UK Boy Names

This name has been off the USA Top 1000 list since before 1900, but it has some great musical credentials: consider American blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander and country music legend Pat Alger.

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.

Underused literary name (as in the poet John) with a -den ending that's very much in style.

If you want a truly unusual name with authentic roots, this one certainly fits on both counts. Pronunciation may prove a stumbling block, however.

Sounds as if it should have a Sir before it or a shire following it.

Carleton has a great meaning behind it, and should really have more popularity than it has found to date. You can shorten it to Carl or keep it upscale and formal in the longer form. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk lends the name some sporty credentials, while American artist Carleton Wiggins confirms this name's Victorian earnestness.

In Wuthering Heights, Cathy's milquetoast husband; Heath is so much more appealing.

The name Parson might have seemed ridiculous even a few years ago, but when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe named their son Deacon, they opened up a whole new field of ecclesiastical cool. Bishop, Priest, and Pastor are other possibilities.

A lesser-used presidential choice, with a charming, buccaneering sound. Fictional bearers include the Marvel Comics character James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, as well as the heroine of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Daisy Buchanan.

Rarely heard name that could sub for Graham.

A rare but distinguished Scottish name. The original Galloway is a region in south-west Scotland, and the meaning ("stranger-Gaels") refers to its mixed population of Scandinavian and Gaelic-speaking people. It later became a surname and a sturdy breed of cattle. Galloway could be a fresh addition to better-known Scottish places like Murray and Ross.

Yardley is an English surname with a distinguished vibe, a la Chauncey and Clancy. Extremely rare for either sex, it would make a stand-out choice that still fits in with current trends.

Chaplin carries two very distinctive images: the beloved Little Tramp and a minister, often to the military. It was the baby-name choice of Ever Carridine in 2010.

British-sounding literary surname choice.

Amiable, undiscovered geographic option.

For Grandpa Vincent.

This old short form is more than a little dodgy now. In a recent film, Steve Carell's character is named Dodge, seen by one critic as symbolizing his risk-averse personality.

Cadell is a surname that is unlikely to win many supporters, except perhaps from parents looking for an alternative to Caden. But while Cadell is more distinctive, that L ending is weaker and less appealing than Caden's strong N.

Try Abraham or Lincoln instead.