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Showing posts from July, 2013

Boy Name of the Week: Felix

The Boy's Name of the Week is the bold and playful Felix.  Beyond "Felix the Cat," this is a Latin name that means "happy and fortunate". Felix has been the name of four popes and a whopping 67 saints! A biblical Felix was the governor of Judea who imprisoned Saint Paul.  In Ancient Roman times, General Sulla adopted the name Felix because he felt as though the gods blessed him with luck and fortune. Felix has been all over various literature and films, too many to list. There are also many modern day examples and a couple celebrity babies. If you zoom out and look internationally, the name Felix is very diverse! It works well in Spanish, German, Austrian, Russian and Polish. It is also quite popular in England/Wales, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Here in the U.S., it is definitely picking up steam! It ranked at #316 in 2012 when 1,025 boys were born. There were even 15 female births, but Felix comes across as an all-boy name to...

Cool Names for Boys

If you are in need of a baby name and you don't really know how to narrow down your style and choose something, perhaps what you need is to find a "cool name" that would impress your friends and give your child that unique edge. You're in luck! This is a list of "cool names for boys."  Of course, everyone's opinion differs, but you may just find what you're looking for here: He's definitely an Ace or Cruz Ace August Ash Axel Bay Beau Beckett Blaze Booker Boone Breccan Calix Calloway Cashel Chance Chase Cliff Colt Cormac Crispin Cruz Damian Dash Dashiell Decimus Denim Diesel Donovan Draven Felix Fergus Finn Gunner Gus Guthrie Harley Homer Hudson Humphrey Hunter Inigo Ivo Jackson Jagger Jax Jett Justice King Knute Leonidas Lorcan Maddox Matteo Maximus Neo Nico Orion Ozias Pierce Pilot Ranger Ransom Rowan Ryder Ryker Sargent Sayer Steele Stone Storm Taj Talon West ...

Predicting Trends: The 100 Year Rule

They say that it takes 100 years for names to come back into fashion. They aren't wrong. When you think about all of the names that are currently at the top of the charts (or rising quickly) how many of them were previously considered "Grandma" names? Perhaps these names are now being used to honor those grandparents. Or maybe those names now belong to the great-grandparents of current baby-namers and aren't well-known or thought of as old. Just like fashion trends, names have a way of coming back around and seeming fresh again. The 100 year rule is real! To prove that, here are some names that saw popularity spikes in the 1915-1925 range. These same names have begun gaining popularity since 2010 (and sometimes earlier because of those parents ahead of the trend.) We can only assume that these names will continue to climb our modern day charts and hit their peaks around the 100-years-later mark and then decline again. Name: (Year with most births) #ranki...

Girl Name of the Week: Antonia

The Girl's Name of the Week is a beautiful choice that often gets overlooked: Antonia. Antonia is the feminine form of the Roman family name "Antonius" from which the male names Antony, Anthony, Antonio, etc also come. All of these names unfortunately do not have a known meaning . In the 17th century, names like this were confused for having origins from the Greek word "Anthos" which means "flower" and resulted in the letter "h" being adding to names like Anthony. Some websites will claim meanings for these names, but none have been proven to be true. I have seen meanings listed for Antonia such as "priceless," "beautiful," or "praiseworthy." If you wish to use one of these meanings for your daughter, that is fine with me, just remember they haven't been proven as the true meaning based on the root name Antonius, which has an unknown meaning. Antonia and its variant forms such as Antoinette and An...

Ancient Names for Girls

Like the Ancient Boy Name post, here are some lovely and unique ancient name options for girls! Many of them are Latin but there is a mixture of origins and eras in this list. Which of these do you think deserve to be used for a modern girl? Abelia                         Aeliana Albia Aliana Amabel Amica Annia Antonia Aphra Aquilia Aries Argentia Arria Atarah Athalia Aurelia Avita Basilia Beata Bellatrix Caesarea Calvina Campana Candida Cassia Cecilia Claudia Clemencia Columba Constantina Cornelia Crispina Cyra Dahlia Damaris Damiane Decima Delicia Dominica Donata Drusilla Dulcina Elizabella Elysia Fabia Fannia Fausta Faustina Felicia Fidella Flavia Florentina Fortunata Francesca Gaia Galla Gaynor Gwenore Hilaria Honoria Horatia Imogene Isolde Jennet Jonet Jovia Julia Junia Juno Justina Laelia Laurentia Lavinia Ligeia Livia Lucia Lucilla...

