American names: our top 20 for girls and boys
Finding a name for your child is exciting and takes time. To help you with your search, we have put together 20 of the most beautiful American girls’ and boys’ names for you.
20 American First Names: Girls
- Aileen : Aileen is a form of the name “Helena” and means “the radiant one” or “the shining one”. There are many different spellings, for example Aylin, Ailin or Eileen – as in the song “Come On Eileen” by the Dexys Midnight Runners.
- Blair : Originally a Scottish surname, Blair means ‘field’ or ‘plain’. Like so many English names, Blair can be a male or female given name.
- Chloe : Chloe means “the green end” or “young green”. The name is mainly used in French and English. Chloe is the epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter, who is responsible for the fertility of the earth.
- Darlene : Darlene is a derivative of the English word “Darling” meaning “darling” or “sweetheart”. Other spellings are “Darleen”, “Darlyn” or “Darleene”.
- Deanna : Deanna is an alternative spelling for the name “Diana” that is mostly used in the United States. Diana is the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon and childbirth and the protector of women. The name can also be interpreted as a feminine form of the boy’s name “Dean”.
- Demi : Demi means ‘dedicated to the goddess Demeter’. Demeter is the Greek goddess of earth fertility. Possibly the best-known namesake at the moment is actress and singer Demi Lovato, who rose to fame at a young age through the Disney Channel film Camp Rock.
- Dorothy : Dorothy is the English form of Dorothea and means ‘gift of God’. Perhaps the most well-known character with this name is Dorothy Gayle, the main character in The Wizard of Oz.
- Evelyn : Possibly derived from Latin, Evelyn means “little bird”. Other sources interpret the name as “the life-givers” from the Hebrew. Evelyn is derived from the Old French name “Aveline”.
- Faye : Faye, also Fay or Fae, means “fairy” or “elf”. The name appears in the Arthurian legend: The magician Morgan le Fay is Arthur’s half-sister.
- Grace : Grace means “the gracious” or “the graceful one” and was given the meaning “grace of God” by Christianity. Grace is also a word in English meaning “grace” or “grace”. In Germany we know the name from the hymn “Amazing Grace”.
- Helen : Helen is the English form of the name “Helena” and means “the radiant one” or “the shining one”. Helena is a character from Greek mythology: She was kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris, sparking the Trojan War.
- Kaleigh/Kaylee : Kaleigh comes from the Irish surname “O’Caollaidhe” or “Mac Caollaidhe”. The surnames mean “descendant of Caollaidhe” or “son of Caollaidhe”.
- Lesley : Lesley is actually a Scottish surname. It goes back to the place “Lesslyn” in Aberdeenshire. Lesley can be both a male and a female given name.
- Lillian : Lillian means “lily”. It is an English name, for which there is also the German form “Lillien”. The name was particularly popular in the US around 1900 and came back into fashion in the 1990s.
- Lindsay : Lindsay is actually an English and Scottish surname. It derives from the Lindsay region of Lincolnshire. In the UK, Lindsay is also a male name. In the meantime, however, the name is known as a female first name.
- Meghan : Meghan or Megan is an originally Welsh given name. It is the short form of Margarete and means “the pearl”. A famous namesake is the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. She is an American actress who married Prince Harry in 2017 .
- Mercedes : Mercedes means “the Merciful”. It originally comes from Spanish, but is also common in the USA. In this country, the name is known as a car brand. The “Mercedes” trademark was registered for the first time in 1902 after the first cars with the name had successfully taken part in a race in 1901.
- Miranda : Miranda means “the wonderful one”. The name appears in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest (1611). Here Miranda is the daughter of the former Duke of Milan. She falls in love with the shipwrecked Ferdinand, who becomes involved in her father’s seizure of power.
- Robyn/Robin : While we tend to know Robin as a male name, in English the name can be both a male and female given name. It derives from the English word for robin: “robin”.
- Roxanne : Roxanne comes from Old Persian and means “the dawn”. “Roxane” was the first wife of Alexander the Great and in her time one of the most beautiful women in Asia. The name occurs in English and French. Other spellings are “Roxane” or in other languages ”Rossana” or “Rosana”.
