The Art of Naming

At last, we have arrived at the very end of the alphabet. I appreciate all of you who have stuck with me this long. It took a year and three months to finish the entire series!  Now, let's look at the zippy letter Z! Along with the rest of the tail-end letters, Z names are rather few and far between when compared to the letters at the start of the alphabet. However, that doesn't mean that there are unappealing options. Far from it! Z names are mostly bold, interesting and unusual but there are a few classics in there like Zachary, Zachariah and Zoe.  Which of these 50 Z names for boys and girls do you like most?  Zahara Zaila Zaire Zamora Zandra Zanna Zara Zariah Zarina Zasha Zaviera Zelda Zelia Zendaya Zenon Zia Zinnia Zion Zoe Zoey Zola Zora Zoraya Zorina Zuri Zacchaeus Zachariah Zachary Zaiden Zaire Zale Zander Zane Zavier Zealand Zebadiah Zebedee Zed Zeke Zelig Zenith Zenon Zephaniah Zephyr Zeppelin Ze

Let's face it. There just aren't very many popular Y names. You occasionally hear them, my own middle name starts with a Y, but as a whole, Y names just aren't hitting the spot for mainstream parents. Isn't that something we should change?  There are many more names that start with Y out there than I even thought there were. I found a couple hundred per gender to browse through which means this letter has enormous potential if only someone would get the trend going. If you're into the unique and unusual, this letter can be your best friend! Take a look at the 25 Y names for girls and the 25 Y names for boys that I picked out and let me know which ones you love most! Yadira Yaella Yamileth Yara Yareli Yaretzi Yasmine Yeardley Yelena Yesenia Ygritte Ynez Yohanna Yolanda Yoselin Yosephina Ysabel Ysadora Yseult Ysolde Yuliana Yulisa Yveline Yvette Yvonne Yale Yannick Yarden Yardley Yarley Yarrow Yasser Yates Yeardley Y

We have covered the letter X before on The Art of Naming. We pondered some "Xcellent" underused names for boys and girls . We also listed out names for boys that contain the letter X , as well as a list for girl names with an X in them.  This letter typically gives names an edge. They tend to be rather bold and interesting. Today we'll look at some of the very best names that start with X. I handpicked 25 for each gender for a total of 50 awesome names. Is X your favorite letter? Are you looking for something unusual, unique and interesting? This list is for you! Xabrina Xalvadora Xandra Xantara Xanthe Xanthippe Xaria Xavienna Xaviera Xavierre Xena Xenaida Xenia Xenobia Xeraphina Xevera Xeveria Xia Xiamara Ximena Xiomara Xochitl Xola Xolani Xylia Xachary Xadrian Xaime Xalvador Xan Xanadu Xander Xannon Xanthos Xanthus Xanto Xarles Xavian Xaviell Xavier Xavion Xenon Xenos Xerxes Xhaiden Ximenes Xola Xuan X

As you continue your search for the perfect name, I'd like to ask you to take a moment and consider using a name that starts with the letter W. We're nearing the end of the alphabet so if you've been following this series and you haven't found a winner yet, this might finally be the list for you. The letter W has a good variety of names. There's the more proper ones like William and Winston for boys, and the more whimsical options like Waterlily or Wintress for girls. There should be a little bit of something for everyone here. Tell me in the comments, did I miss any good W names that you enjoy? Of the ones featured below, which name catches your eye the most? Wanda Waterlily Waverly Wednesday    Wendy Whisper Whitley Whitney Wilda Wilhelmina Willa Willamena Willene Willow Wilma Wilmet Windsor Winifred Winnie Winona Winter Wintress Wren Wylie Wynne Wade Walker Walter Warren Watson Waylon Wayne Wendell Wesley Wes

