The Art of Naming

While a lot of this could be subjective, the names on this list have a bit of a modern, spunky vibe.  Some could be somewhat unisex as well. Girls today are receiving more and more names that are beyond the scope of traditional, classic choices. Surname and occupational names are huge, unisex names or even boy-names-on-girls (BNOG) are gaining popularity, and many Irish names and word names are catching on. The following list was compiled by me in an effort to showcase some of the best modern names and offer ideas for first/middle combinations to anyone in the market for one: Mackenzie Hollis Riley Valentina Darcy Magnolia Hazel Kinsley Kennedy Lace Piper Connolly Mercy Willow Presley Morgan Addison Hadley Teagan Everly Bailey Summer Delaney Sloane Ashton Lindsay Reese Jessamine Cassidy Ryanne Paige Emerson Tatum Siobhan Kerrigan Fallon Sylvie Madigan Madison Serenity Berkley Joss Sable Amaya Taylor Felicity Whitley Harper Auden Bristol Finlay Marlowe El

Last month we discovered which names were most favored by America in 2014. As you know, Emma and Noah were ranked at #1.  Have you ever wondered which unisex names are the most popular? The SSA doesn't make a separate list for unisex names. It's up to us to determine which names are used for both boys and girls. If you saw my previous article regarding  the boy-to-girl ratios of every unisex name within the Top 1000 , you'll see that some names are used more often for one gender than the other, yet some names are very evenly used. So how can we determine which unisex names are the most popular based on this information? Since there are two genders, it's a bit complicated to determine the exact popularity, especially since I was taking into account the boy-to-girl ratios of the names, the number of births for each gender, and the rank assigned to the names by the Social Security Administration.. While determining which unisex names are the most popular across

Welcome to our annual list of unisex names. This is where we analyze the gender ratios of each name. Some of these may not truly classify as a true "unisex name" because they will swing very heavily to one side or the other. I chose to include some names like that because it is worth mentioning, especially if it ranked at 3% last year and now ranks at 5%. That means the name is beginning to gain more popularity for the minority gender. Over time, it could continue to change and become more of a 20/80 thing and perhaps later a 40/60 thing. Wouldn't you like to be able to guess these things in advance if its a name you're pondering for a future child? There have been many cases where a name was traditionally male and it was then slowly taken over by the girls. Some of those formerly male names are now considered completely female. Names evolve. If we can catch them in the act, well, I think it would be exciting. I'm only mentioning all of this because last

This game will follow a "name bank" format. You will be given a set of names to choose from. Create a first and middle name combination for three children. These children will all have a unisex first name based on the list of unisex names that I posted earlier this week! 1A. Your first child is a boy. Choose from one of the following unisex names for his first name: Alexis, Armani, Carter, Dakota, Drew, Elliot, Ellison, Finley, Haven, Jamie, Jordan, Kendall, Lyric, Morgan, Payton, Quinn, Remy, Rory, Sage, Skyler, Taylor 1B. Choose from the following vintage names for his middle name: Arthur, Barnaby, Chester, Edmund, Franklin, George, Howard, Irving, Jasper, Louis, Milton, Oscar, Percy, Raymond, Samuel, Theodore, Virgil, Walter And baby boy number one's name is.....? 2A. Your second child is a boy. Choose from one of the following unisex names for his first name: Amari, Avery, Casey, Dallas, Dylan, Elliott, Emerson, Harley, Hayden, Jaylin, Justice, Lennon

I came up with a short list of unisex names to potentially feature and it was hard for me to decide between them, so I took the question to the wonderful people on Instagram! The first poll narrowed the list to three names, but the voting was very close on the final three. It came down to Finley, Lennon or Phoenix. In the end, I tallied all of the votes from both polls together and Lennon was the winner! Upon hearing the name Lennon, the first thought that may come to many peoples' minds is that of the late John Lennon of super rock group The Beatles. Beyond the musical connection, which is probably a huge reason parents choose the name, Lennon actually comes from an Irish surname. It has been anglicized from Ó Leannáin which is basically a patronymic name meaning "descendant of Leannán" . Leannán itself is said to mean "lover" in Gaelic. Lennon is now considered a unisex name. Originally, it was only given to boys from 1913 to 1980 in the US. Girls we

