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Surnames That Are Baby Names

Surnames have been on the rise as baby names for a couple of decades now. The early generation saw surnames like Tyler and Blake for boys, Taylor and Morgan for girls. Those names are still used today, but they’re not as widespread as they once were.

Along with Taylor and Tyler, other surnames that rank as first names in the US Top 150 include Harper, Madison, Carter, Lincoln, Everly, Hudson, Colton, and Kennedy. Up-and-coming surnames near the bottom of the charts include Colter, Foster, Banks, and Ellison.

Surnames as first names appeal to contemporary parents and are elusively both traditional and new. If you’re searching for well-liked surnames to use as baby names for your son or daughter, consult our list of surnames from the US Top 1000, below.

Huxley

Meaning: inhospitable place

Origin:English
405
Ryland

Meaning: place where Rye is grown

Origin:Old English
1092
Ford

Meaning: dweller at the ford

Origin:English
386
Chandler

Meaning: candle maker

Origin:English from French occupational name
1401
Peyton

Meaning: fighting-man's estate

Origin:English
769
Judson

Meaning: son of Jordan

Origin:English
1590
Keaton

Meaning: shed town

Origin:English
1203
Sander

Meaning: defending men

Origin:Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
21939
Colter

Meaning: colt herder

Origin:English
1817
Wallace

Meaning: foreigner, stranger

Origin:Scottish
751
Franklin

Meaning: free landholder

Origin:English
562
Beckham

Meaning: homestead by the stream

Origin:English
394
Cohen

Meaning: priest

Origin:Hebrew
438
Tyler

Meaning: maker of tiles

Origin:English occupational name
1012
Taylor

Meaning: tailor

Origin:English occupational name
637
Watson

Meaning: son of Wat

Origin:English and Scottish surname related to Walter
2027
Anderson

Meaning: son of Anders

Origin:English from Scandinavian
1340
Ellison

Meaning: son of Ellis

Origin:English
1494
Wilson

Meaning: son of Will

Origin:English
1744
Branson

Meaning: son of the raven

Origin:English
2231