UK Baby Names

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Peaked in the 1940s, but still an amiable classic, a la Joe and Tom -- though rarely used on its own.

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls.

An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.

Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.

A compound name with an old-fashioned ring. It only first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 2012. Annalie is a somewhat different name that is nevertheless pronounced the same.

He can get it for you wholesale.

Loyal is one of the few virtue names suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history.

Is Merrin a real name or a melodic invention? Singer Bo Bice brought this merry name to the public's attention when he chose it for his daughter, but most reliable baby name sources don't list it. But there is a Cornish saint's name Merryn, thought to be a variation of the Irish names for girls Mirin and Mirren, and so we're going to call Merrin another twist on that ancient group of names.

This British last-name-first-name could make a more masculine alternative to Shelby.

An upper-crusty-sounding name with humble origins.

Sure, and we hope he has a good time playing with Buster and Buddy.

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.

If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.

A fresh Dale relative that finds place amongst similar names like Cullin and Hamelin as well as the more common Allen and Dylan.

Seems like a redundant name for a lad.

Upscale and upstanding.

A short form that could be used independently, a la the singer Joss Stone.