The Prince of Cambridge Has A Name!

The name of the Prince of Cambridge, the third in line to the throne of England, has finally been announced! What do you think of this Royal Baby Name? Is it fitting for a future King?  I think it is extremely strong and handsome. Perfect for this little Prince.  George was pretty much a sure thing and everyone was betting on it. Alexander is my own son's middle name and one of my very favorites. It wasn't on anyone's radar as an option. Louis is one of Prince William's middle names! Here's the breakdown of what each of the names mean and who else has worn these names in the Royal Family: George is a Greek name meaning "Farmer." The fact that they chose it is probably meant to reflect the humbleness of a farmer so that the Prince can always be down-to-earth and a more compassionate ruler. It is a strong name that is both royal and saintly. It was worn by the King of Britain for 116 years straight!  Most notably, George directly honors the most r...

Boy Name of the Week: Benedict

The Boy Name of the Week is the strong and bold Benedict. I prefer this choice over the more-common Benjamin and Bennett. Benedict is a Latin name meaning "blessed." It is also the name of Saint Benedict, an Italian Monk who formed the Benedictine Order in the 6th century. Additionally, a whopping sixteen popes have worn the name. Benedict hit England in the 12th century and became insanely popular. The alternate spelling, Benedick, probably won't fly for a modern baby but it was used for a character in the Shakespeare piece Much Ado About Nothing. Of course there will always be that link to the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, but he died in 1801 so I'm willing to look past that now, are you? To switch gears, a modern day Benedict is a new rising star. The British stage, film and TV actor named Benedict Cumberbatch is gaining popularity in the States now. Let's look at the popularity stats of Benedict. It recently ranked at #420 in England/Wales, bu...

The Prince Has Left The Building!

We got our first glimpse of the Prince of Cambridge! The proud parents Prince William and his wife Catherine briefly spoke with reporters today when they left the hospital. They said that the baby is quite heavy and definitely has a strong pair of lungs on him. William changed the baby's first nappy and this whole experience has been very emotional for them. He also said that they are just now having a chance to be with him and get to know him so they haven't been able to pin down the perfect name yet. Having a child of my own, I can relate to the whirlwind of events that come with childbirth. However, when you add in all of the media surrounding the hospital, the fact that you are royal, and the pressure of being charged with naming the future King of England, I cannot blame them for wanting to take a bit more time deciding on the name. After all, naming any child is a huge responsibility that should be taken very seriously. When you're naming royalty, it is that mu...

Ancient Names for Boys

I have an interest in ancient names. Here are some interesting choices for a boy. Most of them are of Latin origin and some are older than others but it will give you plenty of choices for naming inspiration! Many of them are very big names and would do better in a middle name spot. But for the bolder parents, they do make for a strong and handsome first name! I have a Maximus, myself!  Which of these is your favorite? Aeneas                         Amadeus Andreas Antonius Antony Apollo Atticus Augustus Aurelius Benedict Brutus Caesar Caius Cassius Cato Celestine Cicero Claudius Constantine Cornelius Cosmo Cyrus Dante Decimus Demetrius Dominic Eliseo Felix Flavius Gaius Hadrian Helladius Hercules Horace Horatio Hyroniemus Ibis Ignatius Jarlath Jerome Josephus Julius Junius Juno Jupiter Justus Lazarus Leonitus Leopold Lucius Magnus Marcellus Marcus Marius M...

The Royal Baby is Finally Here!

