Albert has acquired a new gloss as one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/341/royal-names-for-boys">royal baby boy names</a>, a considerable upgrade from its serious, studious image (think Einstein, Schweitzer). 

Albert became popular in Britain following the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria to the German Prince Albert and remained in vogue for 80 years. In the US, it's been on a downward slide for a century, though it's always ranked in the US Top 1000 and is a Top 100 name in England and Denmark.

Along with such stalwarts as Walter and George, it could now make a distinctive yet classic choice. Enlivening nickname Bertie is popular on its own in the UK.

Albert

Alfred is up off his recliner! If you're looking for a path to Fred, you can go directly to Frederick or take the long way around with the so-out-it's-in-again Alfred. Alfred is quite popular in several European countries, especially England and Wales, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
 Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (called "England's darling") was a wise, compassionate and scholarly king of old England in the tenth century. His name reached the height of its popularity from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century—it was in the Top 50 in the U.S. until 1933.
 Among its best known bearers were the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, movie director Alfred Hitchcock, biologist/sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, Swedish inventor/industrialist Alfred Nobel, and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. And let's not forget Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
 Hipper nicknames: Alf, Alfie, and Fred.

Alfred

Substantial, strong, and enduring, Anthony has remained a perennially popular name over the last century. With just a hint of playfulness and just a touch of clunky-coolness, Anthony is a versatile choice that seems comfortable anywhere. 
The name is derived from the Roman family name “Antonii” or “Antonius”, whose most prominent member was Mark Antony. A general, a joint ruler of the Roman Empire, and the lover of Cleopatra, Mark Antony was immortalized in the work of Shakespeare. 
The meaning of Anthony however, remains unknown and contested. One possibility is that it means “from Antium”, an ancient coastal town in the South of Rome. Alternatively, with the addition of the ‘H’ in the 17th century, it was speculated that it derived from the Greek word Anthos meaning “flower.” 
Just as the meaning is contested, so is the pronunciation. In England, it is typically said as Antony, regardless of the spelling, whereas in the US, if the ‘H’ is there, then it’s enunciated. 
The name was popularized in the Christian world in honor of St. Anthony the Great, patron saint of the poor and the founder of Christian monkhood. Since then, it has remained a popular choice in the US, remaining in the Top 30 names for boys from the 1950’s through into late 2010’s. 
Recent years have seen Anthony fall out of favor, most notably in France, the UK, and Poland, but it remains a solid contender for parents in the US, where it is given to over 6000 boys every year. 
With such a long history and stretch of popularity, Anthony has plenty of notable namesakes – though many use short forms of the name. Well-known bearers include prolific Victorian writer Anthony Trollope; actors Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Boyle, and Anthony Quinn; former British prime minister Tony Blair; skateboarder Tony Hawk, singers Tony Bennett and Anthony Kiedis; and television presenter Ant McPartlin. 
In fiction, Anthony has been notably used for Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and Anthony J. Crowley in the book and TV series “Good Omens.” 
If you do love Anthony then, you are certainly not alone, and excitingly, there are plenty of brilliant variants to explore. A small selection includes Antonio, Anton, and Andoni for boys, and Antonella and Antonia for girls. 
Otherwise, for names like Anthony but without the same levels of popularity, you could consider Cassius, Zachariah, Augustine, Marcel, Maximillian, or Valentine.

Anthony

Long a royal nickname in England, it's coming back there along with Archie and Alfie.  British singer Kate Bush calls her little boy Bertie.

Bertie

Blake -- an early unisex option -- dropped out of the Top 100 in 2017 for the first time since 1988, but remains a sophisticated choice. And yes, both conflicting meanings of Blake are accurate. It originated as a surname in England derived from a nickname. Much of its masculine image was influenced by the wealthy, silver-haired character Blake Carrington in the massively popular 80s TV series Dynasty. Rosie O'Donnell has a son named Blake.

Blake

Branson is a fairly recent addition to the Top 1000, first breaking in at Number 988 in 1995. While it may not be a common sighting yet, it fits the trend of more popular cousins Mason, Grayson, Hudson, and Carson.
 Virgin Airlines entrepreneur Richard Branson spotlights this surname name. It also fits the category of place name, thanks to rising tourist destination Branson, Missouri.

