English Last Names

This English surname was originally a nickname for someone with a pock-marked face. It's a less-than-ideal meaning, but Greeley's upbeat sound and modern unisex style keep it on our lists.

At one time, the surname Poole denoted someone who lived near a pool. Not in the chlorinated sense — pool was another word for pond.

A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.

Beyoncé's surname could be considered for a less-obvious honorific.

A habitational surname denoting ancestors from one of the numerous English towns called Holloway. It first broke into the charts as a female name in 2020, when it was given to six baby girls.

Can be used as a middle name to honor Dad or Grandpa David.

It's too close to the fruit "melon" to make a good first name, but if there are Mellons on your family tree, why not put it in the middle? The English form of this surname is habitational, and at one time denoted someone from Meulan-en-Yvelines, a commune outside of Paris.

Might be an honorific for novelist Saul Bellow, although bellowing is not the gentlest of sounds. Consider Saul instead.

Hatchell is an attractive English surname that feels ripe for discovery — assuming you're looking for a rare and preppy surname. There are many theories on the origins of Hatchell. It may derive from a given name such as Hacche, Haeccel, or Hake, or be a habitational surname related to a number of "lost" English places. Another theory suggests that Hatchell is derived from the Old English word haecel, meaning "hooded cloak" as well as "flax comb." This theory connects Hatchell to the West Germanic word for "hook."

This common English surname is rarely used as a first. The S ending makes it a preppy way to update Andrew.

Blunt. Stick to Hunter.

Groves has yet to secure a place on the baby name charts, but we could see that changing very soon. Groves combines surname style with a nature meaning and a hotter-than-hot S ending. It's a recipe for success — just ask Banks, Brooks, and Wells.

Hunter is gaining favor among girls—for those in search of something less common, we recommend Hutton.

English surname used as one of the middles for Boris Becker's son Amadeus.

Pittsburgh's Mellon family — founders of Mellon Financial Corporation and Carnegie Mellon University, among other things — gives their surname old money panache. They are Irish by heritage, giving their surname the meaning "descendant of Meallán", Meallán being an Irish given name from the word for "pleasant".