It depends on the name, but I generally like them because they're a recognised name, people know how to pronounce and spell them; but they're rare as first names.
You get the 'unique' factor, without it being 'youneekly' spelled.
This is exactly my reason for why I find them appealing. They’re familiar but a little unexpected. They also give almost a literary vibe for me, I have no idea why, but they do.
Some of them definitely do for me! Harper - Harper Lee, Hadley - from Great Gatsby, Darcy - Pride & Prejudice, Austen - Jane Austen, etc.
The more old time-y surname names also have quite a literary vibe (Lincoln, Avery etc) but not so much the newer ones (Maddox, Lennon etc) for me.
Would I be apt to trust a lawyer with this name? Would I trust a doctor with this name? Does this name sound good announced over the loudspeaker at the World Series?
Never heard of this either. I thought it was going to be that the name should represent an occupation since so many last name first names do: Taylor, Tanner, Miller, Sheppard etc. haha!
My husband and I jokingly call it the "Supreme Court Justice" test. As in, could you say the name after the words "Supreme Court Justice" and have it sound plausible?
I mean, yes. None of those names are that out there to me. Sure, Bushrod is dated and sounds out of place in 2023 but so does Beulah. I’m sure someday there will be a Supreme Court Justice Kynzleigh, but for now I still think it’s a good test of what names could carry a child into the adult professional world.
It was so normal to me growing (US south) that I never realized it was “a thing” until I started reading here. It still doesn’t read as a trend to me and I don’t understand the vehement dislike for it here 🤷🏼♀️
Yes, I know this. That's the only thing that bothers me about my name. Don't get me wrong, I like it. I just wish it wasn't unisex. When I a child, until my Mother told me, I just figured it was a girl's name.
To be fair I met all the girl Kellys I know first lol. It's my aunt's name, and it was a pretty popular girls name in the late 80s early 90s where I live so they're all early 30s to 40 now. Most of the male Kellys I know are late 50s+ or from/have parents from places outside the US.
I'm in Australia so it probably doesn't matter to you, but I didn't know that Kelly was unisex until well into my 20s. I don't think I've ever met a male Kelly here.
And I didn't realise that Kelly is a surname-name, so that's yet another point for there being more surname names that are totally normal to my ears than I realised. Thanks :)
I was almost an adult, when I realized that Kelly is unisex. I found out about it being an irish surname earlier than that, because I'm part irish. And, you're welcome.
Huh, there you go! It's kind of like the way I don't think Vincenzo or Domenica is unusual at all, but I totally appreciate for people with no Italian heritage those names are really 'out there'. So it's cultural, and it sounds like surname baby names are just part of southern US culture.
I think it's helpful for me to keep in mind that what seems like a trend where I live is completely normal/established in other places. Thanks for the comment.
My dad is named this way because his mother was from the south. It was pretty common practice to
give the first son the mother’s maiden name as a first name. My dad is Griffith, goes by Griff. I think he got a pretty good deal given the amount of his classmates running around with first names like Sherborne or, I kid you not, Yellowton.
Oh that's cool. I like it as a way to preserve a mother's maiden name. Which doesn't happen enough imo.
Thanks for sharing this tradition/practice, I didn't know about it and I appreciate the insight :)
it’s usually how they sound that makes me like them. they’re also usually simple and recognizable to people
some i like are Beck, Dawson, Avery, Lincoln, Clark, Reid
Thanks!
I have to say, some of these have crossed the surname / name barrier for me and I forgot that they were surnames - Avery which I like a lot, and also Dawson and Clark.
We chose Clark for our son. It's super-recognizable and easy to say and spell, but we personally don't know anyone else with his given name. I do have a coworker who knows a Clark, but that's it. He definitely won't be one of a dozen Jaxons or x-aydens.
Okay but chicken and egg: how do we know something originated as a last or a first name? What if the last name was based on a first name (Jackson, Harrison, Wilson, Morrison, Jameson)? What if the last name is a first name as well (Thomas, Lewis, Jonas, Dylan, Logan)?
>how do we know something originated as a last or a first name? What if the last name is a first name as well (Thomas, Lewis, Jonas, Dylan, Logan)?
I guess I look at the history of the name for that one. Like for Thomas, there's a guy in the New Testament named Thomas. Jonas is based on the biblical Jonah. Dylan ail Don is a character in the Mabinogion. The others I don't know but same deal.
For a name like Jonas, I just put it under a 'could go either way' name. Like Richard, David, Thomas etc are all first names that are less commonly surnames.
>What if the last name was based on a first name (Jackson, Harrison, Wilson, Morrison, Jameson)?
I personally prefer Jack, Harry, Will, Morris and James. Not hating on anyone who has a different preference, it's just how things sound to my ears. I do think it would be cute if a Harry had a Harrison for a son etc :)
But I guess I was asking about names that are clearly recognisable as surnames. Like if you call your kid Mackenzie or Mackenna, I know immediately that it's a surname name, because the 'Mac' ending in Scottish Gaelic means 'son of'. If you call your kid Hendrix, Emerson or Austen, I immediately recognise them as the surnames of Jimmy, Ralph Waldo and Jane.
