The Art of Naming

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 Henley Henry Holden Horatio Howard Huckleberry Hudson Hugh Hugo Humphrey Hunter Huxley

Are there any that you would remove? If so, what would you replace it with?

If you're determined to find the perfect name that begins with the letter G, you've come to the right place. There's no need to browse through every G name in existence when the best of the best are listed right here for you! Below are 25 great G names for girls and 25 for boys, too!

If you were to name all of your children with a G name, which names would you choose? Are there any G names that you like more than these that you wish made the cut? Which would you remove from the list? Share all of your thoughts in the comments below!

Gabrielle                 Gaia Gemma Genesis Geneva Genevieve Georgia Georgina Gertrude Ghislaine Giada Gianna Gillian Ginger Giovanna Giselle Giulia Gloria Grace Greer Gretchen Guinevere Gwen Gwendolyn Gwyneth

Gabriel Gage Gaius Gareth Garrett Garth Gary Gavin Gentry Geoffrey George Gerald Gerard Gianni Gideon Giovanni Gordon Graham Grant Gregory Greyson Griffin Grover Gulliver Gus

If G isn't your letter, perhaps you'd enjoy one of our previous articles. Be sure to click the back arrow below to view A-F. Or you can wait until the next article comes out and features the best H names!

<-- The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls |||  The Very Best H Names for Boys and Girls -->

The beautiful, feminine name Flora is brought to you today in light of our previous post that featured The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls.


As a name, Flora has been in use since the Renaissance era in France. Diminutives of the name include Flo, Floretta, Florrie and Floella. In Dutch, Flora is known as Floor or Floortje. The French call her Flore and Florette, Hungarians say Flóra while the Welsh use Fflur.

Flora could be used as a nickname for Florence but the two aren't actually related since they come from different roots. Another similar name is Fleur which is French for Flower; there's also Fleurette, a diminutive of Fleur.

Flora

It's no surprise that this lovely name comes from the Latin word flos meaning "flower".  Flora was the goddess of flowers and the season of spring according to Roman mythology. She was the wife of Favonius, who was the west wind and bringer of light spring and early summer breezes. This couple's Greek equivalent is Chloris and Zephyrus or Zephyr.

The goddess Flora had her own festival called Floralia that would take place from April 28th to May 3rd in celebration of the renewal of life during springtime. Flora achieved more prominence during the Renaissance era than she ever did in ancient Rome.

Flora has ranked recently at #404 in England/Wales, #178 in France and #29 in Hungary. In the US, Flora has been in constant use since 1880. She enjoyed a popularity peak from roughly 1913-1931 before usage declined. This name fell off the Top 1000 chart in 1972 and remains there today. It ranked down at #1513 in the year 2013 when 144 baby girls were given the name. The good news, though, is that this name fits the 100 Year Rule.

According to that rule, old-fashioned names become fresh again and experience a revival of usage roughly 90-110 years after their initial peak of popularity. In this case, Flora did its best in 1920 with 1,566 births. In the next 5 years leading up to 2020, Flora may just receive a small boost in usage. However, it could take another ten years or so to see a definite rise since this is just an approximate and theorized timeline. There is always a chance that it may not occur at all. Either way, Flora has the potential to rejoin the Top 1000 names chart.

What do you think of the name Flora?

If you're interested in this lovely, under-the-radar, vintage name, perhaps these sibling and middle name ideas would also be helpful:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ada, Caroline, Hazel, Leona, Olive, Sylvie, Viola
Brothers: August, Calvin, Ferdinand, Hugh, Julius, Milo, Rupert

Middle Name Ideas:
Flora Cecily
Flora Mae
Flora Lucille
Flora Vivienne

As a Middle Name:
Elizabeth Flora
June Flora
Penelope Flora
Serenity Flora

Know anyone with this name? Share your thoughts on the name Flora in the comments below!

Source | Source
Photo: Primavera- Flora, the goddess of flowers and the season of spring.
Artist: Sandro Botticelli. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence - circa 1482

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!

F:
Buffy, Effie, Ffion, Fflur, Raffaela, Saffron, Steffany, Tiffany

G:
Maggie, Meggan, Meggie, Peggy, Reggie

K:
Mikki, Nikki, Onekka, Rebekka, Rikki, Vikki

Today is the first day of spring and what is spring without flowers and sunshine? If you're expecting a baby girl this season, perhaps you are searching for the perfect name to fit the occasion.  Look no further than this list!

