The surname of father-son British writers Kingsley and Martin could work very well as a first, though its Amy connection makes it sound a tad feminine.

Amis

Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice. 

Austen

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

This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth.
Trivia note: The Anglo-Irish clergyman who was the father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne changed his name from the original Brunty. According to scholars, the family pronounced the name brun-tee, though in the 21st century world it's commonly pronounced bron-tay.
In Australia, the name is more likely to take inspiration from Bronte Beach in Sydney. It was named after Lord Nelson, the 1st Duke of Bronté. He got his title from a town in Sicily, itself named after a mythological Cyclops.
 Many people first noticed the name in the film Green Card, as the name of the Andie MacDowell character.

Bronte

The final s turns this name into a manservant. 

Burns

One of the most distinguished names in literature could become a hero name in a family of poetry-lovers -- or be seen as a trendy new occupational name. 

Chaucer

This is the original, more prosaic spelling, but the airier Claire now dominates.
 If you're seeking a literary connection, look no further than Nella Larsen's 1929 novel Passing, which stars Clare Kendry as one of the two protagonists.

Clare

A less-used cross between Clifford and Clinton. 

Clifton

Name of a poet, this will be one for consideration by literary parents. The name fits well with the current trend towards surnames as given names, but beware the three syllable pronunciation, which may be a trap for the poetically disinclined.

Coleridge

Camus 

Eliot

Emerson is a dignified, somewhat serious name associated with transcendental thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson. Much more popular now for girls since Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher used it for her daughter, it is definitely still a viable <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys name</a>.

Emerson

Made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald Kennedy; still works best as a middle name.

Fitzgerald

Forster, a variation of Foster or potentially even Forester, is associated with British novelist E.M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, Howard's End, and A Room with a View. But if you choose Forster, you'd always have to force that 'r'.

Forster

Long heard as a last name, as in venerable poet Robert, U.K. talk show host David, British actress Sadie and old Jack Frost, Frost has suddenly entered the scene as a possible first, along with other seasonal weather names like Winter and Snow.
 Some forward-thinking parents are beginning to warm to the icy simplicity of Frost, placing it among the most fitting <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a>.

Frost

The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>, for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more approachable? The timid should stick with Nathaniel.

Hawthorne

Hayden – a formerly obscure name that's risen to huge popularity – has dipped in this year's ratings. Though Hayden is among the most distinctive of the bunch, it gets lost in the crowd of Jaidens, Bradens, Aidans, and endless variations. Associated with Hayden Christensen, of Star Wars fame. 
 Musical parents might prefer to give it a different twist as Haydn (pronounced HIGH-den), as in the composer.

Hayden

No matter how much you love the novels of Papa H., don't saddle your son with this unwieldy appellation.

Hemingway

Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the playground.

Hughes

Hugo, the Latin form of Hugh, has more heft and energy than the original -- and of course we love names that end (or begin, for that matter) with an o. This one is especially appealing because it's backed up by lots of solid history and European style.
 Hugo is one of those names that misses by a single year ranking in the Top 1000 for its entire history. It fell off the list in 1948, the height of post-WWII pro-American fervor, before heading back up.
 Hugh has held steady in the middle of the US Top 1000 for more than 40 years now, but we predict might be headed for the kind of popularity it enjoys in the rest of the English-speaking world and many European countries.
 Hugo ranks in or near the Top 100 in countries and cultures as diverse as Sweden and Spain, France and Finland. It's also a favorite boys' name on Nameberry, usually a harbinger of future success in the US as a whole.
 In the seventh Harry Potter novel, Ron and Hermione bestow the name Hugo on their son. Hugo Strange, meanwhile, is a longtime adversary of Batman. 
 Real-life Hugos include Hugo Chavez, the late president of Venezuela, and the fashion world's Hugo Boss. In the more distant past there was the distinguished Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.
 Trivia tidbit: The annual awards for sci-fi writing are called the Hugos, honoring early genre writer Hugo Gernsback.

Hugo

It might be surprising to know that this name originated as a Scottish place and surname name, as in Washington Irving.  It became a popular choice for first-generation Jewish-American boys, such as best-selling authors Irving Stone and Irving Wallace, whose parents looked to surnames from the British Isles to confer a measure of assimilation and class. Irving Berlin changed his name from Israel; actor Ving Rhames streamlined and coolized it. Irving was a Top 100 name during World War I, and though we don't envision it reaching those heights again, we can see some hipster parents having their own little Ving.

Irving

Poetic and easier to pronounce (it's keets) than Yeats (which is yates). This one of many poets' names to consider, such as Auden, Eliot, Frost, Byron, Lorca, Marlowe, Blake, Emerson and Tennyson, which was used by Russell Crowe.

Keats

Kipling

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name. 

Larkin

A name that has a bit of a shouldn't-I-be-a-middle-name sound, though still in use as a first for both genders. Lee might be a good choice if you want something that sounds at once traditional yet modern, unisex but not newly-minted. And while it absolutely works as a first name, Lee is still one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/480/middle-names-for-boys">middle names for boys</a> as well as one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/top-last-names-in-the-us">most common last names in the US</a>.

