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Why is Addison now a girl's name while Harrison is still all male? The answer is in the nicknames. Addison trims down to girlish Addie, Harrison to boyish Harry.
In the new unisex world of surname baby names, a name's root can be destiny. Names like Jefferson and Finnegan are anchored to the male side by the familiar nicknames Jeff and Finn. Even without nicknames, a hard-edged start can make a name like Braxton distinctly male.
If you like surnames with a classically masculine sound, check out the names below. All are familiar as surnames but uncommon as baby names, and are built off roots that signal "boy." Those roots set the names' style for today, and make them likely bets to keep that style for the long term.
- Axton
- Bartlett
- Benton
- Bowman
- Bradshaw
- Brigham
- Brockman
- Cabot
- Clarkson
- Clifton
- Colson
- Danson
- Davison
- Decker
- Edgerton
- Edison
- Fielding
- Fordham
- Garrison
- Gibson
- Hampton
- Hardison
- Harriman
- Harrington
- Hawkins
- Hobson
- Hodges
- Jackman
- Judson
- Kennison
- Kirkland
- Lockwood
- Manning
- Markham
- Maxfield
- Mitchum
- Nicholson
- Nixon
- Packard
- Peterson
- Pierson
- Richmond
- Robinson
- Rockwell
- Rodman
- Rossiter
- Ruston
- Sampson
- Spellman
- Standish
- Stanton
- Stevenson
- Stockton
- Strickland
- Thompson
- Thornton
- Tillman
- Timlin
- Timmons
- Tompkins
- Walton
- Watkins
- Watson
- Whitman
- Wickham
- Wilton