There are plenty of applicable nature names that would be beautiful on a spring-born baby girl. Here are some of the lovelier options:

Amaryllis
Azalea
Aya - "bird"
Beryl - A sea-green stone
Birdie
Blossom
Bluebell
Brooke
Calla
Chloe - "Green shoot"
Daffodil
Dahlia
Daisy
Dawn
Deborah - "bee"
Emerald
Fleur
Flora
Hyacinth
Iris
Ivy
Jade - A green stone
Lilac
Lily
Magnolia
Orchid
Peony
Peridot - A green stone
Petunia
Phyllida - "Green bough"
Poppy
Primrose
Rain
Robin
Rose
Spring
Sunny
Sunshine
Tulip
Violet

Here are other ideas relating to spring, newness, and Easter that would apply and make for less-obvious but still lovely springtime names:

Anastasia - "Resurrection" (Greek)
April / Avril - A spring month
Aurora - "Dawn" (Latin)
Aviva - "Spring" (Hebrew)
Florence - "Blooming, Flourishing" (Latin)
Gen - "Spring" (Japanese)
Laverna - "Born in the Spring" (Latin)
May / Mae - A spring month
Midori - "Green" (Japanese)
Nouvel - "New" (French)
Nova - "New" (Latin)
Primavera - "Spring" (Italian)
Verde - "Green" (Spanish)
Verna - "Springtime" (Latin)
Zelenka - "Green" (Czech)

Which of the above names do you like most? Would you use any? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Go ahead and put that baby name book down. Close all of your browser tabs, too. You don't need them anymore!

It's true, you've been hunting for a wonderful name starting with D to honor a few relatives whose names also begin with D, but you haven't found the right one yet. Look no further! This is your list!!

So you're expecting a baby soon. Congratulations! What name will you choose?

 If you're still a bit stumped in that regard, perhaps you'll enjoy this simplified list of ideas.

In this series of posts, I cut out a lot of the work for you. I'm saving you from hours of browsing through endless lists of thousands of baby names.

Here you'll find fifty of the best names that start with the letter C. That's 25 per gender and there's a little bit of something for everyone.

These mostly follow American ideals but they can also work abroad.

As a fan of C names, you'll surely find one that you love. Go on, take a look:

Cadence                        Caitlin Calista Calliope Camille Cara Caroline Cassandra Catherine Cecelia Celeste Celine Charlotte Cheyenne Christina Claire Claudia Clementine Colette Constance Cordelia Corinne Cosette Courtney Cynthia

Caesar Caius Caleb Calvin Cameron Carlton Casper Caspian Chandler Charles Chase Chester Christopher Cillian Clark Clayton Clint Collin Colton Connor Conrad Constantine Cooper Cosimo Cyrus

Isn't it nice to have the best of the best laid out before you? So, which one have you chosen?  If you're still not entirely sure, maybe C isn't the letter for you.  Remember, there are 25 other letters to explore and I'm covering all of them.

Today is President's Day in the US! In honor of this, it's time to take a look at the best (and worst) presidential first and last names. At the very bottom, there's also a list of all the names of the country's first ladies.

Whether you live in the US or not, surely you can appreciate the names on this list! Without discussing politics, share your thoughts in the comments about which baby name you like (or hate) the most. Would you ever use any of these? Have you already?

The following Presidential first names are most usable for a modern baby:

Abraham
Andrew
Benjamin
Franklin
George
Harry
James
John
Martin
Richard
Theodore
Thomas
William
Zachary

These first names aren't as common as the above, but they could still work on the right child:

Barack
Calvin
Chester
Dwight
Gerald
Grover
Herbert
Lyndon
Millard
Ronald
Rutherford
Ulysses
Warren
Woodrow

The following surnames are the most usable as a first name for a modern baby:

Arthur
Carter
Clinton
Ford
Grant
Harrison
Hayes
Jackson
Jefferson
Kennedy
Lincoln
Madison
McKinley
Monroe
Pierce
Reagan
Taylor
Truman
Tyler
Wilson

Names of First Ladies:

