Each decade, the U.S. census bureau compiles the top last names in the United States. We have added origins and meanings to this list to give you a comprehensive collection of the top U.S. surnames. The background of the top surnames/last names in the United States are primarily English, Spanish, Celtic, and Asian. Surnames are…
BN PODCAST #83 Names and Women’s Rights J: I’m Jennifer Moss. M: And I’m Mallory Moss. J: And we’re the founders of BabyNames.com. M: And we’re sisters, too (singing) J: Yes, we are! And our first segment is always INTERESTING Names we’ve found since the last episode J: Well there’s certainly a CELEBRITY baby name…
Everyone is familiar with occupational names, whether you realize it or not! Most are commonly known as surnames, but some have become popular as personal names as well. They are names that originated from a person’s occupation. Some of them are straightforward: Hunter means someone who hunts, Fisher is someone who fishes, and so on….
In our between-the-episodes Name Bites, Jennifer and Mallory each deep dive into one name and review its meaning, origin, namesakes, and popularity. This Name Bite’s theme is SURNAMES! In this episode, we cover the names Madison and Kirk. If you want to submit a theme for Name Bites, email us at podcast@babynames.com.
In honor of President’s Day, here are some United States presidential names and their meanings. The most common name among presidents so far is James, followed by John, William, and George. If you want your baby to make it big in politics, you might want to consider some of these when choosing names for your…
Episode #39 – In honor of Hispanic History Month, Jennifer and Mallory discuss Spanish names, the history of Spanish naming and name construction, Spanish surnames, the top names in Spain, popular Latin names in the United States and Latinx celebrity names. Names mentioned in this episode: Evren, Della, Miranda, Yenifer, Mallorca, Maria, José, Jesús, Hugo,…
Episode #16 – Jennifer and Mallory discuss the popular new trend of occupational (sur)names becoming first names, like Mason, Sawyer, and Harper. Also Emmy Award nominees, celebrity baby news, and your questions on names and naming. Names in this episode: Hamza, Quarry, Sterling, Milo, Tatiana, Zazie, Aidy, Finn, Baker, Hunter, Miller, Paige, Sawyer, Taylor, Sailor,…
Hi Jennifer, There’s a name that I read in a book that I like: Donnigan. It sounds Irish, but I wasn’t sure, and I was also hoping you might be able to help find the meaning as well.
Hi Jennifer, I’ve read your Q&A for years even though this is my first time expecting. We won’t find out what we’re having before the birth so we’ll have to come up with options for each sex and decide on the day! Growing up with an extremely common name, it is one of my top…
Dear Jennifer, I love Baker as a surname, and it’s also listed on your website as a first name. Is Baker an accepted first name for a boy? Sincerely, Sasha R. Hi Sasha, Absolutely Baker can be a first name! Occupational names that were originally surnames have become pretty trendy in the past couple of…
Hi Jennifer! We have begun our search for baby names and considering the name Wickham/Wick. I’ve come to your site (as I do very often) and notice it’s not on it. Would you mind letting me know what it means? I love to know the meanings to all names! 🙂 Thanks very much, Penny Dear…
Hi Jennifer, My son’s name is Patton. My husband likes WW2 history and got the name idea from General George S. Patton. Do you know the meaning? Thanks, Elindsey Dear Elindsey (great unique name!), Patton is an Anglo-Scottish surname. It comes from Pat–short for Patrick–and the suffix -on which means “little” or “son of.” So…
Hi Jennifer! I’m a fellow name enthusiast. I recently watched From Time to Time (2009). It’s based on a children’s book series from the 1950s. It was a charming little movie. I recommend it! Great cast. Two characters had names that sent me straight to your site for answers, but none were to be found!…
Hi Jennifer- We’re expecting our third child this fall. We already have 2 girls and this will be our first boy. And “boy” are we having a hard time….see what I did there? Anyway, our last name ends in “son” and it seems most of the names we like also end in “son”. We like…
Dear Jennifer, I recently watched a movie called “Triple Dog” and the main character was a girl named Chapin. I noticed you didn’t have it on the website and I would really like to know what it means. Thanks, Anna Dear Anna, That’s a great question! Chapin is a surname that is derived from the…
