Last Names That Are Adorable First Names

Reality TV star Raven Gates gave her on-trend s-ending surname to her son, named Gates Zev. Gates joins an impressive lineup of celebrity babies with similar names, including Hillary Duff's Banks and Emma Roberts' Rhodes. Gates is also famously the surname of Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.

This cowboy-ish surname has an equine connection — Larimer originally denoted someone who made and sold spur bits, along with other hardware needed for riding horses.

A fresh take on Jessica, Jessel is currently borne in the public eye by Jessel Taank, a Real Housewife of New York City.

A surname not often heard as a first, except in the case of English Gardner, the American track and field Olympian.

This lively, springy, rarely used surname name has an interesting history. For the English, German, Dutch and Ashkenazic Jews it was a nickname for a lively person or traveling entertainer, deriving from the words springen/springhen/shpringen, and in English it's also a topographical name for someone living near the source of a stream. An unusual option if you're seeking an out-of-the-ordinary 'er'-ending name. Though for some it might bring to mind Jerry Springer, or a Spaniel.

Drover, an ancient occupational surname, is right in step with today's styles and would make a distinctive choice. Drover and brothers are fresh updates of such now-widely-used names as Carter and Cooper.

A tumultuous nature-inspired option, Storms is A bold name that conjures up imagery of fork lightning and heavy clouds, awe-inspiring in both an impressive and formidable way. This could feel like quite a heavy association to carry off, but the word itself has a gentle quality, in tune with Story, Cam, or Rory.

Long-used surname name that's up for promotion to greater popularity.

Paterson is a surname-name to continue a line of Peters and also the name of a city in New Jersey, hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg.

Daymond, with many different spellings most prominently Dayman, is an ancient English occupational surname and personal name, taken from the word deye which denotes someone who tended animals.

Moody would work great as the name of Snow White's lost eighth dwarf friend, but we can't recommend it as a first name IRL. It was the last name of Harry Potter character Mad-Eye Moody, played by Brenden Gleason in the movies; his given name was Alastor. The bond credit rating company Moody's is likewise named for the surname of its founder, John Moody.

This variation of the surname Loeb works even better than the original as a first name, though any child named Loew will inevitably have to endure a lifetime's worth of "high and...." jokes. Other leonine options: Leopold or Lionel.

McCarthy is one of a wave of new Irish surname-names, one of the most popular last names of Irish origin now translated to a first name. Mac is an attractive nickname.

Pittsburgh's Mellon family — founders of Mellon Financial Corporation and Carnegie Mellon University, among other things — gives their surname old money panache. They are Irish by heritage, giving their surname the meaning "descendant of Meallán", Meallán being an Irish given name from the word for "pleasant".

Chosen by Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher as the middle name of their son Dimitri.

It's too close to the fruit "melon" to make a good first name, but if there are Mellons on your family tree, why not put it in the middle? The English form of this surname is habitational, and at one time denoted someone from Meulan-en-Yvelines, a commune outside of Paris.

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

Tessin is a German surname drawn from several places in or near the Mecklenburg region of northeastern Germany. Rare as a first name, it can work for boys or girls.

An undiscovered surname option that resembles the trendy choice Everett and boasts the stylish nickname Levi.