UK Baby Names

We can hear the kids teasing him from here.

Could be difficult to grasp: Hoss. The "Bonanza" cowboy.

If it's not too phlegmatic for you, this surname and name of a Scottish clan could honor a number of people, especially Alexander Fleming, the father of antibiotics, and Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.

Doctor is an honorific used as a name, somewhat like names such as Bishop, King, and Princess. Banned in New Zealand, Doctor can lead to the kind of confusion you may feel would be only positive for your child -- a bona fide Doctor before he even gets to kindergarten. At its zenith in 1884, Doctor was used for 12 boys, but last year it didn't even clear the five-baby minimum to make it onto the Social Security extended list.

Sounds like a displaced Dr. Seuss character.

Surname of Declaration signer sure to present playground complications.

Gaynor is an early androgynous name with a positive association, related to the Cornish megahit name Jennifer.

Patterson is an upscale name worth considering if you're looking to continue a line of Peters, but soundalike Paterson is a downscale city in New Jersey.

A twist on Darwin with the same friendly meaning. Its lovable-nerd feel is given a cool edge by several football players with the name.

The most modern choice in this group, and the most distinctive; the Gwyn form is a common male name in Wales.

Win might be an upbeat short form for a girl named Winifred or the new-fangled Winslet, or can stand on its own. The Welsh name Wynn feels more complete and sounds the same.

This Old Welsh name associated with blacksmiths has never caught on, but it has the right two-syllable occupational feel to qualify for revival. Gower Champion was a successful midcentury dancer, choreographer and director on the Broadway stage, in films and on TV.

An English combination of George and Anne or a feminization of George, more familiar in the elegant Georgiana form.

A classic Gaelic name, but too hoary to be a hit here.

Over the top for even the most ardent Anglophile. Sacheverell Sitwell was a member of the prominentliterary Sitwell family.

The name of the teenaged son on the dear departed television show "Huff."

Averill is an ancient name, most properly spelled Averil, that has a Boston Brahmin air – probably due to the image of statesman Averill Harriman. It's of the rare English surname names that originally derived from a female given name: Eoforhild (Everild), meaning "boar battle".