UK Boy Names

With Yale and Brown in the mainstream, why not this upscale college name and surname as well.

Amiable, undiscovered geographic option.

Severe surname choice.

Heard in a sixties spy movie, The Quiller Memorandum, this uncommon occupational name has an offbeat charm.

Huntley was best known as Brinkley's news partner several decades ago. With the new genre of girls' names that are unusual surnames ending with the lee sound -- think Mosley, Yardley -- Huntley or Huntlea or Huntleigh might rise for girls.

This old short form might be seen as a little dubious by some, though it could make for a fun pet name or an update on Roger.

Téa Leoni and David Duchovny named their kid Kyd in 2002, but he usually goes by his middle name, Miller. Probably a wise choice, given the homonym.

This name of a busy British port city -- as well as of several places in America -- has a brisk and bustling air. It will now--and for years to come--be identified as a (female) Sarah Palin name.

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.

If you're looking for a Nicholas substitute or namesake, Nicholson would make a more distinctive path to the likable nickname Nick, fitting in with other newer patronymics like Anderson and Harrison. Unusual but not outlandish, it is associated with writer Nicholson Baker, library advocate and author of Vox. And as a surname, of course, with Jack.

Ifor seems to make more sense in its Anglicized version, Ivor.

A bit too cunning.

Short but not particularly sweet surname.

Farquhar has a great meaning, but unfortunate potential for mispronunciation. It was originally a given name in the Scottish highlands, but is more commonly known today as a surname. It's occasionally given to children in Scotland, but rarely if ever elsewhere. (And no, the character in Shrek was Lord Farquaad.)

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.

An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse.

This is a both fresher and cooler spin on David.

Inventive way to honor a redheaded ancestor, though most people would mispronounce it reeding, making it sound to some kids like a school assignment: Redding is a preferable spelling.