To think that Americans have weird first name preferences!

[Lycidas]

Why do so of their popular first names sound like surnames?

Chace
Trace
Brock
Blake
Penn
Tucker
McKenna

Etc

Of course there are the usual standard names too, but it’s odd that you just don’t see the above kinds of names in the UK.

I was wondering the same myself. When did it start? I wonder what the history is behind it.

You’re gonna get flame for this but I agree. Many surnames as first names and even more made up ones or misspelled ones. Once I meet a kaaehlynne. It was Kathleen.

There is a tradition of naming the eldest son with the mother’s maiden name. Not everyone does it, by any means, but it’s got enough surnames into the first name lexicon over the years that plenty of folk choose one of these names because they’ve become known first names iyswim.

Ah @avocadoze really interesting thanks!

No different to our old (and other countries' still current) traditions of naming surnames after first names - Johnson, McArthur, Einarsson, Davidsdottir

And the Scottish tradition of using the mother’s maiden name as a middle name...

Some of them seem very odd to me but they probably think the same of us too.

And the Scottish tradition of using the mother’s maiden name as a middle name...

That's very common in N Ireland too, presumably having come from Scotland. I often see names mocked on mumsnet for being 'American' and I think 'eh? I know loads of octagenarians called Hamilton/Campbell/Jackson'

Surname as a first name is very common here. I wanted to do it myself, but my husband vetoed it.

I never understood Hank

Or Herb

Surely the worst one is Randy.

It's a different country with a different language

I think a lot of American names are quite odd and really ugly.
Rumer
Scout
Trey
Sailor
Piper

Isn't Hank an American nickname for Henry, like Harry and Hal are?

Woody. I always think of Woody Woodpecker tbh.

It’s Chase isn’t it? Rather than Chace?

Anyway, we do similar in the UK with names like Harrison, Parker and Carter, to make a few.

There's a car dealer in North Carolina whose name is Randy Marion. It is in huge letters on the building and always cracks me up when I drive by it.

Is Randy a nickname for some other name, or a name in its own right?

This thread is not going to go well, by the way. It’s very anti-USA, just for the sake of it.

I know a baby girl (American) called Smith.
I am not keen.

Carter
Hunter
Piper
Catcher
There's a lot of 'doing' names. They're like descriptions rather than names. But I've found a couple appealing over the years.
I'm not into traditional British names though.

I know someone who named their kids hunter and chase. Always thought it was a very odd combination! And she’s from here not America. Very American names though

They probably think the same about the deliberately mis-spelt names we have here.

There's a trend of surnames as first names in the UK too!
Jackson
Wilson
Carter
Cameron
Harrison
Jensen
Riley...

Hank is just short for Henry?

My American friend said she liked Harry but it sounded too much like Hairy in an American accent.

I do much prefer Harry to Hank as a pet name for Henry