The Art of Naming

Around this time of year, America tends to reflect on our interesting origins as a country. One of the most popular tales revolves around the early settlers who arrived on the east coast in the 1600s.  The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving, a national holiday that commemorates the thanksgiving that the Pilgrims held for barely surviving their first winter in 1621. Tomorrow, this holiday will be observed by many. The Puritans were a quirky group of English Protestants who settled mostly in the Boston area. There were about 10 Massachusetts Bay Puritan settlers to every 1 Pilgrim from Plymouth but they ended up merging together around 1691. While these two groups were initially very different, they and their descendants together form the popular image of America's early settlers that most people think about on Thanksgiving. Let's take a moment to look back at some of the unusual names that popped up in Colonial America. Most of the common names were traditional o...

Taken from the list of The Very Best S Names for Boys and Girls is the interesting masculine name Soren. Let's learn more about it. Soren is a Scandinavian name that's starting to catch on with American parents today. There are three different ways to spell Soren . First, there's just the anglicized Soren which is typically pronounced Sorr-en. If you venture into Scandinavia, there's also the Danish and Norwegian form the name spelled Søren and pronounced more like SUU-ren. Derived from that is the form that the Swedes and Germans tend to prefer: Sören , also pronounced SUU-ren or ZUU-ren. No matter how it is accented, the name originally comes from Severinus which is a Roman family name derived from Severus meaning "stern" in Latin. This name has been well-used in Denmark. Just take a look at the long list of mostly Danish famous people on Nameberry.   What about its popularity in America? Soren first appeared on record in the US in 1912 but it ...

It's time to choose a name. Not just any name, though, you must pick one that you and your partner mutually love. A name that feels relevant to your family and suitable for your child. While there are thousands of options out there, the amount that you can actually select for one child is usually limited to four names at most. On your search, you'll no doubt develop a sort of naming style. Many of your names will have similar sounds or popularity to one another. Perhaps you'll even be drawn to one or two specific letters. If your current favorite letter is S for names, this list is for you. Below are 25 of the best S names for girls and 25 of the best S names for boys listed alphabetically. Among these, you'll surely find a winner! Sabrina Sadie Samantha Sarah Sasha Savannah Scarlett Selah Selena Seraphina Serena Serenity Shayla Shelby Shoshanah Sienna Sierra Simone Sonia Sophia Stella Summer Susannah Sybil Sylvia Samuel Sant...

Leonardo da Vinci There is a very large Latin presence in the United States these days. Did you know that there are several Spanish, Italian and Portuguese names for boys that rank within the Top 1000 most popular names? My favorite of the bunch is listed as the "Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leonard" on Behind the Name. Leonardo fits all three origin categories with ease and yet it is familiar enough to English ears that it could be considered for American boys who do not have Latin origins. The part-Italian Leonardo DiCaprio has helped make the name more mainstream in America. Interestingly, his name was chosen when his pregnant mother felt him kick for the first time while his parents were viewing a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo isn't the only name that works across all three of these cultures though.  Below are all of the Latinate names and their popularity rank for the year 2014 in the US. Let's take a look at the first half of th...

Based on this week's list of The Very Best R Names for Boys and Girls , I've chosen the vintage, gem name Ruby. Ruby is derived from the Latin word ruber which means "red". As you might know, it is the name of a precious stone with a red hue that serves as the birthstone of the month of July. Along with other gem names, Ruby was first used as a name in the Victorian Era. As a baby name, Ruby gained usage in the 19th century. It has been in use since name records were first kept in the US in 1880. Ruby was particularly well-used in the early 1900s, peaking from 1918-1924 with over eight thousand births each year. Vintage names like Ruby that were popular around 1920, declined in usage and then began climbing the charts again in recent years are fashionable now. There are many that follow this same pattern that's sometimes called the 100 Year Rule which basically states that once-popular names tend to come back in style after about 100 years have passed....

Since most baby name websites have thousands of names in their databases, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. Where should you even begin? If you happen to know what sort of sound you're looking for in a name, that's a good place to start. Maybe you're even looking specifically for a name starting with a certain letter. If you're fond of R, this list is for you. Below are 25 of the best R names for girls and 25 of the best names starting with the letter R for boys. There are so many wonderful R names that it's tough to narrow it down. Which of these do you like the most?  Did I miss one of your favorites? Rachel Rae Ramona Raphaela Raven Rebecca Reese Regina Renata Rhea Rhiannon Riley Robin Rochelle Romy Rosa Rosalie Rosalind Rosamund Rose Rosemary  Rowan Rowena Ruby Ruth Rafferty Ramsey Raphael Raymond Reid Reuben Rex Rhett Rhys Richard Riley Riordan Robert Robin Rocco Roderick Roland Roman...