UK Boy Names

Only if it's a family name, and even then, better in the middle.

Noted bearers of this surname include a metaphysical poet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a baseball Hall of Famer, so there's plenty of hero-name inspiration.

Not quite as over-the-hill as Herman, but not far behind either.

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

Somewhat dashing surname, but with serious teasing potential.

Another servile surname, this one connected to the go-between character in "Charlie's Angels."

Possible alternative to Anderson.

You might want to abbreviate this from one of the Biblical originals or use it as a name all on its own, an update of Sam or Finn. Sim is a Scottish Gaelic form of Simon.

Terminally outmoded.

One way to refer to an ancestral Roy, if not the most mellifluous.

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.

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.

Associated with archetypal folksinger Pete Seeger.

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

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.

Stiff and sedate surname name, despite its salty start.

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.

Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.