English Last Names

Associated with archetypal folksinger Pete Seeger.

Belden is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.

Stiff and sedate surname name, despite its salty start.

This is a solid surname choice for people looking for a change from Cooper, Parker and Carson. Australian parents will probably instantly associate this name with famous rock legend Jimmy Barnes, but this has an even older pedigree as a namesake - Barnes Wallis was a UK aviator and inventor, most remembered for designing the Dambuster bomb (a bomb that bounces across water to reach its target) and working on supersonic flight in the 1940s and 50s.

Uppity name associated with muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair.

Try Simon. Or Homer.

Latimer is an English occupational surname that referred to someone who translated documents to and from Latin. It was derived from the French latinier and latimier, of the same meaning.

A new name with the potential for spanning across a far-reaching future. Bridges and Bridger are other possiblities.

Barker may be appealing to parents looking for a name with many layers - not only does it share a meaning with the more common Shepherd and Tanner, it also brings to mind the bark of a tree, making this a surreptitious choice for nature enthusiasts.

A better modern solution than Robert Jr. ; known to fiction readers via Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.

Mailer is one of the more unusual of the on-trend occupational surnames. Recommended for fans of the macho writer Norman Mailer.

Cowboyish occupational name that's one of the hottest choices below the Top 1000, increasing in rank more than 5000 places since the year 2000. Roper may not be a unique choice much longer.

Gently pleasant English family name long associated with 60-Minuteman Morley Safer.

The final s turns a nature name into a Waspy surname.

Thompson is not as popular as Jackson or Harrison, but a novel way to circumvent Junior for the son of a Thomas.

A fairly common surname, with little appeal but a profit motive as a first name.

Spirited and sassy, Lively could be a feminine leaning counterpart to the trending boy name Wilder. A modern virtue of sorts, it has more energy that Patience, Prudence, and Temperance, and is far less popular than Hope or Grace.

If you prefer the woods to the ocean, you'll want to name your son (or daughter) Beech instead of Beach.