Puritan Surnames

Abbott is a neglected masculine surname with religious overtones as the head of a monastery. Though the feminine nickname Abby could be a slight drawback, Abbott is still an attractive offbeat possibility.

During its Top 10 heyday in the late 90s and early oughts, Andrew was one of the "cooler" classic boy names, an update on the old guard Roberts and Richards.

Archer is an Anglo-Saxon surname that feels more modern than most because of its on-target occupational and Hunger Games associations. And it's a nice way to bypass the clunky Archibald to get to the cool nickname Archie.

One of the most appealing of the newly hip occupational names, evoking sweet smells emanating from the oven. Much fresher sounding than than others that have been around for a while, like Cooper, and Carter.

This one may well be an undiscovered choice for many parents - it has a fabulous meaning, a sturdy surname-name appeal that is very on trend right now and several great namesakes including the Bartlett pear and the tome of quotations. Despite that third T, it could also be a favorite of The West Wing fans wanting to evoke fictional president Jed Bartlet.

An x makes any name cooler, so that Baxter has a bit more pizzazz than the original Baker. Baxter had some currency as a first name a century ago--it was on the popularity lists sporadically from 1880 till the 1920s, peaking at Number 515 in 1886-- which means it's just about due for a comeback. And we can see Bax as a worthy follow-up to Max and Jax.

Try telling the kids it really means "pretty face" and not "burper".

Unlike Rose and Blue, this color name is Not Ready for Prime Time.

Waspy-sounding choice, well known in literature for Boswell's Life of Johnson.

A surname with more force than most.

Bowman has a lot of winning ingredients: an occupational surname, a cool "Bo" sound, and an archery-related meaning.

Rugged and straightforward brand-new name, though you might not like the idea of branding your son.

Name hovering near the bottom of the Top 1000 that may move higher with the fashion for two-syllable surnames. You could do worse...but you probably could also do better.