Evander

The name Evander has two possible backgrounds. The first comes from the Latin Evandrus which comes from the Greek Ευανδρος (Euandros). This means "good man".  This background is the most widely accepted on baby naming sites.

The second possible origin says that Evander is the anglicized form of Iomhar which is the Scottish from of Ivor. Ivor comes from the Old Norse name Ívarr meaning "bow warrior". Ivor was carried into Great Britain by Scandinavians in the Middle Ages.

According to Behind the Name, in Roman mythology, Evander was an Arcadian hero who founded the city of Pallantium where Rome would later be built. He was responsible for bringing the Greek pantheon, laws and alphabet to Italy. This Evander also appeared in Virgil's Aeneid, a Latin epic poem written between 29 and 19 BC.

The most well-known modern-day association with the name Evander belongs to boxing champ Evander Holyfield. There is also a Canadian hockey player named Evander Kane.

Beyond myths, literature and athletes, there are actual babies given this name. In the US, Evander first appeared in 1888 with 5 births but was rarely used until it gained a more regular momentum in 1911. The number of births per year remained near single-digits until the late 1980s.

Evander got as many as 75 births in 1991 for a ranking of #1297 but the numbers declined again after that until hitting a record-high of 80 births in 2012 for a ranking of #1823. It is still very far off from the Top 1000 which makes it a rare but familiar gem.

Evander would fit right in with Xander and could potentially be called Evan for short. If you're not a fan, try the similar sounding Leander instead!

What do you think of this rarely-used name? What would you pair with it? Here are some suggestions:

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Athena, Cassia, Delphine, Minerva, Persephone, Rowena, Viviana
Brothers: Amadeus, Cyrus, Ignatius, Leopold, Malcolm, Orion, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Evander Alistair
Evander Calix
Evander Gregory
Evander Lewis
Evander Marius
Evander Romulus
Evander Theodore

As a Middle Name:
August Evander
Charles Evander
Henry Evander
Linus Evander
Julius Evander
Ronan Evander
Silas Evander

Mythological Names for Boys

This name list mostly contains Greek and Roman deities and legends, but there are mythological figures from various other origins as well. Whether or not you believe in mythology is your own choice. Personally, I do not. I like to think of them as fables passed down through the generations. But I do find these stories to be very fascinating, especially the names that come from them.

The list that I've compiled below contains a great assortment of the best masculine names that spring from the most well-known myths from around the world. I am sure that there are plenty more that could be added so feel free to leave me a comment below if you'd like me to add some. In fact, Behind the Name has an amazing collection of mythological names that is much longer than this one if you're looking for more obscure choices. Here are some of the names that I feel are easier for a modern boy to wear today:

Achilles                     Adonis Ajax Alvis Apollo Ara Aries Arthur Atlas Auster Bran Cadmus Castor Cian Conall Conor Damon Diarmaid Dylan Eros Evander Feargus Finn Fintan Hector Helios Hermes Icarus

Janus Jason Jasper Jove Jupiter Leander Mars Mercury Neptune Oceanus Odin Odysseus Oisin Orion Oscar Osiris Pan Paris Percival Perseus Poseidon Saturn Silvanus Thor Tristan Vishnu Zephyr Zeus

Don't forget to check out the Mythological Names for Girls too!

Which of these names are your favorites? Would you ever consider using them for a child, and if so, what would you pair with them? Here are my Top 5 favorites:

1. Apollo

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Artemis, Athena, Calliope, Eulalia, Ophelia, Penelope

Brothers: Achilles, Cadmus, Damon, Erasmus, Leonidas, Perseus

Middle Name Ideas:

Apollo Christopher

Apollo Damien

Apollo Lysander

Apollo Thaddeus

As a Middle Name:

Jason Apollo

Nicholas Apollo

Phillip Apollo

Stephen Apollo

2. Damon
Sisters: Aurora, Daphne, Iris, Luna, Phaedra, Selene
Brothers: Arthur, Connor, Dante, Jasper, Maddox, Tristan

Middle Name Ideas:
Damon Achilles
Damon Frances
Damon Oliver
Damon Thomas

As a Middle Name:
Alexander Damon
Gregory Damon
Nathaniel Damon
Silas Damon

3. Fintan

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Aisling, Ciara, Enya, Maeve, Orlaith, Saoirse 

