Phoebe

Today's featured girls' name, Phoebe, is brought to you by our previous article, The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls.

Phoebe was Latinized from the Greek name Phoibe (Φοιβη) which means "radiant or bright". It is pronounced FEE-bee. There was a Titan named Phoibe in Greek mythology who was associated with the moon. One of Saturn's moons is named Phoebe after this Titan whose granddaughter was the moon goddess Artemis. Occasionally, Phoebe is considered as a synonym for Artemis.

Biblically, the name Phoebe appears in the New Testament and refers to a female minister from Cenchrea, mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. Spelled Phebe, there was a shepherdess by this name in Shakespeare's As You Like It, published in 1623. The name Phoebe gained usage in England after the Protestant Reformation which ended in 1648.

In the US, the name Phoebe has been in use since records began in 1880. It has very slowly gained more and more usage. It has regularly ranked within the US Top 1000 chart since 1989.

The name Phoebe had its ups and downs through the 1990s and early 2000s so it's hard to tell whether the character from the popular TV show Friends had any affect on the usage of the name. It has generally been climbing the charts overall even before the  show first aired in 1994.

It is currently more popular than ever before with 1,086 female births in the year 2014 and a rank of #298. It will probably continue slowly inching up the charts.

If you are considering this baby name, take a look at the following ideas for sibling names and middle names for Phoebe.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Eleanor, Georgia, Hazel, Lydia, Rowena, Willa
Brothers: Adrian, Cyrus, Jonas, Lucian, Maxwell, Thomas, Weston

Middle Name Ideas:
Phoebe Amelia
Phoebe Isobel
Phoebe Madeline
Phoebe Sophia
Phoebe Violet

As a Middle Name:
Annalise Phoebe
Cordelia Phoebe
Ella Phoebe
Octavia Phoebe
Sabrina Phoebe

What would you pair with Phoebe? Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below! 

Luna

Taken straight from our list of The Very Best L Names for Boys and Girls is the lovely name Luna.

While Luna is usually listed as either Italian, Spanish or both, it originates as a Latin name meaning "the moon". According to the ancient Roman mythology, the goddess Luna was considered the divine embodiment of the moon and was often portrayed as driving a white chariot through the sky. Her Greek counterpart is the goddess Selene.

As a baby name in the US, Luna dates back to the start of our modern records in the year 1880. Luna has been used on and off over the years, encountering a bit of a dry spell in the mid-60s. It was never popular until recently when it joined the Top 1000 names in 2003. It has been steadily rising on the popularity chart since then. 2,314 baby girls were given the name in 2014 for a ranking of #143. At this rate, it should continue to rise in popularity.

Luna is short and sweet. It carries beautiful imagery with it as it evokes peaceful vibes synonymous with the night sky. It works very well on Spanish and Italian girls but it is popular enough now to work on anyone without raising eyebrows.

Since it is relatively short, it best pairs with a longer-looking middle name, even if they might have the same amount of syllables. For more ideas of how to pair this name, view my suggestions for potential sibling names and middle names below:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurora, Cara, Maia, Molly, Sadie, Stella, Violet
Brothers: Asher, Damian, Jack, Marius, Paul, Ruben, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Luna Charlotte
Luna Delphine
Luna Mirabelle
Luna Penelope
Luna Tamsin

As a Middle Name:
Abigail Luna
Eleanor Luna
Marjorie Luna
Persephone Luna
Rafaela Luna

What do you think of the names I suggested? What would you pair with Luna? My favorite guilty pleasure pairing is Luna Sapphire for the image of a big blue moon.

Juno

While everyone will have differing opinions about which are The Very Best J Names for Boys and Girls, I'm sure many can agree that Juno is an interesting and unique choice!

The feminine name Juno is very mythological. The ancient Roman goddess was a daughter of Saturn, the wife (and sister!) of the Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth and often looked after the women of Rome. Juno was also the Queen of the Gods, known as "Regina" which means Queen. Her Greek equivalent is the goddess Hera.

The meaning of the name Juno is generally thought to be unknown but some speculate that it is related to an Indo-European root word that means "youth".  Juno is a variation of the Roman name Iuno. Other related names are Iunius, Junius, Iunia, and Junia.