20 American First Names: Boys
- Aaron : There is a version of the name Aaron in many language areas. The Arabic variant is “Harun”. The name could mean “the enlightened one” or “great fighter”. In the “2. Book of Moses” Aaron is the elder brother of Moses who led the Israelites out of slavery.
- Anthony : Anthony is the English version of “Anton” and “Antonius”. It means “the precious one”. A well-known namesake is the actor Anthony Hopkins, who played Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”.
- Austin : Austin means “the exalted one”. It is the English variant of the name “Augustus”. Austin is also the name of the capital of the US state of Texas.
- Cecil : Cecil is the English variant of the ancient Roman surname “Caecilius”. The name means “the blind man”. The female form is “Cecile”.
- Corbin : Corbin means “the raven”. A famous namesake is the American actor and dancer Corbin Bleu, who played Chad Danforth in the film “High School Musical”. Like many English names, Corbin, or the alternative spelling Corbyn, can also be a surname.
- Damien : Damien, meaning “the mighty man,” is originally a French name but is also common in the American language. According to one Bible story, Saint Damian and his brother Kosmas were physicians who had spread Christianity in Syria at the time of the persecution of Christians.
- Dylan : In Welsh mythology, Dylan is the god of the sea. Originally it was a boy’s name, but in the USA it is now also given to girls. The best-known name bearer is the American musician Bob Dylan, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
- Elliott : Elliott goes by the name “Elias”. It means “my God is Yahweh”. In Germany we know the name from the partly animated children’s film “Elliot, das Schmunzelmonster”.
- Ethane : Ethane means “strong” or “solid”. It is a Hebrew Old Testament name made popular in the United States by freedom fighter Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen fought for the state of Vermont against Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
- Eugene : Eugene is known as “Eugen” in Germany. The names mean “of noble origin”. The short form “gene” is also a popular name. A famous name bearer is Gene Simmons, bassist of the band “Kiss”.
- Francis : Francis is the English form of “Franz” and is short for “Franciscus”. The names originally come from Latin. The meaning of Francis is ambiguous. The best-known name bearer is currently Pope Francis, who is called “Pope Francis” in English.
- Hayden : Hayden is an English name mostly given to boys but also girls. There is no consensus on the meaning of Hayden. It is known as a maiden name from Hayden Panettiere, an American actress. As a boy’s name, we know it from Hayden Christensen, for example, who played Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars”.
- Jeremy : Jeremy is a form of the Hebrew name “Jeremiah” and its German version “Jeremias”. Jeremy means “God exalted”. The name is known, among other things, by the American actor and musician Jeremy Renner, who plays “Hawkeye” in the “Avengers” saga.
- José : José is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the name “Josef”. The name Jose comes to the USA from the Latin American countries. The US has a large Mexican population, which is why Spanish is an important language for many US citizens.
- Maxwell : Maxwell comes from an English and Scottish surname. It can be traced back to a place name and means “Pond of Maccus”. A name bearer from the German music scene is the Hamburg rapper Maxwell from the 187 Strassengange.
- Myles/Miles : Myles or Miles is an English name whose meaning is not clear. Possibly the name means “the soldier” or “the kind”. In Greek mythology, Myles is one of the kings of Sparta.
- Robert : The first name “Robert” means “the radiant” or “of brilliant fame” and comes from the Old Germanic. The name seems archaic these days, but great actors like Robert Downey Junior, who plays Iron Man , are breathing new life into names. In American culture, this name offers many possibilities for nicknames: Bob, Bobby, Rob, and Robby.
- Samuel : Samuel is a biblical name meaning ‘he who heard from God’. The Old Testament reports in “1. Book of Samuel” by the prophet Samuel. The real name of the famous American author Mark Twain was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Mark Twain wrote the books about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
- Sean/Shawn : Sean is the Irish form of “John”. Shawn, on the other hand, is the English form of Sean. The name means “God is gracious”. “Shawn” is currently best known for the Canadian singer Shawn Mendes.
- Zachary : Zachary comes from the biblical name “Zacharias”, or in English “Zechariah”. Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist in the New Testament. The short forms of Zachary are a bit more popular: Zach, Zack or Zac. A famous example is the American actor Zac Efron.