Occupational Names

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

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.

Farrar has two separate origins: an occupational name meaning "smith", and a Scottish river name, from a Pictish word meaning "to wind". Barely ever recorded as a first name, Farrar is a blank slate that fits with the surname style that's popular today.

Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve is another single-syllable surname waiting to be borrowed by the girls.

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.

Whether pronounced like the wag of a tail or as the correct German VAHG-ner, this might be something a devoted opera buff could consider as a middle name.

One Irish surname that will never make it as a first.

Dozier means a person who lives near the willows or reeds. It may be an occupational name referring to a basket maker.

Member of a newly chic name genre. Bonus: its relationship to author William Faulkner.

New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.

Heard in a sixties spy movie, The Quiller Memorandum, this uncommon occupational name has an offbeat charm.

Woodsy names are fashionable for boys, as are surnames and occupational names, so Forester scores on all three. It can also be spelled Forrester.

Gardener is surely one of the most pleasant and evocative of the occupational options, calling up images of green grass and budding blooms. The name can also be spelled without the first 'e', as in Gardner (born George Cadogan Gardner) McCay, a hunky TV heartthrob of the 1950s and 60s. Gardner is a much more common surname spelling, associated with screen legend Ava, mystery writer Erle Stanley and art collector and patron Isabella Stewart, founder of Boston's Gardner Museum.

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.

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

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.

The fashionable occupational last name category gets some French flair with this, Tennessee Williams's middle name.

Booker and Author are being used as names (the former is best known care of Booker T Washington), so why not Reader? Reader certainly fits in with both these and other "doing" names like Ryder, Brewer, Fifer, Miller and Cooper.

Chevalier is a distinguished masculine name of French origin, literally meaning 'knight' or 'horseman.' Derived from the French word 'cheval' (horse), it historically referred to a knight or a member of certain orders of knighthood. The name carries aristocratic connotations and evokes images of chivalry, honor, and gallantry from medieval times. Though uncommon as a first name, it has occasionally been used in French-speaking regions and among families with French heritage. The name gained some recognition through the famous French entertainer Maurice Chevalier. With its sophisticated sound and noble meaning, Chevalier offers parents seeking a rare name with historical depth and elegant pronunciation a distinctive choice.

Other occupational names would be more commonly accepted, though the Mad Men character has certainly brought it to the fore.