The Art of Naming

October 22nd is known as National Color Day! Everyone has colors that they enjoy more than others. Do you have a favorite color? Do you love it so much that you would consider using it as a baby name? If so, you're not alone. Below is a list of potential color names. The first list is much more popular than the second, but they're all interesting in their own way. More Popular: Ruby (red)  is currently ranked as the 79th most popular name in the US for girls, as of 2017. Violet (purple)  is climbing the charts! As of 2017, it ranked at #48 for girls and will probably keep going. Hazel (brown)  popped into the Top 1000 in 1998, and the Top 100 in 2015! Currently at #43. Rose (pink)  is a timeless classic and has always ranked within the Top 400. Ranked #141 in 2017. Iris (purple) has always been around, but has been slowly climbing, putting it up to #149. Sienna (brown) wasn't used before the 1960s, and it hit the Top 1000 in 1995.  Currently at #222. Jade (

The name Xanthe is brought to you today in honor of a previous article featuring The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls. This name is Greek and is derived from ξανθος (xanthos) meaning "golden, yellow" or "fair hair". While this is a very beautiful name, there can be some annoying pronunciation issues that go along with it. Fortunately, the overwhelming consensus that I've found among typical English speakers is that they pronounce it ZAN-thee . ZAN-tha is another possibility. Some claim that it is pronounced more like ZAN-they or KSAN-thee. If you'd like to read a discussion about it, click here. For the purposes of this article, I will be assuming the pronunciation ZAN-thee. Xanthe is a name used twice on the planet Mars. Once for the Xanthe Montes which is a mountain range, and once for a region referred to as Xanthe Terra. Additionally, there is an asteroid called 411 Xanthe. There were also a few minor mythological characters with this nam

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.

Colors are everywhere: some vibrant, some pastel. Things would be dreary if we suddenly removed color from our lives. Some might even go the extra step to ensure that their surroundings are always colorful and lively by painting the walls in their home or dressing in only the hottest pinks or brightest yellows. Plenty of parents already opt for nature names so why not extend your love for colors to baby naming, too? I've previously posted a list of color names on The Art of Naming, but they were not broken down according to the major base colors. I decided to take a look at the rainbow and categorize some of the more interesting name possibilities under the closest related parent color. The following list was the result: Red: Amaranth Carmine Cerise Crimson Magenta Red Rose Ruby Scarlet The last three on the red list are probably the most popular with Rose leading the pack, however Scarlett is more popular than Scarlet. Would you use one of the more unusual reds

Spring is a time for newness and growth. Everything is blooming and turning green! Nature is full of life! If you're also bringing forth a new life into the world, what better way to celebrate than to give him a handsome, timely name to fit the occasion? Here are some great baby names that would suit a spring-born boy. Some of these are nature names that also refer to an actual spring or stream of water as well. Which do you like best?: Atherton - "From the town by a spring" Attwell - "Lives by the spring" Aviv - "Spring" (Hebrew) Berilo - Variant of Beryl - a green stone Bloom Bradwell - "From the broad spring" Bud Caldwell - "From the cold spring" Denver - "Green Valley" Green Haruki - "Spring child" Irving - "Green water" Jarek - "Spring" (Slavic) Kelby - "Place by the fountain or spring" Leaf March Maxwell - "Mack's stream" Navin - "New

With crisp air, colorful leaves, bonfires and pumpkins in your mind, look no further than this list for some unique fall-inspired baby name ideas! Even though the first day of Autumn is still a couple weeks away on September 23rd, I thought we'd start pondering it as cooler weather approaches. If you're due with an Autumn baby in the next couple months and find yourself in need of the perfect name, perhaps you'll "fall" for one of these ideas! Amber                                               Anise Annona Apple Aster Aurelia Autumn Baize Berry Carmine Celeste Ceres Charde Cinnamon Crysanthemum Coral Crimson Crisanta Emerald Eve Fira Gaia Ginger Goldie Hazel Ivy Jade Jora Juniper Keziah Laurel Lavender Libra Lily Maize Maple Marigold Mauve Moon November Octavia Olive Opal Orla Paisley Persephone Rain Raven Rhea Roux Rowan Ruby Saffron Sage Sapphire Scarlet September Sienna Sorrel Sparrow Tabi

The first day of Autumn doesn't officially begin until September 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere this year, but I thought we'd start pondering it as cooler weather approaches. Perhaps you're due with an Autumn baby in the next couple months and find yourself in need of the perfect name. With crisp air, colorful leaves, bonfires and pumpkins in your mind, look no further than this list for some unique fall-inspired baby name ideas! Adam                                         Ash Asher Auburn Azure Bacchus Barley Blaze Birch Branch Bronze Browning Bruno Cedar Chard Chestnut Copper Cormac Crispin Demeter Dionysus Farmer Finley Finn Flint Forrest Frost Garner Garnet Gerald Gold Harkin Harvest Hawke Hay Hue Hunter Jasper Jet Kale Leaf Linden Mica Mountain Oak Octavius October Oliver Radley Red Reed Rory Roux Rowan Russet Rusty Rye Sawyer Scorpio Septimus Sorrel Storm Wheatley Woody Which of these do yo

After compiling a list of color names that could potentially be used as baby names, the color Cordovan caught my eye. After searching in various baby name databases, I've found that this has never been used as a name in the U.S. I was struck by Cordovan because of its similarities to names like Sullivan and Donovan and Cor- names like Cordell, Corbeau, Cormac or Corbett. Cordovan sounds like it should be a trendy, modern name. Cordovan is a Spanish name meaning "native of Cordova" which refers to a city in Spain called Cordoba. It was there that seventh century Visigoths began production of "shell cordovan leather." In this case, cordovan describes the color of the leather. It was first used as the name of a color in 1925 in English.  As a color, Cordovan is a rich burgundy color, or a dark shade of wine. If you'd like to see what color it is, the Hex number is #893F45. As for popularity, it has never been used on a child in the US since it began keep

Source You've heard of color names like gray and scarlet, sure, but have you heard of options like these? Which color name is your favorite for a potential baby name? Let me know if I missed any! Also, feel free to combine your favorite from the list below and post it as a first and middle name combination in the comments!  I'd love to know what sort of names you'd pair with these colors! :) Amaranth Amber Amethyst Aqua Ash Auburn Aureolin Azure Beige Blue Brick Brown Burgundy Cadet Capri Carmine Celeste Cerise Cerulean Chamois Cherry Citrine Citron Claret Cobalt Cocoa Copper Coral Cordovan Crimson Cyan Dove Ebony Ecru Emerald Fawn Fuchsia Ginger Granite Gray Green Greige Hazel Henna Hyacinth Indigo Iris Isabelline Ivory Jade Jasmine Jasper Jet Lavender Lilac Magenta Magnolia Mahogany Maize Marigold Mauve Moss Olive Orchid Peach Pearl Peridot Plum Poppy Rackley Rajah Raven Red R