Names That Mean Son

An English surname derived from the French place name Beauvais, which in turn comes from the name of an ancient Gaulish tribe, the Bellovaci.

Whitten is a stylish patronymic surname derived from Witt and Witte — German and Dutch nicknames-turned-surnames describing people with white-blonde hair or a pale complexion. Cool-guy nickname Whit only adds to the appeal.

McKay is the Anglicized form of Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" in Gaelic. Aodh is the origin of names such as Aidan and Hugh, making McKay a subtle way to honor people with those names.

This variation of Biblical Benjamin is used in Ethiopia. The name is also spelled Benyam or Binyam.

A common surname in Ireland, often use as an anglicization of Mac Giolla Phádraig. This name could honor a Patrick. It's also a way to get to Fitz as a nickname.

Watts is a patronymic surname derived from Watt, a popular Middle English nickname for Walter. Today, Watts makes a contemporary and stylish way to honor a Walter in your life.

Variation of the very trendy Addison, perhaps lending itself more obviously to the nickname Addy.

Upper crust pet form still used in some old money families.

This attractive Scottish surname-name is found in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, as the surname of hero Augustus/Gus McCrae. Also spelled MacCrae or McRay among other variations, the meaning is variously given as son of grace or luck.

The connection between the two names isn't intuitive, but Jernej is the Slovene form of Bartholomew.

This Romani name may derive from the Yiddish name Zindel, which is itself a name derived from Alexander.

Cosmopolitan European form of the Greek name Aristides, as worn by an ancient statesman and an early saint.

Mabon ap Modron (son of Modron) is a prominent figure in Welsh literature and mythology – a fearless hero.

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 respelling of Bowen that gives the option of cozy nickname Wyn as well as Bo.

The son at the end of many Scandinavian names makes them more consistent with modern American name tastes. While Nilsson may be the proper Scandinavian form of the name, many English speakers will try to spell it Nilson or Nelson.

For girls, this would more likely be spelled Jameson.

A patronymic surname deriving from the traditional nickname Wat, from Walter. Watson appeared on the female baby name list for the first time in 2020, when it was given to 5 baby girls in the US. Actor Emma Watson is a famous surname bearer.

Ximeno is sometimes falsely credited as the Basque variation of Simon. It actually comes from Semen, a medieval Basque name that is completely unusable today, for obvious reasons. All the more reason to go with Ximeno.