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569 Rare Last Names

You are here: Home / Names / Last Names / 569 Rare Last Names

Having a rare last name conveys a unique feeling. Rare names are admired; they inspire curiosity and make a person appear intriguing and attractive. On this page, you’ll find comprehensive lists of rare last names that have been hand-picked for their rarity and refinement.

What are Rare Last Names?

The word rare means something that occurs very infrequently. Having such a name — one that can be called one-of-a-kind — is remarkable and noteworthy. It is known that if you introduce yourself with a rare last name, it’s likely to be the first and last time someone has encountered that name. In a world where we often share our name with someone else, there is a socially intriguing feeling to being someone with a rare last name.

Rare last names can undoubtedly create an air of mystery around a person. They come across as creative and unusual, and these qualities in a person can be fascinating. A rare name can draw a person in, as they want to know more about the person with the name. Here you will find lists of some of the rarest last names, categorized by different qualities. Enjoy reading through this list of unique-sounding names.

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Top 100 Rare Last Names

Each name on this list has been chosen for its uniqueness and intrigue. You can be sure each last name is rarely if ever, used.

  1. Salisbury
  2. Carrington
  3. Thoreau
  4. Falconer
  5. Courtier
  6. Beckett
  7. Ellington
  8. Reinhart
  9. Rousseau
  10. Benedict
  11. Willoughby
  12. Knightley
  13. Shanahan
  14. Tennyson
  15. Marlowe
  16. Raleigh
  17. Tolliver
  18. Winslet
  19. Coltrane
  20. Peregrine
  21. Caradoc
  22. Heinrich
  23. Roosevelt
  24. Fallon
  25. Sage
  26. Harlan
  27. Keane
  28. Thatcher
  29. Broderick
  30. Jett
  31. Kincaid
  32. Braxton
  33. Ralston
  34. Charlton
  35. Martell
  36. Jaeger
  37. Killian
  38. Easter
  39. Stockton
  40. Patten
  41. Buford
  42. Lawton
  43. Upton
  44. Winslow
  45. Fortune
  46. Thayer
  47. Calloway
  48. Ransom
  49. Hawk
  50. Prescott
  51. Bellamy
  52. Ambrose
  53. Cruise
  54. Zane
  55. Kerrigan
  56. Satchel
  57. Rourke
  58. Merton
  59. Heathcliff
  60. Halen
  61. Twain
  62. Warwick
  63. Sherwin
  64. Fawkes
  65. Winthrop
  66. Kinsley
  67. Truett
  68. Edison
  69. Tudor
  70. Gatsby
  71. Theron
  72. Lafayette
  73. Torrance
  74. Redford
  75. Fleetwood
  76. Osbourne
  77. Carlisle
  78. Milton
  79. Coulter
  80. Sadler
  81. Thorpe
  82. Ames
  83. Kimball
  84. Devine
  85. Clement
  86. Holbrook
  87. Cassidy
  88. Sinclair
  89. Cordero
  90. Hartley
  91. Ewing
  92. Madden
  93. Noble
  94. Conway
  95. Cortez
  96. Lawson
  97. Jacoby
  98. Dallas
  99. Colson
  100. Lively

See Top 5,000 Last Names

Unique Rare Last Names

To strike an even stronger rarity chord, use a name that is as rare and unique as these. These names will certainly get people’s attention.

  1. Asher
  2. Barker
  3. Bowen
  4. Brandt
  5. Calhoun
  6. Callahan
  7. Carlson
  8. Fitzgerald
  9. Fitzpatrick
  10. Gamble
  11. Gates
  12. Greer
  13. Harmon
  14. Harrington
  15. Hawkins
  16. Hendricks
  17. Holmes
  18. Howell
  19. Jenkins
  20. Katz
  21. Knight
  22. Larson
  23. McCarthy
  24. Mccoy
  25. Mcguire
  26. Mercer
  27. Merritt
  28. Morrisey
  29. Moss
  30. Olson
  31. Quinn
  32. Redmond
  33. Rivers
  34. Shepherd
  35. Silva
  36. Simpson
  37. Sloan
  38. Stanton
  39. Ventura
  40. Wagner
  41. Warner
  42. Washington
  43. Winter
  44. Woodward
  45. Yates

See more Unique Last Names

Uncommon Rare Last Names

A true rare name is uncommon, and in this list, you’ll find some of the most perfectly uncommon and rare last names.

