The Art of Naming

Purple Primroses I got this week's featured name from the list of Colonial names that I posted on Tuesday! It was apparently used back then but it sure is rare now! There are many "Rose" names out there. Beyond just Rose, there are Rosa, Rosalie, Rosamund, Roseanne, Roselyn, Rosemary, Rosetta, Rosemarie, etc. I have never been a huge fan of any of these. And then I found Primrose.  It switches the "rose" to the end of the name and is an entirely different flower altogether than a rose, which I like! I'm one of those odd girls that do not like roses just because everyone else does. The primrose is very lovely, though, and comes in many colors!  (Don't let the name fool you! The Primrose flower comes from the family Primulaceae and is not closely related to the rose family Rosaceae.) This name was originally used as a Scottish surname but it ultimately derives from the Latin "prima rosa" which means "first rose". And as it

The Freake Limner (American Colonial Era Painter, active 1670-c 1680) Mrs Elizabeth Freake and Baby Mary 1674 British Colonial America was a very important time in our history. They are the ones that started it all with a sense of freedom and independence. The ones who made the voyage over were discovering a whole new land and developing their own rules in their own new towns. They also had some interesting names, some of which you don't hear often today, and others that might just be cool enough to actually use again. These names were popular in colonial times, taken straight from the 18th century! Some of these overlap with the Biblical names list, and they seem to be much different than the names popular in England during the Victorian era. If you're looking for some cool, historical choices, perhaps you'll find a name that you like here! Boys:                              Abel Abiel Abijah Abimael Abner Abraham Absalom Adonijah Ajax Alden Amias

Source Have you ever wondered which beginning letters seem to be most popular when it comes to baby names? I know that I tend to favor a certain few letters and then there are those letters that continuously stump me when searching for a favorite or even one that I can tolerate.  Have you ever tried to pick a single favorite name for each letter of the alphabet? I cannot narrow down my favorites for A or C or E, but when I get to the tail-end of the alphabet, choosing a decent one seems to be an impossible task! It begs the question, why do we prefer these letters and side-step those ones? Does it have to do with the sounds? I see trends that favor soft letters like vowels and L's and M's, (think names like Lila and Emma). Are there letters that just have really, really bad name choices all bunched up together?  For instance, I was reminded of  this article that discusses F names and how there is only ONE in the entire Top 100 in 2012 but there were 9 in 1880. Parent

The Name of the Week is my favorite from the list of Bird-Inspired names. I took it from the Peregrine Falcon, but the meaning of Peregrine doesn't actually have anything to do with the bird. This is a name that is rarely used in the US because many have viewed it as an eccentric and extravagant name. However it has been considered elegant and even aristocratic in England. It was historically chosen as the name of the first English child born in America. The child, Peregrine White, was born on the Mayflower at what is known today as the Provincetown Harbor in Massachusetts. Interestingly, he had a brother named Resolved. Peregrine is also the name of several early saints, most notably Saint Peregrine Laziosi, the Patron Saint of Cancer Patients. The name comes from the Late Latin name Peregrinus which means "traveler" and more recently "pilgrim". The Italian form of the name is Pellegrino which you may recognize as a brand of mineral water, San Pellegri

Source The following is a list of names that are inspired by birds! In some cases, the name may be a color name that describes the color of the bird like Scarlet and Tawny. In other cases, it is the name of the person who either discovered the bird or had the bird named after them like Tristram's Starling and Elliot's Pheasant.  Of course there are the cool, common ones like Falcon and Wren. Take a look at the list and let me know which one of these you would consider using! Both male and female options are mixed together. Adelie (Adelie Penguin) Anna (Anna’s Hummingbird) Argus (Great Argus) Blue (Blue Jay) Blyth (Blyth’s Tragopan) Brent (Brent Goose) Brewer (Brewer's Blackbird) Cara (Caracara) Carolina (Carolina Wren) Cassin (Cassin's Finch) Clark (Clark's Grebe) Cliff (Cliff Swallow) Cooper (Cooper's Hawk) Corella (Little Corella) Cory (Cory's Shearwater) Dunlin Eagle Elliot (Elliot’s Pheasant) Emerald (Emera

