British and London names
What are British and London names like?
Alfie is a short form of Alfred. Arthur is the name of the legendary British king, although its original meaning is uncertain.
British naming moves between two poles: centuries old classics like Arthur, Elizabeth, and George kept alive by royal tradition, and the fast changing, wonderfully diverse names of modern London. Vintage Edwardian names have surged back into nurseries alongside global favorites brought by newer communities. History and constant renewal, side by side.
Where these names rank todayCanada · England and Wales · Scotland · New Zealand · New South Wales · South Australia
Part ofEuropean names
Across three placesHong Kong names in Britain and the US →
Adaeze princess, daughter of the king (Igbo)
Ailsa from Ailsa Craig, the granite island in the Firth of Clyde
Albie noble, bright; nickname-style for Albert
Alfie elf counsel; nickname-style for Alfred
Amirah princess, ruler
Araminta 18th-century literary coinage; posh English revival
Arthur a name of unresolved meaning, possibly Celtic artos "bear"; first glimpsed in early Welsh poems and chronicles
Ayaan traditionally linked to Sanskrit ayana, 'path, progress'
Bertie bright, famous; short for Herbert, Albert, or Bertram
Bluebell woodland spring flower
Cecil blind (Latin Caecilius); old English aristocratic surname-name
Clementine mild, merciful; nickname Clemmie
Cressida from Chaucer and Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
Cyril lordly, masterful (Greek)
Edie prosperous in war; nickname-style for Edith
Eilidh Scottish Gaelic diminutive of Eilionoir, also used as a Gaelic form of Helen
Elsie God is my oath; nickname-style for Elizabeth
Enid soul, spirit, life; Arthurian legend heroine
Fraser strawberry (Norman-French clan surname)
Freddie peaceful ruler; short for Frederick
George farmer, earth-worker
Guinevere white enchantress, fair one (Welsh Gwenhwyfar); King Arthur's queen
Gwen white, fair, blessed
Hamish supplanter; Scottish form of James
Hilda battle woman (Germanic)
Hugo from a Germanic word for "mind," "thought" or "spirit"
Ibrahim father of many nations (Arabic form of Abraham)
Idris ardent lord; legendary Welsh king-astronomer
Imogen maiden, girl (likely a scribal variant of Innogen, popularized by Shakespeare)
Inigo fiery, ardent (Basque Íñigo); famously borne by architect Inigo Jones
Isla island (from the Scottish river Isla / Isle of Islay)
Jemima dove; Job's beautiful daughter in Genesis
Kimmie English diminutive of Kimberly or Kim
Kirsty Scottish diminutive of Kirsteen or Kirstin, forms of Christina
Margot pearl; nickname-style for Margaret
Monty mountain of the ruler; short for Montgomery
Morag great one; sun
Muhammad praiseworthy; the most-registered boys' name in England for over a decade
Musa Arabic form of Moses appearing in the Quran; Moses is most likely from Egyptian mes, "son" (the "drew out" reading is the Old Testament's own gloss)
Nellie diminutive of Nell, a medieval short form of names beginning with El (Eleanor, Ellen, Helen)
Nia Welsh form of Niamh ("bright")
Nigel champion (Latin Nigellus, via Gaelic Niall)
Octavia eighth-born (Latin); Roman and British aristocratic name
Ola honor, wealth (Yoruba ola); a short form of names like Olamide and Oladipo, widely used across Black British families
Oscar God's spear, deer-lover (Irish/Norse)
Ottilie fatherland, prosperous in battle (from Germanic Odilia)
Percy pierces the valley (Norman place-surname); nickname-style for Percival
Peregrine traveler, pilgrim; also a falcon
Poppy poppy flower
Reggie counsel, power; nickname-style for Reginald
Roddy English and Scottish diminutive of Roderick or Rodney
Rosie rose flower; nickname-style for Rose
Rupert bright fame (Germanic Hrodperht, via German Ruprecht)
Stanley stony clearing (place-name surname)
Tabitha gazelle (Aramaic); a healer in the Book of Acts
Tarquin from the legendary Etruscan kings of ancient Rome
Theo a short form of Theodore, "gift of God"; French Théo comes from Théodore
Winnie diminutive of Winifred
Yusuf God increases (Arabic form of Joseph)
Zainab fragrant flowering plant; name of the Prophet's daughter
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