  1. Anders
  2. Angelo
  3. Bartholomew
  4. Bliss
  5. Corbin
  6. Damon
  7. Darcy
  8. Dion
  9. Dove
  10. Fulton
  11. Hadley
  12. Hyde
  13. Laird
  14. Leighton
  15. Linklater
  16. Paxton
  17. Reagan
  18. Ridge
  19. Ridley
  20. Roderick
  21. Rosenberg
  22. Royal
  23. Royce
  24. Seeley
  25. Worth
  26. Worthy

See more Uncommon Last Names

Beautiful Rare Last Names

A beautiful and rare last name is a very interesting thing. You’re bound to attract people into your sphere if you possess a cool last name. A beautiful and rare name is a wonderful piece of beauty in a collection of letters.

  1. Amaya
  2. Aston
  3. Christian
  4. Constantine
  5. Coulson
  6. Deacon
  7. Eden
  8. Elliot
  9. Emmanuel
  10. Estrella
  11. Everett
  12. Fabian
  13. Grace
  14. Hillary
  15. Honor
  16. Ireland
  17. Kendrick
  18. Kingsley
  19. Laken
  20. Marlow
  21. Matias
  22. Mercedes
  23. Meriwether
  24. Merrill
  25. Paris
  26. Raphael
  27. Rider
  28. Romeo
  29. Rosario
  30. Salvatore
  31. Sena
  32. Sierra
  33. Simone
  34. Teague
  35. Teal
  36. Tierney
  37. Truman
  38. Valencia
  39. Valentine
  40. Voltaire
  41. Wesley
  42. Wren

See more Beautiful Last Names

Unusual Rare Last Names

It’s hard to find a rare name that is not also unusual, but here’s a list of especially unusual and rare names. If you’re looking for something incredibly unique, this is the list.

  1. Baird
  2. Baxter
  3. Bayard
  4. Benoit
  5. Bond
  6. Collins
  7. Cordell
  8. Earl
  9. Eason
  10. Englebert
  11. Finnegan
  12. Franklin
  13. Gibson
  14. Godfrey
  15. Guthrie
  16. Hawthorne
  17. Heron
  18. Hubert
  19. Jacobsen
  20. Jarvis
  21. Judd
  22. Kendall
  23. Kenyon
  24. Kipling
  25. Landis
  26. Laurent
  27. Lorcan
  28. Luther
  29. Malik
  30. Marsden
  31. Mathias
  32. Matisse
  33. Merrick
  34. Meyer
  35. Montez
  36. Montserrat
  37. Morton
  38. Nero
  39. Neville
  40. Olivera
  41. Pomeroy
  42. Quinlan
  43. Rudolph
  44. Seymour
  45. Steele
  46. Tilden
  47. Tobin
  48. Truitt
  49. Vernon
  50. Vicente

See more Unusual Last Names

Old Fashioned Rare Last Names

An old-fashioned last name is a great way to commemorate the past. These names that have old-fashioned inspiration might have been popular in years gone by, but today they are used more rarely and therefore are more interesting to the ear.

  1. Atticus
  2. Bertram
  3. Bronson
  4. Crawford
  5. Darling
  6. Emerson
  7. Finley
  8. Forrest
  9. Hayden
  10. Hoyt
  11. Jefferson
  12. Lacy
  13. Lambert
  14. Lance
  15. Lane
  16. Langston
  17. Lyle
  18. Maguire
  19. Maynard
  20. Monroe
  21. Newton
  22. Nichols
  23. Niles
  24. Ogden
  25. Prior
  26. Rafferty
  27. Roland
  28. Shelton
  29. Sylvester
  30. Thurston

See more Old Fashioned Last Names

Strong Rare Last Names

If you’re looking for a last name that has that rare quality and communicates an element of strength and power, this is the list for you.

