Some of the most influential names in pop culture are so significant that their last names are making perfect first names for the next generation of babies. Hollywood film and television influencers, professional athletes, entertainers and artists have an interesting spin on surnames turned first names.
From Bryant and Crosby to Delaney, to Jagger, Lennon, Quinn and Tatum — last names are the new first, and we have some pretty cool names to consider for newborns.
25 Brando (Marlon)
One of the world’s all-time greatest actors and the token poster boy for Hollywood spanning decades, Marlon Brando was and still very much is an icon, today. The Italian variation of Brand, Brando means “sword”, “firebrand”, “brilliant raven”, “fiery torch” and “beacon”.
Quoted saying “only the one who walks his own way can’t be over taken” and “every time you get knocked down you get up stronger” — Brando is the perfect name for a brave, outgoing, and independent little one!
This name isn’t too far from some mainstream names, and if you’re looking for something unique, Brando is also often an affectionate nickname for those named Brandon, Brendon and Braydon. And as a first name, it’s proving to be a cutting edge and classic name.
24 Bryant (Kobe)
Basketballers dribble, bounce, alley-oop and bank shot their way to victories. And when it comes to the name game, some of these professional athletes have all-star names! Let’s take Kobe Bryant, he’s played more than 1,300 games, is a role model on and off the court and the Black Mamba’s last name is an adorable first name for a baby.
The name Bryant has Celtic roots, meaning “strong” and while it’s not too out there, it’s becoming a real contender. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), there were 425 babies named Bryant in the United States in 2015.
And this isn’t new, Bryant has been increasingly popular since it made the top 1000 names list in the year 1982 and in 1988, was a very popular name with the birth of 1,714 baby boys named Bryant.
23 Cooper (Anderson)
Anderson Cooper is an American journalist, celebrity and best-selling author. A born and raised New Yorker, Cooper is a popular news personality, commonly referred to as the “silver fox.” Born a star, Cooper is the son of socialite and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and his great-great-great-grandfather was shipping and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.
An adorable name for a baby boy or girl, Cooper is an English surname of Latin origin and means “barrel maker.” Often a popular name for four legged friends, the name Cooper has increasingly become popular for newborns.
Ranked the 77th most popular name by the SSA in 2015, 5,238 baby boys were named Cooper. In 2010, the name was slightly more popular with 5,254 boy birth names.
22 Cyrus (Miley)
One of The Voice’s most unpredictable judges to date, Miley Cyrus (like Jem and the Holograms) is truly outrageous! A child star, Cyrus started early and may be best known for her role as Hannah Montana turned real life award-winning singer.
Ranking 13 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List in 2010, Cyrus has received numerous awards including MTV’s Artist of the Year in 2013 and was listed on the TIME Magazine 100 in 2008 and 2014.
Cyrus is derived from Ancient Greek and Persian ancestry meaning “far sighted”, “young” and “lord.” The SSA reports the name Cyrus was most popular in the year 1901. In 2015, 627 of the baby boys born in the United States were named Cyrus. We think this unique name is perfect for a little girl too!
21 Crawford (Cindy)
Fashion influencer and one of the five original supermodels, Cindy Crawford is a true American icon. No stranger to film, television, magazine covers and the runway, Crawford is also an author, who now runs to very successful businesses. Cindy Crawford Home, a furniture business and popular skincare line Meaningful Beautyâ.
Crawford is traditionally a boy’s name but makes for a super cute little girl’s name too — it’s suitable for both! An English name, Crawford means the “from the crow’s ford.” The Teutonic meaning of the name is “dwells by the town.”
According to the SSA, Crawford as a boy’s name was in the top 1000 list of names in the United States and was popular between the years 1900 and 1954 and surprisingly first made the list in the year 1880.
20 Crosby (Sidney)
Sidney Crosby, captain of the NHL hockey team the Pittsburgh Penguins is a Canadian talent who rose through the ranks of professional ice hockey quickly. An athletic hero, Crosby has millions of fans around the world and is well known for his strong character on and off the ice.
We love this name for a baby boy and think it’s even cuter for a little girl! This Norse name means “dwells at the shrine of the cross” and as an English name, references “by the cross.”
First making the top 1000 names list in 2011, Crosby remained a very popular baby boy name through 2015 according to the SSA, with 482 baby boys in America named Crosby last year.
19 Delaney (Kim)
Best known for her role as an assertive detective on the hit series NYPD Blue, Kim Delaney is an Emmy-award winning, quintessential television actress. No stranger to the small screen Delaney is also known for her roles in All My Children and CSI: Miami.
