English and American names. British Girl Names List of Popular English Names

established in late XVIII V. The American nation unites not only the descendants of settlers from all parts of the world, but also indigenous people- Indians. For a long time, under the influence of the traditions of other countries and peoples, the culture of the American people was formed, which was reflected in the names of the Americans themselves. Many common American names take their origins from Greek, Italian, Latin, Asian, and ancient Germanic origin.

Very popular among the American population rare names, which originate not only from the abbreviation of geographical names associated with history, but also surnames famous people, combining several names into one, etc.

Let us conditionally divide American names by origin into the following groups:

• names associated with a person’s character traits (cheerful, smart, brave, courageous);
• names associated with the names of animals and plants, natural phenomena; - names meaning different professions;
• names borrowed from the Bible.

America is a colonial country, so the same names enjoy different popularity in different states of the country. For example, in Spanish villages the popular male name is Federico (Federico), in Irish regions - Patrick (Patrick), in Italian - Paulo (Paulo).

Choosing a name for a newborn also has great importance. When choosing a name for a child, Americans are guided by the following principles: the combination of first and last names, the origin of the name and its secret meaning. To pay tribute to family traditions and the memory of ancestors, parents give the child the name that was borne by the father, grandfather or great-grandfather. If there is already a person in the family with the same name, then the prefix “senior” or “junior” is added at the beginning of the name.

The desire of Americans to add a “zest” to a child’s name is not limited to simply choosing a beautiful and memorable name. Parents' imagination knows no bounds - a child can become the “lucky” owner of the brand name of their parents’ favorite car, politician, whose speeches did not leave parents indifferent, another celebrity, a city they liked, etc. In this situation, the choice falls on the most unexpected objects. You can meet children named Lexus, Madison, Infinity.

Surely not everyone knows that Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary-Kate Olsen or Sean William Scott are double names. What is the tradition behind giving a child a middle name at birth? The tradition of the second (or middle name) developed in the 19th century. European immigration in the 1830s and 1840s caused the population of the United States to grow, and as a result, the number of people with the same first and last names increased. How additional remedy identification began to use a second name. Children were given middle names in honor of famous political, religious, public figures and the military (for example, George Washington, the first president of the United States, or John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism).

Another version is to protect the child from evil spirits and death. At baptism, the child was given several names in order to confuse death in case of danger that threatened the child during an outbreak of fatal diseases.

Sometimes the middle name is associated with a certain area or the names of ancestors, as well as the surnames of other people.

This tradition still lives on in modern American families.

The most popular modern American names

• Alex(Alex) - from Greek, “protector.” James (James) - from English, “invader”.
• Anthony(Anthony) – from English, “invaluable”, “competing”.
• Brandon(Brandon) – from German, “prince.”
• Christopher(Christopher) - from English, “follower of Christ.”
• David(David) – Hebrew, “beloved”, “beloved”.
• Dillon(Dilon) - Welsh origin, "big sea". Philip (Philip) - from Greek, “horse lover.”
• Ethan(Ethan) – from English, “durable.”
• Fred(Fred) - from English, “peaceful ruler.”
• Josh(Josh) – Hebrew, “god, salvation.”
• Justin(Justin) – from English, “fair”. Matthew (Matthew) - from English, “gift of God,” “God’s man.”
• Kevin(Kevin) – from Irish, “beautiful”, “cute”.
• Ryan(Ryan) – from Arabic, “ little king" Nicholas (Nicholas) - from French, “conqueror of nations.”
• Thomas(Thomas) – Polish, “twin”.
• Tyler(Tyler) – from English, “stylish.” Caleb (Caleb) - from Hebrew, “loyal, brave.”
• William(William) – from English, “desired.”

List of common American surnames

Modern American surnames have changed over the years.

Immigration of Representatives different nations to America, their gradual mixing with local residents, and as a result, the change and reduction (shortening) of surnames in the American way.

