40 of the cutest surnames that parents are using as forenames

Discover the latest trend in baby names – surnames used as first names! In this blog post, we explore the unique and creative ways parents are using surnames as first names for their babies. Get inspired and find your perfect baby name with The Healthy Mummy today.

It seems that ‘back-to-front’ names are the latest naming trend!

And there’s an interesting reason why experts believe parents are choosing surnames as first names.

Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard, told the Chicago Tribune she believes many parents are using one of their maiden names as a first name.

She says, “Whether or not the parents change their names at marriage, there’s a feeling that you want both families to be represented equally in the kids’ names.”

Whether you choose your maiden name as your baby’s first name or use another surname that you like, here are a heap of last names as first names perfect for boys and girls

40 of the cutest surnames that parents are using as first names

Surnames as first names for baby girls

1. Addison

Meaning: Addison is an English surname meaning ‘son of Adam’.

2. Bardot

Meaning: Bardot is a French surname.

3. Bailey

Meaning: Bailey means ‘steward or public official’.

4. Blaine

Meaning: Blaine is a Gaelic surname and means ‘thin’.

5. Campbell

Meaning: Campbell is a Scottish surname and means ‘crooked’ or ‘bent’.

6. Cassidy

Meaning: Cassidy is a Gaelic surname and means ‘curly haired’.

7. Cohen

Meaning: A Hebrew surname which means ‘priest’.

8. Ellison

Meaning: Ellison means ‘Son of Elder’.

9. Emerson

Meaning: Emerson means ‘brave’ and ‘powerful’.

10. Everly

Meaning: This name is an English surname. It means ‘from the boar meadow’.

11. Hayden

Meaning: Hayden has derived from the surname Haydn or Heiden and means ‘heathen’.

12. Harlow

Meaning: Harlow is surname as well as a town in England. It means ‘hill’.

13. Jensen

Meaning: Jensen is a Scandinavian baby name and means ‘Jehovah’.

14. Kennedy

Meaning: Kennedy is a Gaelic surname and means ‘head’.

15. Langley

Meaning: Langley is also a place name and means ‘long, wood’.

16. Marley

Meaning: The name Marley is of English origin and means ‘from the march meadow’.

17. Monroe

Meaning: Monroe is a Scottish surname and means ‘the mouth of the Roe’.

18. Quinn

Meaning: A Gaelic surname that means ‘wisdom, reason, intelligence’.

19. Riley

Meaning: Riley is an English surnames and mean ‘rye, wood, clearing’.

20. Wyatt

Meaning: Wyatt is an English baby name and means ‘wide, wood’.

Surnames as first names for baby boys

1. Anderson

Meaning: Anderson means ‘son of Anders / Andrew’.

2. Beckett

Meaning: Beckett is an Old English surname meaning ‘bee cottage’.

3. Brady

Meaning: An Irish name, meaning ‘spirited, broad’.

4. Carter

Meaning: Carter is a family name of Irish and Scottish origin and means ‘wagon or cart maker’.

5. Cooper

Meaning: Cooper is a surname of English origin and derives from the occupation of a repairer of wooden vessels such as barrels, tubs and casks.

6. Cole

Meaning: Cole is a name that originated from Cornwall in South West England. It means ‘charcoal’.

7. Dawson

Meaning: Dawson is an English surname and means ‘David’s son’.

8. Davis

Meaning: Davis is a Welsh surname meaning ‘son of David’.

9. Dixon

Meaning: Dixon is a Scottish surname that means ‘son of Richard’.

10. Finley

Meaning: A Gaelic name that means ‘warrior’ or ‘hero’. 

11. Harrison

Meaning: Harrison is an English surname that means ‘son of Harry’. 

12. Hendrix

Meaning: Hendrix comes from the name Henry and means ‘ruler’ or ‘power’.

13. Lennox

Meaning: Lennox is a Gaelic name and means ‘lives near the place abounding in elm trees’.

14. Lincoln

Meaning: This name is the name of a Roman settlement in England. It means ‘lake, pool’.

15. Miller

Meaning: Miller is an old Norse name that means ‘grinder of grain’.

16. Nash

Meaning: Nash is and English surname that means ‘at the ash tree’. 

17. Parker

Meaning: Parker is an English surname that means ‘park keeper’. 

18. Sullivan

Meaning: An Irish name derived from the name O’Sullivan and means ‘dark’.

19. Tyler

Meaning: An old English word which comes from the occupation of a tiler or ‘one who makes tiles’.

20. Wiley

Meaning: Wiley derives from a name given to those who lived near Wylye in Wiltshire, England.

For more baby name inspiration, check out these other great baby name blog posts

Vintage baby names that really should be making a comeback

44 baby names inspired by the seasons and months

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