Brothers: Brawley, Cavan, Dooley, Grady, Keefe, Oisin  

Middle Name Ideas:

Fintan Boyd

Fintan Cashel

Fintan Kane

Fintan Patrick

As a Middle Name:

Connor Fintan

Garvey Fintan

Logan Fintan

Neal Fintan

4. Percival

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Amelie, Celine, Elodie, Genevieve, Isabeau, Margaux

Brothers: Aimon, Bastien, Durand, Jasper, Leverett, Olivier

Middle Name Ideas:

Percival Ambrose

Percival Elroy

Percival Jourdain

Percival Lucien 

As a Middle Name:

Beau Percival

Henri Percival

Loic Percival

Quincy Percival

5. Thor

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Anika, Dagny, Elin, Halle, Jetta, Kirsi, Ottilia 

Brothers: Alrik, Davin, Gerik, Henrik, Leif, Rasmus, Soren

Middle Name Ideas:

Thor Benjamin

Thor Johannes

Thor Leonidas

Thor Ragnar

As a Middle Name:

Alexander Thor

Gunnar Thor

Quenby Thor

Viggo Thor

Cara

The name Cara comes from an Italian word of endearment that means "beloved". In Latin, Cara means "friend" which is also true for the Irish Gaelic origination. However, the Spanish word cara means "face" and the word kara means "dark" in Turkey. On the Isle of Man, in traditional baby naming books, Cara referred to "a songster".

My name is Kara and I pronounce it CARE-uh. Most people that I meet initially say CAR-uh, though, which is something to ponder. Behind the Name gives three different pronunciations for Cara: KAHR-ə (English), KER-ə (English), KAH-rah (German).  Baby Names Hub has an extensive list of comments from ladies named Cara who have shared their experience with the name and its [mis]pronunciations. Many of them also mentioned how often this name can get confused for Sara, Tara, Clara, Karen or Carol. Keep that in mind if you are considering this name. Variants of this name include Kara and Karaugh; diminutives include Carina and Karyna. Cara can also be used as a short form of Caroline and Charlotte.

Cara has been used in the US since 1882 but it did not gain popularity until the 1950s. It boomed once the 1970s hit and it enjoyed the ride until it began declining again in 1994. Presently, Cara is down to just 402 births for the year 2012 which ranks the name at #695.

The name Kara wasn't used in the US until 1931 but it actually caught on a couple years earlier than Cara and has continued its popularity ride up until it finally began to decline in 2010. As of 2012, Kara is still ranked higher than Cara. Kara had 850 births and sits at #365.

Revision: As of 2016, Cara ranked at #807 with 350 births for the year. Kara ranked at #498 with 622 births. Right now, the K is the favored spelling. Do you pronounce these the same?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alexis, Emma, Hannah, Jenna, Leah, Nicole, Tessa
Brothers: Andrew, Brian, Colin, Eric, Luke, Ryan, Sean

Middle Name Ideas:
Cara Abigail
Cara Elizabeth
Cara Jane
Cara Michelle
Cara Selene
Cara Yvonne

Which name do you like more? What middle name would you pair with them?

Original Post: 1/24/14
Revised: 5/14/17

World-Wide Wednesday: Manx Names

Source

The Isle of Man is an interesting little island situated between Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. English is spoken there but Manx Gaelic was traditionally spoken in the past. This Celtic language is closely related to the Irish language as well as Scottish Gaelic. However, Manx Gaelic is now considered endangered of dying out. It was thought to have died out in the 1970s but some are trying to revive it today.

Over the centuries, the Isle of Man has been under Welsh, English, Scottish and Viking rule but it now has its own democratic parliament. Culturally, it is influenced by Celtic and Nordic origins but it is viewed as a tourist location for the UK which gives it some British influences as well.