The letter V is trending these days within popular names like Ava and Evelyn for girls. It's been a constant for boys in the name David. Both genders love Avery as the top unisex name. What about names that start with the letter V? Victoria still ranks well and Violet and Valentina are trending upward for girls. Vincent is just outside the top 100 for boys with Victor not far behind. Are you a fan of the letter V? If you are, surely you'll enjoy this great list of the 25 best V names for girls and 25 for boys.  Did I miss any of your favorite V names? Vale Valencia Valentina Valerie Vanessa Vanna Vella Velvet Venus Verity Veronica Vesper Victoria Vida Vienna Vincenza Viola Violet Violetta Virginia Viveca Vivian Viviana Vivienne Vrai Vadden Valdemar Valentino Valor Van Vance Vander Vasily Vaughn Verne Vernon Vicente Victor Vidal Viggo Vin Vince Vincent Vincenzo Vinny Virgil Vitaly Vito Vladimir Voyer W

The process of tracking down the right name for your child can be tricky. Sometimes there are just too many options to sift through and you find yourself overwhelmed by the possibilities. Allow me to make it easier for you. If you are fond of the letter T or if you're searching for a T name to honor someone in particular, you've found the right place. Below are 25 of the best T names for girls, and 25 for boys too. I took the time to sift through the hundreds of T names so I could bring you only the best of the best. Here you may very well find the perfect, fashionable T name for your child. Which of these do you like most? Tabitha Tallulah Tamsin Tanya Tara Tatiana Tatum Tavia Tawny Taylor Teagan Temperance        Tessa Thalia Thea Theodora Theresa Thisbe Thora Tiana Tiffany Trinity Trista Trudy Tyra Tate Tavish Taylor Teague Tennyson Thaddeus Thatcher Theodore Theron Thomas Tiberius Timothy Titus Tobias Todd Tollive

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

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

Perhaps you are looking to honor someone whose name starts with the letter P. However, you don't want to use their exact name so you've decided to simply give your child the same initials as that person. That means you need a great P name that you can love! Fortunately for you, you've just stumbled upon a list of The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls! 50 P names, to be exactly, 25 for girls and 25 for boys. That gives you plenty of options to choose from! So what will it be?  Share your favorite P names in the comments below. Did I miss any great ones? Paige Paisley Pamela Pandora Paris Patience Patricia Paula Pearl Penelope Peony Persephone       Petra Phaedra Philippa Philomena Phoebe Pia Piper Poppy Portia Presley Primrose Priscilla Prudence Palmer Parker Parrish Pascal Patrick Patton Paul Pavel Pax Paxton Penn Percival Percy Peregrine Perry Peter Peyton Phillip Phineas Phoenix Pierce Porter Powell Pre

The letter N kicks off the 2nd half of the alphabet and the names are noticeably a bit more difficult to choose and narrow down. The tail end of the alphabet tends to contain more difficult letters. However, I did happen to find some of the very best options available that start with N! There seems to be a few solid names that start with this letter and many unusual options that don't rank very high on the popularity charts. Compiling this list was tricky, but I've put together the 25 best girl names that start with the letter N, and 25 names for boys too! Is N one of your favorite letters for names or do you have a hard time with it like I do? Take a look at the names I've picked and let me know if there are any great ones that I missed. Nadia                Nadine Naima Nancy Naomi Natalia Natalie Natasha Nellie Neve Nia Niamh Nicole Nicolette Nikita Nila Nina Noa Noe Noelle Noemi Nola Nora Nova Nyx Nash Nathan Nathaniel Naveen

The letter M seems to be regarded as one of the more favored letters when it comes to baby names. After browsing the list below, you'll understand why people like it! There are so many great options available in this letter that it was difficult to narrow down the choices to just 25 names for girls and 25 names for boys! If you know you love M names but you haven't yet chosen the perfect name for your child, perhaps you'll find it here! Put down that baby name book and close out those other tabs. It's been a long search but, finally, the name you want is below! Mabel                        Madeline Maeve Magnolia Maisie Margaret Margot Maria Marley Mary Matilda Maude May McKenzie Megan Meredith Mia Michaela Mila Minerva Mirabelle Miranda Miriam Molly Morgan Maddox Magnus Malachi Malcolm Marcus Marlon Marshall Martin Mason Matthew Matthias Maverick Maximilian Maximus Maxwell Merrick Merritt Micah Michae