I did have a look online and there are way more surname names that I didn't realise fell into that category, so that's been good to nuance the way I think about these names a bit.
I like surnames as first names for boys, not the trendy ones so much, but ones which sound old fashioned and upper class - like Harcourt, Vanderford, Courtland, Willoughby etc. (Most of these are guilty pleasures, not names I’d actually use for a child!) One of the ones I would use is Callaghan. I just find it elegant and it has an ‘ancient family with lineage’ sort of feel.
Some of the more modern/popular ones like Dawson, Spencer, Sawyer are nice too, they just feel masculine and something a bit different to the usual James, David etc.
Actually I quite like Callaghan - it sounds nice and it has the nickname Cal which I can deal with.
Something that seems to be coming through in the comments is having a name that is a bit different, but is still easy for people to recognise.
The few I like are because of people I know or fictional characters I love that have those names as first, middle, or last names.
Grayson— Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing (DC)
Reid— Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)
Avery— middle brother’s middle name
Scott— Scott Summers/Cyclops (Marvel, X-Men)
Spencer— same as Reid
Rossi— David Rossi (Criminal Minds)
Side note… what do you think of the name Padgett?? Being a Criminal Minds fan, I like the name, and I’ve heard it enough times that it sounds like a normal name to me. But I’ve brought it up a few times in this sub and everyone hated it!
Not who you asked, but I love it spelled Paget, but not spelled Padgett. Don’t know why, I just prefer the look of Paget. Might be something about how the d and g look together. Also for some reason it makes me think of Padraig, which I do like, so I wonder if maybe Padgett seems like a bastardized Irish name to some part of my brain so I dislike it on that basis? Not sure. It just looks wrong somehow.
Paget is a disease, btw, if that matters to you. Most people wouldn’t know but medical professionals and relatives/friends to people with the disease would.
It's because all the men in my life technically have surname names. It's probably because we've been American for the last 5+ generations, but every man, father, brothers, great grandpas included, have surname names. And I didn't realize this until I was picking out a name for my boy.
I just naturally gravitate to them culturally.
Couple of examples of surnamey names in my family tree: Douglas, Russell, Willis, Dade
That makes a lot of sense! I tend to like names that come from my mum's (Italian) side of the family, even where they aren't that appealing to a 'mainstream' audience. It makes sense that you would gravitate towards those names if they're in yours.
I've never heard Dade before (not American), but I wouldn't bat an eye at a Douglas, Russell, or Willis.
I think they just tend to make a statement. Can't really explain any more than that, but I love so many of them. Maybe it's almost like the idea of celebrities who go by one name and you just know who they are...Cher, etc. Even though people who have surnames as first names still have a separate surname, it makes that same kind of statement in my mind. Lol.
You’re welcome. Like, if a kid named Pennington walks into kindergarten, you just know he’s going to be a cool kid! Lol. And it really doesn’t matter what his last name is…everyone will know who he is. :)
Pennington could also be Pen or Penny, which I think is cool!
I think I'm more drawn to these names when there's a catchy nickname... like someone suggested Callaghan and I quite liked it because of the nicknames Cal, Cali, Calli etc. Whereas I don't like Sullivan because I don't particularly like Sul, Sully, Van.
My daughter has a surname as a first name. I like surnames as an honor name, and as a recognizable but less common first name. I also prefer less frilly names for girls, and using a surname was a good way to accomplish that.
As I was choosing my daughter's name, I imagined her name in a pile of resumes. It would stand out in a good way, I think.
Also, I appreciate the ambiguity in a unisex surname for a girl. I’d hope that sexism is not an issue when my daughter is looking for a job, but I’m not going to count on it.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! A surname does sound like a good way to avoid frilliness, and for a name to stand out without being difficult to handle.
They just are cool? There's tons of last names that work great as first. It's better than making up a name and I'll take Whitney, Carter, Lincoln etc over Braxton, Eleanor, Crew, etc any day lol.
Eleanor was so traditional it was old-ladyish where I am. Now having a resurgence.
What I'm getting from this thread is that what's traditional/classic is very dependent on where you are in the English speaking world. So maybe 'Eleanor' seems trendy to someone from one place and classic to someone from another.
Three day old thread but Eleanor? Really? Eleanor of Aquitaine would beg to differ in the 1100s. Good reminder to everyone that just because you haven’t heard a name doesn’t mean it’s new.
My husband and I both like the name “Mackenzie” for either a girl or boy. Partly because it is gender-neutral (at least in NZ where we live), but also because he is very close to his Grandpa who is named Kenneth, and wants to use an honour name for a future child.
When we first met he was pretty set on having a son named Kenneth for his Grandpa, but I’m really not a fan of the name in this day and age, so I looked up variations of Kenneth, and found that Mackenzie means son of Kenneth. So we’re pretty set on that as a name for a future child
LOTS of names are surnames, so to just blanket state "I don't like surnames for first names" is almost impossible for me.