The Isle of Man has also had specific traditions when it comes to the birth and naming of a child. In the early 1900's, a man named W.W. Gill wrote a collection of "Manx Scrapbooks" that depicted Manx folkways after 1918 and before his death in 1964.  In his books, he notes the traditions surrounding a birth:

"When a child comes into the world, the first thing done (now in our own days) is, if it is a boy, to wrap it in a singlet or pair of flannel drawers of its fathers. If a girl, in a flannel petticoat of its mothers and so soon as it is put in the cradle, a Bible and a pair of flannel drawers are laid on the cradle, and the same on the mother's bed.

Neither mother nor child is ever let out of the house until the christening day, and then, before going out, a bit of vervain is sewed into the child's under-clothing and also into the mothers. A little bit of soot is also put on the child's person, and a bright steel sewing-needle quilted into some part of its clothes. 

Great care is taken that the name which the child is to receive is not made known to any person except those who have to know, until after the christening.

The future of the child depends in a great measure on whether the stranger who firsts sees it, after its father has got the first look, is a "lucky" person or not."

So it appears that the Manx put great emphasis on guarding the baby's first encounters with those outside the home and viewed it in an almost superstitious way. The baby's name was also guarded and not revealed until the baby was christened, so clearly religion was a large factor as well.

Another source, the Manx National Heritage, put together a collection of traditional names that were found within old books: Christian Names of the Isle of Man by William Cubbon in 1923, and Manx Personal Names by J.J. Kneen in 1937. The names that they listed are those considered traditional to the Manx people and acceptable for use on modern babies both on and off the Isle of Man. Here is a list of those traditional names and their meanings:

Boys: Aedan Aleyn, Aland Alister Andreays Asmund Austeyn Bertram, Bertrem Brendan Cairbe, Carbry Carmac, Cormac Colby Colum Colyn Conylt, Conal Cristen Dermot, Germot, Diarmid Dolyn, Dollin, Dolen Doncan, Donachan Doolish, Douglas Eamon Edard Eoin, Ean, Ewan, Yvon Faragher Fergus Finbar Finlo, Fynlo Fintan Flaxney Fynn Gavan, Gawain Gilno, Dilno Gilrea Godred, Gorry, Orry Hugh, Hugo Illiam Jamys, Hamish Jole Juan, Yuan Kerron, Kieran Laurys Marcus, Markys Martyn, martial Mayl Mian Nele, Niall Olaf, Olave Oshin Padeen Paric[k], Peric[k]                       Payl Peddyr Ramsey Robart Robyn Ronan Rory Sharry Sigurd Stoill Thomase

little fire famed ruler defending men a man [Andrew] gift of the gods venerable bright raven dark person virtuous love a charioteer place name a dove a whelp love belonging to Christ God reverencing variation of Donald [world ruler] brown warrior place name happy peace happy keeper well born supreme choice great dear one, super choice wave crest fair Scandinavian a little fair one not known fair a smith saint’s servant servant of the King God’s peace studious defending men beguiling Yule well born grey, dark crownd with laurel [Laurence] a hammer saint’s name like God [Michael] good [Matthew] champion of the gods little fawn little Patrick patrician, noble form of Paul a rock [Peter] place name form of Robert little Robert God ruler fame ruler God’s peace victorious one with a will a twin, form of Thomas

Girls: Aalid, Aelid Aalin Aaue Aileen, Eil[l]een, Elena Aimel Ainle Ailstreena Andreca Aufrica, Effrica, Aurick Bahey Blaa, Blae Brede, Breeshey, Bridget Caly Cara Carola Catreena, Catreeney Cissolt Creena Cristeena Doona Ealee, Ealish Ealisaid Eunys Feena Fenella, Fin[g]ola Fritha Grayse Greeba Iney, Ina Jinn, Joan, Joney, Joannia Johnet Jonee, Joney, Jony Lilee Lora Lula, Lulach Malane Manana Margaid Mariot, Marion, Moreen, Mariod Meave Moirrey, Voirrey Mona Moreen Mureal Nan, Nancy Nessa, Nessy Onnee Onnor, Onora, Nora Paaie Ranhilda Rein[a] Renny Roseen Sheela Sorcha Tosha Una Ursula Vorana Ysbal, Isbal

