Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.
ScottEnglish · surname meaning 'a Scotsman', from Latin Scotus
WesleyEnglish · "western meadow," an Old English place name; it became a given name in tribute to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and spread wherever Methodist circuit riders preached. Softly scholarly, with Wes as the easy short form
LeeEnglish · means 'meadow, clearing', from Old English leah
AllenWelsh · variant of Alan; Celtic/Breton origin, meaning uncertain, possibly 'little rock' or 'handsome'
HowardScandinavian · surname of disputed origin, traditionally linked to Old Norse Havardr, 'high guardian'
CurtisFrench · from Old French 'curteis', meaning 'courteous'
KellyIrish · from the Irish surname O Ceallaigh, traditionally 'bright-headed'
CalvinFrench · from surname Cauvin, "little bald one"
WarrenEnglish · surname, "gamekeeper, park keeper"
CameronScottish · traditionally "crooked nose", from Gaelic cam sron
DeanEnglish · surname/title, "valley" or church official
KyleScottish · "narrow strait," from the Gaelic caol, the channels that thread Scotland's west coast; a regional surname that became one of America's defining boys' names of the 1980s and 90s. Compact, coastal, and friendly
ClaytonEnglish · place name, "settlement on clay land"
LewisGermanic · famous warrior (English form of Louis); famously borne by Lewis Latimer, inventor who improved the carbon filament lightbulb and drafted patents for Edison and Bell
BeverlyEnglish · from an English place name meaning 'beaver stream' or 'beaver meadow'
TaylorEnglish · "cutter of cloth," an occupational surname from Old French; among the first of the 1990s surname names to go fully unisex, riding high for girls and steady for boys. Polished, professional, and friendly all at once
GordonScottish · from a Scottish place name and clan surname, traditionally 'spacious fort'
GrantScottish · "great, tall," from the Anglo-Norman graund, the nickname that became a Highland clan; in America it carries a general-turned-president's surname weight. One syllable, square shoulders, no nickname required
RodneyEnglish · English surname from a place name meaning 'Hroda's island', Hroda meaning 'fame'
NelsonEnglish · English surname meaning 'son of Neil'
PrestonEnglish · place name, "priest's settlement"
BruceScottish · from a Scottish surname, probably from the town of Brix in France, its meaning unknown
DallasScottish · place name/surname; meaning uncertain, possibly "meadow of the waterfall"
HunterEnglish · "one who hunts," an occupational surname from the Middle English hunte; it rode the 1990s wave that turned rugged trade surnames into first names, and outlasted most of that wave. Outdoorsy, direct, and hard to shorten
ShelbyEnglish · English surname of Old Norse origin, 'willow farm'
WadeEnglish · surname/place name, "to ford, river crossing"
AllanWelsh · of uncertain Celtic/Breton origin, traditionally linked to 'little rock' or 'harmony'
ChesterEnglish · fortified town (from Latin castra)
DarrellFrench · surname from Norman French d'Airelle, 'from Airel' (a place in Normandy)
HarrisonEnglish · "son of Harry," which made it "son of Henry" at one remove; a surname carried by two US presidents, it joined the first-name ranks in the 1980s and kept the vintage warmth of Harry inside a suit-and-tie surname
ByronEnglish · from an English surname meaning 'at the cattle sheds' (Old English 'byre')
TracyEnglish · from the Norman place name Tracy; also short for Theresa
EmmettEnglish · surname from a medieval diminutive of Emma (Germanic irmin, "whole" or "great")
GarrettGermanic · spear strength (variant of Gerald); famously borne by Garrett Morgan, inventor of an early gas mask and the three-position traffic signal
LandonEnglish · "long hill," a place name turned surname turned first name; it rode the 2000s wave of two-syllable boys' names ending in -n and outlasted many of them. Newer than it sounds, easygoing as they come
LelandEnglish · place name/surname, "fallow land, meadow land"
OtisGermanic · from a surname derived from Otto/Odo, Germanic name meaning wealth or fortune
WallaceScottish · Scottish surname meaning 'Welshman' or 'foreigner', from Norman French 'waleis'
CarsonScottish · Scottish surname of uncertain meaning
ColeEnglish · from the Old English Cola, a nickname for someone coal-dark, or a short form of Nicholas; a surname first name with centuries of quiet use that fit the 1990s taste for one-syllable polish. Short, sleek, and complete
EllisEnglish · surname form of Elias, "Yahweh is my God"
ForrestEnglish · woodsman, one who lives near the forest; immortalized by Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)
BaileyEnglish · "bailiff," the manor's steward, an occupational surname worn as a first name; friendly and unisex from its 1990s crossover, it reads warm, capable, and a little countryside. One of the surname wave's most easygoing survivors
BrookeEnglish · "small stream," a surname for someone who lived by one; it became a sleek single-syllable girls' name in the 1980s, all clear water and clean lines. Brooklyn borrowed its front half; Brooke needs nothing added
ClarkEnglish · clerk, scholar (occupational surname); immortalized by Clark Kent (Superman) in Superman (1978)
GradyIrish · surname Ó Grádaigh, traditionally "noble, illustrious"
LindseyEnglish · variant of Lindsay, from the Lindsey region in Lincolnshire; Celtic 'lake' + Old English 'island'
MeredithWelsh · from Welsh Maredudd, possibly mawredd 'greatness, magnificence' joined to iudd 'lord'
PerryEnglish · from Old English 'pirige' (pear tree); also a diminutive of Peter or Peregrine
SterlingEnglish · "little star" or "of high quality"
TrevorWelsh · from a Welsh place name meaning 'large settlement'
DustinScandinavian · from a surname derived from Old Norse 'Thorstein', meaning 'Thor's stone'
DwightEnglish · meaning uncertain, medieval surname of obscure origin
HaleyEnglish · from an Old English place name meaning 'hay meadow'
KendallEnglish · place name, "valley of the river Kent"
MaxwellScottish · "Maccus's stream," a pool on the River Tweed that grew into a great Scottish surname; adopted as a first name largely as the full-dress route to Max, with a hint of the manor about it. Sturdy, polished, and warm at the core
PaigeEnglish · "page," the young attendant learning a knight's trade, an occupational surname turned first name; it rose through the 1980s and 90s on one crisp syllable. Tailored, modern, and quietly medieval
WillisGermanic · from an English surname derived from Will (William, "will helmet"); famously borne by Willis Carrier, inventor of modern air conditioning
WilsonEnglish · from the English surname meaning son of Will (William); widely used as a given name in Haiti
AshtonEnglish · "ash-tree settlement," an Old English place name scattered across the English map; a surname that became a given name in the 1980s and settled on the boys' side after early unisex use. Leafy roots, boardroom finish
BrettEnglish · traditionally 'a Breton', from Old French for a person from Brittany
ClayEnglish · from an English surname for someone who lived near or worked with clay; also a short form of Clayton ("clay settlement")
MackScottish · short form of Mac- surnames, Gaelic for 'son of'
PeytonEnglish · "Paega's town," an Old English place name that spent centuries as a surname; American parents took it unisex in the 1990s and it stuck for both. Preppy polish with small-town roots
RooseveltDutch · rose field (a Dutch surname); honoring US Presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, adopted as a Haitian given name during the 1915-1934 US occupation era
WhitneyEnglish · traditionally 'white island', from an English place name/surname
