So often when writers are on the hunt for names, they have to resort to visiting baby name websites. And that's all fine and good—because there's probably way more babies being named than characters—but visiting sites like that can get a little... awkward. Today I decided to remedy this problem by doing the dirty work of sifting through baby name websites and onesies and pacifiers for you, and provide you with a list of English names on a purely writerly site. Maybe it's not a complete fix, but it's a Band-Aid. And a Band-Aid makes everything better (just ask any 3-year-old). Without almost any further ado, here's a list of male names and meanings for your characters. The reason I chose to do English names is because they're useful for just about any genre of writing, and it's also one of my favorite ethnicities for naming. I can't guarantee that they're all strictly English, or that their meanings are all spot-on, but this is a good place to start, even though this list is by no means complete. If you need female names, this is the list for you, but a few of these are unisex, like Ashley, so this list might prove useful even if you're naming a female character. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a comment if you do! A Addison – Adam’s son Ainsley – from the field of hermits Albany – coming from Alba Aldway – noble war Alexavier – protector of the home Alfred – advice from elves Amory – home power Archer – bowman Arlen – oath Arley – hare’s meadow Arlo– between two hills Arnette – little eagle Arthur – noble and lofty hill Ashby – coming from the ash tree farm Ashley – meadow of ash trees Ashton – ash tree settlement Atkins – home of the relatives Audrey – noble strength Averey – noble bear B Bailey – governor; bailiff Bartley – barley meadow Bates – boatman Beaman – beekeeper Beck – living near a stream Berry – from a fortified castle Biff – fighting playfully Birley – meadow with the cow barn Blake – dark or fair Blakely – dark meadow Braden – broad valley Bradley – broad clearing Bramwell – bramble stream Brandon – beacon hill; raven Braylen – a broad valley Brenner – little raven Brent – one with the brand Briley – briar wood Bryson – Brice’s son Butch – butcher Byram – cattle yard C
Cadby – warrior’s settlement Cade – circular Callan – slim Carlisle – Carl’s island Carr – from the wetlands or marshlands Carter – cart driver Cayden – son of Cadan Cederic – battle chieftan Chad – war or soldier Chandler – candle maker Chanse – record keeper Chaplin – priest or minister Cheston – rocky fortress Clarence – from Clare Clayborne – brook near the clay pit Clayton – town built near the clay pit Clive – living near a cliff Colden – coal town Colter – taking care of horses Colton – coal town Cooper – a maker of barrels or tubs Corvin – a raven Courtney – of the royal court D Dabney – white settlement Dale – living in a valley Darby – free from envy Dayton – day town; light Dell – a dell or valley Denley – the dean’s farm Devon – an English county Drake – having dragon trademark Drayden – ? E Easton – eastern town Eaton – a settlement near the river Eldon – the elf’s hill Erroll – earl or nobleman Erwin – noble or boar friend Everwyn – boar friend F Falcon – falcon keeper Fane – man with crown Farrin – blacksmith Fell – living in the mountains Fletcher – one who feathers arrows G Gage – in charge of weights and measures Garrett – spear warrior Garridan – hidden fort Gayle – cheerful, jovial Grayson – son of the steward Guthrie – a windblown place H Hadden – heather covered hill Hadley – meadow of heather Haelan – healer Hain – enclosure Harley – meadow in the woods Hawke – hawk Hayden – living in hay vale Heath – hailing from a region with heather Henley – from a high wood Holden – hollow in the valley Hoyt – high Hyde – measure of land J Jaden – ? Jamie – supplanter Jaylin – Jay bird K Kade – circular Keaton – where hawks fly Kelsey – from the island of ships Kelton – keel town; seaport Kelvin – friend of ships Kenton –royal settlement Kerr – brushwood or copsewood Kinsley – king’s meadow Kipp – salmon Kirby – church village Kolby – dark-haired one Kyler – living near a narrow channel L Landon – open, grassy meadow Lange – tall person Layne – narrow road Layton – a settlement with a water course Lee – from a clearing Litton – from a settlement on a low hill Lon – noble and prepared London – ruler of the world Lyndon – hill of Linden trees M Madison – good son Manson – fierce one Marden – valley with the pool Marley – from the lake meadow Maven – is knowledgeable Merritt – border gate Mitchell – who is like God? N Nilson – son of Neal Norton – farm in the north O Oakley – at the Oak meadow P Pace – man of peace Paige – youthful assistant Paisley – from a glade Parker – park keeper Payton – town of warriors Peck – dealing with weights and measures Piper – playing the pipe Pratt – magician or trickster Preston – the estate of a priest R Radley – red forest or meadow Ramsey – island inhabited by rams Reid – a person with red hair Reilly – from a meadow of rye Rhett – advisor Richard – rich and powerful ruler Riley – from a meadow of rye Robyn – small bird Rodger – renowned spear Rudd – of ruddy complexion S Sherman – sheep shearer Shirley – sunny meadow Sinclair – from St. Clair Sinjin – saint; holy man Slade – from a valley Smith – blacksmith Spencer – dispenser of provisions Stewart – household guardian T Tanner – leatherworker Tate – ? Taylor – cloth cutter Terrell – stubborn animal or person Tevin – ? Thane – a warrior’s attendant Tilden – from the good person’s valley Tilton – prosperous town Tobin – Yahweh is great Todd – fox or foxlike Tyler – tile maker Tyson – son of Ty U Unwin – the enemy W Walden – wood covered valley Warden – valley watchman Waylon – Wayland; land by the road Wells – spring or stream Wesley – from the west woods Whitby – large white building Whitfield – white field Whitney – from a white island William – determined guardian Wilson – William’s son Winn – fair Winston – friendly town Worth – from a farm Y Yancy – son of Jan Yates – the keeper of the gates Z Zane – ? Zayden – ? All names and meanings taken from Top 100 Baby Names Search or Baby Names.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Welcome!Welcome to Katelyn Buxton Books! I'm a Christian author and blogger, with a passion for writing stories that are not just enjoyable, but also lead people closer to Jesus. Feel free to look around, and enjoy your stay! Archives
October 2021
|