Hollis

Derived from the Middle English topographic surname for someone who lived near a holly bush or grove. It migrated from an English family name into American first-name registers in the nineteenth century, initially clustered in rural New England and the upper South. The name quietly accumulated about twenty-two thousand entries before experiencing a late-stage revival.

The name suggests either a retired surveyor or a toddler in oatmeal-colored linen. Because more than a third of living bearers belong to Generation Alpha while a quarter belong to the Baby Boom, it rarely occupies the middle decades. It sounds like an inherited family name regardless of whether it actually was one. It finishes softly without being fragile.