As a name, Juno isn't very used in the US. It randomly charted way back in 1919 with 6 births and it wasn't heard from again until 1996.

This name really wasn't on anyone's radar until the popular Indie film Juno came out in 2007. There were only 7 girls with this name in 2006, but because of the film, 11 girls were given the name Juno in 2007 and 33 in 2008.

It has continued to slowly inch up the charts after that with a peak of 61 births in 2011. As of 2014, though, the name Juno has declined a bit to only 49 births for the year.

Interestingly, this name is also being used for boys despite the strong association with the goddess. It actually had more births in 2007 for a boy than for a girl but it didn't get a usage boost after that. It wasn't given to boys at all in 2010 but the year 2014 had 15 boys named Juno.

While I've seen this name get thrown around the baby naming community quite a bit, it has yet to catch on with mainstream America. However, that's probably a good thing because Juno can continue to remain a rare gem for the time being. If you are interested in using this unranked and unusual name, your child will be one of a kind in their school.

Here are some ideas for sibling names and middle names for Juno:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurora, Diana, Iris, Maren, Portia, Viola
Brothers: Antony, Damon, Fabian, Lucian, Marcus, Theon

Middle Name Ideas:
Juno Cecily
Juno Cordelia
Juno Eleanor
Juno Harper
Juno Violet

As a Middle Name:
Amelia Juno
Evelyn Juno
Liliana Juno
Michaela Juno
Victoria Juno

What do you think of Juno as a name? Would you use it for a boy? What middle name would you pair with it? Share your thoughts in the comments! 

Photo credit: "Juno sospita pushkin" by shakko - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Flora

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

Bridget

Original post: 2/6/15
Revision: 5/14/17

The latest article featuring The Very Best B Names for Boys and Girls had such a great collection that it was difficult to choose just one. In the end, today's featured name is Bridget.

Anglicized from the Irish name Brighid, Bridget means "exalted one".  It has also been suggested that Brighid could be derived from the Irish brigh meaning "strength".

Other spellings include Brigid, Bridgette, Brigit, and Bedelia. Variations in other languages include the Danish Britta, the Dutch Brigitta, the Finnish Riitta, the French Brigitte, the Italian Brigida, the Manx Breeshey, the Polish Brygida, and the Welsh Ffraid among many others.  Were you aware that Bridget was so internationally used?

In Irish mythology, there was a goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom named Bridget or Brigid. It was also the name of Saint Brigid in the 5th century, a patron saint of Ireland.  This saint was so esteemed in Ireland that the name was viewed as sacred and was not used for children. It wasn't until the 17th century that it gained usage, and when it did, it was insanely popular, so much so that its short form Biddy became the generic name for an Irish any-woman. The Scandinavian version Birgitta became common because of the 14th century saint of Sweden by that name.

These days in America, Bridget has been in constant use since before 1880. It began gaining an increase in usage in the late 1940s and climbed even higher up the charts in the 1960s. Bridget peaked in 1973 when the name was given to 2,763 baby girls for a ranking of #112.

Since then, the name has declined in popularity. Bridget ranked at #523 in 2013 with only 564 births for the year. This isn't a bad thing though. If you love the name Bridget, you'll be glad to know that it is growing more and more unique every year and that your daughter would be less likely to have another girl with the same name in her class.

Revision: As of 2016, Bridget ranks at #594 for a total of 506 births.  That is a decrease from the previously mentioned statistics above.

Bridget is a spunky and cute name for a modern girl. Since it is less popular and was never truly overly used in a past decade, it isn't considered "dated". It would still be lovely and refreshing to hear it on the playground today.

Nicknames could include Bee, Biddy, Britt, Bridie, Bridey, Jet, Jetty, Bridgie, Birdie or Bree.  What would you name a sibling for Bridget? Or what middle name would you give her? Here are some ideas for you if you're considering this name:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Claire, Erin, Jessica, Katherine, Megan, Molly, Sarah, Vanessa
Brothers: Brendan, Christopher, Daniel, Jacob, Kevin, Michael, Patrick, Shawn

Middle Name Ideas:
Bridget Alaina
Bridget Genevieve
Bridget Juliana
Bridget Maeve
Bridget McKenzie
Bridget Riley

As a Middle Name:
Amelia Bridget
Caitlyn Bridget
Emma Bridget
Isla Bridget
Lillian Bridget
Shayla Bridget

What do you think of the name Bridget? Or do you prefer a different spelling or variation? Don't forget to vote for one below!

