Famous Surnames

Garrett via Dribbble

Would you ever consider a celebrity surname for your child? It can be a fun way to pay homage to your favorite stars--past and present! Which names would you add?

Alba--Jessica Alba
Aniston--Jennifer Aniston
Baldwin--Alec Baldwin
Bardot--Bridget Bardot
Beckham--David Beckham
Bergen--Candice Bergen
Bowie--David Bowie
Brando--Marlon Brando
Brody--Adrian Brody
Brooks--Garth Brooks
Campbell--Naomi Campbell
Carey--Mariah Carey
Cash--Johnny Cash
Chase--Chevy Chase
Crosby--Bing Crosby
Cruz--Penelope Cruz
Damon--Matt Damon
Fallon--Jimmy Fallon
Farley--Chris Farley
Fox--Megan Fox, Michael J. Fox
Gable--Clark Gable
Garland--Judy Garland
Garner--Jennifer Garner
Griffith--Andy Griffith, Melanie Griffith
Harlow--Jean Harlow
Holliday--Billy Holliday
Hudson--Kate Hudson
Huston--Anjelica Huston
Keaton--Diane Keaton
Jagger--Mick Jagger
Jenner--Caitlyn Jenner
Jolie--Angelina Jolie
Jordan--Michael Jordan
Legend--John Legend
Lennox--Annie Lennox
Lively--Blake Lively
Maguire--Tobey Maguire
Mirren--Helen Mirren
Monroe--Marilyn Monroe
Moss--Kate Moss, Elisabeth Moss
Mulligan--Carey Mulligan
Murray--Bill Murray
Perry--Katy Perry
Presley--Elvis Presley
Renner--Jeremy Renner
Quaid--Dennis Quaid
Rourke--Mickey Rourke
Ryder--Winona Ryder
Urban--Keith Urban
Vaughn--Vince Vaughn
Wilde--Olivia Wilde
Winslet--Kate Winslet

10 W Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

Image Credit

If I had to choose one letter to name boys with, it would be W. Warren and Walter are my current tops, but this list has opened up my eyes to some potential new favorites (I'm loving Walden).

Wagner- Wagner is a fairly popular surname, but he's rarely used as a first name. He's familiar, easy to pronounce and spell, two syllables, and ends in -er, so you can't lose with Wagner.

Walden- Any Henry David Thoreau fans out there? There's no better tribute to the esteemed author than naming your child after his most famous piece of work. Plus, Walden is right on trend, and super uncommon.

Wander- I was trying to think of interesting W word names for boys, and then it hit me--Wander. He'd be perfect for the child of travel-loving parents, either as a first or a middle.

Ward- Ward is what I would call cowboy-cool. He fits in with other country-western favorites like Colt, Jet, and Chase. If you want something a little longer, you could go with Warden (though the prison association is a little too much for me, personally).

Warner- Warner is a German surname that has a good history of use as a first name here in the U.S. He peaked in 1935 (at #445), but was around the 500 mark until the 1940s. If Warren isn't a usable option for you, consider Warner. He's an anagram of Warren, and sounds slightly more contemporary.

Weber- Weber is one of the best surname choices for a son. He's an occupational name meaning "weaver," and has the added bonus of the adorable nickname Webb.

Wheeler- Sensing a theme here? Wheeler is one I hear mentioned in the baby name community regularly, and I can see why. He's a unique and masculine surname name, but has a softness in him that none of the others have.

Willem- Willem is super rad--his only downside is that he will be confused for William. Willem is the Dutch form of William, but he's a lovely choice whether you are from the Netherlands or not.

Willoughby- The most intriguing full name for Will is Willoughby. Hands down. You can't really get a name more exceptional than this. He's understandably a little much for most people, but if you can handle Willoughby, by all means, go for it.

Winslow- Winslow is just darling--he's super sweet. He makes a great honor name for all those Winstons born around WWII.

10 P Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

Image Credit

Are we already on P names for boys? Yikes, I can't believe this series is almost over. I'm really excited about the names I picked out for today. Normally P boys names aren't my thing, but I'm digging these choices. Tell me what you think.

Pace- I can't believe no one has ever thought of Pace, considering his wordiness and similarity to Chase. What a cool name. Pronounced PAH-chay he means peace in Italian, which is nice. 

Painter- Painter is an occupation name that America has not yet embraced, though he is a favorite among the baby name community. You can call him Paine for short. 

Palmer- Palmer is one of those unique names that is extremely unisex. There is an almost equal amount of boys and girls named Palmer, with a just a few more girls getting the name last year. That shouldn't discourage you though, I happen to prefer Palmer on a boy. 

Pascoe- Pascoe is a variant of Pascal, both of which are heavily associated with Easter. Pascoe seems like a more American-friendly choice, and could be worn by a child born any time of year. 

Patton- Patrick is most definitely a dad name, and he's quickly moving into grandpa territory. New parents are going to need a way to honor Patricks, and Patton is ready for the job. He's modern, unused, and has a trendy ending. Perfect. 

Penn- Ultimate prep-school kid name. 

Pike- He's a little fishy, but also streamlined and modern. Pike would be a great honor name for someone who loves to fish. 

Pine- A super rad name for nature loving or northern parents. 

Portland- I adore Portland (the city), and think it makes for a great (yet unusual) name. If Scotland is viable, why not Portland?

Powell- Powell's is the famous bookstore in Portland, so I suggest you pick one or the other. 

Names Ending in -ing

Image Credit

There are many popular suffixes for names, and -ing is not one of them. Maybe it sounds too much like a verb, but hey, we've got those too. There's Chase, but not Chasing; Dash, but not Dashing; and Hope, but not Hoping. The names that do end in -ing sound much less like verbs, and work much better than Chasing. Take a look.

Aishling- She may end in -ing, but don't pronounce her like that. This Irish name is said ASH-lyn.

Banning- Unlike the rest of these names on the list, Banning is an action (and not an entirely pleasant one). But if you can get over that fact, he makes a great, unique name.

Benning- So maybe Banning is a little harsh. Benning super similar, but with the nickname Ben, and without the negative connotations.

Downing- He's a surname that would work nicely if he was Mom's maiden name. Otherwise he might seem a bit obscure to some people.

Harding- A presidential surname that is seldom heard. If we can use Nixon and McKinley, why not Harding?

Irving- Irving is the old man of the group. I agree, he sounds super dated, but is it too early to put him on the "Never Coming Back" list?

King- Title names have been on the rise lately (Deacon, Duke, Judge), King included. He may be a simple name, but it's a lot to live up to.

Lansing- I've never been to Lansing, Michigan, so I don't know if this State Capital name is worthy of giving to a child. Maybe if it's your hometown.
 
Sperling- He's a type of squash that would be a fun name for the son (or even a daughter) of a chef.

Spring- The neglected season name. Is it because of her -ing ending? I happen to prefer the Spanish version Primavera myself.

Sterling- A silver-tinged name that's a bit out of style. He's definitely still usable though.