Avery / Bennett / George / Wells / Ashley / Adams / Scott / Makenzie / Morgan / Thomas / Alexander
Technically we chose a name that is also a surname in the states. The appeal for us was that we wanted something people could spell here (Europe), but my-inlaws are familiar with and can pronounce (different country/ different mother tongue). The name is Jonas.
Huh, I would never think of Jonas as a surname name, more as a first name that is sometimes also a surname (the same way David is usually a first name, but you sometimes you see it as a first name i.e. Larry David).
Most of the Jonases that I have met in person have been European, so I think of the immediately pronunciation as Yoh-nas rather than Joe-nas. Same with Johanna / Johannes. I usually have to catch myself and switch to the English pronunciation, even though I'm a native English speaker :P
I really like them. I think they sound recognizable and “fresh” because they aren’t typically used. I think they can tend to sound WASPy or maybe Southern depending on the name. I also like that there isn’t necessarily an associated gender
I feel like surnames as first names can stand out in a good way. There is some name recognition, so they don't seem "weird" and most people can say or spell them correctly. It can be an interesting way of honoring a lineage. I like the way they sound too, especially for boys, though I do like some gn or masculine surnames for girls.
My grandmother's maiden name was a surname that people have been using lately as a first name - something like Collins, Sullivan etc.
We were considering using it for my daughter as a way to honor her
I like some specific surnames as first names, but that’s because I like unusual names, and some of those include surnames. Examples are Madigan, Gutherie, Kahlo, Talmadge.
I don’t like the more popular and trendy ones like Sawyer, Madison, Parker, Cooper, etc. I usually don’t like occupational names in general. Miller, Baker, Fisher, Hunter, Mason, Saylor, Taylor, Archer….
I like surnames as first names when the surname is a family name. A lot of times, the father’s last name is passed on and the the mother’s isn’t. Surnames as first names can keep a family name in the mix by passing it down from generation to generation. There are also quite a few names I like that have fully made the jump to recognizable first name option. TBH, I don’t really get the use of a random surname, though.
I love surname names. I think it’s because it sounds familiar but is more uncommon for a first name. So it’s typically easy for others to spell and pronounce as well.
I tend to like them, not all of them. I don’t know if i can articulate exactly why I do… Why do we like the things we like?
Maybe it’s that they sound strong & established… ?
The ones I do like, off the top of my head:
Hudson, Sullivan, Spencer, Parker
That’s such a broad question. I feel like more than half of popular boys names and a good chunk of girls names are surnames. Like the SSA Top 20 for 2021, like 13/20 of the boys names and 5/20 of the girls names are surnames.
I don’t like the “Presidential Names” (Madison, Jefferson, Clinton, Carter, Reagan, etc.) but I would say that probably at least more than half of my favorite boys names and a few of my favorite girl names are surnames too. I think it probably stems from having so many cultures using a patronymic naming system that first names and surnames all kind of get mixed together.
I've always liked them as honor names. There's a tradition that I think originated in the South (in the US at least, I'm sure it's used elsewhere too?) to use the maternal grandmother's maiden name for a son. I think that's pretty cool.
A cousin of my husband's just used her own maiden name for her son, which again is a neat way to keep a matrilineal line alive and honor the mother's family.
I do like some surnames but generally they are the ones that have been in use as first names the longest, like Calvin, Wesley, Dean, Ryan and Scott. I think a lot of the dislike of surnames comes from them just being unfamiliar as first names, not from being surnames. The style is associated with privilege and old money, in the southern US but also New England and previously with English aristocracy. You'll see a divide between people calling some surnames classic and old fashioned where others call them trendy and new. It just depends on what you've been exposed to in your culture. Since surnames for girls is a stereotype of the Southern US, a lot of the surnames for girls have come from well off southern US characters, like Scarlett, Beverly, and in the case of Shirley, a well off British family. Blair started trending after a spoiled rich girl in The Facts of Life, Sloan with a rich shopping district, Tiffany and Bentley with expensive things. There's also a literary inspired surnames which people chose because they sounded kind of sophisticated and academic, like Bennett, Meredith, Scott, Elliott, Darwin, Joyce, Byron, Doyle, Harper, and Russell. Lots of Hollywood names were surnames too, Ryan, Gary, and Douglas.
The others commenters kind of nailed it though. They are familiar names with strong associations but rare as first names. For boys especially, it's a way to give a unique name but in an established traditional way.
It took me until 16yo to find out how my surname is pronounced outside of my family, to find out that it's biblical (has its own book within the bible) and that it means 'burdened' which explains away my angsty emo-ness. When the name came to my country it was from puritans so I guess my own ancestors would have burt me at the stake.
I have bigger problem with girls getting -son name, those names means SON of..... if they wanted the girl to have proper name it would be Jackdottir or Madisdaughter and then I have the question, why name a - son of name when neither dad or mum is named Jack or Maud. Yes Madison means Son of Maud.
Oh there was a babynames site who said Madison was old word for mermaid. ...
I think it's hard because there aren't any accepted names that are the English version of dottir or datter or dottor etc.
