Putting your last name first is nothing new. We've been doing it for years. From job applications and class rosters to W-2s, 401Ks, and countless other documents, files, and forms, we write our last name first. Last names separate us from everyone else. Maybe that's why today, more than ever, people are putting last names first - for good.

Last But Definitely Not Least
Using last names as first names is becoming more and more popular for a number of different reasons. Some parents like the idea of using a maiden name as a first name to show respect to the family. Other parents like putting a last name first because it sounds strong and solid, not to mention unique. And lots of parents simply like last names because, well ... they like them. Here are 40 last names that are coming in "first" for families across the country.



* Anderson
* Banks
* Barrett
* Bennett
* Beckett
* Caldwell
* Cooper
* Dorsey
* Dunne
* Ellis
* Emerson
* Fenmore
* Gentry
* Greene
* Greer
* Hamilton
* Harrison
* Jackson
* Jones
* Keaton
* Kennedy
* Landon
* Monroe
* Murphy
* Oakley
* Olson
* Presley
* Quinn
* Rafferty
* Ramsay
* Sawyer
* Sloane
* Stone
* Sutton
* Turner
* Vaughn
* Wallace
* Waverly
* Wilson
* Wynn

Maybe a Compromise in the Middle
Your plan may be to use a certain last name - possibly to pay tribute to a family member or out of respect for your heritage, let's say - for your child's first name, but it's a good idea to come up with a Plan B just in case. Shaney Herrmann, a middle school teacher in Sycamore, Illinois, had to do just that. Herrmann always knew that if and when she had a daughter of her own, she would use her mother's maiden name - Larkin - to name her. However, what Herrmann didn't consider was that her husband might have other ideas. And although Herrmann and her husband did discuss naming their daughter Larkin when she was born eight years ago, they actually decided not to use it as a first name but as her middle name instead.

As evidenced by their rise in popularity, last names can make fabulous first names. And even if your maiden name, or your mother's maiden name, or an old family surname doesn't sit well, there are literally hundreds of thousands of other last names that deserve a second look. Like they always say, last is the new first, and you definitely don't want to get left behind in the name game.