The letter L is a very important letter. It can not only be found within many of today's most popular names, but it also has plenty of great options as a starting letter. Are you a fan of L? If so, you may just love this list! I have compiled 25 of the very best L names for girls and the 25 for boys! However, just like all the other articles like this, the names are listed alphabetically. I did not rank them from best to worst or favorite to least favorite. These are simply 50 of the best L names that I could find that I think would suit a modern American child.  While there are plenty of other L names out there, these are the ones that I liked the most. What are your favorite names on the list below? Lacey                        Lana Lara Lauren Lavinia Layla Leah Leigh Leila Leonora Leticia Lilah Liliana Lily Lindsay Linnea Liv Lola London Lorelei Louise Lucy Luna Lydia Lyric Lachlan Lance Landon Lawrence Leander Lee Leif Leland

If you weren't a fan of the very best C names for boys and girls, perhaps you'll prefer the very best K names!  While similar, the letter K gives a whole different vibe to names than the letter C.  K names are sometimes thought of as trendy alternate spellings of traditional C names. However, many Greek names, for example, were spelled with a K originally. So when it comes to spelling a name with a C or a K, it's all a matter of taste and opinion. If you happen to enjoy the letter K, this is your list! Below are 25 of the very best names for girls that start with the letter K, and 25 for boys too!  Be sure to share your favorite K names in the comments whether they're listed below or not! Kacy                                     Kaia Kalista Kalliope Kara Karen Karissa Kassandra Kassidy Katarina Kate Katelyn Katherine Kathleen Katrina Kayla Kayley Keira Kelly Kendra Keturah Khloe Kiersten Kimberly Kristina Kade Kai Ka

There seems to be such a plethora of choices for the letter J that it was difficult to narrow them down. Do you agree? Perhaps this was just a tough letter for me. Throughout this alphabetical name series, have you come across a letter that gave you a hard time narrowing down the names to just 25 for girls and 25 for boys? The opposite can be true, too, if a letter doesn't have nearly enough lovely choices to fill up the list. What are your problem letters? I hope you'll enjoy this compilation of the very best names that start with the letter J. Do you agree with the ones that I chose? If not, which would you remove and what would you replace them with? Jacqueline                 Jade Jane Jasmine Jayla Jeanne Jemima Jenna Jennifer Jessica Jillian Joan Jocelyn Joelle Johanna Jolie Jordan Josephine Joy Judith Juliana Juliet June Juniper Juno Jack Jacob James Jared Jason Jasper Jayden Jeffrey Jeremiah Jesse Joaquin Joel Joha

The letter I  is an interesting letter. Since it is a vowel, it feels like there should be plenty of popular options like the letters A and E seem to have, but it is actually home to a number of unusual and under-the-radar choices. Sure there's the popular Isabella which has graced the #1 spot in years past, and there's the constant and traditional Isaac and Isaiah, but many of the names below are rather unheard of and rarely used. Do you agree with my assessment or do you feel that many of these names are more commonplace than I gave them credit for? How many people do you know that have names starting with I?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below... but for now, here are 25 of the best names for girls and 25 of the best names for boys that start with the letter I! Ianthe                                 Ida Ignacia Iliana Imogen India Indira Inez Ingrid Iolanthe Ione Ireland Iris Isabeau Isabella Isadora Isla Ismene Isobel Is