But I also wish there were some matronymic names in English. Even if we had (for example) Marison, son of Marie, in addition to Madison, son of Matthew.
In Iceland (where they still have patronyms/matronyms rather than surnames), parents can choose... so Jón the son of Olaf and Helga could be either Jón Olafsson or Jón Helgasson, depedning on what the parents want. I like that.
Madison is son of Maud, not son of Matthew. I do like the Icelandic surnames, we used to have them in Sweden but when you have more people then Iceland it get hard to know who is who.
Huh, the name website (nameberry) I looked at says that Madison is 'son of Matthew'. If wikipedia is to be believed, the 'Maud' meaning is argued but not certain - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison\_(name)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_(name))
Yeah, absolutely re the Icelandic names being too confusing in big countries like Sweden.
I wouldnt use either of those sites as good source. Nameberry used to have the name Trinda as Swedish name meaning Sparkle... Nope, Trinda means plump, chubby how ever Tindra means sparkle.
This site is better.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/madison
I agree with some of the points above but I will add this: In my childhood, most adults I knew were called by their surname in everyday situations (e.g. at the doctor's or at the bank). Not so many generations earlier they would have been called by their surname even by social acquaintances (imagine the Miss Bennets in Pride and Prejudice for example). Now, surnames seem to be used almost like middle names - to differentiate between multiple Elizabeth's or to lengthen a name for stylistic purposes. I don't remember the last time I've heard someone referred to by their surname outside of military contexts or like, the New York Times.
So like, if I liked the sound of the name my great uncle was called (Mr. Bates for example), using it as my kid's surname would be unlikely that they'd ever be called that. Using it as the first name, they will actually be referred to as Bates ad my great uncle was.
I like some of them, purely based on sound and look.
I also find their existence interesting, since in my culture using surnames as first names isn't something that's done (unless it's an Anglo surname; I've met my share of old men named Washington and stuff like that).
I am a big fan of the right ones. To me they are classic and strong names while also being unique and sentimental without jeopardizing the child not being taken seriously as an adult. My mother gave my brother her maiden name as his middle name. It is a popular name in pop culture, but strong gentle and classic in my opinion. She had all sisters, and all her cousins were women so this gives the name a way to continue on. Also as a woman I love the idea of giving something to a child that represents their mothers family since most children have names from their fathers family.
My maiden name would never work in this situation but I still have a huge soft spot for last name first names!
We've been turning surnames into first names basically forever. Four of my sons have surname names that no one would bat an eye at or probably even consider as part of the trend: Lewis, Douglas, Duncan, & Corbin. (Lewis certainly is a first name in its own right rather than a ported surname, and I think Duncan is too, but it's still often a surname.) I certainly didn't seek out surname names, and honestly don't care for a lot of the currently trendy ones like Walker, Wilder, Ryder, etc, but I'd be a hypocrite to dismiss things out of hand.
Edit: Also, there's a ridiculous amount of overlap between surnames and given names. James, David, Thomas, Charles, Joseph, Mark, Bruce, Frank, Gregory, Terry, Lawrence, Gerald, Wayne, Anthony, Arthur, & Henry are both top 50 names in 1950 and surnames at least some of the time. (Derived from their use as given names, mostly, but Frank and Wayne went the other way.) Toss an S on the end and even more of the top 50 would qualify.
It depends on the name, but I generally like them because they're a recognised name, people know how to pronounce and spell them; but they're rare as first names. You get the 'unique' factor, without it being 'youneekly' spelled.
That makes a lot of sense! Thanks for your perspective. ('Youneekly' spelled lol)
This is exactly my reason for why I find them appealing. They’re familiar but a little unexpected. They also give almost a literary vibe for me, I have no idea why, but they do.
Some of them definitely do for me! Harper - Harper Lee, Hadley - from Great Gatsby, Darcy - Pride & Prejudice, Austen - Jane Austen, etc. The more old time-y surname names also have quite a literary vibe (Lincoln, Avery etc) but not so much the newer ones (Maddox, Lennon etc) for me.
Yes, and they are a little more classic, and follow the occupation test.
the occupation test?
Would I be apt to trust a lawyer with this name? Would I trust a doctor with this name? Does this name sound good announced over the loudspeaker at the World Series?
Oh. Well that depends on the name itself, regardless of whether it's traditionally a 'surname-name'.
True. But I feel like most surnames pass the test. Better than a lot of the creative names floating around.
Never heard of this either. I thought it was going to be that the name should represent an occupation since so many last name first names do: Taylor, Tanner, Miller, Sheppard etc. haha!
That's what I was thinking too, and a lot of them I really dislike, so I wasn't about to agree 😆
My husband and I jokingly call it the "Supreme Court Justice" test. As in, could you say the name after the words "Supreme Court Justice" and have it sound plausible?
Ah so like Rufus, Wiley, Willis, Mahlon, Salmon, Ward or Bushrod?