This was as clear as the image could get. Have you heard? We have a new future King of England! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just welcomed a son into the world! The media has been abuzz about them since they announced their pregnancy months ago! And in the past few weeks, speculation on the gender and the name of the baby has skyrocketed. There were even bookies in England taking bets on what name would ultimately be chosen. (I wonder who scored big and who lost!) I watched on a live news stream as the official correspondent left the hospital, entered the gates at Buckingham Palace and placed the official birth announcement on a golden easel.  The document said: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm." The baby is already being hailed as the Prince of Cambridge. He was born today, July 22nd in the  St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. He weighed in at 8 lbs and 6 oz. A healthy start for new royalty!...

Girl Name of the Week: Magnolia

Since I posted a list of tree and flower names for girls, I thought I would pick my favorite from the bunch for the Girl Name of the Week! I chose the lovely Magnolia. This is a Latin flower name that gained a sweet, "Southern Belle" image from a character in the iconic novel and musical Showboat by Edna Ferber. If you've never heard of it, don't feel bad. The novel was written in 1926 and the musical was on Broadway in 1927. However there were three films produced since then. The Magnolia flower was originally named in 1703 after a French botanist named Pierre Magnol who lived from 1638-1715 and contributed much to the way flowers are classified today. Isn't she lovely? In modern times, Magnolia as a name has come along on the latest wave of botanical names for girls. She began gaining more popularity around 2006. However, Magnolia has not cracked the Top 1000 chart since 1940. In 2012, Magnolia ranked in at #1123 with 218 births which is a fair a...

Flower and Tree Names for Girls

There is nothing more beautiful than mother nature. Where names are concerned, flowers and trees are specifically wonderful for little girls. Drawing inspiration from the beauty around us, I've compiled this list of flower and tree names that would be darling on a modern girl. They bring to mind such lovely images of petals and leaves. If you're looking for a beautiful name, look no further! There are some classics in here such as Rose and Holly but there's also plenty of unusual and unique choices that you're sure to love! Which of these do you like best? Acacia Alyssum Amaryllis Amarantha Apple Ash Aspen Aster Aven Azalea Blossom Bluebell Bryony Calla                                   Calantha Camellia Chrysantha Chrysanthemum Clematis Clover Daffodil Dahlia Daisy Delphine Eirlys Fern Fleur Flora Forsythia Gardenia Garland Hazel Heather Holly Hyacinth ...

Boy Name of the Week: Chandler

The Boy Name of the Week is one of my favorite occupational names and I chose it in honor of yesterday's name list. It is derived from an Old French name that took form as a Middle English occupational name meaning "candlestick maker" or "candle seller."  Have you guessed? Yes, its Chandler. A chandler was the head of the chandlery in medieval households, responsible for wax, candles, and soap. There are some parents who will give this name to their daughter but it is more popular for boys. The most popular example in recent memory is funny-man Chandler Bing on the TV show Friends which aired from 1994-2004. However, despite fitting right in with the "-er" trend and the occupational name trend, Chandler has lost its popularity since 2004. In fact, the most usage this name has seen was indeed during the airing of that show. It more than doubled between 1994 and 1995, (from 704 births to 1,856). Its highest peak occurred in 1999 with 2,394 births ...

Occupational Names

Knight's Helmet by George Hodan Perhaps Knight is your favorite name? Long ago, people were known by their occupations. You'd have Joe the Blacksmith or Mary the Tailor. After a while, these job titles became their surnames and you'd have Joe Smith and Mary Taylor. In modern times, these "occupational names" that were sometimes initially a surname have become a trend and are used as first names. Most of these are better on boys, but there are a few that can be used on a girl or on both genders equally. I'll list them out and let you choose which gender you'd prefer: Abbott             Anchor Archer Bacchus Bailey Baird Baker Bandit Banner Barber Barker Baxter Bekker Bender Berger Bishop Booker Bowman Brenner Brewer Brewster Butler Cantrell Carbry Carpenter Carrin Carter Carver Cater Century Chafer Chaffer Challender Chamberlain Chambers Chandler Chaplin Chapman Chaucer Cherrier Clark Coldren Cole...

