Surname-name Baby Names

4155 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

Perry#1915 in the U.S.Pear tree▶Raleigh#1916 in the U.S.Red clearing▶Ridley#1930 in the U.S.Reed clearing▶Huntley#1944 in the U.S.From an English place name meaning 'hunter's clearing', from Old English hunta 'hunter' and lea▶Sullivan#1948 in the U.S.Eye▶Briley#1953 in the U.S.Son of Brice ▶Rooney#1970 in the U.S.Descendant of Ruanaidh (champion, hero)▶Courtney#1978 in the U.S.Short▶Greer#1980 in the U.S.Watchful, alert▶Lindsay#1982 in the U.S.Lake▶Bowie#1995 in the U.S.Yellow▶Swayze#2025 in the U.S.From the surname Swayze, an anglicized spelling of German Schweizer/Schweiz meaning 'Swiss'. Po▶Devin#2026 in the U.S.Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Damháin, generally interpreted as 'poet/bard' or 'fawn'. A▶Banks#2052 in the U.S.Topographic surname for someone living by a hillside slope or riverbank (Middle English 'banke'▶Layton#2057 in the U.S.Town with a leek garden▶Eisley#2067 in the U.S.Likely from Old English elements meaning 'east meadow/clearing' (east + leah), related to surna▶Keely#2074 in the U.S.Slender▶Dawson#2109 in the U.S.Son of David ▶Halston#2115 in the U.S.Rock▶Hazley#2116 in the U.S.Hazel wood or hazel clearing, from Old English haesel 'hazel' + leah 'wood, clearing'.▶Tenley#2142 in the U.S.Point▶

See all 1542 surname girl names →

Surname-name Boy Names

Merritt#1899 in the U.S.Boundary gate▶Holt#1920 in the U.S.From Old English holt 'wood, grove, small forest'.▶Addison#1930 in the U.S.Son of Adam ▶Clinton#1933 in the U.S.Settlement on the River Glyme▶Kolbe#1938 in the U.S.From Germanic kolbe/kolbo 'club, cudgel, mace'.▶Brenton#1952 in the U.S.Bryni's town▶Jennings#1957 in the U.S. Yahweh is gracious▶Sheldon#1961 in the U.S.Valley with steep sides▶Brighton#1984 in the U.S.From the English place name; Old English Beorhthelm + tun ('Beorhthelm's homestead'), popularly▶Calder#1991 in the U.S.From a river/place name and surname meaning 'hard/rapid water' or 'rocky stream', from Brittoni▶Copeland#1992 in the U.S.From an English place name and surname, from Old Norse kaupland 'bought land'▶Cortez#1993 in the U.S.From Spanish surname Cortes/Cortez, from Old Spanish cortes 'courteous, polite'▶Fischer#1996 in the U.S.Fisher▶Whitley#2004 in the U.S.White clearing▶Ames#2007 in the U.S.From the surname Ames, from medieval Amys/Amice, from Latin amicus 'friend'▶Jarvis#2015 in the U.S.Spear▶Buckley#2025 in the U.S.From English place name/surname, Old English bucca 'buck' + leah 'clearing'; in Ireland anglici▶Ruger#2034 in the U.S.From the surname Ruger (firearms brand), ultimately a German form of Roger: hrod 'fame' + ger '▶Rockwell#2049 in the U.S.From English place name/surname, Old English 'rock' + well(a) 'spring, stream'▶Clive#2056 in the U.S.Cliff▶Dashiell#2057 in the U.S.Anglicized form of French surname de Chiel, of uncertain meaning; popularized by Dashiell Hamme▶

See all 2613 surname boy names →

Explore More Themes

Uncertain Modern Rare Coinage English 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 4155 surname baby names, each with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.