The Brainchildren

Attention: This is not a ”name the baby” list! Most of these make bad first names by modern American standards and are best left as surnames.

Adlam

Alderson !

Almey

Alnor

Alston

Alvey

Ambler

Angrove

Antley

• Don’t pair with Adam, Christopher, or any other name that shortens to Chris.

Applegate

• Definitely too pun-like for Adam. Probably a bad idea for Eve and Eva as well.

Ardson

Armitage

Arnett !

Athey

Atlee

Atterbury

• Don’t pair with Francis or Frances.

Atterton

Baker !

Barkhouse

Barnett

Beecroft

Beeman

• The name of a gun manufacturer, and therefore too pun-like for a gunner.

Bellam

Belson

Benbrook

Benford

Benton

Betts

Bidwell

Billings

Bilton

Bingley

Birdwell

Blackburn

Blount !

Bolt

Bowdon !

Bowes

Boyce

Bramley

Brent

Bridgeman !

Buckman

Burdett

Burleson

Bushfield

• No Georges.

Calvert

• Avoid Charles as a first name.

Camm

Cantwell

Casson

Catcher

Caywood

Chaffin

• Too pun-like for grain farmers.

Channell

• Charles may be a bad choice for a first name. Also, you might want to avoid giving this surname to tailors or anyone else in the clothing business.

Chapman

Cheeseman !

Chilcott

Clemson

Clewley

Clifton

Colston

Colt

Coltman

Colyer !

Compton

Cott

• May be too similar to “cat” to pair with Felix, Mehetabel, Morris, Silvester, Thomas, or Thomasina. 

Covell

Crafton

Cranmer

• Avoid Thomas and its variants.

Cranwell

• May be too similar to Cromwell to pair with Oliver.

Crowder

• Don’t ever pair this with James!

Culverwell

Cuthbertson

Dearson

Denley

Denman

Dimock

Dodd

Dodson

Dodwell

Dormer

Dowsett

Dowthwaite

Duckett

• The guy who took care of the poultry on a ship was sometime called “Jemmy Ducks.” Because of this, you might want to avoid pairing with James.

Dunn !

• Some first names to avoid with this: Jeremy, Constance, and Walter.

Dutton

Eacott

Eades

Eames

Earnshaw

Eddings

Edgecomb(e)

Edney

Elkins

Ellershaw

Emmons

Endicott

Everton

Faircliff

Faircloth

Falcon

Farnell

Fellow(e)s

Fell(s)

• May be a poor choice for Adam or Eve.

Fenner !

Fentress

Ferret

Fithian

Flatt

• May be too similar to Flack to pair with Roberta.

Flavell

Flaxman

• See Flatt

Foljambe

Forrest !

Francom

Frary

Freeland

Fuller

Fullman

Furber

Furlong

• May be too pun-like for farmers. Might be too pun-like for horsemen as well.

Gallimore

Gamlin

Gammon(s)

Garnet(t)

Garth

Gatewood

Gatson

Gilson

Gladhill

Gladwell

Glazier

• Avoid giving to someone who works with glass on a regular basis.

Goldsmith !

Goldthorpe

Gowland !

Grafton

Greene

Greengrass

Greensmith

• This is the same thing as a coppersmith, and shouldn’t be given to one.

Griggs

• Mary or similar names may be poor choices for first names.

Grigson

• See Griggs.

Grinham

Haberly

Hadley !

Hall !

• Avoid naming this guy Darrell. Also make sure you don’t accidentally name someone after a real building or room (like Albert Hall). Other than that, whatever would be bad to pair with Hall would be bad to pair with Hill and vice versa.

Hansford

Hapgood

Hardisty

Harris !

Hart

• May be too pun-like for gamekeepers, poachers, and medical professionals.

Haskin(s)

Hayden

Heathman

Henshaw

Herdman

Hesketh

Hilder

• See Hill.

Hill !

• Sampson and Samuel are particularly poor choices to go with this name. Also, see Hall.

Hilson

• See Hill.

Hinch

Hodges

Holbert

Hollis

Hopper

Howick

Hunsley

Hurford

Hutton

Letters in parentheses are optional.

! – Pirate had this surname or a very similar one; use with caution.

Last edited August 3, 2009.