Girl Name of the Week: Liesel

In honor of the post from yesterday regarding your favorite classic girl's name, I thought I'd choose a variant of the poll winner, Elizabeth. If you are familiar with this name, you'll know that it has so many variants, diminutives and foreign versions , even whole names like Isabella and Lillian come from Elizabeth.  I searched high and low for an interesting choice and came up with Liesel. Liesel is a German Diminutive of Elisabeth (which is obviously an alternate spelling of Elizabeth.) Pronounced LEE-zel.  It is also spelled Liesl.  Elizabeth is a Hebrew name meaning "Pledged to God." For Liesel, I only seemed to find the meanings "God is my Oath" or "My God is a Vow." You get the idea. I saw Liesel appear all over baby name forums a couple years ago and it has seemed to completely fall off the radar once again. If you don't like it as a given name, it would make for a spunky nickname for Elizabeth that is probably not used v...

Result of "Favorite Classic Girls Name" Poll

If you've seen the polls on the right side of my blog, you may have noticed that two of them have closed. I'd like to report the results of one of the polls now! This poll asked the question: "What is your favorite classic girls name?"  I provided the following options: Elizabeth - 14 votes (34%) Alexandra -  8 votes (19%) Anna      -  8 votes (19%) Katherine -  6 votes (14%) Victoria -   5 votes (12%) Elizabeth was the clear winner of the poll! I wrote a blog article about the name Elizabeth asking why it has been a perpetually popular name since 1880. It appears to still have the winning-edge over its contemporaries!  Elizabeth has a rich history, a timeless style and a multitude of nickname options! It is a Hebrew name meaning "pledged to God," and is ranked at #10 on the US Top 1000 names chart. Alexandra and Anna tied for 2nd place.  Alexandra is my favorite of the bunch. It is a strong but elegant Greek name mean...

Boy Name of the Week: Ewan

The Boy Name of the Week is the Scottish form of a Gaelic name: Ewan. It is pronounced YOO-un. It comes from the Gaelic name Eoghan. There were several legendary Irish figures with the name Eoghan, which possibly means "born from the yew tree" in Irish. Some say it may be derived from Eugene which comes from Greek words meaning "well born."  I've also seen some sites say that Ewan means "Youth" but I'm not sure where they got that information from. So while I can't seem to get a clear picture on what it really means, it is still a very handsome name. Ewan can also be spelled Euan, Ewen, Ewyn or even Ouen, depending on where you live.  Sometimes it is said to be a variation of names like John, Owen, Evan, Hugh and again Eugene. Owen is actually the Welsh spelling of the name, also spelled Owain. If you do more research on Eoghan, you'll see that it also has various spellings and that its true meaning is heavily debated.  The ency...

Result of "Favorite Classic Boys Name" Poll

If you've noticed the polls that are located on the right side of this blog, you'll see that the two on the bottom have closed. I have the results of the boy poll here!  I will feature the girl's poll on Thursday. I asked the question: "Which of these classic boy names do you prefer?" These were the options: Alexander - 14 votes (35%) William - 8 votes (20%) James -  8 votes (20%) John -  5 votes (12%) Charles - 4 votes (10%) Looking back on this, I would have probably preferred to remove one of them and include Arthur or Frederick. Nonetheless, you guys voted and the clear winner was Alexander. Alexander is a Greek name meaning "Defender of the People," and it is also my favorite on this list. It is the name I chose for my son's middle name. It ranked at #9 on the 2012 US Top 1000 Names chart! It is a noble name with many nicknames and variations such as Alex, Lex, Xander/Zander and even the exotic Sasha. There was a two-way tie f...

