Names That Mean Son

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.

Carson is finally beginning to fall slightly after a nearly 2-decade reign of popularity, and we suspect its many spelling variations will follow suit.

The surname Witten (and variants such as Whitten) is a patronym derived from Witte or Witt, which was a nickname for people with white hair or a pale complexion in Germany and the Netherlands. It makes a very cool (and rare!) name for a son — the stylish nickname Witt seals the deal.

Easy nickname Maggie makes Maguire an appealing option for girls.

Rawlings was a surname with ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel." Rawlings is used as a first name for one of the girl sextuplets on TV's Sweet Home.

A familiar Scandinavian surname — typically spelled Christofferson in Denmark — via actor and singer Kris Kristofferson.

Patterson is an upscale name worth considering if you're looking to continue a line of Peters, but soundalike Paterson is a downscale city in New Jersey.

Atkinson has never made it onto the American charts, although historical records provide evidence that it has been used as a given name before. Atkin is a Medieval nickname for Adam, making Atkinson a sneaky and unique way to honor an important Adam in your life.

Intriguing way to honor an ancestral John.

Likely to be construed as a virtue name (a nice one, at that!), even though Willing is a traditional surname with both English and German roots. As an English name, Willing is a patronymic form of Willa. In German, it's a patronym from Wille, a variation of Ville, which is related to William.

All the Fitz names are hard to carry, but this one has a wonderful meaning and might be a good middle name choice to honor a brilliant lineage.

Uruguayan footballer Edinson Cavani gave his unique first name a boost following the 2022 World Cup.

If you choose this name, it's not likely to be for the meaning.

This surname is on trend with its S ending, and could honor people such as athlete Jesse Owens. But it has strong potential for confusion with Owen singular.

McLaren is an Anglicization of the surname MacLabhrainn, meaning "son of Labhrann." Labhrann is the Gaelic form of Laurentius, from which Lawrence also derived.

Atkin is a short form of Adam that originated in Medieval England. It's now obsolete, but traces remain in surnames such as Atkins and Atkinson.

Reilly and Riley are hugely popular, but O'Reilly is still an up-and-comer.

Hungarian form of Bartholomew

The O'Haras are descended from Eaghra -- pronounced and phonetically spelled Ara -- the lord of Luighne, the modern Leyney in County Sligo. As a name, this makes a satisfying new twist on Harry.

This one may well be an undiscovered choice for many parents - it has a fabulous meaning, a sturdy surname-name appeal that is very on trend right now and several great namesakes including the Bartlett pear and the tome of quotations. Despite that third T, it could also be a favorite of The West Wing fans wanting to evoke fictional president Jed Bartlet.