UK Baby Names

Not time yet for Thyme.

Jagger, made famous as the surname of Rolling Stone Mick, gets an entry in the girls' column thanks to Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, who chose it for their daughter. For either gender, this name rocks...but a bit jaggedly. Currently, there are nearly 20 times as many baby boys than girls are given the name Jagger. That balance may shift, making Jagger a more truly gender neutral name.

The 6th century Irish saint Mirin emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. Mirren is one modern spelling; the Cornish Merryn, best known as the name of the seacoast town St. Merryn, is also related. The name is usually used for girls.

This marvelously medieval name had a moment in the 1910s and 1920s but has dropped completely off the radar now.

Short but not particularly sweet surname.

Way out.

The name of the famous British man of letters might just appeal to some English majors as a more interesting alternative to Zachary. An appropriate playmate for Russell Crowe's boy Tennyson.

An alternative to the highly popular Aubrey.

Téa Leoni and David Duchovny named their kid Kyd in 2002, but he usually goes by his middle name, Miller. Probably a wise choice, given the homonym.

If you're looking for a Nicholas substitute or namesake, Nicholson would make a more distinctive path to the likable nickname Nick, fitting in with other newer patronymics like Anderson and Harrison. Unusual but not outlandish, it is associated with writer Nicholson Baker, library advocate and author of Vox. And as a surname, of course, with Jack.

This old-time name for a sofa would not be comfortable as a baby name.

Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, updating the 80s darlings Blake and Ashley.

Very popular in Wales; this could make a nice middle name in honor of a Grandpa Glenn.

Although it connotes a sense of well-being, not likely to be a popular choice.

Selby, a rarely heard British surname, feels sleeker and more distinctive than Shelby. Todd Selby, known primarily by his last name, is a hip photographer of interiors.

Ifor seems to make more sense in its Anglicized version, Ivor.

More user-friendly than the original.

See ST.

The Anglophile Howard.