Abigail - (Adams, Fillmore)
Angelica - (van Buren)
Anna - (Harrison)
Barbara - (Bush)
Bess - (Elizabeth Truman)
Betty - (Elizabeth Ford)
Caroline - (Harrison)
Claudia - ("Lady Bird" Johnson)
Dolley - (Madison)
Edith - (Roosevelt, Wilson)
Eleanor - (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt)
Eliza - (Johnson)
Ellen - (Wilson)
Elizabeth - (Monroe, Truman, Ford)
Florence - (Harding)
Frances - (Cleveland)
Grace - (Coolidge)
Hannah - (van Buren)
Helen - (Taft)
Hillary - (Clinton)
Ida - (McKinley)
Jacqueline - (Kennedy)
Jane - (Pierce)
Julia - (Tyler, Grant)
Kennedy - (John Kennedy)
Laura - (Bush)
Letitia - (Tyler)
Lou - (Hoover)
Louisa - (Adams)
Lucretia - (Garfield)
Lucy - (Hayes)
Marie - (Marie "Mamie" Eisenhower)
Margaret - (Taylor)
Martha - (Washington, Jefferson)
Mary - (Lincoln, Arthur)
Michelle - (Obama)
Nancy - (Reagan)
Pat - (Thelma "Pat" Nixon)
Rachel - (Jackson)
Rosalynn - (Carter)
Sarah - (Polk)

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I chose to feature the lovely name Valentina today! What else would have been more appropriate?


This feminine name comes from the Roman Valentinus or Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Already this name has a great meaning! What about namesakes?

The masculine Valentine was a 3rd century saint and martyr whose feast day corresponded with a fertility festival, thus forever linking Valentine's day with love. A modern day bearer of the name Valentina is that of Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. You may know her as the first woman to ever visit outer space in 1963. There is also Valentina Cortese, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a few celebrity children with the name.

In the US, Valentina is doing very well in the popularity department. It first appeared on record in 1897 but it wasn't regularly used until about 1910. It wasn't until 1994 that it entered the Top 1000. Now in 2013, there were 2,542 girls named Valentina with a ranking of #129.

If you map out the popularity of this name based on the number of births per year, you'll see the line go straight up starting in the 1990s. Something tells me that this name will continue climbing upwards and could possibly join the US Top 100 soon.

This name has usage in Italian, Spanish, Russian, Romanian and more which means that it has ranked fairly well around the world in recent years including #4 in Chile, #11 in Austria, #40 in Spain, #202 in the Netherlands and #340 in England/Wales among others.

What do you think of this name? Would you use Valentina for a girl or do you like Valentine more? What about Valentino for a boy? What would you pair with it? Here are a few ideas regarding siblings for Valentina and some middle name options:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Anastasia, Camilla, Emmeline, Lucia, Milana, Sabrina, Tatiana
Brothers: Augustus, Benedict, Dominic, Maximilian, Roman, Sebastian, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Valentina Claire
Valentina Faye
Valentina Grace
Valentina Pearl

As a Middle Name:
Audrey Valentina
Hazel Valentina
Lily Valentina
Scarlett Valentina

Don't forget to vote for your favorite and share your thoughts in the comments below!

When you are in need of an amazing baby name, where do you look? A baby name book? A website with a database full of names? Your family tree? ...A phone book?  All of these options will provide great names, I'm sure, but they may also be a bit overwhelming in size.

A book can be a couple hundred pages long with a few thousand names in it. Baby name databases online could hold 100,000 names or more!  How are you ever supposed to track down the perfect name for your child?

The baby girls who were born in 1950 are now grandmothers. They will turn 65 this year! It is safe to say, though, that a lot of their first names may not be getting passed down to their grand-daughters at the same rate that grandpa's name is probably being given to the boys.

While the boys have some solid classics on their side --even their more dated options like Jerry are well-used today-- the girl names have not survived the test of time as well. Take a look at how the top girl names of 1950 rank then and now and see if you don't agree:

Girls:             Linda Mary Patricia Barbara Susan Nancy Deborah Sandra Carol Kathleen Sharon Karen Donna Brenda Margaret Diane Pamela Janet Shirley Carolyn Judith Janice Cynthia Elizabeth Judy

1950:     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

2013:                        643 121 680 838 844 689 814 766 1617 664 882 416 1340 634 181 1841 1189 1253 1336 791 996 1270 499 10 1450

How many baby girls do you know with these names? Notice how 8 of the above names from 1950 have completely fallen off the Top 1000 chart in 2013! The names that still made the cut mostly rank in the lower half of the chart except for Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Karen and Cynthia. Compare that to the Top 25 boy names of 1950 and you'll see that all of the boy names still ranked above 600. Why is it so different for girls? Fashions seem to change faster for girls than they do for boys making many of these girl names feel somewhat "dated" as a result.

