English Last Names

Possible middle name for devotees of detective Sherlock...or the actress Katie.

You occasionally see the German and Danish word for "summer" pop up as a first name -- 16 girls were given it in 2016 -- and that trend may continue, now that the original has risen to Number 202 on the American popularity list.

Surely one of the most pleasant and evocative of the occupational options.

Sanders is one of the S-ending surnames gaining traction as a first name for boys in the US. It jumped nearly 2000 points in popularity this year.

No competition for Jackson.

This pleasant single-syllable surname might be especially appealing to someone involved with the internet (and who isn't?)--even if some others might see it as a drawback.

Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.

Last name occasionally used as a first, can be seen as a Lance Armstrong athlete-hero name.

Wheeler is one of the most energetic of the newly stylish occupational names, all those 'e's giving it a friendly, freewheeling sound.

Rider is a rock-and-roll baby name, in every sense of the term, though usually spelled Ryder, as in the sons of Kate Hudson and John Leguizamo.

Upstanding New England patrician name.

Swayze is an Anglicization of the German surname Schweiz or Schweizer, referring to a Swiss person. It's most commonly associated with late actor Patrick Swayze, of Dirty Dancing fame. Interestingly, it's overwhelmingly feminine, with over 83% of babies born with the name girls.

A simple, self-possessed, somewhat serious surname, which might work better as a middle.

An English surname originally given to the illegitimate sons of a monarch. Might be a nice middle name choice to honor an ancestral Roy.

Rawlings was a surname brought to England with the Norman invasion and has ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel."

Chaplin carries two very distinctive images: the beloved Little Tramp and a minister, often to the military. It was the baby-name choice of Ever Carridine in 2010.

Bates is a fresh version of Bartholomew, and feels more wearable than Bart. Bates could be considered a patriotic choice for American parents - Katharine Lee Bates was an author and professor best known for penning the words to "America the Beautiful".

An old-fashioned term for a coal miner, or nowadays, a sister to Harper and Piper.

Mama's boy.