10 Ancient Names that Deserve Usage Today

Minerva Many vintage names are coming back into style today but there are also plenty of ancient gems out there that very few people are considering. It begs the question, what makes certain names desirable and others not?  Here are 10 perfectly viable names with history and beauty that are being virtually ignored for modern babies: Aveline This name originated as a French surname that was introduced by the Norman French to the British. It became very rare after the Middle Ages. I found it listed as a surname for some famous people dating back as early as 1656. Unlike most surnames, this one is actually very feminine and would be beautiful on a girl. It follows the popular Ava trend and is similar to all the other -line names.   It has very rare usage in the US (the first record being in 1923) and it ranked at #3678 in 2013 with 41 births. Unlike some of the other Av- names, this is not associate with birds. Aveline is said to come from "Avila," a town in Sp...

Girl Name of the Week: Maeve

The Girl Name of the Week is a short and sweet Irish name in honor of the one-syllable girl names post from yesterday. This name belonged to a legendary ancient Irish queen: Maeve. Today, it is starting to come back into favor with modern parents for both a first and middle name. Maeve is the anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Medb" which means "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a powerful, warrior Queen of Connacht. Her fight against Ulster and the hero Cúchulainn is told in the Irish epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." In Ireland, the Irish spelling Meabh is used more frequently. It is in the top 100 names there, but that spelling isn't recommended for usage in the US. Meabh actually comes from  "Medb" which is the original Irish form of Maeve. Other variants include Meadhbh, Mave, Maive, Mayve, Maeva and Meave. However, Maeve is my favorite. It is gaining popularity in the US. It has the lovely nickname Mae/Ma...

One-Syllable Given Names for Girls

Names that are "short and sweet" are often very desirable for a girl, especially in the middle name spot to complement a long first name. What are some viable names that only have one-syllable? I'm sure you can think of a few, but how many are full names and not nicknames? Let's see if we can list as many one-syllable full-names as possible! Let me know if I have missed any or if any should be removed because they are just too nicknamey. Although some may double as a nickname and a stand-alone name. This is where it gets tricky! For instance, you can be just "Gwen" but that could potentially be a nickname for Gwendolyn. I will include it anyway. Here is a short list of girl names for those who want the more common choices pointed out among the more unusual names on the list: Anne, Bea, Belle, Beth, Blanche, Blythe, Bree, Brooke, Claire, Dawn, Elle, Eve, Faith, Fawn, Faye, Gail, Gwen, Hope, Jade, Jane, Jean, Jill, Joy, June, Kay, Lane, Leigh, Lux, Mae...

Boy Name of the Week: Flynn

In honor of my "One-Syllable Boy Names" post  from yesterday, I chose a one-syllable name to feature.  This Boy Name of the Week has had a very sharp increase in usage from one year to the next. The name is Flynn. You probably already know why it is suddenly more popular.  The Disney movie "Tangled"  was released in November 2010 starring a cool character called Flynn Ryder. In 2011,  the name landed on the Top 1000 chart for the first time at #940 (up from #1806) with a total of 210 baby boys born (up from just 86 in 2010.) Actor Orlando Bloom and his model wife Miranda Kerr recently named their son Flynn, which may or may not have had a lasting influence. Flynn is an Irish surname. It is an anglicized form of "Ó Floinn" meaning "descendant of Flann." It is also said to mean "son of the red-haired one."  Flynn has a casual charm to it with a very handsome appeal. In 2012, the name ranked #692 which is its highest ranking ev...

One-Syllable Given Names for Boys

What are some viable names that only have one-syllable? I'm sure you can think of a few, but how many are full names and not nicknames? Let's see if we can list as many one-syllable full-names as possible! Let me know if I have missed any or if any should be removed because they are actually a nickname. Although some may double as a nickname and a stand-alone name. This is where it gets tricky! For instance, you can be just "Abe" but that could potentially be a nickname for Abel or Abraham. I will include it anyway. These are names that would work on a boy, whether they're masculine or unisex. You can find the list of one syllable girl names here,  but there may be duplicates on both lists. Short list of semi-common names for those of you that don't want to browse through so many options:  Blaine, Blake, Boone, Brant, Brent, Brice, Brock, Cade, Cane, Chance, Charles, Chase, Clarke, Craig, Dean, Drake, Dwayne, Earl, Finn, Ford, Gage, Graham, Grant, Gr...

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