Let's take a look at the rest of the Top 1000 from 1950 and see which of those may be back on the rise today. I went through the list and picked out one name per 100 names that are either fashionable again today or that I think deserve to be used more. If you'd like to play along too, head over to the SSA's website and pick out your Top 10 names from the 1950 chart and post them in the comment section below!

#57 - Alice
This happens to be my grandmother's middle name so I tend to like it.  It seems as though I'm not alone in that since it is on its way up the charts! It ranked very well from 1880 through the 1960s but declined a bit in usage after that. In the past 5 years or so, Alice has become fashionable again. It ranked at #107 in 2013 and I think it'll break back into the Top 100 soon.

#178 -  Clara
This lovely vintage choice was once a Top 20 name in the 1880s and 1890s. By the 1950s it was heading down the charts. It wasn't until the 2000s that parents began to find this name stylish again. Clara ranked at #131 in 2013. I think it'll continue to gain popularity in the near future!

#219 - Hazel 
This spunky, vintage name seems to be a new favorite lately. It ranked in the Top 100 for years in the distant past, but most recently, it has spent time outside the Top 1000, only returning in 1998.  Now in 2013, it's inching its way toward the Top 100 again with a ranking of #157. It seems posed to continue climbing higher and higher!

#342 - Eloise
This is another name that is making quite the splash! In just 6 years, this name has gone from ranking beyond the Top 1000 to reaching #338 in 2013. That's impressive since it hadn't been in the Top 1000 at all since 1965. This is one to keep an eye on!

#458 - Sadie
If you're familiar with chart movements, you might have heard that Sadie made quite the impressive leap this year. It ranked down at #458 in 1950 and fell out of the Top 1000 for a while in the 60s and 70s. In the past couple decades, though, Sadie has become a favorite. It jumped from #119 in 2012 to #50 in 2013. I think it could be headed for the Top 10 soon!

#547 - Mabel
This is a name that I'm excited to see used. It was very popular from the 1880s through the 1930s but began declining in usage. By 1950, it was down to #547. It dropped out of the Top 1000 in 1965 and stayed out until 2013! It now ranks at #707 and I'd be thrilled to see it gain even more popularity! It's one of my new favorites.

#659 - Leila
My great grandmother's name has always had decent usage but it has gradually declined over the years until the 2000s started and parents started to fall in love with it again. A lovely, vintage name that is now fashionable again, Leila ranked at #215 in 2013. I'd like to see it continue to inch its way up the chart!

#752 - Delilah 
This biblical moniker belonged to a woman who could be described as "a dangerous temptress" who caused Samson's downfall. Despite this, Delilah's popularity as a name has boomed lately! Having never been popular before, it has been experiencing quite a bit of usage since the mid-2000s. It has climbed its way up to #135 in 2013 and will probably keep going! Would you use it?

#823 - Adeline 
I can't help but love this name lately. Many parents seem to agree but they're using variants like Adelyn a little bit more. This sweet name did well around 1918 but quickly declined in usage. In 1950 it ranked down at #823. In the late 1990s, parents rediscovered it and it has climbed straight up the charts again. It has reached #232 in 2013 and will probably continue upward!

#910 - Margot
This is a name to watch! It has been around in the US since 1894 and it has never been popular but I think that could change soon. It might just be the latest undiscovered gem that everyone discovers at once. It hadn't been in the Top 1000 since 1966, but as of 2013, it has popped on the chart at #944. I imagine it will be making waves toward the top soon!

All of these names that I've highlighted here have the same vintage-but-fresh vibe going on. They're all old-fashioned names that have circled back around to being fashionable again! They belong to a similar "style" of names. Which of these names do you expect to be the next big thing first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Baby name websites have thousands of names in their databases. This can cause headaches for expecting parents to browse through.

How do you know which will be the perfect name for your little one? How can you sift through the unusual names from foreign cultures that you've never even heard of and don't know how to pronounce? After all, you just want a familiar, traditional name that will work well on a baby today.