Branson

Carson is one of the most long-running popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">androgynous baby names</a>, with a dash of the Wild West via the legendary Missouri frontiersman Kit Carson. Dating back to when it was the name of Nancy Drew's Dad, Carson is still steadily in the Top 200 <a href="https://nameberry.com">baby names</a>.
Current Carsons include TV personalities Carson Daly and Carson Kressley, and Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer. Carson Wells was the bounty hunter character played by Woody Harrelson in No Country for Old Men, and Carson is the name chosen by actress Kathryn Erbe for her son.
 Although its best known namesake is writer Carson McCullers, Carson has not caught on as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girl's name</a>.

Carson

Charles/Charlie/Charley

Daisy, fresh, wholesome, and energetic, is one of the flower names that burst back into bloom after a century's hibernation. Originally a nickname for Margaret (the French Marguerite is the word for the flower), Daisy comes from the phrase "day's eye," because it opens its petals at daybreak.

 Daisy has a colorful literary and pop culture history – as the innocent Daisy Miller in the Henry James novella, as Daisy Buchanan, the hero's object of desire in The Great Gatsby, and as many movie and TV characters, including in L'il Abner and The Dukes of Hazzard, as the older Daisy in Driving Miss..., as well as Julia Roberts's character in her breakthrough movie, Mystic Pizza.

 Meg Ryan has a daughter named Daisy True, chef Jamie Oliver has Daisy Boo, and Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom recently named their daughter Daisy Dove.

Daisy

Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image. 
 The name of two American First Ladies, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, as well as that of several early English queens, Edith is one of the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon names. Widely used in nineteenth century novels, Edith was chosen by Louisa May Alcott for the heroine of her first novel The Inheritance, written when she was seventeen.
 Edith Wharton makes a fine literary namesake, with other noted bearers including poet Edith Sitwell, iconic Hollywood movie designer Edith Head, and for francophiles, there is the reference to Edith Piaf. With the rise of so many other E-starting names from Ella to Evelyn, and the adorable short form Edie, we predict that Edith will soon sound more like a cute toddler than a dated granny, especially with the Despicable Me character and the emergence of one of the most interesting characters on Downton Abbey, Lady Edith Crawley.

Edith

Hard as it might be to believe, Gladys was the Harper of 1900, emerging almost out of nowhere to take the naming world by storm. It became a favorite among parents — and writers of romantic Edwardian novels, seen as alluring and unusual. One impetus was the 1870 Ouida novel Puck, whose heroine was the idealized beauty, Gladys Gerant.
 Gladys reached as high as Number 11 at the turn of the last century, popular along with other s-ending names such as Doris. Though Gladys hasn't shown any signs of revival yet, some parents might respond to the 'glad'ness of it, and its gladiola-flower feel. 
 It's been associated in the U.S. with singer Gladys Knight.

Gladys

Grantham

While Gwen may have originated as a short form of Gwendolen and Gwendolyn, these days it frequently stands on its own. Rocker Gwen Stefani has given it a shot of cool, and parents are choosing it as a standalone more and more often—Gwen hopped back onto the US Top 1000 in 2013 after an absence of over 30 years. Gwen could also be short for Guinevere.

Gwen

The Scottish spelling of Isabel has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength but also an element of confusion. How do you pronounce that? Answer: Exactly like Isabel or Isabelle.
 Isobels have appeared on several high-profile TV shows: Isobel Crawley is Matthew's mother on Downton Abbey, Isobel Fleming is a Vampire Diaries character, and Isobel Stevens was known as Izzie on Grey's Anatomy.

Isobel

Marigold, once found almost exclusively in English novels and aristocratic nurseries, is beginning to be talked about and considered here. It has a sweet, sunny, quirky feel. The marigold was the symbol of the Virgin Mary.

 Marigold appears in several children's book titles, such as Magic for Marigold, Once Upon a Marigold and Marigold in Godmother's House, and in the adult Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym. On the TV show 1600 Penn, Marigold was the President's young daughter. 

 The name got a big boost from its use in the period drama Downton Abbey, in which it belongs to a sweet little girl – which no doubt helped to endear parents to the name! It has risen dramatically since then, and recently entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022. We expect Marigold to be one to look out for as parents are looking for unique botanical names now that the previously offbeat Magnolia and Juniper are feeling less fresh.