List of the most famous surnames in America

Bearers of the surnames Jones (Jones), Smith (Smith), Williams (Williams), Wilson (Wilson) according to statistics, more than a million. The following surnames are no less popular:

• Allen
• Anderson
• Brown
• Clark
• Davis
• Garcia
• Hall
• Harris (Harris)
• Hernandez (Hernandez)
• Jackson (Jackson)
• Johnson
• King
• Lee
• Lewis
• Martin
• Martinez (Martinez)
• Miller
• Moore
• Robinson
• Rodrigues
• Taylor
• Thomas (Thomas)
• Thompson
• Walker
• White
• Wilson
• Young

The melody and beauty of the sound of a surname is another reason for the pride of its bearers. A person’s desire for changes in life could not but be reflected in the desire to change his last name or first name to the name of a famous person in the entertainment industry or politics. Sources for inspiration can be found by those interested in the names of natural phenomena, representatives of flora and fauna, and the names of geographical objects. In the search for a more beautiful first or last name, improvisation is not a hindrance.

Some of the most beautiful and common American surnames are:

• Beverly (Beverly)
• Collins
• Daniels
• Evans
• Ford (Ford)
• Gilmore (Gilmore)
• Harris (Harris)
• Holmes
• Labert (Labert)
• Moore
• Newman
• Riley (Riley)
• Stephenson
• Wallace
• Washington (Washington)

A person’s respectful attitude towards his name as the heritage of his ancestors is a kind of valuable relic, which its bearers pass on from generation to generation, preserving their history and family traditions in the family name.

English female names

There has always been a fashion for foreign names, the list of women's ones is especially rich. In modern society there is a popularization of English names.

Scientists have conducted research to determine the origin of the name and its meaning. Originally in English main role played a person's nickname, reflecting character traits or abilities. Formation in such a case came from nouns or adjectives.

The conquest of Britain by the Vikings led to a change in the situation: there was a sharp change from the original English variants to the Norman ones. In modern society, a small part of the inhabitants of Foggy Albion bear old English names.

During the 16th century, in the wake of the spread of the religious movement, names taken from the Bible became popular.

Among them:

• Mary, which is a derivative of Mary;
• Anna, translated as “grace,” which belonged to the wife of the prophet Samuel;
• Maryann, formed from the merger of Anne and Mary;
• Sarah or mistress. That was the name of Abraham's wife.

The next revolution that led to the emergence of innovations in the naming of children in English society was the appearance of printed materials. Some mothers began to choose idols for girls among the heroines of works by masters of literature.

Thus, the following came into use: Jessica, Sylvia, Ophelia, Stella, Julia, Juliet, Jessica, Viola.

Also, the spread of literary masterpieces revived ancient beautiful names: Anita, Jacqueline, Amber, Angelina, Daisy, Michelle and Ruby.

Top modern English names

In modern society, it is accepted that a child can be named so that it sounds euphonious. It is not at all necessary that the prototype be a character or a historical figure.

Some are shaped in such a way that a girl could acquire personality traits or the name would begin to determine future fate.

Most Popular English options with the meaning are given in the table:

Origins in modern times

Fashion for unusual and interesting names akin to clothing fashion. She is changeable. During different periods There is a change in popular female or male names.

Both the original form and a modern interpretation are used. Today, according to statistics provided by the UK National Statistics Service, the top three are occupied by Olivia, Emma and Sophie.

It is not only literature that influences popularity. Modern society tends to create idols, which become heroes of popular films or TV series.

Among the names that were popular in 2014, Arya, the title character of the cult series “Game of Thrones,” was in 24th place in the compiled ranking. Gradually others appeared modern options who came from this series - Sansa, Brienne, Catelyn, Daenerys.

Another literary work, which turned into a cult serial film - this is Twilight. Since 2008, Bella or Isabella have been on the list of the most popular on the shores of Foggy Albion.

You can't ignore Potter. Old English names included Hermione in their list, which again gained popularity after the release of not a book, but a series of films about a young wizard.

But not only works can influence popularity. Also, the number of uses of a particular variant may be influenced by the success of the living host. In England at one time it was very popular to name girls Margaret, as the Prime Minister.

Cute and unusual, short and lengthy - history knows many different names. Some show business stars prefer to stand out from the crowd and name their children very unusual.

Bruce Willis named his children after his favorite horses, Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, which means “apple.” No one can deny the fact that a name can have an impact on character. It’s not for nothing that Captain Vrungel said, “Whatever you call the yacht, that’s how it will sail.”

Related Posts

The history of American names and surnames has evolved over several centuries. In them you can trace the traditions of many countries and peoples who moved to these places. Thanks to the large flow of immigrants, over a long period of time a general culture countries and names and surnames changed, acquiring new forms of sound.

