Preppy Prep School Names

It may surprise you to know that surname name Porter was fairly popular in the US in the 19th and early 20th centuries, then went underground for 40 years only to reemerge at the turn of this century and climb the ladder again.

This uppity name has been a fast climber in recent years, but we still think it's a bit much. Even abroad, where the connection to the prestigious university will be weaker, any name beginning with "Prince" will sound pretentious.

The x gives it some modern cool, but the bury part buries it.

Spence is occasionally used as a name all on its own and it has more of a sense of completeness than many nickname-names.

A solid, brief but not brusque single-syllable surname with a presidential pedigree.

A name that feels both spiritual and trendy, Trinity surged up the charts in the early 2000s, following the release of The Matrix. In just two years, it made an impressive jump from the latter end of the charts to the US Top 100, where it remained for more than a decade.