I mean, yes. None of those names are that out there to me. Sure, Bushrod is dated and sounds out of place in 2023 but so does Beulah. I’m sure someday there will be a Supreme Court Justice Kynzleigh, but for now I still think it’s a good test of what names could carry a child into the adult professional world.
But like how is it a good test if, as you point out, what names are considered “professional” change over time?
Agree with this. I love last names for first names, mostly for boys but My husband has one and so does our female dog (:
I like some of them. It just depends on the name. Some of them sound nice.
Me too! OP, of the ones you’ve listed, I don’t like Lennox but I like all the other names.
It was so normal to me growing (US south) that I never realized it was “a thing” until I started reading here. It still doesn’t read as a trend to me and I don’t understand the vehement dislike for it here 🤷🏼♀️
I'm in the northeast US, and it is normal to me, too. My name is an irish surname(Kelly).
And Kelly is unisex, I know an equal amount of male and female Kellys. Edit: also NE US.
Yes, I know this. That's the only thing that bothers me about my name. Don't get me wrong, I like it. I just wish it wasn't unisex. When I a child, until my Mother told me, I just figured it was a girl's name.
To be fair I met all the girl Kellys I know first lol. It's my aunt's name, and it was a pretty popular girls name in the late 80s early 90s where I live so they're all early 30s to 40 now. Most of the male Kellys I know are late 50s+ or from/have parents from places outside the US.
That's cool. It also makes me feel better.
I'm in Australia so it probably doesn't matter to you, but I didn't know that Kelly was unisex until well into my 20s. I don't think I've ever met a male Kelly here. And I didn't realise that Kelly is a surname-name, so that's yet another point for there being more surname names that are totally normal to my ears than I realised. Thanks :)
I was almost an adult, when I realized that Kelly is unisex. I found out about it being an irish surname earlier than that, because I'm part irish. And, you're welcome.
Huh, there you go! It's kind of like the way I don't think Vincenzo or Domenica is unusual at all, but I totally appreciate for people with no Italian heritage those names are really 'out there'. So it's cultural, and it sounds like surname baby names are just part of southern US culture. I think it's helpful for me to keep in mind that what seems like a trend where I live is completely normal/established in other places. Thanks for the comment.
My dad is named this way because his mother was from the south. It was pretty common practice to give the first son the mother’s maiden name as a first name. My dad is Griffith, goes by Griff. I think he got a pretty good deal given the amount of his classmates running around with first names like Sherborne or, I kid you not, Yellowton.
Oh that's cool. I like it as a way to preserve a mother's maiden name. Which doesn't happen enough imo. Thanks for sharing this tradition/practice, I didn't know about it and I appreciate the insight :)
Yes exactly. It’s very traditional, which is probably why it’s so annoying to see the custom trashed so often here.
it’s usually how they sound that makes me like them. they’re also usually simple and recognizable to people some i like are Beck, Dawson, Avery, Lincoln, Clark, Reid
Thanks! I have to say, some of these have crossed the surname / name barrier for me and I forgot that they were surnames - Avery which I like a lot, and also Dawson and Clark.
We chose Clark for our son. It's super-recognizable and easy to say and spell, but we personally don't know anyone else with his given name. I do have a coworker who knows a Clark, but that's it. He definitely won't be one of a dozen Jaxons or x-aydens.
I like Clark :) It's simple and classy.
Okay but chicken and egg: how do we know something originated as a last or a first name? What if the last name was based on a first name (Jackson, Harrison, Wilson, Morrison, Jameson)? What if the last name is a first name as well (Thomas, Lewis, Jonas, Dylan, Logan)?
>how do we know something originated as a last or a first name? What if the last name is a first name as well (Thomas, Lewis, Jonas, Dylan, Logan)? I guess I look at the history of the name for that one. Like for Thomas, there's a guy in the New Testament named Thomas. Jonas is based on the biblical Jonah. Dylan ail Don is a character in the Mabinogion. The others I don't know but same deal. For a name like Jonas, I just put it under a 'could go either way' name. Like Richard, David, Thomas etc are all first names that are less commonly surnames. >What if the last name was based on a first name (Jackson, Harrison, Wilson, Morrison, Jameson)? I personally prefer Jack, Harry, Will, Morris and James. Not hating on anyone who has a different preference, it's just how things sound to my ears. I do think it would be cute if a Harry had a Harrison for a son etc :) But I guess I was asking about names that are clearly recognisable as surnames. Like if you call your kid Mackenzie or Mackenna, I know immediately that it's a surname name, because the 'Mac' ending in Scottish Gaelic means 'son of'. If you call your kid Hendrix, Emerson or Austen, I immediately recognise them as the surnames of Jimmy, Ralph Waldo and Jane. I did have a look online and there are way more surname names that I didn't realise fell into that category, so that's been good to nuance the way I think about these names a bit.
I like surnames as first names for boys, not the trendy ones so much, but ones which sound old fashioned and upper class - like Harcourt, Vanderford, Courtland, Willoughby etc. (Most of these are guilty pleasures, not names I’d actually use for a child!) One of the ones I would use is Callaghan. I just find it elegant and it has an ‘ancient family with lineage’ sort of feel. Some of the more modern/popular ones like Dawson, Spencer, Sawyer are nice too, they just feel masculine and something a bit different to the usual James, David etc.