Many common American names have their origins in Greek, Italian, Latin, even ancient Germanic origins. IN modern world Rare names that are obtained by abbreviating are becoming extremely popular in America. historical places, surnames of famous people, there are even combinations of several names into one big one.

The origins of American names can be divided into the following groups:

1. Names whose meanings are associated with the outlines of a person’s character (cheerful, brave, courageous) have gained most popularity;
2. names related to the names of animals, flowers, trees, natural phenomena;
3. names meaning different professions;
4. names of a religious nature taken from the Bible.

List of the most popular American male names

America is a colonial country; depending on the state, the overall popularity of names differs significantly from each other. In the Spanish villages of Federico (Federico), in the Irish regions - Patrick (Patrick), in the Italian - Paulo (Paulo).

When choosing a name for a newborn, Americans give great importance to two main principles in their choice:

• the name should sound beautifully with the surname, as one whole;
• Another main point is the secret meaning of the name and its origin.

Respecting their ancestors and family traditions, many families name their children in honor of their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. If several family members have the same name, specific person At the beginning of the name they put the prefix “senior”, “junior”.

Currently, Americans are trying to add special uniqueness (originality) to the names of their children, choosing their favorite car brand, favorite political figure, or favorite city for the name. In such a situation, the choice falls on the most unexpected objects. You can meet children named Lexus, Madison, Infinity.

Americans have old tradition associated with names - give to a child double name. For example: Anna-Maria (Anna-Maria), John-Robert (John-Robert), Matthew - William (Matthew-William). Explaining this by saying that as the child grows up, he will be able to choose a name to his liking.

The most popular American names today

• Ethan (Ethan) - from English, “durable”.
• Kevin (Kevin) – from Irish, “beautiful”, “cute”.
• Justin (Justin) - from English, “fair”.
• Matthew (Matthew) - from English, “gift of God,” “God’s man.”
• William (William) - from English, “desired.”
• Christopher (Christopher) - from English, “follower of Christ.”
• Anthony (Anthony) - from English, “invaluable”, “competing”.
• Ryan (Ryan) - from Arabic, “little king.”
• Nicholas (Nicholas) - from French, “conqueror of nations.”
• David (David) – Hebrew, “beloved”, “beloved”.
• Alex (Alex) – from Greek, “protector”.
• James (James) - from English, “invader”.
• Josh (Josh) – Hebrew, “god, salvation.”
• Dillon - Welsh origin, "big sea".
• Brandon (Brandon) - from German, “prince”.
• Philip (Philip) - from Greek, “horse lover.”
• Fred (Fred) - from English, “peaceful ruler.”
• Tyler (Tyler) – from English, “stylish”.
• Caleb (Caleb) - from Hebrew, “loyal, brave.”
• Thomas (Thomas) – Polish, “twin”.

List of common American surnames

Purchased yours modern look many years. Over time, they changed significantly. IN American cities There has always been a large influx of refugees and displaced people.

In order not to differ from local residents Without attracting much attention to themselves, the settlers deliberately modified and shortened their surnames in the local American way. main feature The surnames of US residents consist in the regular mixing of different nations and peoples.

List of the most famous names in America they open Smith (Smith), Williams (Williams), Jones (Jones), Wilson (Wilson). According to statistics, there are well over a million registered owners of such surnames.

Lesser known American surnames, but popular:

• Johnson (Johnson).
• Brown (Brown).
• Walker (Walker).
• Hall (Hall).
• White (White).
• Wilson (Wilson).
• Thompson (Thompson).
• Moore (Moore).
• Taylor (Taylor).
• Anderson (Anderson).
• Thomas (Thomas).
• Jackson (Jackson).
• Harris (Harris).
• Martin (Martin).
• Young (Yang).
• Hernandez (Hernandez).
• Garcia (Garcia).
• Davis (Davis).
• Miller (Miller).
• Martinez (Martinez).
• Robinson (Robinson).
• Clark (Clark).
• Rodrigues (Rodrigues).
• Lewis (Lewis).
• Lee (Lee).
• Allen (Allen).
• King (King).