beauty beautiful Eva sunlight beloved angel feminine of Alister feminine of Andrew a maid from Africa flower flower shining [Bridget] female servant [saint’s] a songster noble spirited pure [Catherine] little Cecilia wise of Christ dark maiden noble god’s oath joy fair maiden fair shoulder peace grace place name a daughter grace feminine of John grace lily sufficient shining magnificent [Madeline] feminine of Mannanan a pearl little Mary a fairy queen bitter [Mary] the Isle of Man little Mary sea bright gracious secret grace [Annie] honourable Peggy God’s fight a queen a fern little rose form of Cecilia bright the first a lamb little wolf great form of Isabel

Of course there are other names beyond these traditional ones that are in use on the Isle of Man. Names that are popular in the UK are also seen on Manx babies due to a rich, cultural mixture of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Norse influences on the island.

The most recent Top Baby Names list that I could find for the Isle of Man is for the year 2009. These are the most popular names of that year:

Boys: 1. Charlie                                    2. Thomas                2. Lucas 2. Joshua 2. Jack 2. Ethan 2. Alfie 3. Ryan 3. Joseph 3. James 3. Harry 3. Connor 3. Conor 3. Cameron 3. William

Girls: 1. Lilly 1. Lily 1. Lilee 2. Olivia 3. Emily 4. Phoebe 4. Isla 4. Isabella 4. Imogen 5. Holly 5. Lucy 5. Mia

As you can see, there seems to be more popular British names in use today than traditional Manx names. If anyone has access to a list of the Top Baby Names on the Isle of Man for the years 2012 or 2013, please share!

What do you think of the naming traditions of the Isle of Man? Which traditional name is your favorite?

[Note:] I only recently discovered that this island even exists so if I've gotten any information incorrect, please let me know! I consulted as many sources as I could find that pertained to babies and names for the island.

Ramsey

The name Ramsey was originally a surname. It comes from a place name meaning "wild-garlic island" in Old English. I came across this name as the name of a town on the Isle of Man. This month's World Wide Wednesday will focus on Manx names. Ramsey is also spelled as Rhumsaa in Manx.

According to Behind the Name, Ramsay is a variant of Ramsey. It is used mostly in Scotland as a surname. According to Nameberry, Ramsay is English and means "low-lying land" but Babynames.com says that Ramsay refers to Raven's Island. Clearly there are some meaning discrepancies around the internet, but despite these two names being so similar, it does appear as though they have different meanings.

The Baby Name Wizard says that Ramsay is a variant of Ramsey and that they are both Scottish surnames that originate from several different place-names. I already mentioned the town of Ramsey on the Isle of Man, but it is also said to come from either Hræm's Island, Ram's Island or Ramm's Island. If anyone has more specific information, do share!

The name Ramsey first appeared for American baby boys in 1894 with 7 births. It actually ranked at #933. It wasn't seen again until 1910 with 5 births and it became regularly used after that. Ramsey popped up on the girl's side in 1965 with 5 births and is still in use now with 55 births in 2012 for a ranking of #3059.

Boy Ramsey began gaining more popularity in the 1970s with its high point being in 1997 with 134 births and a ranking of #976. In 2012, Ramsey was given to 101 baby boys and it ranked at #1557.  It is very nearly a 2:1 boy:girl ratio. I never realized how unisex it is because I've always viewed it as a masculine name. I think Ramsey looks better for a boy and Ramsay would be cute on a girl, however there have only been 29 females named Ramsay in US history, and Ramsay is much less popular for boys than Ramsey. Just compare the two!

Which spelling do you prefer? What would you pair with this name?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Catriona, Elspeth, Fiona, Isla, Mackenzie, Moira, Paisley, Sophie
Brothers: Angus, Calder, Duncan, Finley, Keith, Lachlan, Malcolm, Ross

Middle Name Ideas:
Ramsey Alistair
Ramsey Callum
Ramsey Douglas
Ramsey Frasier

As a Middle Name:
Ewan Ramsey
Hamish Ramsey
Kenneth Ramsey
Stuart Ramsey

Baby Naming Challenge!

