The Art of Naming

Today's featured name comes from this week's list of The Very Best C Names for Boys and Girls! While there are plenty of great C names, Conrad is the one that caught my eye. Conrad comes from the Germanic elements kuoni and rad that, when combined, mean "brave counsel".  This moniker comes across as strong and interesting. It is well-known enough to work for a modern boy but it is also rather uncommon which would make it refreshing to hear. As far as Con- names go, it falls into a sweet spot: it is bolder than Connor but not as bold as Constantine. In history, Conrad is both saintly and regal having been used by a 10th-century saint from Germany as well as several medieval German kings and dukes. England had a bit of love for the name during the Middle Ages but it wasn't common until the 19th century after being reintroduced there by the Germans. In the US, Conrad has been used consistently every year since at least 1880. It has never been popular th...

So you're expecting a baby soon. Congratulations! What name will you choose?  If you're still a bit stumped in that regard, perhaps you'll enjoy this simplified list of ideas. In this series of posts, I cut out a lot of the work for you. I'm saving you from hours of browsing through endless lists of thousands of baby names. Here you'll find fifty of the best names that start with the letter C. That's 25 per gender and there's a little bit of something for everyone. These mostly follow American ideals but they can also work abroad. As a fan of C names, you'll surely find one that you love. Go on, take a look: Cadence                        Caitlin Calista Calliope Camille Cara Caroline Cassandra Catherine Cecelia Celeste Celine Charlotte Cheyenne Christina Claire Claudia Clementine Colette Constance Cordelia Corinne Cosette Courtney Cynthia Caesar Caius Caleb Calvin Cam...

Today's featured name comes from this week's list of Presidential Baby Names.   It is one of the greatest names that belonged to one of the greatest presidents: Theodore. The name Theodore comes from the Greek name Θεοδωρος ( Theodoros ) meaning "gift of god". In the past, this name has belonged to several saints. There was Theodore of Amasea, a soldier from 4th-century Greece; Theodore of Tarsus, the 7th century archbishop of Canterbury; and a 9th century Byzantine monk named Theodore the Studite. There have also been three Tsars of Russia known as Fyodor, the Russian form of Theodore; and of course our American President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919). As a name, Theodore was quite common in Greece because of the aforementioned saints. Christians in particular have been drawn to Theodore because of the name's appealing meaning. However, it was very rare in Britain before the 19th century.  In recent years, it's ranked in England/Wales at #97....

Today is President's Day in the US! In honor of this, it's time to take a look at the best (and worst) presidential first and last names. At the very bottom, there's also a list of all the names of the country's first ladies. Whether you live in the US or not, surely you can appreciate the names on this list! Without discussing politics, share your thoughts in the comments about which baby name you like (or hate) the most. Would you ever use any of these? Have you already? The following Presidential first names are most usable for a modern baby: Abraham Andrew Benjamin Franklin George Harry James John Martin Richard Theodore Thomas William Zachary These first names aren't as common as the above, but they could still work on the right child: Barack Calvin Chester Dwight Gerald Grover Herbert Lyndon Millard Ronald Rutherford Ulysses Warren Woodrow The following surnames are the most usable as a first name for a modern baby: ...

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I chose to feature the lovely name Valentina today! What else would have been more appropriate? This feminine name comes from the Roman Valentinus or Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Already this name has a great meaning! What about namesakes? The masculine Valentine was a 3rd century saint and martyr whose feast day corresponded with a fertility festival, thus forever linking Valentine's day with love. A modern day bearer of the name Valentina is that of Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. You may know her as the first woman to ever visit outer space in 1963. There is also Valentina Cortese, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a few celebrity children with the name. In the US, Valentina is doing very well in the popularity department. It first appeared on record in 1897 but it wasn't regularly used until about 1910. It wasn't until 1994 that it entered the Top 1000. Now in 2013, there were 2,5...

When I was doing research for "romantic" names relating to Valentine's Day, the range of applicable names was rather diverse. There are the cutesy names that relate to gifts and love such as the following for girls: Adore Candy Cherish Desire Diamond Jewel Lace Lily Love Passion Pink Roma Rose Ruby Serenade Tulip ...and these for boys: Card Red Teddy But honestly, only a few of these actually make for a good, solid name.  Since today is generally a day of love, I instead decided to pick a few names that relate to love through their meanings or associations. Valentine/Valentina/Valentino Of course this name has to be first on the list. They honor St. Valentine who was a 3rd century Roman saint. He came to be associated with love, romance and devotion. The name itself means "strong, vigourous, healthy". Amabel This medieval choice comes from a Late Latin name meaning "loveable". Names like Annabelle, Arabella and Mabel ...

Original post: 2/6/15 Revision: 5/14/17 The latest article featuring The Very Best B Names for Boys and Girls had such a great collection that it was difficult to choose just one. In the end, today's featured name is Bridget. Anglicized from the Irish name Brighid, Bridget means "exalted one".  It has also been suggested that Brighid could be derived from the Irish brigh  meaning "strength". Other spellings include Brigid, Bridgette, Brigit, and Bedelia . Variations in other languages include the Danish Britta , the Dutch Brigitta, the Finnish Riitta , the French Brigitte, the Italian Brigida , the Manx Breeshey , the Polish Brygida, and the Welsh Ffraid among many others.  Were you aware that Bridget was so internationally used? In Irish mythology, there was a goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom named Bridget or Brigid. It was also the name of Saint Brigid in the 5th century, a patron saint of Ireland.  This saint was so esteemed in Irela...

When you are in need of an amazing baby name, where do you look? A baby name book? A website with a database full of names? Your family tree? ...A phone book?  All of these options will provide great names, I'm sure, but they may also be a bit overwhelming in size. A book can be a couple hundred pages long with a few thousand names in it. Baby name databases online could hold 100,000 names or more!  How are you ever supposed to track down the perfect name for your child? You're in luck! If you happen to be a fan of names that begin with the letter B, you may find a winner on the lists below.  I sifted through hundreds of B names to handpick 50 of the very best options available to you. There are 25 for girls and 25 for boys. I hope you'll fall for one of them! Bailey                      Beatrice Beatrix Bellamy Belle Bernadette Betty Bethany Bianca Blair Blanca Blythe Brianna Briar Bri...