For the past several years, surnames (last names) have become a frequent source for finding unique and interesting baby names. Taylor and Madison, for example, were two names that hit the charts in the last 80s and have held strong. Many surnames are used as viable gender-neutral choices for baby names.
There are predominantly four types of surnames:
Patronymic – meaning referring to the father, like Johnson meaning son of John, or MacKenzie meaning son of Kenneth.
Occupational – Names like Baker and Thatcher were originally assigned to a family whose head of household had a specific occupation.
Geographical – Many English surnames describe where a particular family lived, such as Durham or Woods.
Characteristic – Personal characteristics were also used as identifiers that became surnames, such as Short, Young or Kennedy. Just be sure to look up the meanings – not all were complimentary!
Recently, we’ve seen celebrity influences on baby names, where parents choose names that reflect their favorite musicians, athletes, or public figures, just to name a few. Examples of celebrity surnames that are becoming more popular include Beckham (David), Phoenix (River), and Lincoln (Abraham). We’ve recently seen more babies named Hendrix (Jimmy) and Bowie (David) as well. Some celebrity surnames used as baby names become altered by spelling to make them more unique, such as Jaxon (Michael) or Jordyn (Michael).
My favorite celebrity surnames usable for baby names include Hewson (U2’s Bono’s original last name), Winfrey (Oprah Winfrey), and Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay).
30 Celeb Surnames that make Unique First Names
Ali (Muhammed Ali)
Ali is an Arabic name meaning “noble, exalted.”
Beckham (David Beckham)
Beckham is an English name meaning “from the Beck homestead.”
Bowie (David Bowie)
Bowie is an Irish name meaning “yellow haired.”
Brady (Tom Brady)
Brady is an Irish name meaning “descendent of Bradach.”
Bryant (Kobe Bryant)
Bryant is an Irish name meaning “son of Brian.”
Carson (Johnny Carson)
Carson is an English name meaning “son of Carr.”
Cash (Johnny Cash)
Cash in an English name meaning “maker of chests.”
Clark (Kaitlin Clark)
Clark is an English name meaning “clerk.”
Cohen (Andy Cohen)
Cohen is a Hebrew name meaning “priest.”
Cooper (Anderson Cooper)
Cooper is an English name meaning “barrel maker.”
Elway (John Elway)
Elway is a Scottish name with an unknown meaning, but could possibly mean “wild or field.”
Fallon (Jimmy Fallon)
Fallon is an Irish name meaning “of a ruling family.”
Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)
Hamilton is an English name meaning from “Hamela’s settlement.”
Hendrix (Jimmy Hendrix)
Hendrix is an English name meaning “son of Hendrick.”
Hewson (Bono – Paul Hewson)
Hewson is an English name meaning “son of Hugh.”
Jeter (Derek Jeter)
Jeter is a French name meaning “to throw.”
Jordan (Michael Jordan)
Jordan is a Hebrew name meaning “to flow down.”
Kelce (Travis Kelce)
Kelce is an English name meaning “from Cenel’s Island.”
Kennedy (John Kennedy)
Kennedy is an Irish name meaning “misshapen head.”
Landon (Michael Landon)
Landon is an English name meaning “from the long hill.”
Lennon (John Lennon)
Lennon is an Irish name meaning “dear one.”
Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln)
Lincoln is an English name meaning “from the lake settlement.”
Manning (Payton Manning)
Manning is an English name meaning “strong, valiant.”
Marley (Bob Marley)
Marley is an English name meaning “from the boundary field.”
Moore (Demi Moore)
Moore is an English name meaning “lives near a marsh or bog.”
Paisley (Brad Paisley)
Paisley is a Scottish name meaning “church.”
Perry (Katy Perry)
Perry is an English name meaning “by the pear trees.”
Presley (Elvis Presley)
Presley is an English name meaning “from the priest’s field.”
Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay)
Ramsay is an English name meaning “raven’s island.”
Winfrey (Oprah Winfrey)
Winfrey is a German name meaning “friend, peace.”
Top 20 Most Common Surnames in the U.S.
Here are the top 20 common surnames in the U.S. and their meanings. Are your family names on the list? Peruse it and you just might find the perfect baby name you’ve been looking for!
1. Smith
Smith is an English name meaning “blacksmith or other skilled worker.”
2. Johnson
Johnson is an English name meaning “son of John.”
3. Williams
Williams is an English name meaning “son or servant of William.”
4. Brown
Brown is an English name meaning “the color brown.”
5. Jones
Jones is an English name meaning “son of John.”
6. Garcia
Garcia is a Spanish name meaning “young or young bear.”
7. Miller
Miller is an English name meaning “mill worker.”
8. Davis
Davis is an English name meaning “son of David.”
9. Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a Spanish name meaning “son of Rodrigo.”
10. Martinez
Martinez is a Spanish name meaning “descendent of Martin.”
11. Hernandez
Hernandez is a Spanish name meaning “son of Hernando.”
12. Lopez
Lopez is a Spanish name meaning “son of Lope/Lobe.”