  1. Augustin
  2. Augustine
  3. Barclay
  4. Bowden
  5. Brannon
  6. Brantley
  7. Calder
  8. Cason
  9. Chadwick
  10. Clancy
  11. Clinton
  12. Cornell
  13. Eldridge
  14. Elwood
  15. Ernst
  16. Fairfax
  17. Fritz
  18. Gaines
  19. Jamieson
  20. Larkin
  21. Moe
  22. Osborne
  23. Yale

See more Strong Last Names

Powerful Rare Last Names

A name with great power and rarity comes across as strong and interesting. Take a look at this list of names that are both rare and powerful.

  1. Andersen
  2. Bentley
  3. Braden
  4. Branson
  5. Cade
  6. Calvin
  7. Carlos
  8. Channing
  9. Columbus
  10. Dryden
  11. Dunne
  12. Dustin
  13. Ferguson
  14. Fleming
  15. Garrick
  16. Griffen
  17. Holton
  18. Huston
  19. Hutchings
  20. Hutton
  21. Israel
  22. Kiefer
  23. Lancelot
  24. Major
  25. McClain
  26. Mcgregor
  27. Ness
  28. Nobel
  29. Novak
  30. Ramon
  31. Randall
  32. Santana
  33. Sherman
  34. Taggart
  35. Urban
  36. Woodson

See more Powerful Last Names

Vintage Rare Last Names

Rare last names with a vintage flair give a feeling of being from another time but maintaining the style and originality of that time. Take a look through this list to find some wonderful vintage rare last names.

  1. Abbott
  2. Abel
  3. Amos
  4. Barney
  5. Bernard
  6. Clarence
  7. Clifford
  8. Concord
  9. Dewey
  10. Dorsey
  11. Edgar
  12. Elias
  13. Felton
  14. Finn
  15. Giles
  16. Hilton
  17. Humphrey
  18. Montgomery
  19. Newell
  20. Oswald
  21. Pollock
  22. Preston
  23. Proctor
  24. Pryor
  25. Ralph
  26. Saul
  27. Sheldon
  28. Walter
  29. Whitman
  30. Wilbur
  31. Winston
  32. Wylie

See more Vintage Last Names

Posh Rare Last Names

Sometimes, a rare last name can convey poshness. Certainly, there is some connection between being posh and being able to benefit from the rarest, most beautiful things. Here’s a list of names that convey it all.

  1. Archibald
  2. Archimedes
  3. Beauchamp
  4. Beauregard
  5. Berkley
  6. Brinkley
  7. Buckingham
  8. Callaway
  9. Cavendish
  10. Cecil
  11. Churchill
  12. Florence
  13. Gerard
  14. Montague
  15. Mountbatten
  16. Randolph
  17. Shephard
  18. StJohn
  19. Templeton
  20. Wadsworth
  21. Wentworth
  22. Willard
  23. Windsor

See more Posh Last Names

Cute Rare Last Names

Cute last names are perfect for unique and adorable characters. These names have an approachable feeling, while still maintaining a rarity.

  1. Ashton
  2. Bear
  3. Blue
  4. Bowie
  5. Brice
  6. Bryson
  7. Colby
  8. Daly
  9. Delaney
  10. Everly
  11. Flora
  12. Fox
  13. Gabriel
  14. Grey
  15. Hart
  16. Henley
  17. Hope
  18. Huey
  19. Isaac
  20. Isaiah
  21. Jasper
  22. Jenner
  23. Kasey
  24. Kinsey
  25. Lacey
  26. Lake
  27. Laney
  28. Layne
  29. Levi
  30. Mackenzie
  31. Maya
  32. Morrissey
  33. Noel
  34. Otto
  35. Paige
  36. Payton
  37. Peace
  38. Peyton
  39. Piper
  40. Presley
  41. Rhea
  42. Ruby
  43. Shea
  44. Shepard
  45. Tobias

See more Cute Last Names

Cool Rare Last Names

Cool can also be considered synonymous with rare. Cool is an unspoken air of individuality and intrigue, and these rare names certainly hit on both of those feelings.

