If you look at the top 100 American baby names right now, something jumps out: a huge percentage of them are surnames. Not names that happen to also be surnames — actual occupational or locational last names that were borrowed wholesale and turned into first names. Mason. Parker. Carter. Cooper. Brooks. Bennett. Hunter. The list goes on.
This isn't new. Americans have been using surnames as given names since the colonial era, often to preserve a mother's maiden name or honor a family connection. What is new is the scale. Surname-style names now dominate the top 100 in a way that would have seemed bizarre to parents in 1970.
The Boys' Leaders: Occupational Names Rule
The most popular surname-style boy names right now are almost all occupational in origin — names that described what an ancestor did for work:
Mason — #42 (336,209 births, peaked in 2011). A mason built things from stone. This name has an honest, craftsman quality that resonates deeply with parents who value authenticity over pretension. Its peak year of 2011 tells you it was a Millennial-parent phenomenon, but it's held remarkably well.
Carter — #45 (200,762 births, peaked 2015). One who drove a cart. Also a presidential surname, which adds to its gravitas without being too on-the-nose.
Logan — #46 (382,352 births, peaked 2007). Scottish locational surname meaning "little hollow." Logan's staying power is extraordinary — it peaked nearly two decades ago and still sits in the top 50.
Cooper — #50 (116,203 births, currently at its peak in 2024). A barrel-maker. Cooper has a slightly posh, Brooks Brothers quality that's helped it rise steadily.
Bennett — #60 (66,225 births, peak 2024). Latin form of Benedict passed through the English surname tradition. Bennett is currently at its all-time high — one of the decade's fastest risers.
Brooks — #67 (53,047 births, peak 2024). Locational, from "by the brook." Outdoorsy, clean, slightly preppy. Also at peak right now.
Walker — #82 (43,694 births, peaked 2022). One who walked cloth in the fulling process (a medieval trade). Sounds contemporary despite its age.
Parker — #97 for boys (127,437 births), also #104 for girls (30,347 births). One who kept a park or enclosure. Parker is one of the most successful gender-crossover names in the data.
Harrison — #121 (96,050 births). Son of Harry. Both presidential and Harrison Ford-adjacent. Strong, classic, not going anywhere.
Sawyer — #132 for boys (62,873), #297 for girls. One who sawed wood. Also Tom Sawyer. A great literary association gives this one extra dimension.
Hayes — #160 (18,673, peak 2024). From the hedged enclosures. Rising fast, currently at its all-time high. The Rutherford B. connection feels distant enough to be charming rather than on-the-nose.
Beckett — #166 (26,626, peak 2024). Son of Beca. Also Samuel Beckett, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright. Currently at peak — the literary association makes this one feel intellectually curious.
Dawson — #139 (50,294 births). Son of Daw (a pet form of David). The 90s TV show is far enough in the rearview mirror that this is fresh again.
Baker — #313 (6,591, peak 2024). One who bakes. Newer to the first-name game, currently accelerating.
Sullivan — #339 (14,546, peak 2024). Irish, meaning "dark-eyed." One of the best Irish surname names, with Sullivan and Callahan both currently at peak.
Callahan — #363 (4,461, peak 2024). Irish surname, "lover of churches." Rising fast with an Irish nameday energy.
The Girls' Side: Where Things Get Interesting
Riley — #42 for girls (137,477 births). Irish surname meaning "courageous." Riley became one of the defining girl names of the 2010s through Inside Out and a general cultural embrace of plucky, gender-neutral names.
Kennedy — #89 for girls (90,712 births). Irish, "helmeted head." The presidential association reads as aspirational rather than political. One of the most successful surname-to-girl-name transfers ever.
Quinn — #96 for girls (49,850 births, also #497 for boys). Irish, "descendant of Conn." Short, strong, gender-neutral. Quinn works everywhere.
Emerson — #151 for girls (31,797), also #270 for boys. English, "son of Emery." Ralph Waldo Emerson's last name as a girl's first name — that's the intellectual-aspiration move in action.
Sloane — #153 (22,586 births). Irish, "raider." Sloane has a particular social cachet — it evokes a certain uptown New York/London Sloane Square sensibility.
Sutton — #197 for girls (10,965, peak 2024), also #441 for boys. English, "southern settlement." Rising fast, currently at its peak.
Collins — #257 for girls (9,490, peak 2023). Irish, "son of Colin." Brand new to the first-name game for girls. Watch this one.
Why Surname Names Won
The sociology here is straightforward: surname names feel strong without being aggressive, individual without being weird, and carry implicit family-tree meaning without requiring any explanation. They also age well — a 40-year-old "Mason" or "Riley" sounds completely appropriate in a way that some more creative names might not.
The data shows something else too: the names currently at peak (Cooper, Bennett, Brooks, Hayes, Beckett, Sutton, Callahan, Baker, Sullivan) tend toward the shorter, crisper end of the surname spectrum. Two syllables max, clear consonant structure, no unusual spellings. That's the formula working right now.
Explore our full rankings to find your perfect surname name, or browse rising trends to see which surname names are still on their way up. You might also love our guide to six-letter names — many of the best surname names fall right in that range.
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Analysis by NamesPop.
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