English Last Names
- Knight
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
" a mounted man-at-arms serving a feudal superior"Description:
Knight (as opposed to Night) is a name clad in shiny armor. This high-ranking word name was introduced by singers Kelis and Nas. Knight might join brothers King, Royal, and Noble in a new definition of royal baby names.
- Orwell
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"the branch of the river"Description:
Most closely associated with famed English novelist George Orwell (whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair), this English surname is now occasionally sported as a literary first name. Given its meaning, Orwell could also be used by those looking for a more subtle alternative to River.
- Darling
Origin:
English surname, English word nameMeaning:
"dear"Description:
Darling has history as an English surname, but it would most likely be read as a quirky and loving word name, a la Sweetheart or Honey.
- Talbot
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"command of the valley"Description:
Upscale and upstanding.
- Fielding
Origin:
English topographical surnameDescription:
Fielding isn't an occupational name, exactly, though it does relate to someone who works in or lives in a Field. Although there have been a handful of people, real and fictional, with the first name Fielding, the most famous Fielding is eighteenth century writer Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones.
- Bell
Origin:
English and Scottish occupational nameMeaning:
"ringer of the bell"Description:
These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.
- Dayton
Origin:
English, variation of DeightonMeaning:
"place with a dike"Description:
If Dayton, like Trenton and Camden, is finding favor with parents, it's more because of its popular two-syllable surname feel and -on ending than the industrial city in Ohio.
- Embry
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"flat-topped hill"Description:
Though Embry became famous as the name of a boy werewolf in Twilight, we think its Em- beginning and -y ending make it perfectly appropriate for a girl. You might consider it as an alternative to Emma, Emily, or Aubrey. Embry or Embury is an established English surname.
- Weaver
Origin:
Occupational nameDescription:
Weaver, which made an appearance as a first name on the U.S. Top 1000 in the late 19th century and then vanished, may rise again along with its occupational brethren, from already-popular choices such as Cooper and Parker to au courant ones like Archer to occupational hotties of the future, including Booker and Sayer.
- Long
Origin:
Chinese and VietnameseMeaning:
"dragon"Description:
An Asian name that may be thought of as an English word name, for better or worse.
- Wainwright
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"wagon maker"Description:
A surname style name that could make an alternative to Wayne or Wyatt.
- Barlow
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"bare hillside"Description:
A friendly sounding surname name reminiscent of the increasingly popular Marlow and Harlow. British musician Gary Barlow is a notable namesake.
- Day
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
A bright and optimistic middle name choice.
- Shaw
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller by the wood"Description:
With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big Band Era clarinetist/bandleader and one-time Ava Gardner husband Artie Shaw.
- Roe
Origin:
English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, or Korean surnameMeaning:
"roe deer; wise protector; son of Ruadh; red; clearing; ability"Description:
In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion, though elsewhere it might be associated with fish eggs or a small breed of reddish deer.
- Burton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"fortified enclosure"Description:
Prissy, no matter how you spell it.
- Stanton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"stony town"Description:
Seems to stand at attention and salute.
- Reed
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"red-haired"Description:
Sleek, unisex surname rarely heard for girls -- which could be seen as an asset.
- Page
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"page, attendant"Description:
Sleek and sophisticated single-syllable choice that has NEVER been in the Top 1000, though sister name Paige has ranked since the mid 1950s. Though off her peak, Paige is still in the Top 200. Along with Poppy, Patience, and Plum, Page is one of the girl names that start with P that are also words.
- Fordham
Origin:
English surname and place-nameMeaning:
"meadow by a stream"Description:
English surname most notably used by Ashley Hebert for her son in 2014.