This is essentially a game. Just for fun, try to come up with some amazing names for the following four hypothetical children:

Boy/Girl Twins:
Girl's first name starts with either A, C, E, or G.
Girl's middle name is either a botanical name or a quirky and unusual name.

Boy's first name starts with either B, D, F or H.
Boy's middle name is either an old-fashioned, vintage name or a literary name.

Girl:
Her first name starts with either I, K, M, or O.
Her middle name is either an ancient name or something virtuous.

Boy:
His first name starts with either J, L, N, or P.
His middle name is either an occupational surname or a colonial choice.


Feel free to post your names in the comment section below, on our Facebook page or just smile about them to yourself. :)

My names:
Alice Magnolia
Damian Barnaby
Isla Melisent
Jack Thaddeus

Have fun! Thanks for playing!

Leonora

Leonora is the Italian short form of the name Eleonora or Eleanor. It comes from the Occitan name Aliénor which comes from the Ancient Germanic name Aenor. Its meaning is unknown. Check out the family tree to see which other names are related!

With boys names like Leo, Leonard, Leonardo and Leonidas starting to gain more and more popularity, could this feminine "leo" name follow suit? She is not related to these leonine names but she does start with the same three letters. Even if Leo is more of a boy thing, Leonora could go by Leo if she's tomboyish. It could also be spelled Leanora to get the Lea nickname instead. But the adorable nickname Nora is always a great option! With Eleanor making strides, I don't see why Leonora couldn't follow!

In line with this week's post about operatic baby names, Leonora is a distinctive choice. She has appeared in three major operas! She was a heroine in both Beethoven's Fidelio and Verdi's Il Trovatore. There was also an opera titled Leonora by William Henry Fry, and a ballad by Gottfried August Burger called Lenore which is another form of Leonora.  Along with a few novels with this name as the title and a few characters in film, Leonora is a great historical and cultured name.

Source

This name ranked in the Top 1000 US Names from 1880-1943 but has since lost its luster. As of 2012, there were only 29 girls given this name which ranks it at #4880. Leonora would be a beautiful and unique choice for a modern baby girl!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Antonia, Dorothea, Francesca, Gabriella, Josephina, Raphaela, Veronica
Brothers: Alessandro, Donovan, Florian, Giovanni, Maximilian, Richard, William

Middle Name Ideas: 
Leonora Camille
Leonora Celeste
Leonora Estelle
Leonora June
Leonora Sibyl

As a Middle Name:
Beatrice Leonora
Grace Leonora
Juno Leonora
Neve Leonora
Sylvie Leonora

What would you pair with this elegant name?

Baby Names Straight from the Opera House

The Opera. What do you think of when you hear those words? I picture a magnificent stage surrounded by flowing red curtains. Rows and rows of seats and balconies high in the air overlooking the stage. The music and costuming are spectacular.

Everything about the opera is high-culture and high-class. That includes the baby names that are most frequently associated with the opera.  In fact, this list contains just that!   With such a wide variety of names to choose from, which is your favorite?

Abagaille                         Aida Alcina Altoun Andres Annina Basilio Bello Benoit Betto Bianca Boris Carmen Claudius Despina Drago Elena Elettra Elsa Elvino Ferrando Fiorello Floria Gilda Giovanna Giovanni Gunther Isolde Juliette Katisha Leonora

Lolette Lucia Maddalena Manon Marcellina Marcello Marguerite Micaela Mimi Musetta Nardo Nedda Ottavio Pamina Pizarro Ramiro Rocco Romeo Rosina Seneca Silvano Silvio Suzuki Tamino Tatyana Tonio Tristan Tybalt Valentin Violetta Zerlina

My Top 5 Favorites:

1. Benoit

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ameline, Colette, Elodie, Giselle, Juliette, Simone
Brothers: Aimon, Dashiell, Gervais, Lucien, Olivier

Middle Name Ideas:
Benoit Alexandre
Benoit Gaston
Benoit Macon
Benoit Rupert
Benoit Sebastien

As a Middle Name:
Armand Benoit
Edward Benoit
Henry Benoit
Laurent Benoit
Remy Benoit

