English Last Names

Literary, occupational, and very neglected.

Epes is often considered a variation of the surname Epps, which typically refers to the aspen tree, from the Old English word æpse. Some branches of Epes may have derived from the Middle English given name Eppe — Eoppa in Old English — from a root meaning "red". It has also been proposed the Eppe came from the Old Norse Øpi, meaning "cry out" or "shriek".

Julia Styles used Newcomb as the middle name for her son Strummer.

Simple and down-to-earth, but would probably work best as a middle name.

This artistic surname name derives from a diminutive of Laurence/Lawrence, and was famously borne by the English painter LS Lowry.

The hazel tree meaning is on-trend, but it also sounds a lot like "hassle".

Upper-crusty surname name.

Driver seems prime for adoption as a first name, with the rise of occupational names ranging from Archer to Ranger to Sawyer.

A new crop of gender-neutral English place names have suddenly become trendy — those ending in -ton. Multi-syllabic but not dramatic, these names are rising quickly for girls and boys. Think Charleston, Lexington, and Kensington. Livingston isn't as hot as some of the others, but its time will soon come. For a girl, Livingston boasts the nickname Liv.

An unconventional route to the nickname Penny. Pennington debuted on the charts for girls in 2015.

This occupational choice is less appealing than such brethren as Baker and Baxter.

An old English surname denoting either a servant of one of the Knights Templar, or a person living near or serving at a church.

Common surname in the US and UK. Stephens is notably the legal last name of John Legend.

One of many common surnames that was derived from Peter, along with Peterson, Parks, Parkinson, and Perkins.