This poll from the sidebar of The Art of Naming blog closed quite a while ago! You voted! Now it is time to find out which of the five options won the poll!  Here are the contenders and the results: Emmeline  17 votes (32%) Ariadne  14 votes (26%) Calliope  8 votes  (15%) Bryony  7 votes (13%) Lavinia  6 votes  (11%) Let's learn more about each of these names!  Which is your favorite? Emmeline is a name that I fear is rising fast! With the popularity of Emma and Emily, as well as -line names like Caroline and Madeline, Emmeline seems like a shoo-in!  It is a French name that comes from German elements that mean "work."  It ranked just outside of the US Top 1000 in 2012 at #1078.  click here to read even more about this lovely choice.  Ariadne is an Ancient Greek name that means "most holy." I first heard it in the move Inception (Ellen Page's character) and I liked it right away for being different but full of history. It is pronounced

The Girl Name of the Week is an African Name keeping in tradition of the past two blog posts. The name is Zola. First of all, this name is also a Literary Surname, taken by famous French-Italian writer Emile Zola  (1840-1902). This form of Zola tends to be feminine despite being a surname originally. However, it is said that this form of Zola does not have a known meaning as it may have been invented as a surname. Emile Zola's father's surname was actually Zolla.  Either way, it has been used occasionally in English-speaking countries since the 19th century. The version of the name that I'm featuring today is typically female when it is used as a first name, but it is sometimes used on African males as well. It is of Southern African or Zulu origin and it means "quiet or tranquil" in Zulu.  The name is on record for having been used in the US since 1880. Zola's biggest year was 1924 when 184 baby girls were born. Usage declined after the 20's but

For the third installment of World-Wide Wednesday, we'll take a look at the naming traditions in Africa. Featured African Names: Kato & Zola For most Africans, baby-naming is extremely important. They place a high value on the name choice and its meaning. Many believe that it will have a major influence on the lives of the child and the family as a whole.  There is a delicate balance between giving a child a name that is too ambitious and a simple name that may not yield high enough expectations. Of course, Africa is a very large continent and it is home to hundreds of different languages and customs. Traditionally, African parents like to give names that reflect the time and day of the birth, the environment in which the baby was born or other related circumstances like gender or birth order. Many African names also reflect the parents hopes, aspirations and dreams for the child, or they may have to do with their fears, their religious beliefs and their own philosop

This week we will be focusing on African Names! I chose a handsome boy name that comes from Uganda. Kato  is a great example of the way African names are used. It means "second of twins" which clearly describes the circumstances at the time of the birth. Perhaps his twin brother would be named Babirye or Isingoma which both mean "first of twins."  I will be discussing African Naming traditions more thoroughly on Wednesday! Kato is a much different name than the Ancient Roman Cato which is male and means "wise." There is also a feminine Cato which is a diminutive of the Dutch Catharina and an entirely different name than the first two! This name has occasionally been used in the US since 1914. It was only used for 6 babies between 1928 and 1972. Kato gained more regular usage in 1993 but it is nowhere near the Top 1000.  Last year, there were 26 baby boys given the name which ranks it at #3926. I'd say that it is not unfamiliar but it is

I thought I would issue you a naming challenge! Just for fun, of course. Should you choose to accept, here are my terms: You will be naming three hypothetical babies. Siblings but not triplets. Use the links for help! Here are the rules: Baby #1 - A boy:  First name: It has an X in it Middle name: A Presidential Surname Baby #2 - A girl: First name: A flower or tree name Middle name: Vintage "old lady" name Baby #3 - A girl: First name: It is 4-letters long Middle name: An Ancient name Post the names that you came up with in the comment section for all to enjoy! You may even write what their ages are and come up with a last name for them if you wish. Here are my names: 1. Phoenix Harrison 2. Magnolia Ruth 3. June Minerva Thanks for playing! And remember that there are more baby-name-games like this one in the forum section on the blog! 

