20 surnames that will work surprisingly well as first names for your little one

Looking for a name for your little one that will be completely unique?

Have you considered giving them a traditional last name as a first name? It's a celebrity-driven trend, with Michael Phelps one of the latest to get on board. The Olympian and his wife Nicole welcomed their second child earlier this year, a baby boy they called Beckett. It might be a little 'out there' but we're predicting that this trend that started in the US will soon take off with Irish families. There might even be a meaningful reason for choosing a surname for your baby. [caption id="attachment_297380" align="alignnone" width="740"] Kourtney Kardashian and son Mason[/caption]   It's a tradition that harks back to days gone by in the American south, when boys were given their mothers' maiden names as first names, according to Laura Wattenberg of The Baby Name Wizard. "Whether or not the parents change their names at marriage, there's a feeling that you want both families to be represented equally in the kids' names," she told the Chicago Tribune. [caption id="attachment_276521" align="alignnone" width="956"] Kimberly Walsh and baby Cole.[/caption]   If you like the idea but don't necessarily want to use a family name for your new arrival, here are some names that might inspire you. We've divided them up here but many of these names are unisex and would be lovely for either a boy or a girl.   Boys

• Mason
• Miller
• Shaw
• Brady
• Carter
• Cameron
• Jackson
• Smith
• Cole
• Ellis

  Girls

• Quinn
• Riley
• Taylor
• Lennon
• Cassidy
• Sloane
• Mackenzie
• Madison
• Sheridan
• Harlow