Marigold

Mason is an occupational surname that ranked among the Top 10 name for boys throughout the 2010s, after its choice as one of the first Kardashian baby names.
Part of its appeal is as a fresher-sounding replacement for dad name Jason. It's also one of the leaders of the Jackson-Hudson-Grayson-Kayson trend.
Along with Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Dissick, Mason was chosen for their sons by several other celebrities, including Cuba Gooding, Jr., Melissa Joan Hart and Kevin Richardson (as well as by Kelsey Grammer for his daughter).
And there were two cute TV werewolves named Mason: Mason Greyback on Wizards of Waverly Place and Mason Lockwood on Vampire Diaries--a far cry from the name's wholesome image.

Mason

A classic old Norman name popular for a thousand years and favored for kings (Richard Nixon was named for Richard the Lionhearted), as well as the hoi polloi (as in every Tom, Dick and Harry), Richard was the sixth most popular US <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a> in 1925, and was still Number 8 in 1950, but is now much less popular. 
 We predict that if parents do readopt the name Richard, it will be in its full and formal version. All the possible nicknames -- Richie (too Happy Days), Ricky, (too I Love Lucy) and especially Dick (too tricky and teasable) -- sound so dated that it's hard to imagine Richard ever coming back into style. But not that long ago, people said that about now-hot <a href="https://nameberry.com/">baby names</a> Jake and Max.

Richard

Robert was the Number 1 boys' name in the US in both 1925 and 1950, and in fact was in the Top 25 for more than a century, giving it true classic status. Strong if not quite stylish, Robert remains in the Top 100 for baby boys as a family favorite.
 
Robert was derived from the ancient Germanic name Hrodebert, from the elements hrod, meaning "fame" and bertha, "bright." Robert was the name of three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce, who freed Scotland from English rule. The name was brought to England by the Normans.
 Nicknames Bob and Bobby are stuck in the past, while Rob, Robb and Robby/Robbie have an ever so slightly more modern appeal. Antiquated pet forms Dob, Hob, Rab and Rabbie might be fresh nicknames, but the most fashionable form of Robert today is....Robert.
 There are countless literary and real-life namesakes, from poets Frost and Burns to actors Redford and De Niro to Shark Tank businessperson Robert Herjavec. Modern parents might consider honoring an ancestral Robert by choosing Robertson or Robinson, or even the derivative Robin, rising in popularity for boys.

Robert

This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation.
 There was a time when Rosamund wasn't quite so unusual in the US--she ranked on the Top 1000 from 1881 to 1930, reaching 574 in 1912. Today, fewer than 20 baby girls were given the name in the US, and fewer than five got the alternate version Rosamond.
 Early on, the name was associated with 'fair Rosamond' Clifford, mistress of Henry II, whose story was the basis of the Joseph Addison opera Rosamund and the Swinburne play of the same name. 
 Another, literal, translation of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/lists/category/meanings-of-names">name"s meaning</a> is 'rose of the world.'
 A current bearer is actress and one-time Bond girl Rosamund Pike--who has a son named Solo.

Rosamund

Like Friends, Ross is off the air and into syndication as a baby name, having plummeted from its zenith in the late 80s to fall off the US Top 1000 in 2013. Today, Ross is more likely to be a dad name than a newborn name.
 Ross originated as one of the many <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/428/scottish-baby-names">Scottish names</a> taken from the surname of a famous clan, and is a place name in that country as well. It's a quiet, understated Celtic name that could come back in the current climate of single-syllable boy name popularity, though it will probably take a few years.
 Other notable Rosses besides the Ross Geller character include tycoon and maverick presidential candidate H. (for Henry) Ross Perot, mystery writer Ross (born Kenneth) Macdonald, and one of the twin sons of Jane Pauley and Garry Trudeau.

Ross

This ancient royal Scottish name had a brief vogue in midcentury America, but it would be far from a fresh choice for a baby boy now. 

Stuart

undefined's list "Downton Abbey Baby names" of 21 great name ideas: Albert - Stuart!

Downton Abbey Baby names

For all the die hard fans - a list that doesn't just contain the big names like Cora or Matthew. 