UK Baby Names

Terminally outmoded.

Sleek, unisex surname rarely heard for girls -- which could be seen as an asset.

Yeardley (born Martha) Smith is the unusual name of the voice of Lisa Simpson; not advised unless your surname is Smith or Jones.

One of the rare cases where spelling a name with a y makes it less rather than more feminine. Birdie might be the freshest choice in this aviary.

A twist on Darwin with the same friendly meaning. Its lovable-nerd feel is given a cool edge by several football players with the name.

Even if you're a loyal alumnus, consider something less ultraupright, like Yale or Cal.

A family name that wouldn't appeal to many parents.

Of the names derived from titles, this is one of the least obvious (unless you are of German extraction). Chancellor also has the attraction of offering the exciting - and very on-trend - nickname Chance.

Sisley may look like a modern coinage, building on the fashionable -ley ending, but it's actually a medieval English variant of Cicely or Cecily, which in turn is a variation of Cecilia. Also found as an English surname, from the same root.

Intriguing alternative that goes beyond Louisa and May, for Little Women fans.

Somewhat flat-footed spelling variation.

New twist on Bennett. Mack Sennett was the early movie director known as the innovator of slapstick comedy.

See TRICIA.

Upstanding New England patrician name.

One of the bird names that's more appropriate for a boy, though it works for a girl too.

Often used in England, but here likely to be confused with the feminine Nicole. Nicol Williamson was a Scottish-born actor once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando".

The Mc and Mac surnames are asserting themselves as first names and this is among the most usable. MacArthur or McArthur makes a perfect honorific for an ancestral Arthur and leads directly to the nicknames Mac or Art

A rowdy name nobody ever heard of, till Nick Nolte gave it to his son.