I went through the US Top 1000 baby names for 2013 and pulled out as many unisex names as I could. At least one name had to be in the Top 1000, but most of the names are on the list for both a boy and a girl. If you can think of any names that I missed --and I'm sure there are a few-- let me know so that I can include them. Seeing information like this is helpful for those who are considering a unisex name but are unsure of how popular it really is for each gender. For example, Harper has really skyrocketed up the charts for girls lately. If you have always pictured it on a boy, it may be handy to know that only 4% of all Harpers are boys. Perhaps that matters to you, perhaps it doesn't. Either way, that kind of information can be found here.  You may even come across a name or two that you had no idea was somewhat unisex. Alexis: 20% boy / 80% girl Boy:  1,182 births (#294) Girl: 4,741 births (#46) Amari: 62% boy / 38% girl Boy: 951 births (#337) Girl: 576 b

When you think of warm weather and outdoor activities, perhaps a body of water comes to mind. Whether you enjoy the pool or the ocean, water is a huge part of summertime. Since we're discussing summer names this week and next, I thought I'd feature the name River for my boy name choice even though I'm aware of how unisex it is. Of course, River comes from the English word that refers to a flowing body of water. Many people enjoy rafting down a river during the summer or camping near one. Ultimately, the word river is derived from the Latin ripa meaning "riverbank". As a name, River was considered masculine first but the girls staked their claim on it fairly quickly. It is still more popular for boys though. As a nature name, River offers a great tranquil vibe, but also one of adventure. Pluralizing it as Rivers is also an option but it doesn't receive as many births per year as the singular River. There have been a few celebrities who have used this na

All of us have a "guilty pleasure" list of baby names. Most of us aren't brave enough to actually use those types of names in the first name spot, but some of us are willing to slip them into the middle! After all, middle names are rarely used or known to other people in day to day life. That gives us a great excuse to throw something exciting into the middle for our own enjoyment. Here is a list of some wonderfully quirky middle name ideas for baby boys! Which of these might you actually consider? Keep reading for my Top 10 at the bottom of the list! Boy:            Alasdair   Auburn Badger Bay Baylor Bloom Calcedon Caradoc Caspian Cirrus Cloud Clove Cobalt Copper Cordovan Cove Cyprian Danger Dante Dashiell Davey Django Dodge Equinox Escher Falcon Fate Finch Forest Fox Frost Garneau Hale Harvey Hawk Hawthorn Heath Indiana Kite Knight Loxley Malachite       Marduc Maverick Mayhem Melchior Merlin Midnight Mi

The four-letter name of the week is one that is being revived for both boys and girls. It has a modern feel to it and is certainly attractive on both genders, however I prefer it for a boy. Rémy is a French name that comes from the Latin name Remigius which was derived from the Latin remigis meaning "oarsman".  It was also the name of a fifth century saint. This name, when said in its French form, is pronounced ray-MEE . However you can get by with just REM-ee in the US, especially without the accent mark over the e. Another variant is Rémi or Remi. The Italians, Portuguese and Spanish prefer the name Remigio. The name appears on French alcoholic beverages: Rémy Cointreau is the company and they have a brandy called Rémy Martin. In pop culture, there is a band called Remy Zero ; and the main character in the film Ratatouille is named Remy. There are also a few geographical locations with this name. As for famous namesakes who have Remy as a first name or a surna