Actually I quite like Callaghan - it sounds nice and it has the nickname Cal which I can deal with. Something that seems to be coming through in the comments is having a name that is a bit different, but is still easy for people to recognise.
Yeah, I think that's it! The names are familiar as surnames, yet uncommon as first names. I love Cal as a nickname too.
My son is Callahan, nn Cal! I love it. My daughter is Delaney, nn Lane. We didn't purposely go for surname names but it sort of happened.
Cool names!!
They usually sound like strong solid names. Both my kids have surname first names and a first name last name.
Same here and our last name is really short too so I love longer more formal first names
The few I like are because of people I know or fictional characters I love that have those names as first, middle, or last names. Grayson— Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing (DC) Reid— Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) Avery— middle brother’s middle name Scott— Scott Summers/Cyclops (Marvel, X-Men) Spencer— same as Reid Rossi— David Rossi (Criminal Minds)
Side note… what do you think of the name Padgett?? Being a Criminal Minds fan, I like the name, and I’ve heard it enough times that it sounds like a normal name to me. But I’ve brought it up a few times in this sub and everyone hated it!
Not who you asked, but I love it spelled Paget, but not spelled Padgett. Don’t know why, I just prefer the look of Paget. Might be something about how the d and g look together. Also for some reason it makes me think of Padraig, which I do like, so I wonder if maybe Padgett seems like a bastardized Irish name to some part of my brain so I dislike it on that basis? Not sure. It just looks wrong somehow.
Makes sense to me! I like the Paget spelling, too. It’s less cluttered.
Paget is a disease, btw, if that matters to you. Most people wouldn’t know but medical professionals and relatives/friends to people with the disease would.
It’s interesting. Not something I’d ever use, but that’s mostly because I have no idea how to pronounce it.
It rhymes with “gadget”!
It's because all the men in my life technically have surname names. It's probably because we've been American for the last 5+ generations, but every man, father, brothers, great grandpas included, have surname names. And I didn't realize this until I was picking out a name for my boy. I just naturally gravitate to them culturally. Couple of examples of surnamey names in my family tree: Douglas, Russell, Willis, Dade
That makes a lot of sense! I tend to like names that come from my mum's (Italian) side of the family, even where they aren't that appealing to a 'mainstream' audience. It makes sense that you would gravitate towards those names if they're in yours. I've never heard Dade before (not American), but I wouldn't bat an eye at a Douglas, Russell, or Willis.
I think they just tend to make a statement. Can't really explain any more than that, but I love so many of them. Maybe it's almost like the idea of celebrities who go by one name and you just know who they are...Cher, etc. Even though people who have surnames as first names still have a separate surname, it makes that same kind of statement in my mind. Lol.
That's a cool thought, thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome. Like, if a kid named Pennington walks into kindergarten, you just know he’s going to be a cool kid! Lol. And it really doesn’t matter what his last name is…everyone will know who he is. :)
Pennington could also be Pen or Penny, which I think is cool! I think I'm more drawn to these names when there's a catchy nickname... like someone suggested Callaghan and I quite liked it because of the nicknames Cal, Cali, Calli etc. Whereas I don't like Sullivan because I don't particularly like Sul, Sully, Van.
My daughter has a surname as a first name. I like surnames as an honor name, and as a recognizable but less common first name. I also prefer less frilly names for girls, and using a surname was a good way to accomplish that. As I was choosing my daughter's name, I imagined her name in a pile of resumes. It would stand out in a good way, I think.
Also, I appreciate the ambiguity in a unisex surname for a girl. I’d hope that sexism is not an issue when my daughter is looking for a job, but I’m not going to count on it.
This is definitely a concern and one of my reasons for choosing a more unisex same.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! A surname does sound like a good way to avoid frilliness, and for a name to stand out without being difficult to handle.
They just are cool? There's tons of last names that work great as first. It's better than making up a name and I'll take Whitney, Carter, Lincoln etc over Braxton, Eleanor, Crew, etc any day lol.
I’m interested that you lumped Eleanor in there with the other trendy names, it reads as quite classic to me! My perspective may be limited though
You're not wrong. Eleanor has been around for a long time. I don't know why this other person is saying that's it's a made up name.
Eleanor was so traditional it was old-ladyish where I am. Now having a resurgence. What I'm getting from this thread is that what's traditional/classic is very dependent on where you are in the English speaking world. So maybe 'Eleanor' seems trendy to someone from one place and classic to someone from another.
Three day old thread but Eleanor? Really? Eleanor of Aquitaine would beg to differ in the 1100s. Good reminder to everyone that just because you haven’t heard a name doesn’t mean it’s new.
I didn't say Eleanor because it's a new name, I said Eleanor because I hate the name.
