The baby name Huxley fits in perfectly with current trends, but it offers up more history than you might expect, too.
Thanks to K for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
THE HUXLEY FAMILY
Writer Aldous Huxley, of Brave New World fame, might be the best-known member of the famous English family. His 1932 novel remains widely-read today, with recent adaptations including a television movie in 1998 and a Peacock series in 2020.
His grandfather, biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, promoted Darwin’s theory of evolution when it was still new and controversial. Craters on both the moon and Mars are named in his honor. He’s the first Huxley listed in most accounts of the family history.
Julian Huxley co-founded the World Wildlife Fund. Healthcare advocate Margaret Huxley brought professional nursing to Ireland. And Andrew Huxley earned a Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine.
So they’re quite notable in the United Kingdom.
WHAT DOES THE NAME HUXLEY MEAN?
The family’s surname mixes two elements.
The -ley is that familiar woodland or clearing, from the Old English leah, shared with Ashley and dozens of other last names turned first names.
As for the first element:
- It could come from Hucc, an Old English given name. It might mean “to taunt” though it could also mean “Hucc’s clearing.”
- Some sites suggest it means “Hugh’s meadow.” That seems plausible, particularly since Hugh was a popular name in the Middle Ages. Except it doesn’t quite explain the addition of the X. Hugh’s nickname would’ve been Hud, and Hudson means “son of Hugh.” Names like Hughes/Hewes, Hewitt, Houston, and even Hewison/Hewson are heard, but the surname Huxley feels a little different.
Maybe there’s a story there, but it’s lost to time. The meaning of Huxley remains unclear, but the family association makes it feel smart and strong.
It’s also a place name, from a village in Cheshire. Several other places throughout the English-speaking world are also called Huxley.
THE LETTER X … AND H
Parents probably appreciate the baby name Huxley for its stylish sound.
The letter X proves irresistible. Just ask Jaxon and Maxwell, Paxton and Felix.
H also draws parents in, particularly when it comes to surname names. Hudson and Hunter lead the pack, but Hayes, Holden, Harrison, and Hendrix have all proved popular, too.
We love surname names for our children, too.
The boy’s name Huxley combines the best of those trends.
HUXLEY AS A GIRL’S NAME
In 1985, Tom Robbins gave the name to a female character in Jitterbug Perfume. While the book remains widely-read, it didn’t make an impact at the time.
With the popularity of names like Ashley and Hadley for girls, it’s reasonable to ask if Huxley has caught on for our daugthers.
So far, this definitely remains a boy’s name. As of 2023, just 48 girls received the name.
THE POPULARITY OF THE NAME HUXLEY
Back in 2002, seven boys received the name Huxley, putting it in the US Social Security data for the very first time.
By 2010, that number surged to 42.
In 2014, it reached 126.
And in 2016, 257 boys were named Huxley, enough to enter the US Top 1000.
As of 2023, the baby name Huxley stood at #617. That’s down a bit from a peak of #539 in 2020, but still almost mainstream.
NICKNAMES FOR HUXLEY: HUCK and HUX
Built-in nicknames Huck and Hux could extend the appeal of this boy’s name.
- Huck puts this name in the company of Americana literary figure Huckleberry – Huck – Finn. A handful of parents have used Huckleberry in full. (Think Bear Grylls, as well as Brad Paisley’s William Huckleberry.) Huck might even be an unconventional nickname for Henry – it’s two steps removed from Hank – or Charles, just drop the C in Chuck. Huxley is more conventional than Huckleberry and works every bit as well.
- Star Wars fans might also think of Domnhall Gleason as General Hux in the most recent trilogy. With Kylo and Anakin dipping in to the US Top 1000, any name from that galaxy far, far away seems more plausible than ever.
SMART MEETS EDGY
The baby name Huxley has gone from obscurity to near-mainstream success over the last decade.
