Last Name Baby Names

By Gabrielle Bennett Senior Content Specialist

Updated February 01, 2024

When it comes to bringing a baby into your life, most parents can empathize with the struggle of striving to give them a unique experience. This can come in many different shapes and sizes, but one of the quickest ways to really nail it is to give baby an uncommon name. Picking what used to be a last name as a first name will help baby carve out their own specific path in life, just like you did!...

Throughout history there have been dozens of surnames turned into forenames. A last name first name traditionally has allowed maiden names to live on in a truly significant way. But now they can be anything from repurposed ancestry names plucked from the family tree to they just sound cool and want baby to have it. AKA — these are excellent choices for the parent seeking a gender neutral name! Last names didn’t have a gender assigned to them previously, so these names can be repurposed for whatever needs you may have. Names like Cameron, Kelly, and Quinn are gorgeous places to start and will lead you down the path of giving baby ties to either some seriously cool backgrounds or the deep roots of your ancestry.

However, as history has unfolded, plenty of last name baby names have found their way into recognition as a girl name or a boy name. Last names for girls generally are last names that have been altered in some way to make it more feminine, but find their roots in the Scottish highland clans or any other origin under the sun! Whereas last names for boys have flourished in their authentic family roots. All the way from the romantic sounding Deveraux to the classic Henderson, these names own their heritage and refined grace in one fell swoop.

But last name baby names don’t have to come from your heritage. Loving the sound of the name is the most important part of all, and baby will love their name, too! Baby’s path in life will be uniquely their own regardless what we choose for them. But giving them a little headstart with a name not often heard on the playground certainly wouldn’t hurt. Last name first names are creative and memorable, just like baby.

On this page:

Last Names for Girls Last Names for Boys

Did you know?

Last names were a fairly late addition to civilized society. When populations were much smaller and traveling outward of the village was uncommon, there wasn’t the need for a secondary name. However, as the populations grew, clarification on which John and Mary you were referring to became necessary. Evidently by around the 11th century, the Normans introduced surnames into England and the rest is, quite literally, history.