Lewis is the best spelling to choose if you want this pronounced with the S. Lewis has been in the Top 5 in Scotland since 2000, and is one that parents in the U.S. are just beginning to rethink.
 Lewis was a Top 100 name in this country from 1880 to 1930, reaching Number 30 in 1880. One of its most famous namesakes is Lewis Carroll, born Charles. A current bearer is comedian Lewis Black. Lewis is also a very common surname, as in Lewis & Clark, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sinclair Lewis, Leona Lewis, and many other notables. Interesting fact: Louis Armstrong pronounced his first name as Lewis.
 Nickname/middle name Lou is making a comeback for girls (as in Keri Russell's Willa Lou), so why not Lew for boys?

Lewis

In the US, London is popular for both sexes, though as the name rises for girls, it's levelled off for boys. Of course, London is far less popular in  the UK and other English-speaking countries.

London

Pretty and distinctive choice for poetry lovers. 

Millay

Nash is an English surname whose sound puts it right in step with currently trendy names like Cash, Dash and Ash. It first came to prominence via TV character Nash Bridges, portrayed by Don Johnson in the late nineties, and also via mathematician John Nash, played by Russell Crowe in the acclaimed film A Beautiful Mind. 
 Nash first entered the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> list in 1997.
 As a surname, Nash has been associated with witty poet Ogden (born Frederic Ogden), auto manufacturer Charles, maker of the defunct brand, and rock musician Graham, of Crosby, Stills and Nash—as well as Clarence "Ducky" Nash, the voice of Donald Duck. Iron Chef Cat Cora named her son Nash Lemuel. Teenage dreamboat Nash Grier was one of the first celebrities to gain fame on social media platform Vine.

Nash

Paz is an appealing Spanish name meaning "peace", derived from the Latin "pax". It's usually feminine in Spanish, but could also make an interesting literary choice for a boy, honoring the writer Octavio Paz.

 Paz is also a unisex Hebrew name meaning "gold".

An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of detective and science fiction, which might provide inspiration for parents who are fans. And now its choice as the name of the hero played by Oscar Isaac in the new Star Wars movie is sure to catapult it from literary choice to major favorite.
 The female singer-songwriter professionally known as Poe was born with the more prosaic name Ann.
 The variant spelling Po is identified with Po Bronson, the chronicler of the technological age, and also has the geographical association with the river in northern Italy.

Pope

No: no Picasso, no Beethoven, and no Shakespeare.

Shakespeare

Despite its poetic associations, almost as dated as Sheldon, and more feminine. 

Shelley

Stowe, the name of a beautiful mountain town in Vermont as well as the surname of the great author Harriet Beecher, is one of the oldest last names on record.  The meeting place the name Stowe refers to is part of a church.  Stowe might make a distinctive and meaningful middle name for skiers or Uncle Tom's Cabin fans.

Stowe

Silverstein

Swift

Few people would have considered the surname of this famous Victorian poet as a first name until Russell Crowe chose it for his son in 2006. But, as a rhythmic three-syllable patronymic, Tennyson has a lot going for it, not least of all the appealing nickname Tenny; it would make a novel choice for the son of a Dennis. 
 Other options: The poet's first name, Alfred, or the name of another esteemed bard, such as Eliot, Poe, Byron, Lowell or Lorca.

Tennyson

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".

 The origins of the surname are not entirely clear, although one possibility is that it derives from a diminutive form of the Old French tor, meaning "bull" (the root of the modern French word taureau). A fitting choice for a Taurus baby boy!

 Thoreau may also be related to the Norse name Thor "thunder", or to the Germanic name Theodoric and its French form Thierry "ruler of the people".

 With its on-trend sound and literary pedigree, Thoreau certainly makes for a rare but appealing choice. Zac and Kate Hanson used it as a middle name for their fifth child, born in 2021.

Thoreau

Twain can be thought of as a modernization (and possible namesake) of the dated Wayne, seasoned with the humor of Mark Twain, who adopted it from a river term.


Twain

Thackery

Valery was in the Top 1000 from 2005 to 2009, and reemerged in 2018. This spelling is often used among Hispanic families in the US.

Valery

The Wolfe spelling shifts this name from animal name to surname-name, aggressive to aristocratic.  One source suggests that bearers of the Wolfe family name were all fierce and cunning and/or hunters of wolves. An intriguing choice.

Wolfe

The spelling Woolf inevitably conjures writer Virginia. If you're a fan of Mrs. Dalloway and the Bloomsbury group, Woolf might be a creative way to combine a trendy animal name with an original honor name. Woolf was the surname of Virginia's husband, Leonard.

Woolf

Wright

Whitman

Wilde

Wordsworth

Admirers of the haunting works of esteemed Irish poet and playwright William Butler Yeats might consider this, especially as a middle name. 

Yeats

alexa400's list "Novelists, Playwrights, and Poets surnames" of 49 great name ideas: Amis - Yeats!