The following list contains fifty of the best names that start with the letter A, twenty-five names per gender. The goal was to include something for nearly everyone.

Since I'm based in the US, these names lean more toward current American styles but I'm sure some of these work internationally too. Take a look and let me know which you like best:

Girls: Aaliyah                                    Abigail Adelaide Addison Adriana Ainsley Alana Alexandra Alice Alyssa Amara Amelia Anastasia Annabelle Anne Arabella Aria Ariel Athena Aubrey Audrey Aurora Autumn Ava Avery

Boys: Aaron Abel Achilles Adam Adrian Aiden Alan Alaric Alexander Alistair Amadeus Ambrose Amos Andrew Anthony Apollo Archer Arlo Arthur Asher Atlas Atticus August Austin Axel

Are there any names on the list that you don't think deserve to be on it? Or a name that's missing and should have a spot? If you had to remove one from each list, what would you replace it with?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

In the past, I wrote an article about Elizabeth and her consistent popularity since 1880: she has always ranked within the Top 30 as a first name.

As a middle name, she's also a popular choice because of how extremely well Elizabeth flows with most first names.

I listed four specific reasons why Elizabeth has remained so popular and works so well with other names. I also listed other 4 syllable names that might also work well as a middle name.

If none of those strike your fancy, you're sure to find a great selection in the following list of 4+ syllable girl names.

Which of these are your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Abilena           Abriana Abrianna Abriella Abryanna Acadia Acelina Adelaida Adelia Adelina Adelita Adriana Adrianna Aemilia Afrodite Agostina Agustina Albertina Alejandra Alejandrina Aleksandra Alessandra Alessia Alethea Aletheia Alexandra Alexandrea Alexandria Alexia Alexxia Alicia Alivia Aloisia Altagracia Amalia Amaranta Amarantha Amarilla Amelia Amelina America Analia Analilia Analina Anamaria Anastacia Anastasia Anastasija Anastassia Andromeda Angelia Angelica Angelina Angelita Anjelica Annabella Annalia Annaliese Annalina Annalisa Annamaria Annamarie Anneliese Annelise Antigone Antonella Antonia Antonieta Antonina Aphrodite Arabella Araceli Aracely Araminta Aranzazu Arcadia Arcelia Argelia Argentina Ariadne Ariana Arianna Ariela Ariella

Artemisa           Artemisia Aryana Aryanna Astoria Atalanta Aubriana Aubrianna Aubriella Audriana Aurelia Avelina Azalea Azalia Azaria Azucena Belladonna Bibiana California Calliope Calogera Camelia Candelaria Carmelita Carolina Cataleya Catalina Catarina Catharina Cecelia Cecilia Celestina Christabella Christiana Christiane Clementina Cleopatra Coralina Cordelia Corinthia Dayanara Delgadina Delphinia Deyanira Domenica Donatella Dorotea Dorothea Edelmira Eduwiges Ekaterina Eleanora Elenora Eleora Eliana Elidia Eliora Elisabeth Elizabella Elizabelle Elizabeth Eloisa Emelina Emilia Emiliana Emmalina Emmanuelle Enedelia Enedina Enriqueta Epiphany Erendira Ernestina Esmeralda Esperanza Estefana Estefani Estefania Estefany Estibaliz Eugenia Eulalia Eurydice Eusebia

Evangelina           Evangeline Evanthia Evelina Eyana Fabiana Fabiola Feliciana Felicidad Felicitas Felicity Filomena Florentina Floriana Frederica Gabriela Gabriella Galilea Gavriella Genoveva Geraldina Giuliana Gladiola Gloriana Graciana Graciela Gratiana Guadalupe Guillermina Henrietta Hermelinda Hermione Hilaria Honoria Ilaria Ileana Iliana Inocencia Iolanthe Iracema Irasema Isabela Isabella Isabelline Isadora Israella Izabella Jesenia Josalina Josefina Josephina Juliana Julianna Julieta Julietta Kalliope Kamaria Katarina Katerina Katiana Lavinia Leocadia Leonarda Leonora Leticia Liboria Liduvina Lieselotte Liliana Lilliana Lillyana Lilyana Liselotte Liviana Livianna Louisiana Luciana Madalena Maddalena Magdalena Magnolia Mahalia Marcelina Margarita