2. Elsa

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabel, Brigit, Freya, Kirstie, Lena, Sophie
Brothers: Alfie, Daniel, Gunnar, Ian, Leif, Ragnar

Middle Name Ideas:
Elsa Catherine
Elsa Dagny
Elsa Maren
Elsa Penelope
Elsa Sigrid

As a Middle Name:
Briar Elsa
Clare Elsa
Hetty Elsa
Lillian Elsa
Rosamund Elsa

3. Micaela

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alexandra, Cordelia, Hannah, Natalie, Olivia, Rebecca
Brothers: Andrew, Daniel, Gabriel, Jackson, Matthew, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas:
Micaela Breanne
Micaela Grace
Micaela Jane
Micaela Louise
Micaela Wren

As a Middle Name:
Cecily Micaela
Elise Micaela
Hazel Micaela
Piper Micaela
Violet Micaela

4. Ottavio

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alessia, Bettina, Cosima, Fiorella, Katarina, Natalia
Brothers: Delano, Giovanni, Lazzaro, Massimo, Raffaello, Vinicio

Middle Name Ideas:
Ottavio Anthony
Ottavio Benedict
Ottavio Dominic
Ottavio Marcellus
Ottavio Vincent

As a Middle Name:
Amadeus Ottavio
Calvin Ottavio
Florian Ottavio
Miles Ottavio
Silas Ottavio

5. Rocco

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Bianca, Gianna, Isabella, Leonora, Rosina, Sophia
Brothers: Alfredo, Cassius, Luca, Maximilian, Roman, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Rocco Alastair
Rocco Dominic
Rocco Isaiah
Rocco Nicholas
Rocco Sterling

As a Middle Name:
August Rocco
Barnaby Rocco
Evan Rocco
Julius Rocco
Silas Rocco

What are your favorite names from the list? Are there any that I should add?

Fletcher

Fletcher is originally a surname that refers to a person who fletches arrows as their occupation. It is a Middle English name meaning "arrow maker" which comes from the Old French flechier. It is a surname but it has a tough, masculine feel to it with a bit of unique quirkiness added in.

Following this week's post about names inspired by poetry, there was a poet named Thomas Fletcher (1666-1713) who was also a priest of the Church of England.  John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright (1579-1625) who took over Shakespeare's role as the house playwright for the King's Men. Click here to view many more famous namesakes including several fictional characters named Fletcher.

This name has been in regular use since 1880 in the US. It had a boost in popularity in 1914 that lasted through the early 1950s before it declined again. However it was in the top 1000 names from 1880-1971, and 1985-1986. The year 1998 saw another boost, catapulting the name back into the Top 1000 in 2003 at #991.  In 2012, Fletcher saw 283 births which put the name at a ranking of #791.

It fits right in with other occupational surnames like Carter (#36), Hunter (#45), Tyler (#50), Parker (#80) and Cooper (#82).  Fletcher currently ranks at #220 in England/Wales.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Audrey, Charlotte, Macy, Piper, Sophia, Willow
Brothers: Bennett, Holden, Jack, Nathan, Oliver, Tobiah

Middle Name Ideas:
Fletcher Augustus
Fletcher Benjamin
Fletcher Daniel
Fletcher Miles
Fletcher Reid

As a Middle Name:
Adam Fletcher
Ethan Fletcher
Gabriel Fletcher
Owen Fletcher
Vincent Fletcher

Baby Names from Poetry

Source

There is something about the surname of poets that just happens to be, well, poetic. Not only do they have a way with words, but these poets have also left us some amazing baby name options to choose from!  Whether you studied poetry in school or just secretly love it, these names might just be what you're looking for!  There are also a few words included that are related to poetry.

Below this list, I have chosen my Top 5 favorites that I'd love to see on a modern baby and listed out potential sibling names and middle names. If you'd like to share what your favorite names are (or if I've missed any that should be included) please do so in the comment section!