Imagine for a moment that you've got a situation like the Duggar Family  but your favorite letter is H. It can be difficult to find one name that you like, but to find many names that all start with one letter? That would be quite the challenge! You may not end up with 19 kids like the Duggars, but if you were to opt for using all H names, this list happens to contain the 50 best H-Names around! With 25 girl names and 25 boy names, this list should offer more than enough options for your family of Hs. In the comments below, be sure to share which names you like most that start with the letter H. Did your favorites make the list? Hadassah                             Hadley Hailey Halle Hannah Harlow Harmony Harper Harriet Hattie Havana Hayden Heather Heidi Helen Helena Heloise Hermione Hilary Hollis Holly Honor Honora Hope Hyacinth Hadrian Hamish Hans Harley Harper Harris Harrison Harry Harvey Haven Hayes Heath Hendrix He

You have been searching for the perfect baby name for months now. Your little one is due soon and remains nameless. You've been through the name books and you've browsed endless webpages and yet you cannot settle on a name. It may feel a bit funny to finally focus on a specific letter, but I figure if you found your new favorite name on a fresh list like this, you'll finally feel free to move forward and be satisfied with your perfect name find! Forgive me. Fact is, I'm fascinated by the letter F! Here are some fabulous names that start with F! 25 for girls and 25 for boys.  I hope you fall for a favorite!  Share your thoughts on these F names in the comment section below! Which do you love most?  Fabiana                        Faith Fallon Farrah Fatima Fauna Faustine Fawn Faye Felicia Felicity Fern Fernanda Finlay Finola Fiona Fiorella Flavia Fleur Flora Florence Frances Francesca Frederica Freya Fabian Farrell Feli

Naming traditions come in a variety of forms. Perhaps everyone in your family has a name with double-letters within it and you're looking for a name that hasn't been taken yet. There are hundreds of names out there that will fit this criteria but to simplify the process, this article lists up to ten of the best names per letter. Below are some of the most attractive names for baby girls that contain double letters. Be sure to follow the links below for a list that's even more extensive than this one. Which of the follow names do you like the most? Do you have a favorite double letter? A: Aaliyah B: Abbey, Abbigail, Abby, Bobbie, Debbie, Gabby, Libby, Robbin, Tabby, Tabbitha C: Accalia, Becca, Rebecca, Ricci, Toccara D: Addalyn, Addie, Addison, Edda, Haddasha, Haddie, Hedda, Maddalena, Maddie, Siddalee E: Aimee, Cathleen, Desiree, Eileen, Greer, Jubilee, Leela, Maureen, Reese, Teegan Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-E names for girls!

There are many names out there that contain double-letters within them. This is a collection of the very best of these names per letter of the alphabet for boys. Some letters have limited options and others don't have any because it just doesn't work in accordance with the alphabet and the English language. Compiled below are the most attractive names per double-letter. The catch is that each letter has been limited to ten names. There may be more options out there but for the sake of space, they aren't all included on this list. The following names are some of the better options available. If you're in search of a double-lettered name, this list is for you!: A: Aaden, Aaron, Canaan, Isaac B: Abbott, Bobby, Cobb, Gibb, Gibby, Robb, Robby, Webb C: Breccan, Lucca, McCoy, Morocco, Niccolo, Rocco, Zacchaeus D: Addison, Eddie, Freddie, Judd, Madden, Maddox, Teddy, Thaddeus, Todd, Vadden E: Creed, Keegan, Keenan, Lee, Leeland, Reed, Reese, Reeve, Seeley,

Everyone needs a name. Every parent must choose the perfect moniker for every baby they have. Even though it sounds easy, actually narrowing down names and choosing one is no simple task, especially when parents feel bombarded by an endless supply of names in baby name books and on websites. Enough stressing out about it. Each of the names on the lists below were handpicked to ease your selection process. Either you find the perfect E name here, or you wait until next week to see if F is your letter. Expect to finally end this long naming process, though, because you are oh so very close to discovering the  name.  Experiment with some of the names below by pairing them with your favorite middle names. Everyone finds an excellent name eventually! Explaining why you love a specific name isn't necessary, but feel free to share which ones caught your eye in the comment section below! Enjoy!  Edith                      Elaine Eleanor Elizabeth Ella Ellen Elodie