denholm (both pronounced DEN-um).

A more modern- sounding alternative to Harman.

There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.

A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.

Can be used as a middle name to honor Dad or Grandpa David.

Bernie, with airs.

The -el ending feels inevitably feminine; also a form of French poetry.

Might be an honorific for novelist Saul Bellow, although bellowing is not the gentlest of sounds. Consider Saul instead.

We don't see this one making it unless you have a compelling family reason.

For sailors or jazz lovers. Or smokers of menthol cigarettes.

Undiscovered single-syllable surname option, a friendly alternative to Reed.

Brittle.