It’s no novel invention, but it shares all the sounds that parents love today in names like Axel and Wesley, while claiming roots, just like so many successful surname names.
If your goal is to choose something stylish but not too popular? This might be an excellent choice for you mixing a certain intellectual vibe thanks to the author and his famous family with an edgy charm based on the sound.
Would you consider the baby name Huxley?
First posted on July 28, 2010, this post has been revised and republished on October 11, 2017, April 28, 2021, and October 11, 2024.
I named my son Huxlee James.. I changed the spelling a lil’ but.. (don’t judge) I chose”Lee” because his great aunt Wanda’s middle name was Lee.. unfortunately my son was born years after her passing it just felt fitting.
How nice to honor your great aunt!
I named my youngest son Huxley Thomas.. he is two now and I am still so in love with his name. People either love it or think it’s weird. So many nicknames! We call him Hux, huxleberry baby, Finn, huxinator, and huck
I have a son named Huxley – 15 in June and magical! My fam did a collective eyeroll, but eventually came around. His father is 3 letters ending in ‘x’ so Hux carries the tradition. Had other names on the list, but his name was obvious when I first held him. Happy naming!
Thanks so much for sharing, Marie! What a great name.
We are considering naming our son Huxley. This is April 2020, and the name of a dystopian sci-fi writer seems oddly fitting. My concern with the name Huxley is mean nicknames. Particularly Hux Sucks. Has anyone run into that or are mean nicknames going to come with every name?
I think the potential for mean nicknames is ever-present, even with classics like William and John. In general, I suggest parents overlook the impulse to worry about name teasing. I know – easier said than done!
Are you Star Wars fans? The latest trilogy included a character named General Hux, but he’s not exactly Finn/Poe/Rey level, and this is the age of kids named Anakin, Kylo, and Khaleesi. So I don’t think that’s a dealbreaker, either.
The other thing about Hux? Those x-enders are very much a sound of generation, like Jax and Max and Knox.
I can’t promise you’ll never hear it rhymed with anything unpleasant, but I don’t think there’s an especially big risk there that makes it worth avoiding the name.
My youngest son is Cy Huxley. We love it even when our more traditional families wondered where in the world we came up with it!
Whenever I have a little girl, I want to name her Huxley Ambrose. She can always go by Rose if she doesn’t like Huxley. I just think it’s a beautiful name. I fell in love with it the minute I said it and Ambrose just rolled off my tongue after. It’s different but I think it’s adorable.
I spelled my own middle name wrong! How does one do that! Lol fixed it in this comment
Oh, it happens! 🙂
And Huxley is SUCH a great name – my nephew’s middle, actually. Happy to hear it used more!
Well you can add another author to that list, my name is Michael Huxley and I’m a published author, blogger and also a nurse with 2 degrees, just to follow in my forefathers scientific and medical footsteps. But can you really use a surname as a first name as so many seem to be suggesting?
I named my precious baby boy James-Huxley Rolston Piper on 7/5/12. I wrote this name down 10 years ago in my journal.
We have a James Huxley, too! We call him Hux for short.
Our little girl will be born any day and she will be Huxley Anne Hommel. We are naming her after the character in Tom Robbin’s Jitterbug Perfume, which was a very formative read in both my and my husbands lives back in our 20s (we are both in our late 30s now). We are bringing along the nod to Aldous but are more attached to his last novel, Island, than his more famous work. The deal-sealer was that my husband was told while traveling in Europe that Hommel means ‘bee keeper’ in the Alsace-Lorraine region where his family is from. At the end of Jitterbug Perfume, Huxley Anne inherits a magical swarm of bees.
What an amazing story behind your daughter’s name, Annie – thanks for sharing!
We named our son Huxley! It was the only name we heard that my husband and I both liked immediately. He has a bunch if nicknames including Hux, huckleberry and hucklebug (he’s only one and a half and there’s a great children’s book with the same name 🙂 ). I adore this name and get compliments on it all the time.