So much is told about the culture or traditions of England, but it is quite rare to learn about english names. And the topic, by the way, is very interesting. After all, the naming system is globally different from what we are used to.

If we have a first and last name, then in England it is somewhat different. They have a first name, a middle name and a last name. In addition, in England it is considered normal to give diminutives name. For example, even in formal negotiations a person may be called Tony, although his full name is Anthony. If desired, the child can be immediately registered with a diminutive name and the state will not object. Moreover, you can take almost any word or name as a name - for example, the name Brooklyn. But if they tried to name their son, for example, Novosibirsk, they would hardly give permission.

System of English given names and surnames

Each of us is already accustomed to the fact that he is the bearer of a surname, name and patronymic. But for the English this scheme is not suitable; their system of names is absolutely unusual and therefore curious. The main difference between our systems is the absence of a middle name. Instead, they have a surname, first name and middle name. Moreover, as either of these two names, an Englishman can bear the surnames of some stars or even his ancestors. Although there is no strict requirement that a person have only these three points. Any Englishman can give a child a name from several names or surnames. For example, if you want to name it after an entire football team at once.

This tradition of giving a person a surname as a first name has survived to this day from noble families. Although the history of the English name system developed quite actively, borrowings were made from various countries, and also names were mixed from the Angles, Celtic tribes, and Franco-Normans. Since the Anglo-Saxons initially had only one name, they tried to attach special significance to it. Therefore, in ancient names one could find words such as wealth or health. Old English female names were most often formed using adjectives, the most common variation being Leof (dear, beloved). And after the Norman invasion of England, a surname was gradually added to the name, making it already close to the system of names existing today. The old Anglo-Saxon names gradually began to disappear and due to the influence Christian religion, Christian schools that opened everywhere actively stimulated the registration of newborns who received a name at baptism, so the names changed slightly: from Mary to Mary, from Jeanne to Joanna.

English first and last name generator

GENERATOR OF ENGLISH NAMES AND SURNAMES
(including Anglo-Irish and Anglo-Scottish surnames)

Here are the most common ones British names. For convenience, they are divided into parts of the country, because in each corner some individual names are most popular. Some of them are the same, some are different. The names are ranked by popularity.

England

Men's

1. Harry– Harry (diminutive of Henry – rich, powerful)
2. Oliver– Oliver (from ancient German – army)
3. Jack– Jack (diminutive of John, from Hebrew – Yahweh is merciful)
4. Charlie– Charlie (from ancient German – man, husband)
5. Thomas– Thomas (from ancient Greek – twin)
6. Jacob– Jacob (simplified version of the name James)
7. Alfie– Alfie (from Old English – advice)
8. Riley– Riley (from Irish – courageous)
9. William– William (from ancient German – desire, will)
10. James– James (from Hebrew – “heel-holding”)

Women's

1. Amelia– Amelia (from ancient German – labor, work)
2. Olivia– Olivia (from Latin – olive tree)
3. Jessica– Jessica (the exact meaning is unknown, perhaps the name comes from biblical name Jescha)
4. Emily– Emily ( female uniform male name Emil - rival)
5. Lily– Lily (from English name lily flower)
6. Ava– Ava (variant of the medieval English name Evelyn)
7. Heather– Heather (from English – heather)
8. Sophie– Sophie (from ancient Greek – wisdom)
9. Mia– Mia
10. Isabella– Isabella (Provençal version of the name Elizabeth)

Northern Ireland

Men's

1. Jack– Jack
2. James– James
3. Daniel– Daniel
4. Harry– Harry
5. Charlie– Charlie
6. Ethan– Ethan
7. Matthew– Matthew (from Hebrew – gift of Yahweh)
8. Ryan– Ryan
9. Riley– Riley
10. Noah– Noah

Women's

1. Sophie– Sophie
2. Emily– Emily
3. Grace– Grace (from English – grace, elegance)
4. Amelia– Amelia
5. Jessica– Jessica
6. Lucy– Lucy (from the male Roman name Lucius - light)
7. Sophia– Sofia (variant of the name Sophie)
8. Katie– Katie (from Greek – pure, purebred)
9. Eva– Eve (from Hebrew – breathe, live)
10. Aoife– Ifa (from Irish – beauty)