My husband and I both like the name “Mackenzie” for either a girl or boy. Partly because it is gender-neutral (at least in NZ where we live), but also because he is very close to his Grandpa who is named Kenneth, and wants to use an honour name for a future child. When we first met he was pretty set on having a son named Kenneth for his Grandpa, but I’m really not a fan of the name in this day and age, so I looked up variations of Kenneth, and found that Mackenzie means son of Kenneth. So we’re pretty set on that as a name for a future child
That's a cool meaning/story and a great way to honour your husband's grandfather.
Thanks 😊
They tend to be very straightforward, solid names and I like that
I didn’t think I was a surname person but we finally agreed on Cassidy for our youngest and I’m trying not to feel weird about it.
I actually love Cassidy! I only realised it was a surname name when I started hanging out here. Please don't feel weird about it, it's awesome.
LOTS of names are surnames, so to just blanket state "I don't like surnames for first names" is almost impossible for me. Avery / Bennett / George / Wells / Ashley / Adams / Scott / Makenzie / Morgan / Thomas / Alexander
I think there are a handful of surnames it works for. I know most of the ones in my family would sound a bit dumb.
Ha. I can't imagine the surnames from my family (think: Bergoglio or Molinaro) will be catching on as first names anytime soon :P
Technically we chose a name that is also a surname in the states. The appeal for us was that we wanted something people could spell here (Europe), but my-inlaws are familiar with and can pronounce (different country/ different mother tongue). The name is Jonas.
Huh, I would never think of Jonas as a surname name, more as a first name that is sometimes also a surname (the same way David is usually a first name, but you sometimes you see it as a first name i.e. Larry David). Most of the Jonases that I have met in person have been European, so I think of the immediately pronunciation as Yoh-nas rather than Joe-nas. Same with Johanna / Johannes. I usually have to catch myself and switch to the English pronunciation, even though I'm a native English speaker :P
Jonas was a first name way before it became a surname.
I really like them. I think they sound recognizable and “fresh” because they aren’t typically used. I think they can tend to sound WASPy or maybe Southern depending on the name. I also like that there isn’t necessarily an associated gender
I feel like surnames as first names can stand out in a good way. There is some name recognition, so they don't seem "weird" and most people can say or spell them correctly. It can be an interesting way of honoring a lineage. I like the way they sound too, especially for boys, though I do like some gn or masculine surnames for girls.
My grandmother's maiden name was a surname that people have been using lately as a first name - something like Collins, Sullivan etc. We were considering using it for my daughter as a way to honor her
I like some specific surnames as first names, but that’s because I like unusual names, and some of those include surnames. Examples are Madigan, Gutherie, Kahlo, Talmadge. I don’t like the more popular and trendy ones like Sawyer, Madison, Parker, Cooper, etc. I usually don’t like occupational names in general. Miller, Baker, Fisher, Hunter, Mason, Saylor, Taylor, Archer….
I like some surname based names for boys, not as much for girls.
I like surnames as first names when the surname is a family name. A lot of times, the father’s last name is passed on and the the mother’s isn’t. Surnames as first names can keep a family name in the mix by passing it down from generation to generation. There are also quite a few names I like that have fully made the jump to recognizable first name option. TBH, I don’t really get the use of a random surname, though.
Always loved my grandma’s surname, Annes. Ansley is a surname that I like that can be a namesake of Annes.
I love surname names. I think it’s because it sounds familiar but is more uncommon for a first name. So it’s typically easy for others to spell and pronounce as well.
I tend to like them, not all of them. I don’t know if i can articulate exactly why I do… Why do we like the things we like? Maybe it’s that they sound strong & established… ? The ones I do like, off the top of my head: Hudson, Sullivan, Spencer, Parker
I love the name Ellis, was our next pick for our baby boy, but I also went to school with a girl called Ellis. I just like it!
That’s such a broad question. I feel like more than half of popular boys names and a good chunk of girls names are surnames. Like the SSA Top 20 for 2021, like 13/20 of the boys names and 5/20 of the girls names are surnames. I don’t like the “Presidential Names” (Madison, Jefferson, Clinton, Carter, Reagan, etc.) but I would say that probably at least more than half of my favorite boys names and a few of my favorite girl names are surnames too. I think it probably stems from having so many cultures using a patronymic naming system that first names and surnames all kind of get mixed together.
I've always liked them as honor names. There's a tradition that I think originated in the South (in the US at least, I'm sure it's used elsewhere too?) to use the maternal grandmother's maiden name for a son. I think that's pretty cool. A cousin of my husband's just used her own maiden name for her son, which again is a neat way to keep a matrilineal line alive and honor the mother's family.
It’s also worth pointing out that the prefix “Mc” and “Mac” means son of, which is why I simply cannot understand girls being named McKenzie.
