Apley

Old Norman name last current in the 1930s, and firmly in our 'so far out it will always be out' category – despite its appearance as a Hogwarts student in Harry Potter. This is the full first name of P.G. Wodehouse's inimitable Bertie Wooster.

Bertram

Brattle

Cabot is an attractive English surname associated with the daring early Italian-born British explorer known as John Cabot; his birth name was Giovanni Caboto.


Cabot

Canaday

A name halfway between its old milquetoast image and a more jovial Irish-sounding contemporary one. 

Chauncey

Conant

A name heard in Puritan times -- Cotton Mather was a minister involved in the Salem witchcraft trials -- which really deserves modern consideration as it blends nature and softness into a really trendy and wearable masculine name.

Cotton

Dunster

Eaton's similarity to Eton gives it an upscale Old School feel, though in the U.S. a name that sound like eatin' could have teasin' potential.  Eaton could also sound like the much-more-familiar Ethan with a tough-guy accent.

Eaton

Eliot

Farnsworth

Fogg

Greenough

Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the name of its hero, Holden Caulfield -- not coincidentally in tune with the Hudson-Hayden-Colton field of names. (Trivia note: Salinger supposedly came up with the name while looking at a movie poster promoting a film starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, though other sources say he was named after Salinger's friend Holden Bowler.) Another impetus was provided by a soap opera character introduced in 1985.
 Among the celebs who have chosen Holden are Brendan Fraser and Mira Sorvino.
 In Australia, only a car-lover would choose this name, which is inextricably linked with the car-brand.

Holden

Hollis is a rugged, gentle and quietly used name, given to over 200 boys and 150 girls each year in the US. In 2023, it became one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000, where it fits in with the surnames-as-first-names trend, and other familiar choices like Ellis, Silas, and Holden. 
 
Derived from the English surname meaning "near the holly bushes", it has a number of notable connections. Hollis Thompson is a professional basketball player; Hollis Watkins is a Civil Rights activist in Mississippi; Pete Hollis was a community folk hero; and "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a popular Bob Dylan song.
 Combining woodsy sounds and outdoorsy vibes with a surname-y and smart style, Hollis feels sleek and preppy, but adventurous and spirited too.

Hollis

Houghton

Holyoke

One Puritan virtue name unlikely to thrive in the 21st century.

Increase

This attractive surname name still projects that Kennedy family charisma. While it didn't come into widespread use until long after the deaths of martyred heroes President John F. or Senator Robert Kennedy, Kennedy is now one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a>, particularly for girls. This is one name that manages to sound trendy and traditional at the same time.

Kennedy

Kirkland

Lamont

Lionel is one leonine name that hasn't taken off as cousins Leo and Leonardo have, though it did reenter the Top 1000 in 2010 after several years away; it was at its highest point in the 1920s and 1930s.
 This French diminutive of Leon has had many worthy namesakes over time, including Sir Lionel, a Knight of the Round Table, actor Barrymore, critic Trilling, musicians Hampton and Richie, Argentine Olympic footballer Messi, and characters in numerous movies and TV shows such as gruff but loveable Lionel Hardcastle in the Judi Dench comedy As Time Goes By. Real life Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue was portrayed in The King's Speech.
 Lionel Barrymore, of the famed theatrical family, was a mainstay of Golden Age Hollywood films, and kids might like the association to Lionel trains.
 This is a timeless choice worth considering.

Lionel

Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other Lowell-surnamed poets are Amy and James Russell.
 Lowell was at its height in the 1930s, when it reached Number 148, and has been off the list since 1986--long enough to deserve a reappraisal.
 Namesakes include Governor Lowell P. Weicker of Connecticut and noted newsman Lowell Thomas; on TV Lowells have been featured on Wings and Sons of Anarchy.
 An interesting British upper-class spelling is Loel.

Lowell

Leverett

Malkin

Mather

Mower

Peabody is a quintessentially Waspy surname that your child won't thank you for -- either the pea part or the body part, or the meaning part. 

Peabody

Quincy is a Presidential surname name that actually sounds both cute and strong when used for a girl. For the first time ever, Quincy joined the Top 1000 roster for girls in 2023, given to over 250 baby girls that year.

The popularity of Quinn may have inspired the rise of Quincy for girls, but the two names have different roots. Quinn is an Irish surname while Quincy is one of several names drawn from the Latin word for the number five.

Quincy

Radcliffe

Straus

Thayer is an affable, less-common alternative to Taylor, with a much more indirect connection to its occupational source. Actor Thayer David (born David Thayer: Thayer was his father's first name) was known for his roles in Rocky and Dark Shadows.

Thayer

Unfortunate identification with an army of rats in the movie of the same name. 

Willard

Winthrop

Wadsworth

Walcott

Weld

Widener

Yenching

ash13's list "Old Harvard Names" of 40 great name ideas: Apley - Yenching!

Old Harvard Names

If you bleed Crimson (like me) or are simply looking for something preppy, waspy and ambitious, look no further. Try out some of these family names of individuals and families who featured prominently in Harvard University's illustrious history and even had buildings named after them. 