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

Quinn#97 in the U.S.Chief; descendant of Conn▶Emerson#122 in the U.S.Son of Emery; Emery derives from Germanic Amalric meaning 'work-power' or 'brave power'▶Scottie#126 in the U.S.From Scotland; one who is Scottish▶Oakley#156 in the U.S.Oak clearing or oak meadow; from Old English ac (oak) + leah (clearing, meadow)▶Sutton#181 in the U.S.Southern settlement or southern farm; from Old English suth (south) + tun (settlement, enclosur▶Palmer#232 in the U.S.Pilgrim who carried a palm branch on return from the Holy Land▶Sawyer#291 in the U.S.One who saws wood; a woodcutter or sawyer by trade▶Blake#295 in the U.S.Black (from Old English blaec); alternatively pale or fair (from Old English blac) — the two fo▶Brooke#313 in the U.S.From the Old English word 'broc', meaning a small stream or watercourse. Originally a topograph▶Madisson#319 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Madison, an Old English surname meaning 'son of Maud' or 'son of Matthew', ▶Marley#322 in the U.S.From an Old English place name and surname meaning 'pleasant wood' or 'lake clearing', composed▶Kendall#328 in the U.S.From a place name in Cumbria, England — Kendal — derived from Old Norse 'Kent-dale', meaning 'v▶Emory#339 in the U.S.Variant of Emery, from the Old German Amalric or Heimrich, composed of 'amal' (labor, vigor) an▶Leighton#342 in the U.S.From an Old English place name, 'leac-tun', meaning a kitchen garden or leek garden (leac = lee▶Paige#346 in the U.S.From Old French 'page', meaning a young male servant or attendant to a knight, ultimately from ▶Sydney#348 in the U.S.From the English surname Sidney, from the Old English 'sid' (wide) and 'eg' (island), meaning '▶Mallory#372 in the U.S.From the Old French 'malheure' or Norman 'malorie', meaning 'unlucky' or 'ill-omened' — an unus▶Blaire#384 in the U.S.From Scottish Gaelic blar meaning a plain or flat area of land; originally a Scottish surname a▶Murphy#397 in the U.S.Anglicization of Irish Ó Murchadha, from murchadh meaning sea warrior, combining muir (sea) and▶Logan#402 in the U.S.From Scottish Gaelic lagan meaning little hollow or little cave, a topographic surname turned g▶Taylor#403 in the U.S.Occupational surname from Old French tailleur meaning one who cuts cloth; from tailler to cut, ▶

See all 1542 surname girl names →

Surname-name Boy Names

Carter#45 in the U.S.One who drives a cart; transporter of goods; from Middle English cartare (cart driver)▶Logan#53 in the U.S.Little hollow; small cove; from Scottish Gaelic lagan (little hollow in a hill), diminutive of ▶Cameron#76 in the U.S.Crooked nose; from Scottish Gaelic camshron (cam: crooked + sron: nose)▶Sawyer#122 in the U.S.One who saws wood; from Middle English saghiere (sawyer), occupational surname for a lumber wor▶Colter#157 in the U.S.Colt herder; one who tends young horses▶Hayden#161 in the U.S.Hay valley or hedged valley; from Old English haeg (hay or hedge) + denu (valley)▶Callan#190 in the U.S.Descendant of Cathalán; battle-mighty▶Baker#217 in the U.S.One who bakes; an occupational surname for a baker of bread▶Callahan#227 in the U.S.Lover of churches; descendant of Ceallachán▶Dallas#238 in the U.S.From the meadow dwelling; from the valley place▶Warren#240 in the U.S.Animal enclosure for game; one who keeps a warren▶Ellis#243 in the U.S.My God is the Lord; Jehovah is my God▶Cade#248 in the U.S.Round, stout; barrel-shaped▶Lane#250 in the U.S.A narrow country road or path▶Emerson#254 in the U.S.Son of Emery; descendant of the powerful ruler▶Nash#255 in the U.S.By the ash tree; dweller near the ash▶Kayson#264 in the U.S.Son of Kay; possibly related to kaizen meaning improvement▶Bowen#266 in the U.S.Son of Owen; young warrior or well-born son▶Benson#279 in the U.S.Son of Ben (Benjamin); son of the right hand▶Cash#287 in the U.S.Hollow place; chest; maker of boxes or chests▶Lennox#289 in the U.S.From Levenach; the elm-tree place▶

See all 2613 surname boy names →

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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.