Margherita Mariamne Mariana Maricela Mariela Mariella Marietta Marinella Marisela Maryellen Maximina Mehitabel Meridian Miabella Milania Miroslava Monalisa Natalia Natalina Natividad Nicolasa Nicoletta Noelani Octavia Octaviana Olimpia Olivia Oliviana Olympia Orabela Orabella Oriana Orianna Panagiota Patricia Penelope Persephone Petronella Petronilla Philomena Rafaela Raffaela Raffaella Raphaela Refugio Rosabella Rosaleah Rosalia Rosalicia Rosalina Rosalinda Rosamaria Rosangelica Rosario Samaria Sanjuanita Serafina Seraphina Serenity Severina Shenandoah Tatiara Teresita Theodora Thomasina Urania Valencia Valentina Valeria Verenice Veronica Veronika Victoria Viridiana Viviana Vivianna Wilhelmina Xenobia Xiomara Yesenia Yessenia Ysabella Zenobia Zinovia

Whew! That's quite a list!  If you're looking for the complete opposite, short names, I can help with that! Here is a list of One-Syllable Girl Names and also Four Letter Girl Names.  Don't forget to check out last week's list of 4+ Syllable Boy Names too!

As one year winds down and another promises to begin, we are all given a sense of a clean slate. 2015 will bring about the feelings of a fresh start and many will have high hopes for the future in the form of resolutions. These similar feelings can also be experienced during pregnancy as we anticipate the arrival of a brand new, tiny person.

If you're expecting a child in January, you may feel inspired by the following New Year related baby names:

Girl:

Asha
Aurora
Beatrice
Dagny
Dawn
Esperanza
Eve
Garnet
Hope
January
Janvière
Makara
Mika
Nadia
Neoma
Newlyn
Neve
Nova
Novella
Oriana
Renee
Roxana
Taraja
Zara
Zora
Zorina

Boy:
Abraham
Anno
Asher
Aster
Davian
Felix
Finn
Gennaro
Navin
Neo
Newcomb
Newell
Newman
Orion
Paxton
Ridley
Thaddeus
Walid
Whittaker

Which of these do you like most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

It isn't officially winter yet, but the snow is already starting to fall in many places. There is something so magical about the white snow.

If you're a fan of sipping hot cocoa in front of the fire and gazing out the window as the snowflakes flutter down from the night sky, you may find yourself in love with this list of wintery baby girl names.

There's also plenty of holiday-related choices for you as well if you're expecting a winter or Christmas baby!  Which of these are your favorite?

Adair                                         Alaska Amaryllis Angelica Aspen Belle Berry Bianca Camellia Carol Christabel Christmas Chrysanthemum Clara Coco Crimson Crystal Dancer December Demi Dorothea Eira Eirwen Eliora Epiphany Estelle Eve February Finola Fire Freesia Frostine Gabrielle Garnet Holiday

Holly Hope Icelyn Imani Ivy January Jenara Josephine Joy Lucia Lumi Lux Mary Merry Marcissa Natalie Neva Neve Nevada Nia Noelle Noor Olwen Persephone Primrose Scarlett Seren Snow Snowflake Solstice Stella Valentina Virginia Winter Wren

Can you think of any other winter or holiday names that should be included on the list? Don't forget to check out last week's post regarding Winter Boy Names too!

Along with dozens of other names, Elsa comes from the name Elizabeth.  Of course, Elizabeth comes from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Elisheva. It means either "my God is an oath", "my God is abundance" or "pledged to God". Elizabeth has been extremely consistent in its popularity over the years, having always been in the Top 30 since 1880.


The lovely German Elsa is also very consistent in its popularity since 1880 in the US. Since the release of the wildly successful movie Disney's Frozen in November 2013 featuring a Queen Elsa, the baby name Elsa is expected to leap up the charts in 2014.  Before Frozen, Elsa originally gained popularity as a name among English speakers because of Wagner's romantic opera Lohengrin in 1848. Elsa was the name of the heroine in the opera.

I chose to feature Elsa as part of Scandinavian week because, while it is mostly used in Germany, it also has usage in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden and Norway. Even Iceland has love for it!

Here in the US, Queen Elsa is everywhere these days so if you love the name Elsa but want to avoid trends and popularity, perhaps you should consider Elsie or Elise instead. In 2013, there were 560 baby girls named Elsa for a ranking of #528. Right now it isn't ranked too high but I expect this name to break into the 300s, at least, in 2014.