Angelou Auden Baird Blake Bly Bogan Bronte Byron Campbell Carew Chaucer Corso Crane Cullen Dante Dickinson              Dove Dryden Dylan Eliot Emerson Fletcher Frost Giovanni Hardy Herrick Hugo Jarrell Keats Kenyon Kipling Landor Larkin Lorca Lowell

Lyric Macaulay Marlowe Marvell Merrill Merwin Millay Milton Mistral Morely Moore Morrison Muse Nash Neruda Oliver Owen Paz Poe Poet Quarles Riley Rumi Ruskin Shelley Spenser Sonnet Tennyson Thoreau Vaughan Verlaine Whitman Whittier Wyatt Yeats

My Top 5 Favorites:

1. Auden (Boy or Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Ada, Ella, Emory, Harper, Lennon, Maren, Rumor, Summer

Brothers: Asher, Emerson, Holden, Marek, Nolan, Reese, Sutton, Vance

Middle Name Ideas:

Auden Clark

Auden James

Auden Theodore

Auden Elizabeth

Auden Grace

Auden Scarlett

2. Dante

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Alena, Carys, Daphne, Gianna, Lilith, Ophelia, Stella, Vera

Brothers: Alec, Damian, Luca, Maxwell, Ronan, Sebastian, Vincent, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:

Dante Alexander

Dante Merrick

Dante Oliver

Dante Theodore

Dante Vincent

3. Hugo

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Audrey, Cecilia, Estella, Imogen, Jasmine, Phoebe, Sabrina, Tabitha

Brothers: Andre, Felix, Hector, Ivan, Julian, Max, Oliver, Samuel

Middle Name Ideas:

Hugo Augustus

Hugo Conrad

Hugo Eames

Hugo Roderick

Hugo Wilder

4. Nash 

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Amara, Cora, Eliza, Fiona, Jade, Mabel, Riley, Tessa

Brothers: Beau, Cole, Drake, Ethan, Gavin, Joel, Maverick, Wyatt

Middle Name Ideas:

Nash Benjamin

Nash Carter

Nash Elliott

Nash Jameson

Nash Roland

5. Sonnet (Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas;

Sisters: Autumn, Bluebell, Felicity, Hope, Karys, Lyric, Soleil, Willow

Brothers: Bridger, Christian, Flynn, Jett, Keller, Mason, Parker, Stone

Middle Name Ideas:

Sonnet Alexandra

Sonnet Caroline

Sonnet Elizabeth

Sonnet Magnolia

Sonnet Olivia

What are your favorite Poetry Names?

Cordelia

The girl name Cordelia is a lovely, elegant and unique option! With nickname possibilities like Cora, Della and Lia, it is both cute for a baby and beautiful for a woman.

The name Cordelia comes from Cordeilla which is a Celtic name with unknown meaning. However, the name is often associated with the Latin word cor or cordis which means "heart". Some sites also say that it means "Daughter of the Sea". So I suppose you can take your pick of meanings!

Based on the legendary Queen Cordeilla, she was a character in Shakespeare's play King Lear written in 1606. He altered the spelling from the original Cordeilla to the modern Cordelia. In the play, she was the youngest of King Lear's three daughters and the only one that remained loyal to him.

Another literary reference to the name comes from the heroine of Anne of Green Gables who said "I would love to be called Cordelia. It's such a perfectly elegant name."

This name has been in regular usage since 1880 in the US. It received a small boost in popularity from 1915-1927 before slowing down a bit through the rest of the century. Right around 2002, the name once again gained a slight boost. In 2012 there were 204 baby girls given the name which puts it at a ranking of #1196.  The name has not been in the Top 1000 since 1950.

Source

So while this name is familiar, it is still in unranked territory which makes it delightfully underused. Your child would be unique among her peers but also have plenty of history behind her name. I would call this name adorably elegant.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabel, Beatrice, Cecily, Eleanor, Juliet, Matilda, Sabrina, Violet
Brothers: Alistair, August, Charles, Elijah, James, Jasper, Sebastian, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Cordelia Eve
Cordelia Jane
Cordelia Maeve
Cordelia Pearl
Cordelia Ruth

As a Middle Name:
Alice Cordelia
Mabel Cordelia
Phoebe Cordelia
Scarlett Cordelia
Zoey Cordelia