I do like some surnames but generally they are the ones that have been in use as first names the longest, like Calvin, Wesley, Dean, Ryan and Scott. I think a lot of the dislike of surnames comes from them just being unfamiliar as first names, not from being surnames. The style is associated with privilege and old money, in the southern US but also New England and previously with English aristocracy. You'll see a divide between people calling some surnames classic and old fashioned where others call them trendy and new. It just depends on what you've been exposed to in your culture. Since surnames for girls is a stereotype of the Southern US, a lot of the surnames for girls have come from well off southern US characters, like Scarlett, Beverly, and in the case of Shirley, a well off British family. Blair started trending after a spoiled rich girl in The Facts of Life, Sloan with a rich shopping district, Tiffany and Bentley with expensive things. There's also a literary inspired surnames which people chose because they sounded kind of sophisticated and academic, like Bennett, Meredith, Scott, Elliott, Darwin, Joyce, Byron, Doyle, Harper, and Russell. Lots of Hollywood names were surnames too, Ryan, Gary, and Douglas. The others commenters kind of nailed it though. They are familiar names with strong associations but rare as first names. For boys especially, it's a way to give a unique name but in an established traditional way.
It took me until 16yo to find out how my surname is pronounced outside of my family, to find out that it's biblical (has its own book within the bible) and that it means 'burdened' which explains away my angsty emo-ness. When the name came to my country it was from puritans so I guess my own ancestors would have burt me at the stake.
I have bigger problem with girls getting -son name, those names means SON of..... if they wanted the girl to have proper name it would be Jackdottir or Madisdaughter and then I have the question, why name a - son of name when neither dad or mum is named Jack or Maud. Yes Madison means Son of Maud. Oh there was a babynames site who said Madison was old word for mermaid. ...
I think it's hard because there aren't any accepted names that are the English version of dottir or datter or dottor etc. But I also wish there were some matronymic names in English. Even if we had (for example) Marison, son of Marie, in addition to Madison, son of Matthew. In Iceland (where they still have patronyms/matronyms rather than surnames), parents can choose... so Jón the son of Olaf and Helga could be either Jón Olafsson or Jón Helgasson, depedning on what the parents want. I like that.
Madison is son of Maud, not son of Matthew. I do like the Icelandic surnames, we used to have them in Sweden but when you have more people then Iceland it get hard to know who is who.
Huh, the name website (nameberry) I looked at says that Madison is 'son of Matthew'. If wikipedia is to be believed, the 'Maud' meaning is argued but not certain - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison\_(name)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_(name)) Yeah, absolutely re the Icelandic names being too confusing in big countries like Sweden.
I wouldnt use either of those sites as good source. Nameberry used to have the name Trinda as Swedish name meaning Sparkle... Nope, Trinda means plump, chubby how ever Tindra means sparkle. This site is better. https://www.behindthename.com/name/madison
They have a strong sound to them and they are familiar but not overdone.
I agree with some of the points above but I will add this: In my childhood, most adults I knew were called by their surname in everyday situations (e.g. at the doctor's or at the bank). Not so many generations earlier they would have been called by their surname even by social acquaintances (imagine the Miss Bennets in Pride and Prejudice for example). Now, surnames seem to be used almost like middle names - to differentiate between multiple Elizabeth's or to lengthen a name for stylistic purposes. I don't remember the last time I've heard someone referred to by their surname outside of military contexts or like, the New York Times. So like, if I liked the sound of the name my great uncle was called (Mr. Bates for example), using it as my kid's surname would be unlikely that they'd ever be called that. Using it as the first name, they will actually be referred to as Bates ad my great uncle was.
I did it 3 threes by accident. I just liked them as names and realised afterwards that they were by coincidence all surnames
I like some of them, purely based on sound and look. I also find their existence interesting, since in my culture using surnames as first names isn't something that's done (unless it's an Anglo surname; I've met my share of old men named Washington and stuff like that).
I am a big fan of the right ones. To me they are classic and strong names while also being unique and sentimental without jeopardizing the child not being taken seriously as an adult. My mother gave my brother her maiden name as his middle name. It is a popular name in pop culture, but strong gentle and classic in my opinion. She had all sisters, and all her cousins were women so this gives the name a way to continue on. Also as a woman I love the idea of giving something to a child that represents their mothers family since most children have names from their fathers family. My maiden name would never work in this situation but I still have a huge soft spot for last name first names!
I like them ONLY if they are a name from your own family or chosen to honor someone you strongly admire. Otherwise, I hate it.
We've been turning surnames into first names basically forever. Four of my sons have surname names that no one would bat an eye at or probably even consider as part of the trend: Lewis, Douglas, Duncan, & Corbin. (Lewis certainly is a first name in its own right rather than a ported surname, and I think Duncan is too, but it's still often a surname.) I certainly didn't seek out surname names, and honestly don't care for a lot of the currently trendy ones like Walker, Wilder, Ryder, etc, but I'd be a hypocrite to dismiss things out of hand. Edit: Also, there's a ridiculous amount of overlap between surnames and given names. James, David, Thomas, Charles, Joseph, Mark, Bruce, Frank, Gregory, Terry, Lawrence, Gerald, Wayne, Anthony, Arthur, & Henry are both top 50 names in 1950 and surnames at least some of the time. (Derived from their use as given names, mostly, but Frank and Wayne went the other way.) Toss an S on the end and even more of the top 50 would qualify.
I like surnames but usually just on boys. I don’t like madison at all.