The Name of the Week is the biblical girl's name Esther.  Esther is considered a Persian name that means "star" and is related to names like Estee and Hester. However, as an alternative, the origin could possibly come from the goddess name Ishtar. In the Old Testament, Queen Esther was the focus of the Book of Esther. She was the Jewish wife of the King of Persia who is known for saving the Jews from being killed.  Esther's original Hebrew name was Haddassah. In American history, President Grover Cleveland named his daughter Esther in 1893 which gave the name a popularity boost. Esther jumped from 824 births in 1892 to 1,382 births in 1893. It continued to gain popularity over the next couple decades, peaking at 6,575 births in 1918 (#38). The name declined in usage after that, but has never dipped lower than #348. Source Esther has had a slight boost in usage since 2000. In 2012, there were 1,313 baby girls given the name, ranking it at #242. This is

I've always felt that coming up with lovely biblical names for girls was a bit of a difficult task. After all, there are so many men in the bible and sometimes the women aren't named. It turns out there are many more name options than you might think.  Here is a list of some of the more wearable choices for a modern girl. Be sure to do some research about the biblical person to make sure the name you're choosing is a good one!  :)  Which is your favorite? Abiah Abigail Abra Ada Anna Azubah Beulah Chloe Deborah Delilah Dinah Dorcas Elizabeth Esther Eunice Eve Galilee Hannah Havilah Hepzibah Jael Jemima Jerusha Joanna Judith Junia Keturah Keziah Leah Lydia Magdalen Magdalena Martha Mary Mehitabel Miriam Naomi Orpah Peninah Phoebe Priscilla Rachel Rebekah Rhoda Ruth Salome Sarah Selah Susannah Tabitha Tamar Zillah Zilpah Zipporah There are even more options than that! Here is a full list of names that come from the bib

Once again, a poll on the sidebar of the blog has come to a close. A whopping 84 votes were cast for these lovely names that start with Ev-.  Because I couldn't help myself, I ended up choosing 7 names for the poll which made the votes spread a little thin, but there was definitely a clear favorite. Here are the results: Known: Evangeline  19 votes (22%) Common:   Eve       14 votes (16%) Unusual:   Everly         14 votes (16%) Popular:   Evelyn         12 votes (14%) Popular:   Eva        9 votes (10%) Rare:   Evadne          9 votes (10%) Rare:   Eveline          7 votes (8%) 22% of you Name-Artists out there favor the name Evangeline the most!  It is toward the middle of the pack as far as popularity is concerned. Here is how each of the names ranked on the US Top 1000 chart in 2012: Evelyn #27 Eva #86 Evangeline #292 Eve #558 Everly #907 Eveline #7189 Evadne Unranked (#14129 in 1994, zero births since then.) Let's find out more about t

The Name of the Week is the biblical boy's name Simeon. Its cuter than Simon but follows the coolness of Gideon. It is pronounced SIM-ee-ən. It comes from the Hebrew name שִׁמְעוֹן Shim'on which means "he has heard" or "God is listening."  In the Old Testament, Simeon was the second some of Jacob and one of the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, Simeon was a man who blessed Jesus as a newborn.  There was also a powerful ruler in Bulgaria who bore this name in the 10th-century. Simeon has also been a popular name for saints. In 2012, Simeon popped back onto the US Top 1000 chart at #980, with 202 male births.  It has always been at the bottom of the chart, or just outside of it. It ranked as high as #360 back in 1880 (with 23 boys born).  It ranked as low as #2034 in 1928, but has always has usage.  Despite the number of births being higher today than ever, the name is still fairly rare but since it is biblical, its not unfamil

There are many names that have stood the test of time. Of those names, are names that come straight from the Holy Bible. Yes, Biblical names are still in fashion today and always have been. You cannot go wrong with these names, but I would recommend researching the people who first wore these names to make sure they were favorable. I personally would never consider using Cain because of who he was in the bible, but I'll leave those decisions to you! Here are some of the more popular biblical boy names. Which ones are your favorites? Abel Abner Abraham Adam Amos Andrew Asa Asher Azariah Balthasar Barnabas Bartholomew Benjamin Boaz Cain Caleb Daniel David Eli Elijah Enoch Ephraim Ethan Ezekiel Ezra Gideon Isaac Isaiah Jabez Jacob Jadon James Jared Jedediah Jeremiah Jethro John Jonah Joseph Joshua Josiah Jothan Jude Laban Lazarus Levi Luke Malachi Mark Matthew Micah Moses Nathan Nathaniel Nehemiah Noah Obadiah Paul Peter