Names That Mean Son
- Kerrigan
Origin:
Irish surnameMeaning:
"son of Ciaragán"Description:
An attractive Irish surname that is used more often among girls — likely due to the feminine associations with Kerry.
- Price
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"son of Rhys"Description:
Some names referring to expensive things -- Tiffany, Armani, Porsche -- are in fact declasse, but Price transcends that label with its simplicity and strength.
- Olsen
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"Olaf's son"Description:
Too tied to those well-publicized twins.
- Ivey
Origin:
Surname name, variation of IvyMeaning:
"son of Ive; person from Ivoy; ivy plant"Description:
Ivey can be considered an alternate spelling of the botanical name Ivy, but it also has separate origins as a surname. For the Anglo-Saxon Ivey line, Ivey means "son of Ive," while for the English-Norman Iveys, it means "person from Ivoy," a commune in the Cher department of France.
- Yancy
Origin:
American variation of Jansen, Dutch, Native AmericanMeaning:
"son of Jan; yankee"Description:
Yancy has two separate American origins — first as the Native American term for "Yankee," and second as the Americanized variation of the common Dutch surname Jansen. Jan being the Dutch form of John, Yancy could work to honor anyone in your life with a John-related name.
- Bowen
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"son of Owen"Description:
Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic strains, one Welsh and one Irish, and entered the US Top 1000 (for boys) for the first time in 2011. It comes complete with cute nicknames Bo and Winnie.
- Jiro
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"second son"Description:
Commonly used Japanese name -- and not only for a second son.
- Thompson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Tom"Description:
Thompson is not as popular as Jackson or Harrison, but a novel way to circumvent Junior for the son of a Thomas.
- Nelson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Neil"Description:
Nelson on a boy is a steady, somewhat formal classic. On a girl, it's fresher, less expected, and could be shortened to Nell or Nellie.
- Manzo
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"third son"Description:
Strong and vital Asian birth order name.
- Ichiro
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"firstborn son"Description:
Ichiro is a good classic choice for the first boy in a Japanese family.
- Macallister
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"son of Alasdair"Description:
Macallister as a first name is attracting new attention as the name chosen by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and venture capitalist Zack Bogue for their young son. Macallister is usually heard as a patronymic surname, meaning son of Alasdair or Alistair or any one of the spellings of the Scottish form of Alexander. Like all other names of this type, Macallister leads to the cute short form Mac.
- Benjámin
Origin:
Hungarian variation of Benjamin, HebrewMeaning:
"son of the right hand"
- Mckenzie
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"son of Kenneth"Description:
Derived from a Scottish surname, Mckenzie is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Coinnich, Coinnich being one of the original Gaelic forms of Kenneth. As a given name, it took off for girls in the US in the 70s, thanks to actress Mackenzie Phillips, and it has always been less popular for boys. While Mackenzie was chosen for 86 boys in the US last year, the Mckenzie spelling was used for just 7.
- Mackenna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"son of the handsome one"Description:
Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.
- Fitzroy
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of the king"Description:
An English surname originally given to the illegitimate sons of a monarch. It might be a nice middle name choice to honor an ancestral Roy, though as a first, it does have a cool meaning.
- Cavanaugh
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"born handsome or son of Caomhan "Description:
Pleasant Irish last name that could be a more masculine alternative to the overused Cassidy. Early kings of Leinster bore the name, which relates to the first name Caomhan or Kevin and can also be spelled Kavanagh, Cavanagh, Cavenagh, and Kavanaugh.
- Shiro
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"fourth son"
- Dixon
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"son of Dick"Description:
A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than Dick; it would be right at home alongside Dax and Jax.
- Sune
Origin:
Swedish and DanishMeaning:
"son"Description:
Sune was derived from the Old Norse word sunr, meaning "son".