A strong Irish name, Delaney is also feminine and means “dark challenger.”
Delaney first made the SSA’s top 1000 list for little girl’s names in 1991. Most popular in 2004, 2,000 baby girls were named Delaney and most recently in 2015, 1,322 babies were given this name.
18 Diaz (Cameron)
There really is Something About Mary! Cameron Diaz is the highest-grossing domestic box office actress in the United States. From Charlie’s Angels to Shrek, this blonde bombshell can conquer it all — Diaz is an avid surfer, often photographed shredding waves in California and Hawaii.
The Latin meaning of Diaz is “days” and it’s a very popular Latin surname with multiple meanings in various languages.
Diaz was ranked ranking as the 14th most frequently used surname in 1999 and again in 2004. Although it’s a bit out there, we think it’s an out-of-this-world gender neutral name.
17 Ford (Harrison)
Harrison Ford, an American film actor and producer. From adventure and sci-fi films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones to dramas and thrillers including The Fugitive and Clear and Present Danger, Ford has decades of experience on the Hollywood big screen. Ranked Empire’s #1 movie star in the magazine’s “Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” in 1997 and in 2016, Ford is reportedly the highest-grossing U.S. domestic box-office star.
This name stands strong on its own, aside from and un-relatable to the Ford Motor Company. Ford is a strong boy’s name of English descent meaning “river crossing” and “dweller at the ford.”
In 2015, the number of births with the name Ford in the United States was 324, and according to the SSA, the name Ford was most popular in the year 1900.
16 Franco (James)
Golden Globe Award-winner James Franco is an influential, off-the-beaten-path film and television actor, as well as a highly touted film maker. His diverse roles reflect his talent, depth and dedication to his craft. Franco has received various nominations and may be best known for his roles in 127 Hours, Pineapple Express, Spider-Man, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Spring Breakers.
Franco is a classic Italian name, also an abbreviated for of the name Francesco, and a Latin derivative meaning “free man” or “French man.”
Franco first made the SSA’s top 100 name list in 1967 and in 2015, the number of boys birthed with the name Franco totals 251. The mane was most popular in 2009 with 307 baby boys named Franco.
15 Gray (Macy)
Macy Grady (aka Natalie Renée McIntyre) is an influential producer, songwriter, singer and actress with a multiplatinum album and multiple soul, jazz and R&B awards.
Calling all adorable baby girls! With boy names like Greyson, Grady, Graydon becoming more popular each year, a unique name to consider for a beautiful baby girl, is Gray. Gaining popularity for girls, Gray is often a nickname for girls named Grace or Gracie.
Given to 141 boys in 2015, the name briefly made the top 1000 names list of the SSA in the year 1900 with 10 boys named Gray and in 1901, with 6 boys birthed of the same first name.
14 Hamilton (Lewis)
England’s Lewis Hamilton may just be the most influential race car driver of today. The British Formula One racing driver is currently on the Mercedes AMG Petronas team and Hamilton is the 2008, 2014, and 2015 Formula One World Champion.
The name Hamilton is currently all the rage in pop culture, specifically with the Broadway spectacular, Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Miranda makes for an adorable baby girl first name by the way). The name Hamilton is of English, Northern Irish and Scottish descent, meaning “treeless hill.”
The SSA reports the name Hamilton for a baby boy was on the top 1000 list up until 1933, with 47 birth certificates of that name with the year 1908 being the most popular.
13 Harris (Calvin)
He’s taken the turntables by storm and raised the bar in electronic music. Scottish-born chart-topper Calvin Harris (born Adam Richard Wiles) is an award-winning DJ, record producer, songwriter and singer.
In less than four years, Harris has won 11 electronic music awards, notably a Grammy, multiple MTV Video Awards, an American Music Award a Billboard Music Award and Harris became the first artist to have three simultaneous songs on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs listing.
Harris, often short for Harrison, or Harry is of English, German and Welsh descent meaning “home ruler” or “son of Harry.” Making the SSA’s top 1000 names through to and including 1988, the number of births with the name Harris in that year were 99. Harris was most popular in 1908.
12 Jagger (Mick)
We love this name for a little girl! It’s edgy and strong, just like Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger. One of the most influential British rock icons of our time, his songwriting is just as admirable as his voice and performance. For nearly 50 years, Jagger is highly sought after to collaborate with, is an incredible producer and award-winning rock and roll legend.
