Names That Mean Son

Bulky surname honoring Grandpa Henry or Saul Bellow's Rain King.

McCartney is a widely familiar surname that is infrequently given as a first name. It first appeared on the charts for girls in 1996 but has never been given to more than 21 baby girls in a single year. McCartney meets our definition of a unisex name, although it used more often for girls.

The popularity of handsome Welsh surname Maddox led to the creation of this spelling variation, connected to baseball great Greg Maddux.

Not often heard on girls, although Hillary Scott used it as the middle name for her daughter Betsy in 2018.

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.

The Welsh way to spell Price, which is more complicated but elevates it beyond the monetary realm.

Powerful surname choice with many distinguished bearers, fresher sounding than Parker.

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 inventive spelling of Graycen was among the fastest-risers of the year in 2019. It hit a peak in 2020, and dropped for both genders in 2021.

Typically spelled Hachirō, with a macron over the O. It was historically given to the eighth son in a family, although these days eight sons is a rare occurrence.

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

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.

A really unusual choice that could be used to honor Grandpa Will.

The number one surname in Denmark could make a sophisticated and stylish girl's name.

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.

This name of an early Greek Christian philosopher comes with a wizened, ancient air about it. Still, perhaps the nickname Ari might help it work for a baby to grow into.

More and more variations of Mackenzie are joining the Top 1000.

Popular in the African American community, the De- prefix makes this a choice for sons of Marcuses.

Actor Pierce Brosnan made his sharp-sounding name famous, and now it's given to a couple dozen baby girls per year too.