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.
Just found out I’m getting another grandson! They plan on naming him, Huxley. I had NEVER heard the name before tonight and was quite surprised by the choice. His big brother is Oakley. So I’m sure Huxley will grow on me! Nice to see the lovely comments about the name…reassuring me. LOL
england calling
boy born 14-09-10 we call the little monkey, huxley hunter young we love the name so do all our friends,as for the numpty who left the reply “i would never call a child huxley as it was a tv character” good luck finding a name that has not been used in a tv show or cartoon!!!! anyway whats wrong with using a name which has been on tv???
My son’s name is Huxley and it is so perfectly him. We call him Hux, and he’s a bright, beautiful flurry of wonder and I can’t imagine him being named anything else. He’s five now, going into K and I’m hoping he doesn’t get teased for myself following my heart. But, I’m in Los Angeles as there are scores of little trundlers with kooky names. Everyone just do your thing!
We are going to use Huxley for a boy and the other day I got the dreaded mother judge. She hates the name. This threw me for a while and really upset and tore me in two. But after finding this page I am back on track and loving the name again. Thank you for this page xx
HUXLEY IS A GREAT NAME THATS WHY WE CALLED OUR BOY IT!!
I found this blog after searching for Huxley as a baby name. I’m pregnant with our second son and I absolutely LOVE the name Huxley (we would pair it with August). I completely agree that it follows the current trends without being common. But everyone I talk to about the name hates it and I don’t want to straddle my son with a name that people are going to “roll their eyes at.” This is the only name I have found that I like and I don’t like any variations of it. I have no idea what to do.
You use the name that you love.
Okay, it is ultimately up to you. Me trying to bully you into using Huxley because I love it is no better than the eye-rollers trying to talk you out of it. But here’s what I always think when I hear names criticized for reasons like these:
We judge names based on what is familiar to us. I was born in 1973. Jason wasn’t just a normal name, it was an epidemic. I guarantee that some parents got a negative reaction to Jason in 1973. (“What about Bob? It’s a nice, normal name. He’ll never be taken seriously as a Jason.”) None of the predicted ills came to pass, and suggest using Jason now – a friend of mine did – and the reaction she got? “Jason? Isn’t that more of a dad’s name?”
Sigh. You cannot win. Normal names change with the times, but most people don’t recognize that their so-called normal names – Linda and Randy, Crystal and Clarence, Elmer and Connie – all go in and out of fashion. Even the classics change – Cathy was eclipsed by Kate, John lost ground to Jack, and Elizabeth was Lizzie or Libby in recent years, not Betty or Betsy – except that’s changing now, too.
When you read Huxley with lists of names that are popular now – Logan, Henry, Jackson, Riley, Max – there’s no reason Huxley couldn’t be on that list. He just isn’t.
So Huxley’s classmates won’t think his name is at all out of the ordinary. (Though Riley will envy him because there won’t be girls called Huxley. And Max will be jealous because Max will share his name with half the class!) And if Logan’s parents indulge in some eye-rolling, rest assured that their kids’ names are equally eye-roll worthy. They just don’t know it.
Good luck & congratulations on son #2!
*really* late to the party here, but I adore this name. We briefly considered it for our first daughter. I love Aldous, AND there’s also the character in Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins, Huxley Anne! She’s named after Aldous. There’s a whole lot of awesome in this name!
I’d never heard of the Tom Robbins character – thanks for that mention, Kristen!
I do like Hugh 🙂
My SO tossed this one at me the other night. It had never really crossed my mind, but I love it. I only have one problem with the name. The EE ending sounds very feminine to me. I did grow up in the 90s, so I guess that would have something to do with it. So as of now, I’m searching for names with the nickname Hux. Any ideas?
Er … Huxtable? Huckleberry? No. I don’t think that works. And Huxton sounds forced.
You could use Hux as a short form of Hunter, Henry (okay, it’s a stretch), or another H name, maybe …
Along the vein of H names – I could see going for Hux as a nn for Hugh or Hugo (not that either one is terribly long and in need of a short-form, but I could see going for it)…
BTW – I could also see calling an Aldous “Hux” as an alternative to Al or Aldo. And I do like Aldous a lot… It has crept back up my personal (never to be used) list.
Hugh and Hugo do make sense for Hux! As for Aldous, there’s the actor Aldis Hodge – I came across him while researching Parker on girls. (Beth Riesgraf plays fellow Robin Hood-esque character Parker on TNT’s Leverage.) I find myself really liking Aldis.
I think Huxley is the only Hux- that really sounds like a name. I think going with a Hu- name might work though.
Huxley is a rare Gem of a name! Huxley is adorable on a young boy, distinguished on an older man & Hux, Huck or just H are very cool nn’s in the teen years. I just read that Huxley is old English for “Hugh’s meadow” and the meaning of Hugh is “mind, spirit & intellect” therefore his meaning is “intellectuals meadow” Huxley does have a very expansive and beautiful meaning after all!
This is interesting and it has a majestic feel about it. Its definitely not a name I would use.