180+ Southern Names for Girls and Boys
- Sister
Origin:
English, "a female who has one or both parents in common with another"Meaning:
"a female who has one or both parents in common with another"Description:
Sister is an old-timey nickname-name for girls, ranking in the Top 1000 as a proper name for girls until the beginning of the 20th century. But more often, Sister was used as a nickname in the truest sense of the word, not a short form ala Kathy but a nickname in the way that Chip and Bud are. Or maybe Junior is a more appropriate name analogy: Sister was sometimes the nickname given to the only girl in a family of boys, so literally a descriptive word name like Junior.
- Weldon
- Bayard
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"russet-haired"Description:
An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse.
- Jessup
- Maribelle
Origin:
English, combination of Mary and BelleMeaning:
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + beautiful"Description:
Variant of Maribel
- Atlanta
Origin:
Place nameMeaning:
"Atlantic Ocean"Description:
The capital of Georgia is far from the ocean, but got its name from the Western and Atlantic Railroad which ran through the city. Best known as a hub of industry and transport, and for its roles in the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement, it has never been popular as a baby name despite sounding like one. Its peak popularity was in 1995, the year before Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.
- Dacey
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"from the south"Description:
Dacey is a delicate and lacy Irish name with real possibilities.
- Bourbon
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Not even for Brandy's twin brother.
- Temple
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller near the temple"Description:
Rather formal word name that has been used occasionally over the years, most notably for the autism activist and animal expert Temple Grandin.
- Beauchamp
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"the beautiful field"Description:
Pronounced Beecham, but still too fancy and fey. Likewise Beaufort (beautiful fort), Beaufoy (beautiful beech tree), and Beaumont (beautiful mountain).
- Fleming
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"man from Flanders"Description:
If it's not too phlegmatic for you, this surname and name of a Scottish clan could honor a number of people, especially Alexander Fleming, the father of antibiotics, and Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.
- Darl
Origin:
Literary nameDescription:
This name of a character in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying is short, sweet and Southern-sounding.
- Texas
Origin:
Place-nameDescription:
After Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the new cowboy on the block. Old-school Western nickname: Tex.
- Temani
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"from the south"Description:
This biblical name is also a Hebrew term for someone from Yemen, since that country is south of Israel.
- Ellie-mae
- Bayou
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
A slow and sultry southern choice that's definitely cool for babies of either gender.
- Louvinia
- Clytie
Origin:
Greek mythology nameMeaning:
"glorious or renowned"Description:
Clytie was a sea nymph who loved the sun god Helios, who spurned her. She turned into the heliotrope flower.
- Williston
- Willamae
Origin:
Compound name, blending Willa and MaeMeaning:
"resolute protection + beloved, pearl, may"Description:
A smoosh name with plenty of both vintage and Southern charm. It combines the familiar Mae with up and coming Willa, and might remind people of jazz dancer Willa Mae Ricker.