What do you think? Do you know any babies named Elsa? If so, what are their siblings named? What middle name did they receive? Here are some ideas if you're in need:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabelle, Charlotte, Grace, Hallie, Johanna, Olivia, Tilly
Brothers: Axel, Charles, Erik, Henry, Matthias, Miles, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Elsa Corinne
Elsa Juliet
Elsa Margaret
Elsa Violet

As a Middle Name:
Dagny Elsa
Harper Elsa
Kiersten Elsa
Maren Elsa
Elsa is a bit difficult to put in the middle name spot and also achieve good flow from first to middle to last, so it'd probably fit best in the first name spot.  What names would you suggest to go with Elsa?

Recently, I was looking over the post I made last year regarding Colonial names. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd cover colonial names a bit more.

Colonial names are full of history and laced with virtues and biblical associations. Sometimes these names are even comprised of long phrases.

You probably won't see many boys named Comfort or girls named Modesty today, and something like The-Peace-of-God or Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith probably won't work well for official documents. This led me to wonder what the most usable, wearable names that were favored in early America might be.

With much thought, scrutiny and consideration, I narrowed it down to my top 5 boy names and top 5 girl names that date back to the colonial era but can still sound fresh and usable today.

Girls:


Middle Name Ideas: Charlotte Abigail, Charlotte Grace, Charlotte Louise, Charlotte Ruby

Eleanor
This name dates back to Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of King Louis VII of France in the 12th century. Eleanor became popular in England during the Middle Ages before it was carried to Colonial America. While there are plenty of diminutives and other similar forms of the name, Eleanor itself ranks at #106 in 2013 and has been climbing steadily. It may land in the Top 100 soon which means it is definitely very wearable.
Middle Name Ideas: Eleanor Alexis, Eleanor Juliet, Eleanor Rose, Eleanor Sophia


Middle Name Ideas: Hannah Catherine, Hannah Josephine, Hannah Lily, Hannah Violet

Lydia
Another biblical favorite, the Greek name Lydia actually refers to a region in Asia Minor called Lydia. Like Hannah, this name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. In the US, Lydia had small peaks of usage around 1916 and in the 1950s, but it is at its highest ranks today. With over 3200 baby girls given the name in 2013, it ranks at #96!
Middle Name Ideas: Lydia Annabelle, Lydia Harper, Lydia Madeline, Lydia Scarlett

Susanna
Susanna is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shoshannah. It is said that it means either Lily or Rose in Hebrew and possibly Lotus in Egyptian. Susanna was used in the Middle Ages and was common after the Protestant Reformation in Europe but mostly as Susan.  These days, neither Susanna nor Susannah rank within the US Top 1000.  Susanna ranked well until it fell out of the Top 1000 in 1998. Despite the low rank, Susanna is a lovely name that deserves more modern day usage.
Middle Name Ideas: Susanna Elise, Susanna Hazel, Susanna Ivy, Susanna Willow

Boys:


Middle Name Ideas: Amos Clark, Amos Joseph, Amos Michael, Amos William

Cyrus
This name has a long ancient history. It is possibly the Greek form of a Persian name meaning "far sighted" or "young" but it is also associated with another Greek name meaning "lord". Most notably, it was the name of several Persian kings, including Cyrus the Great of the Old Testament.  It was well-used by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation. In the modern US, Cyrus has been ranking in the #400-500 range for the past decade, ranking #436 in 2013. It is a cool, handsome choice that would work well on a boy today.
Middle Name Ideas: Cyrus Alexander, Cyrus James, Cyrus Oliver, Cyrus Quentin


Middle Name Ideas: Elias Frederick, Elias Henry, Elias Julian, Elias Nathaniel

Levi
Another name that popped up after the Reformation, Levi is a biblical favorite meaning "attached" in Hebrew. This name ranks fairly well in many countries including #2 in the Netherlands and #23 in New Zealand. In the US, Levi has been climbing straight up the charts! In 2013, it hit a record-high #50 with over 7,300 births. With biblical history and the flair of the coveted letter V, Levi is definitely wearable today.
Middle Name Ideas: Levi Anthony, Levi Emerson, Levi Jackson, Levi Warren

Silas