Surname-name Baby Names

3518 Surname-name names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.

Surnames-as-first-names is one of the defining naming trends of our era — and for good reason. Surname baby names sound polished and a little established, they work brilliantly for any gender, and they let you carry a family name forward without it sitting in the middle slot.

Surname Names for Girls

Sawyer, Kendall, Marley and Emory are crisp and current. For a softer or more distinctive feel, Palmer, Mallory, Leighton, Blaire and Murphy.

Surname Names for Boys

Nash, Cade, Ellis and Lane are short and sharp. For fuller, more distinguished picks, Callahan, Bowen, Warren, Baker and Benson.

Keeping a Family Name in Play

This is the practical beauty of the trend — a grandmother’s maiden name or a beloved family surname becomes a first name that gets said every day, rather than a middle name nobody ever hears.

Every name below links to its own page with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, famous bearers, and a clear audio pronunciation — so you can hear it before you choose.

Surname-name Girl Names

Denver#836 in the U.S.English surname, possibly from French Anvers (Antwerp) or Old English, meaning 'green valley'▶Sloan#840 in the U.S.Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Sluaghan, from sluagh meaning 'warrior', 'army', or▶Hunter#842 in the U.S.From the Old English huntian (to hunt) via the Middle English surname Hunter, meaning 'one who ▶Kelly#852 in the U.S.Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname O'Ceallaigh, from ceallach meaning 'bright-headed',▶Darcy#857 in the U.S.From the Norman-French surname d'Arcy, meaning 'from Arcy' (a place in Normandy); also used as ▶Haley#861 in the U.S.From the Old English place name Haegleah, composed of haeg (hay) and leah (clearing, meadow), m▶Berkley#888 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Berkeley, from Old English beorc (birch tree) and leah (clearing, meadow, o▶Chandler#895 in the U.S.From Old French chandelier meaning a candle maker or candle seller, from chandelle (candle) and▶Kollyns#905 in the U.S.Modern feminine variant of Collins, an English surname derived from Colin, a medieval diminutiv▶Allyson#909 in the U.S.Noble kind; variant of Allison, from Alice (Germanic Adalheidis: adal noble + heid kind/type)▶Bennett#912 in the U.S.Blessed; medieval English form of Benedict, from Latin Benedictus (blessed, from bene well + di▶Waverly#916 in the U.S.Quaking aspen meadow; from Old English wafre (quivering) + leah (clearing, meadow)▶Hadlee#931 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Hadley, from Old English haeth (heather, heath) and leah (meadow, clearing,▶Landry#935 in the U.S.From a Germanic given name composed of land (land, territory, domain) and ric (power, ruler); a▶Elliot#944 in the U.S.My God is Yahweh; single-t spelling variant of Elliott, from the Hebrew name Elijah via medieva▶Henley#956 in the U.S.High clearing or tall meadow; from Old English heah (high) + leah (clearing, meadow)▶Kinslee#956 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Kinsley or Kingsley, from Old English cyning meaning king and leah meaning ▶Bexley#963 in the U.S.From the Old English place name Bexley, composed of byxe meaning box tree and leah meaning mead▶Marleigh#976 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Marley, from Old English mere meaning lake, pool, or marsh and leah meaning▶Kassidy#978 in the U.S.Curly-haired; or descendant of Caiside; an American respelling of the Irish surname Cassidy▶Keily#979 in the U.S.Graceful; or slender; a spelling variant of Keeley or Kelly, from Irish Gaelic caol (slender) o▶

See all 1340 surname girl names →

Surname-name Boy Names

Jefferson#831 in the U.S.English patronymic surname meaning 'son of Jeffrey', where Jeffrey is a medieval form of Geoffr▶Cayson#835 in the U.S.Modern American variant of Cason or Jason combined with Casey, where Casey derives from the Iri▶Casen#842 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Cason or a form of Casey, from the Irish Gaelic Cathasach meaning 'watchful▶Coleson#844 in the U.S.A modern variant of Colson, meaning 'son of Cole', where Cole derives from the Old English col ▶Cason#846 in the U.S.American surname-turned-given-name, most plausibly derived from Casey (Irish Gaelic Cathasach, ▶Stanley#863 in the U.S.From the Old English place name Stanleah, composed of stan (stone) and leah (meadow, woodland c▶Watson#864 in the U.S.Son of Walter; from the medieval English given name Wat (short form of Walter: ruler of the arm▶Brycen#868 in the U.S.A modern variant of Bryson, meaning 'son of Bryce', where Bryce derives from the Celtic Bricius▶Edison#870 in the U.S.English patronymic surname meaning 'son of Edd' or 'son of Ed', where Ed derives from the Old E▶Nixon#873 in the U.S.Son of Nicholas; from the medieval English short form Nick (of Nicholas: victory of the people)▶Emory#883 in the U.S.Work power; brave power; spelling variant of Emery, from Germanic Amalric (amal: work + ric: ru▶Jagger#885 in the U.S.From a northern English dialect word jagger meaning a peddler, a hawker, or a person who carts ▶Kolson#887 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Colson, itself a surname meaning son of Cole; Cole derives from Old English▶Shepard#892 in the U.S.From Old English sceaphirde meaning sheep-herder, composed of sceap (sheep) and hierde (herder,▶Foster#901 in the U.S.From Middle English foster, an occupational surname for a forester or person who tended a royal▶Wesson#919 in the U.S.Surname meaning son of Wes (from Wesley or West) or from the western farm; composed of Old Engl▶Judson#934 in the U.S.English surname meaning son of Judd, where Judd is a medieval diminutive of Jordan or Judah; Jo▶Mitchell#954 in the U.S.Medieval English surname and given name, a variant of Michael from Hebrew Mikha'el meaning who ▶Darwin#961 in the U.S.From Old English deorwine, composed of deor meaning dear or beloved and wine meaning friend, gi▶Montgomery#962 in the U.S.From the Norman French place name Montgomeri, from Old French mont meaning mountain and Germani▶Brodie#963 in the U.S.Ditch or muddy place; from Scottish Gaelic brothaigh (ditch, muddy place) or possibly from brod▶

See all 2178 surname boy names →

Explore More Themes

Uncertain Modern Coinage English Rare Vintage Hebrew American Arabic Coined All Themes →← All Baby Names

Frequently Asked

What are popular surname first names?

Popular picks include Sawyer, Nash, Kendall, Ellis and Emory.

Are surname names unisex?

Many are — Sawyer, Ellis, Emerson and Marley are all used for girls and boys. Each page shows how that spelling is currently used.

Can I use a family surname as a first name?

Absolutely, and it is one of the most meaningful versions of this trend — the name gets used daily rather than hidden in the middle.

How many surname baby names are on More4Kids?

More4Kids lists 3518 surname baby names, each with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.