Traced back to medieval origin, notably of Yorkshire descent, this name means a “peddler”, “hawker” or “carrier.”
Strong on the SSA’s top 1000 baby names list from 2001 to 2015, there were 389 male births with the name Jagger in 2015. Records indicate, there have been nearly 3,000 boys named Jagger in the United States since the year 1880.
11 Jolie (Angelina)
Superhuman Angelina Jolie, is a mother of 6, humanitarian and Hollywood superstar. This Academy Award-winner has recently made her directorial debut. Jolie is also a Special Envoy for the United Nations. From Hackers, Girl Interrupted and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Maleficent, this actress is entertaining and an inspiration to people around the world.
Jolie is a name flowing and feminine name that we think is just darling for naming a baby girl. This French name means “pretty” and we love it!
Gracing the SSA’s top 1000 names list since 1968, Jolie was most popular in 2008 with a reported 546 female births. Still a popular name, in 2015 there were 372 baby girl birth certificates with this name.
10 Lawrence (Jennifer)
From the X-Men and Hunger Games franchises, this Academy Award-winner and three-time Golden Globe winner is a star in front of and behind the camera. Jennifer Lawrence is also founder of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation that supports various charitable organizations.
We love the name Lawrence! This name is French, is Roman and Latin derived and means “Laurentum, Italy” or “from the place of the laurel leaves.” You may want to consider this name for a little girl too.
A popular boys name the SSA reports that the number of births named Lawrence reached 580 in 2015 and was most popular in 1945, with 7,165 boys of the same name, representing 0.5% of total male births that year.
9 Lennon (John)
Founder of The Beatles, John Lennon is probably one of the most famous musicians in the world. Lennon’s music was the soundtrack to our lives and decade after decade, the music remains current, idealistic and for the people. Lennon is such an important part of history in music and social change, that his surname has become THE baby name for those looking for something that surpasses the norm.
Imagine all the people — naming their daughters Lennon?! It’s adorable!! Lennon, a name of Irish descent means “dear one” or “small cloak or cape.” In 2015 more than 1,000 baby boys and girls were named Lennon in the United States.
Lennon made the top 1000 girls name from 2012 to 2015, and we love it! In 2015, 604 baby girls were named Lennon, that’s 164 more than the boys. And the name’s most popular year to date. Lennon also made the SSA’s top 1000 boy names list from 2008 to 2015 and in 2015 there were 404 baby boys named Lennon.
8 Marley (Bob)
The King of reggae, Bob Marley transformed music around the world. Marley’s 1977 album Exodus was named Time magazine’s Album of the Century and BBC awarded chart topper “One Love” the Song of the Millennium. Though Marley never did receive a Grammy, in 2001 his legacy was honored with The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Marley is an English name meaning “pleasant wood", “pleasant seaside meadow", "boundary wood" or "marten wood." Common spellings for little girls include Marlee, Marely and Marlie.
Gracing the SSA’s top 1000 names list for baby girls since 1994, the name was most popular for baby girls in 2008 with 2,354 birth certificates of that name. In 2015, 1,487 females were given that name. Also a popular name for boys between 2008 and 2015. In 2015, the number of births with name Marley is 259 down from 291 in 2008.
7 Perry (Katy)
Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson) is a church singer turned pop star who often writes her own stars. No stranger to topping the Billboard charts with multiple number one singles, Perry is a one of the best-selling artists of all time with more than 100 million records worldwide in the span of her career. Her performances are entertaining with quirky costumes and elaborate stages.
Of English and Welsh descent, Perry means “pear tree.” We love the name Perry for a boy and think it’s even more adorable for a girl!
Making the SSA’s top 1000 boy names list up until 2006 for little boys, we think the name is ready for a comeback! Perry was most popular for newborn boys in the year 1959 with 2,749 birth certificates on record. Perry has yet to be listed one of the top 1000 birth names for girls so now’s your chance for a unique name.
6 Quinn (Colin)
So many celebrity Quinn’s, we’ve decided to focus on standup comedian, actor and SNL legend Colin Quinn. A born and raised New Yorker, Quinn has also written for In Living Color, SNL and is still a prominent comedian in NYC.
A Gaelic name meaning “wise” or “counsel”, Quinn is an awesome gender neutral name, especially if baby-on-the-way’s gender is a surprise!!
Quinn made the SSA’s top 1000 names list for boys starting in 1960 and was still on the list as of 2015. A popular girls name in the United States starting in 1979, last year 3,077 little girls were named Quinn.