  1. Ace
  2. Archer
  3. Baron
  4. Benton
  5. Booker
  6. Cash
  7. Dexter
  8. Duke
  9. Eagle
  10. Easton
  11. Electra
  12. Falcon
  13. Flint
  14. Gage
  15. Grover
  16. Harley
  17. Harlow
  18. Hendrix
  19. Holden
  20. Huntley
  21. Huxley
  22. Jagger
  23. Jamison
  24. Jenson
  25. Justice
  26. Keaton
  27. Keenan
  28. Lennon
  29. Locke
  30. Lockwood
  31. Maddox
  32. Murdock
  33. Nixon
  34. North
  35. Otis
  36. Phoenix
  37. Reno
  38. Riggs
  39. Rockwell
  40. Ryder
  41. Sampson
  42. Samson
  43. Saxon
  44. Slade
  45. Slater
  46. Steel
  47. Sterling
  48. Stoney
  49. Storm
  50. Titus
  51. Wilder
  52. Wynn

See more Cool Last Names

Rare Last Names for Characters

If your book, story, novel, movie or game needs a rare last name for a character, this list is for you. Here you will find a curated selection of the finest rare last names for characters.

  1. Aiken
  2. Bach
  3. Bader
  4. Boone
  5. Boston
  6. Bradford
  7. Chester
  8. Clifton
  9. Collier
  10. Conrad
  11. Corbett
  12. Cornelius
  13. Cowan
  14. Coy
  15. Croft
  16. Curran
  17. Dempsey
  18. Dudley
  19. Eames
  20. Emery
  21. Faber
  22. Farley
  23. Fischer
  24. Fraser
  25. Frost
  26. Garrison
  27. Gervais
  28. Haines
  29. Hamlet
  30. Hancock
  31. Hensley
  32. Hewitt
  33. Hobbs
  34. Houston
  35. Ives
  36. Kane
  37. Keates
  38. Kohl
  39. Lanier
  40. Lincoln
  41. Ludwig
  42. Madrigal
  43. Mallory
  44. Mayer
  45. Mckinley
  46. Nolan
  47. Norton
  48. Norwood
  49. Orlando
  50. Pace
  51. Pierson
  52. Richmond
  53. Roper
  54. Rosa
  55. Sanford
  56. Selby
  57. Sherwood
  58. Silver
  59. Snow
  60. Solomon
  61. Stanford
  62. Tatum
  63. Troy
  64. Wallis
  65. York

See more Last Names for Characters

Random Last Name Generator

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Famous People with Rare Last Names

Charles Tolliver is an American jazz musician. Tolliver is an incredibly rare name with English origins meaning “metalworker”. How apt then that Charles Tolliver made a name for himself working with metal — brass to be exact — as a talented and Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer.

Harrison Salisbury was an American journalist. The name Salisbury was first recorded around the year 900 as a translation of a Roman Celtic name meaning “fortress”. Notably, in 1955, Salisbury won a Pulitzer Prize as a result of his efforts in battling the fortress that was Soviet censorship in the aftermath of World War II.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. Rousseau as a rare name has intriguing origins, coming from France to mean a red-haired man. While we don’t know the color of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s hair, we do know much of his work helped develop modern political, economic and educational thought.

Duke Ellington was an American jazz pianist and composer, most well-known for the jazz orchestra he led from 1923 through the rest of his life. Ellington is a rare last name of British origin, meaning “from Ellis’s town”. With a name that is so musical and jazzy to say, it is certainly an appropriate one for Duke Ellington.

Samuel Beckett was an Irish writer, dramatist, and poet. Beckett is a rare family name derived from the Old English words for bee and shelter, often interpreted as ‘beehive’. How apt then that Samuel Beckett was regarded as a creative genius and one of the last modernist writers when bees are one of nature’s busiest little creators.

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