Last Names That Are Adorable First Names

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.

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.

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.

A jaunty English surname which may derive from "betony", the name of a pretty purple-flowering shrub. A famous bearer is British historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes.

Palin has suddenly become a hot new surname-name given usually to girls. The inspiration can only be former Alaska governor Sarah, though the name Palin is her husband's -- her original surname is Heath. Palin herself is no stranger to the adventurous baby name, as the mother of daughters Bristol, Piper, and Willow, and sons Track and Trig.

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

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.

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

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.

With Leon and Leo both popular options, Lionel on the rise, and other lion-inspired names such as Ariel and Leandro gathering attention, Lyons might work for a contemporary baby.

Sex doesn't belong in a baby name.

The 'ley' ending makes this British surname name ripe for consideration as a feminine girls' name. Brinsley joins such sisters as Kinsley and Tinsley.

Notable British surname associated with fashion designer Vivienne.

Ridge and Riggs have already made the US Top 1000, and Ridges feels like a possible progression. Rugged, rough-and-tumble, and cool, Ridges could be an unexpected root to vintage nickname Reggie.

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.

Larimer is an occupational surname that originally denoted someone who made and sold spur bits, along with other equine hardware. It could be a fitting choice for a child of a horse-enthusiast.

English surname used as one of the middles for Boris Becker's son Amadeus.

Common Asian surname also works as a first, as with the singer Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power (and born Charlyn).

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".