The Art of Naming

It's that time of year again. Nearly every doorstep is currently occupied by pumpkins, cobwebs and skeletons. Halloween is days away! You are no doubt finalizing your costume for the big party on Saturday or to take your little ones trick or treating. What about a horror movie marathon? Are you planning one of those? There are many great horror films out there so I decided to browse through a few in search of great character names. Whether you would ever use one of these names for a child or not is up to you but surely you can appreciate these monikers and their counterparts. Girls: Addison (Saw II) Blair (Blair Witch Project) Carrie (Carrie) Casey (Scream) Dana (The Cabin in the Woods) Elvira (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark) Erin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Gale (Scream) Iris (30 Days of Night) Jules (The Cabin in the Woods) Katie (Paranormal Activity) Laurie (Halloween) Lila (Psycho) Marion (Psycho) Minnie (Rosemary's Baby) Regan (The Exorcist) Ripley (Ali

Quincy was hand-chosen from our article that featured The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls. We'll take a closer look at it now. Quincy is a surname that came from the place name Cuinchy which is a village in France. Cuinchy was originally derived from the Ancient Roman praenomen, or given name, Quintus which means "fifth" in Latin. Typically, Quintus was only given to the fifth born son but this isn't a necessary requirement for a modern boy named Quincy. Perhaps the most famous bearer of this name is the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, who happened to be born in the town Quincy, Massachusetts which was named after his mother's grandfather Colonel John Quincy. This interesting, quirky name has been in regular usage since name records were first kept in 1880 in the US. It was never all that popular until the mid 1970s. At its peak, Quincy ranked at #273 in 1977 with a total of 717 male births. Usage has now fallen to a steady 4

Without looking at the list below, how many Q names could you come up with for either gender?  Admittedly, this is a very tough letter. The end of the alphabet is full of difficult letters with hardly-used names and Q is no exception.  Quinn is by far the most popular Q name today for both genders. It actually ranks higher for girls: in 2014, it ranked at #126. For boys, Quinn came in at #363 in the US. Other male names like Quentin (#471) and Quincy (#622) also rank well.  If you fancy the letter Q, this list is for you. Check out all of the unusual but interesting options! There are 25 for girls and 25 for boys. Which do you like most?  Qadira                        Qiana Quanda Quarrey Queen Queenie Quenby Quennell Querida Questa Quetzal Quiana Quiane Quilla Quillan Quinby Quincia Quincy Quinlan Quinn Quinta Quintana Quintara Quintessa Qwinne Quadarius Quade Quadir Quaid Quantavius Quantrell Quarry Quartz Quasim Quebec Quen

Here in the US, some of the most popular twin sets include names like Matthew & Michael, Daniel & David, Hailey & Hannah or Ella & Emma. While there isn't technically anything wrong with matching names together like this, there are plenty of ways to be more creative when naming twins. Last week, I mentioned 5 things that make twin names too matchy . Today, we'll take a look at some examples of names that would better allow twins to have their own identities than the examples from last week. I've come up with 3 ways to ensure twins won't have overly matchy names. We will examine twin names that are linked together by meaning while still being different from one another, names that sound very different but still work together stylistically, and names that share a common sound without rhyming or being too sound-alike. 1. Linked by meaning These names don't rhyme or sound alike but they do share a similar meaning. This is great for parents wh

Naming a baby is an exciting process which means that naming two babies should be double the fun, right? If you happen to be expecting twins, you are now part of an elite club of parents who have the responsibility of naming two humans at once instead of one. The rules of naming twins are a bit different.  While most parents of twins feel the need to make the names match, is it necessary? You wouldn't normally make different-aged siblings match quite the same way as twins. Perhaps it is because twins tend to be paired up and associated with each other much more than regular siblings are. But do they need their names to tie them together too? It may be appealing while they're young but as they grow up, they may want their own identities. Giving them nearly identical names (like Taylor and Tyler) might be overkill.  Subtly linking the twins' names together can be a great way for them to bond while still allowing them to have their own name and their own identity apart

Today's featured girls' name, Phoebe, is brought to you by our previous article, T he Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls. Phoebe was Latinized from the Greek name Phoibe (Φοιβη) which means "radiant or bright". It is pronounced FEE-bee. There was a Titan named Phoibe in Greek mythology who was associated with the moon. One of Saturn's moons is named Phoebe after this Titan whose granddaughter was the moon goddess Artemis. Occasionally, Phoebe is considered as a synonym for Artemis. Biblically, the name Phoebe appears in the New Testament and refers to a female minister from Cenchrea, mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. Spelled Phebe, there was a shepherdess by this name in Shakespeare's As You Like It, published in 1623. The name Phoebe gained usage in England after the Protestant Reformation which ended in 1648. In the US, the name Phoebe has been in use since records began in 1880. It has very slowly gained more and more usage