13. Gonzalez
Gonzalez is a Spanish name meaning “son of Gonzalo.”
14. Wilson
Wilson is an English name meaning “son of William.”
15. Anderson
Anderson is an English name meaning “son of Andrew.”
16. Thomas
Thomas is a Greek name meaning “twin.”
17. Taylor
Taylor is an English name meaning “tailor.”
18. Moore
Moore is an English name meaning “lives near a marsh or bog.”
19. Jackson
Jackson is an English name meaning “son of Jack/John“
20. Martin
Martin is a male name meaning “god of war.”
View the entire list of the top 1,000 surnames and their meanings. Many of these are unique and unusual and some are now considered old-fashioned. Here are 55 highlights from this list of last names that can be used as first names.
55 Last Names that could be Used as First Names
Andrade
Andrade is a Spanish name meaning “from San Martino de Andrade.”
Ballard
Ballard is an English name meaning “bald-headed man.”
Barnes
Barnes is an English name meaning “lives or works near a barn.”
Barrett
Barrett is an English name meaning “trader.”
Bauer
Bauer is an English name meaning “worker.”
Beck
Beck is an English name meaning “from the brook/stream.”
Blair
Blair is a Scottish name meaning “battlefield or plain.”
Bowers
Bowers is an English name meaning “worker.”
Bowman
Bowman is a German name for “archer.”
Brewer
Brewer is an English name meaning “ale or beer maker.”
Briggs
Briggs is an English name meaning “dweller by the bridge.”
Carr
Carr is an Irish name meaning “spear or wet ground.”
Decker
Decker is an English name meaning “ditch digger.”
Duran
Duran is an English name meaning “durable, hard.”
Erickson
Erickson is a Scandinavian name meaning “son of Eric.”
Fisher
Fisher is an English name meaning “fisherman.”
Fletcher
Fletcher is an English name meaning “arrow maker.”
Foster
Foster is an English name meaning “forest worker.”
Fox
Fox is an English name for a “wild animal in the dog family.”
Fuller
Fuller is an English name meaning “cloth bleacher.”
Garner
Garner is an English name meaning “gardener.”
Gray
Gray is an English name meaning “black mixed with white.”
Greer
Greer is a Scottish name meaning “watchful, guardian.”
Hanson
Hanson is a Scandinavian name meaning “son of Hans.”
Hart
Hart is an English name meaning “male deer or stag.”
Hudson
Hudson is an English name meaning “son of Hudd.”
Ingram
Ingram is a German name meaning “English people.”
Jensen
Jensen is a Scandinavian name meaning “son of Jens.”
Kirk
Kirk is a Scandinavian name meaning “church.”
Lamb
Lamb is an English name for “sheep herder.”
Lawson
Lawson is an English name meaning “son of Lawrence.”
Lowe
Lowe is an English name meaning “near the small hill.”
Malone
Malone is an Irish name meaning “devoted to St. John.”
Marsh
Marsh is an English name meaning “lives near the marshland.”
Mayer
Mayer is a German name meaning “steward.”
McGuire
McGuire is a Scottish name meaning “son of the pale complected.”
Miles
Miles is a Latin name meaning “soldier.”
Moss
Moss is an English name meaning “born of a god.”
Nicholson
Nicholson is an English name meaning “son of Nicholas.”
Osborn
Osborn is an English name meaning “god’s warrior.”
Patton
Patton is an English name meaning “son of Patrick.”
Quinn
Quinn is an Irish anme meaning “descendent of Conn.”
Reese
Reese is a Welsh name meaning “passion, enthusiasm.”
Shaw
Shaw is an English name meaning “dweller by the wood.”
Shepherd
Shepherd is an English name meaning “sheep herder.”
Silva
Silva is a Portuguese name meaning “by the woods or forest.”
Stewart
Stewart is a Scottish name meaning “steward of the estate or castle.”
Vaughn
Vaughn is an English name meaning “small.”
Walker
Walker is an English name meaning “fuller of cloth.”
Weber
Weber is a German name meaning “weaver.”
Wheeler
Wheeler is an English name meaning “wheel maker.”
Whitaker
Whitaker is an English name meaning “from the white/wheat field.”
Willis
Willis is an English name meaning “descendent of servant of will.”
Wolfe
Wolfe is an English name meaning “wolf-like.”
York
York is an English name meaning “from the town of Eburos.”
Whether you pick a baby name originating from a surname of a famous celebrity or decide that you would like to honor an ancestor, be sure to do your research as it could mean something you don’t want to associate with your baby. Just look it up Kennedy as an example. It’s a perfectly pleasant name but its meaning is “misshapen head.” If meanings matter to you, do your research on BabyNames.com! See the top 1,000 surnames and you very well may find the perfect baby name!
Mallory Moss is the co-founder of BabyNames.com and co-host of The Baby Names Podcast. Mallory has a PhD in psychiatric nursing and has written articles for The Huffington Post on names and name trends. She has one grown daughter, Veronica, who lives in Austria.
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