In honor of Monday's post about names that are considered unisex, I thought I'd choose my favorite of the bunch. I'm not personally a fan of unisex names, I prefer to keep things gender-specific and obvious, however, I do like Rowan and cannot decide which gender I like it better for. What do you think? The name Rowan comes from an Irish surname. It is an Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin which means"descendent of Ruadhán".  Sometimes this name is associated with the rowan tree which has red berries. It is also said to mean "little redhead".  This name is said to have been used for both genders since the middle ages, most commonly in Scotland and Ireland. In 2012, this name ranked #301 for boys with 1,138 births. On the girl side, there were 678 births which ranks the name at #455 in 2012. It isn't quite a 50-50 split, but it is more evenly distributed than some of the other names that are considered unisex.  Additionally, there were 234 baby boys

Here is a list of names that are considered unisex today. I am only including those that have a good amount of births for both genders.  There are some names that have a couple hundred births for a boy and several thousand births for a girl (or vice versa). That's pretty much a landslide so I'm not including them. To be included, the names have to have at least a 90/10 split. Name:  Percentage of use per gender (Boy/Girl) in 2012. (Example: 77% of all babies named Alexis in 2012 are female.) Alexis (23/77) Angel  (83/16) Avery (19/81) Casey  (61/39) Charlie (59/41) Dakota (48/52) Devon (89/11) Drew (84/16) Elliott (84/16) Ellis (65/35) Emerson (39/61) Emery (20/80) Finley (34/66) Harley (33/67) Haven (18/82) Hayden (69/31) Jordan (85/15) Jules (49/51) Justice (46/54) Kai  (87/13) Kendall (12/88) London (87/13) Marlowe  (12/88) Morgan (89/11) Parker (84/16) Payton (17/83) Peyton (32/68) Phoenix (61/39) Quinn (32/68) Reese (16/84) Remy (54/46)

The Boy Name of the Week is one of my favorite occupational names and I chose it in honor of yesterday's name list. It is derived from an Old French name that took form as a Middle English occupational name meaning "candlestick maker" or "candle seller."  Have you guessed? Yes, its Chandler. A chandler was the head of the chandlery in medieval households, responsible for wax, candles, and soap. There are some parents who will give this name to their daughter but it is more popular for boys. The most popular example in recent memory is funny-man Chandler Bing on the TV show Friends which aired from 1994-2004. However, despite fitting right in with the "-er" trend and the occupational name trend, Chandler has lost its popularity since 2004. In fact, the most usage this name has seen was indeed during the airing of that show. It more than doubled between 1994 and 1995, (from 704 births to 1,856). Its highest peak occurred in 1999 with 2,394 births

We have all heard of names that were originally masculine but slowly became taken over by the girls.  Classic examples are Shannon, Kelly, Tracy, Stacy, Leslie, Ashley, Aubrey, Meredith, Dana, Caroll, Shirley, Shelby and so on. One of today's naming trends that I personally dislike is "boy names on girls" but I realize that this is not a new thing. Girls have been stealing names for decades! It is a wonder there are any legitimate boy names left! While there is nothing necessarily wrong with bending the gender rules, I think it only leads to confusion for children. Possible identity issues, and having to correct people who assume the wrong gender based on the written name, etc. I mean no disrespect to those of you who enjoy this phenomenon, but I personally like gender-specific names more than the gender-neutral names. That being said, I thought I would list some more modern examples of names that switched sides or can be considered a "gender-bender" in w

Today's Name of the Day is Larkin. It is Irish in origin and means "rough or fierce."  While "Lark" is a bird name that is generally used for a girl, "Larkin" is considered a masculine surname name. Just over 1900 boys have been named Larkin since 1880, which is an average of 15 baby boys every year. It has steadily been used, but it has never been popular. Even though it was technically in the Top 1000 in the late 1800's, very few boys were given the name.  The early data and ranks aren't comparable to today's data. For example, in 1880, Larkin was ranked at #454 with 16 boys carrying the name. In 2012, 20 boys were given the name Larkin and it ranked in at #4757. While the charts vary over the years, the amount of babies given this name is very steady. Starting in the 1970's, parents began regularly giving this name to baby girls. Just over 1000 girls have ever been named Larkin, or an average of 25 girls every yea