Wales

Men's

1. Jacob– Jacob
2. Oliver– Oliver
3. Riley– Riley
4. Jack– Jack
5. Alfie– Alfie
6. Harry– Harry
7. Charlie– Charlie
8. Dylan– Dylan (according to Welsh mythology, this was the name of the God of the sea)
9. William– William
10. Mason– Mason (from a similar surname meaning “stone carving”)

Women's

1. Amelia– Amelia
2. Ava– Ava
3. Mia– Mia
4. Lily– Lily
5. Olivia– Olivia
6. Ruby– Ruby (from English – ruby)
7. Seren– Seren (from Latin – clear)
8. Evie– Evie (from English surname Evelyn)
9. Ella– Ella (from ancient German – all, everything)
10. Emily– Emily

Modern English names

In English names, affectionate and diminutive forms are very often found as official name. In our country, this form is allowed only in personal, close communication. For example, take people familiar to everyone - Bill Clinton or Tony Blair. They are called by such names even at world negotiations, and this is absolutely acceptable. Although in fact Bill's full name is William, and Tony is Anthony. The British are allowed to register a newborn child by giving him diminutive name as first or second. Although there are no special prohibitions on choosing a name in English speaking countries there is no such thing, you can give the child a name in honor of the city or region. For example, this is what the star couple Beckham did: Victoria and David gave their son the name Brooklyn - it was in this area of ​​New York that he was born.

Gradually, fashion began to change and names in English-speaking countries began to be often borrowed from different languages. Since the 19th century, many female names have appeared, such as Ruby, Daisy, Beryl, Amber and others. Names originally from Spain or France were readily used - Michelle, Angelina, Jacqueline. But the tendency of some people to give their children unusual names has not disappeared anywhere. Bill Simser, vice president of Microsoft, named his daughter Vista Avalon. The first part of the name is in honor of Windows Vista, and the second part is in honor of code name Avalon systems. But director Kevin Smith decided to name his daughter Harley Quinn - that was the name of the girl from the Batman comics.

By the way, not every owner likes such unusual names. Many children are embarrassed by this and eagerly wait until they reach adulthood to officially change their name. Little Pixie Geldof, who is the daughter of musician Bob Geldof, was very embarrassed by the prefix “little” at the beginning of her name and adult life preferred to call herself simply Pixie. But it’s hard to even imagine what a resident of New Zealand, whose name is Bus No. 16, will do with his name. One can only envy his parents’ imagination.

A name is a person’s personal name, which is given to him at birth; it is a well-known fact. As a rule, when meeting a new person, we tell him our name, and the person tells him his. Why might British and American names be interesting and useful to us? In fact, everything is very simple. We read about such people in books and articles on the Internet, watch English and American movies. In this article we will analyze the origin and compile a list of common female and male English and American names.

Origin

The traditions associated with English and American names differ from those familiar to us. In English-speaking countries, a person's name consists of three components: the first name (given name), the second name (middle name) and the last name (surname). The roles of the first and second can be traditional names and even last names. In addition, diminutive forms are often used (for example, these are the Americans we all know: Bill Clinton or Johnny Depp), even in an official setting.

The history of the origin of names always helps to learn more about the history of the country and its culture. In England you can find names of Anglo-Saxon origin, biblical and imbued with Protestant culture (Faith-My-Joy, Everlasting-Mercy), borrowings from other cultures and familiar individual names, which today can become any common noun.

List of popular female names in the table

There are a lot of female and male names in the English language and they often overlap, so we have prepared for you a selection of 60 (30 male and 30 female) that can often be found in the UK. Many of them will be familiar for a long time, thanks to literature and English and American cinema.

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List of male names in the table

The most common female names

Modern English dictionary The names are varied and very rich. But among all this diversity there are those that are found most often. In Russia it is considered popular to name children Alexander, Maxim, Sophia and Maria, but what is the most common name for children in the UK? What names are considered beautiful and most loved by people who call British English their native language?

Some of these names are in the top ten long years, are considered beautiful or even “classic”, others come and go depending on fashion. So, when Kate Middleton gave birth to her son George in 2013, and her daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in 2015, these names immediately gained great popularity among the British population.

The most common male names

The most unusual male and female names

People in English-speaking countries also give unusual, and often even slightly strange, names to their children. We have selected for you several examples that can be found in England and the USA.

Unusual male names

Unusual female names

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