Last names used as first names?

Jennifer - posted on 08/27/2011

It use to be common for girls to be given the mothers maiden name, hence McKinzie, Kinley, and my daughter's name, Dylan. So, I don't mind. I do mind names that are spelled in such a way that they make it hard to prononce, 'specially when the parents then get mad!

Alyssa - posted on 08/26/2011

well i don't see anything wrong with it, but keep the child in mind. none of the names in my family would work, though: my last name is Snow, my mother's maiden name is Bergholtz, and my boyfriend's last name is Baltazar. in my opinion, all of those would make TERRIBLE first names.

Holly - posted on 08/14/2011

I love the idea, but some last names just may not work. My maiden name, Gatchell... maybe... but could you imagen a child named Jovikowsky? Poor thing, he or she would most likey have a nickname!

Amy - posted on 08/10/2011

My maiden name is Franke. (Pronounced Frankie) Everyone always pronounced it incorrectly. (Frank) I thought about using this as a middle name before, but not as a first name. Now I have thought better of it and don't think I would use it at all. It drove me nuts when people would mispronounce it and I don't want to do that to my child. I think it depends on the name. In my case it wouldn't be so great.

Bevely - posted on 08/10/2011

A friend of mine has 2 boys who have the same first name, James. Apparently it was some kind of tradition, her sister had two kids with the first name of James and several uncles and their dad, etc. They either went by James, Jay, Jim or their middle names. I thought that was kinda weird.

April - posted on 08/08/2011

i think if it sounds like it could be a name, then i like it or don't mind it. it's the made up names that annoy me to no end. The Beckhams naming their daughter Harper Seven really bugs me. Harper, I don't mind but they went and ruined it with Seven (7). that kind of thing drives me nuts.

Bernadette - posted on 08/08/2011

Depends on the name. Some names just don't sound right as first names. I named my son Lewis, which is my maiden name. There are no boys in my family (as in, my parents' family of course) to carry on the family name so I decided to give it to my son to carry it on. One of my sisters gave it to her son as a middle name but the way I see it, as a middle name it doesn't exactly "carry on" the name as the middle name is almost never used. So I think if it has a personal meaning to you like this, then why not? As long as the name lends itself to being a first name too of course. I think Lewis makes a really nice first name, and I also like it because while it is not a "unique" name, it's also not everywhere.

Christina - posted on 08/07/2011

I can tell you that in my field of work, I absolutely HATE IT when people have two "first" names for a first and last name, or two "last" names for first and last names. I also hate it when people have first and last names that are identical (ie, Jeffery Jefferson~never had a patient named that, FYI, but you get my gist.) It confuses a lot of us, and sometimes you just can't get it right no matter how hard you try! So don't get pissed off at the world when no one knows that your kid's first name is not their last name!

Tanya - posted on 07/25/2011

My youngest son's name is Dawson. I know people with the last name Dawson, and of course, there is Rosario...lol.


Warner was also on our shortlist. I think it would be a cute first name.


I also knew of a baby girl named Anderson, which I think it really cool!

Lacye - posted on 07/24/2011

My mother's maiden name is Bailey and I am going to use that as a girl name if I have another child. I'm going to spell it differently but it's still going to be the same thing. I wouldn't however use my maiden name, which is Fly. Sorry. It's not a very good name for a child.

Karla - posted on 07/24/2011

I love it!!!! I didn't change my last name when I got married. So we used my last name as our sons middle name. And then his last name is my husband's last name. Holden Presley Phillips. Now Presley is becoming a girls name, but oh well.

Amanda - posted on 07/22/2011

i haven't done this but i don't see anything wrong with it...I have heard of some last names as first names and vice versa..i think its a good trend and i like the name delaney.
i have an aunt with that last name and i have heard a few little girls with that name now and considered naming my little girl that...

Kristin - posted on 07/20/2011

I guess it depends on the last name. Morgan and Kelly are common as both first and last names, however I would not use my own last name....who wants a kid called Retallack? Not me!
As trend, I don't think it's any worse than other trends, like flower names or virtues for girls, or the perpetual names (I don't care how many generations of Harold Jonathan Retallacks there have been, my son is Luke)
In the end though, it is up to each couple to decide on names for their baby.

Laura Zoey - posted on 07/20/2011

Taylah is a super adorable name btw :)

Christy - posted on 07/20/2011

I used a last name for my son, Cohen. It means priest in Hebrew. I just liked the name, though and wanted to make sure it didn't mean anything bad. :)

Jodi - posted on 07/20/2011

Well, technically, Taylah is a feminine derivative of Taylor, which is a last name. So yeah, I've done it. Not all of them sound silly. I can think of many last names that work as first names.

Laura Zoey - posted on 07/20/2011

My mil maiden name is Jensen, I like that for a boy!
Her mothers maiden name is Flynn, also cute for a boy IMO
My maiden is Reilly, it's so bi gender these days I don't like it but it's still a nice boy name I think.
Berg is my moms maiden, not so good for a first!
Hoffmann, not so much :) great for a last name but totally not for a first.

Becky - posted on 07/19/2011

I agree with Kelly here. My maiden name is Rose, pretty common first name too.

Good Day! - posted on 07/19/2011

These are the ones I put in the other thread:

Reeves (boy)

Newman (girl)

Kennedi (girl)

Foxworth (boy)

Whittington (boy)

Parker (girl)

Jackson (boy)



My maiden name is Potts and I would not use it for a child. I did consider Davis for a boy and McLin for a girl which are other family names.

Kelly - posted on 07/19/2011

What defines a name as a first name or a last name?
My last name is Hazel which is a pretty common first name, I think, or is it a common last name that is being used as a first name?
My neighbors last name is Jacob, which is also my son's name.
One of my best friend's first name is Anderson, which is the name of an old town and a county here, but also a fairly common last name. He is in his 50's though, so I don't think it's part of the "trend".

Sherri - posted on 07/19/2011

Yes I love people using last names as first names.

No my personal maiden name is not conducive to this.
Great trend.

Love
Quinn
Kennadi
Jackson

Will add to this list later dealing with something right now.