Which variation is your favorite?

Bridget

Bridgette

Brigid

Brigitte

Brigida

Birgitta

Britta

Aurora

The feminine name Aurora is the Latin word for "dawn" so naturally Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). It is said that she would renew herself in the morning and fly across the sky to announce the rising of the sun.  In Astronomy, the northern lights are also known as the Aurora Borealis. It is a natural light display in the sky mostly seen in high latitudes.  They named this celestial phenomenon after the goddess.

Beyond astronomy and mythology, though, Aurora has one of the longest Wikipedia pages that I've ever seen for a name. Aurora has so many associations across a variety of subjects like colleges, all sorts of entertainment from films to novels to song titles, fictional characters like the Disney princess from Sleeping Beauty, geographical locations all around the world, sports and forms of transportation. If you're considering this name for a daughter, I would recommend browsing through this list of namesakes.

As a baby name, Aurora is definitely gaining popularity. Parents find the appeal of a goddess and a princess to be the most attractive and of course the beautiful northern lights come into play as well. This name has an elegance about it unlike any other name. Radiance and sunlight and morning dew come to mind which can all feel romantic, mystical and poetic. However, if your little princess turns out to be more of a tom-boy, the spunky nickname Rory definitely has that covered which makes this name feel rather versatile for modern parents.

Aurora has been in use since the Renaissance. It has been around within the US since records began in 1880. It received a brief popularity bump from about 1920 to the mid-1930s which resulted in a high-rank of #349 in 1929. Since then, the name remained in the lower half of the Top 1000. By the year 2000, Aurora climbed past the #500s for the first time in 50 years! In 2006, the number of births per year hit the 1,000 mark for the first time. And 2012 saw 1,890 births for a record-high ranking of #166. I predict this name to continue climbing and eventually be a staple of the Top 100.

Revision:  My prediction was accurate. Aurora continued to climb and, as of 2016, ranks at #66! That is 3,963 births for the year. I think she still has a bit more room to grow, too! What do you think?

There's also the French version Aurore but it is nearly nonexistent in the US with less than 20 births since the 1940s. It did have a bit of usage from 1884-1938 though. I think this would be adorable as a middle name to a long, elegant first name.

What do you think of the name Aurora? Would you use it? If you have, what middle names and sibling names do you think best fit with it? Here are some ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Cecilia, Iris, Minerva, Scarlett, Valentina
Brothers: Atticus, Conrad, Julian, Leander, Miles, Tristan

Middle Name Ideas:
Aurora Charis
Aurora Ivy
Aurora Katherine
Aurora Sable

As a Middle Name:
Daphne Aurora
Lily Aurora
Madeline Aurora
Xanthe Aurora

Throw some more ideas at me!

Original Post: 2/21/14
Revision: 5/14/17

Mythological Names for Girls

The thing about mythological names is that they are flush full of history. Whether past namesakes were a part of a tragedy or a utopian rulership, these names are bound to offer an abundance of strength. This list mostly contains Greek and Roman deities and legends, but there are mythological figures from various other origins as well.

These names may have a beauty and a unique freshness to them in today's society but be sure to research these names before committing to one. Make sure that you like the namesake!  Let me know which of these names you like the most! Would you ever consider using it?

Acantha Althea Andromeda           Antheia Aphrodite Ariadne Artemis Astra Atalanta Athena Aurora Brigid Brunhild Calliope Calypso Camilla Cassandra Cerelia Ceres Chandra Clio Cybele Cynthia Daphne Delia Demeter Diana Echo Enid Eos Etain

Fauna Flora Fortuna Freya Gaia Grainne Halcyon Hebe Hera Hermione           Hero Hestia Ianthe Indira Irene Iris Isis Isolde Jana Jaya Juno Kora Lakshmi Leda Lilith Lorelei Lucina Luna Lyssa Maeve Maia

Melea Minerva Morgan Neith Nephele Nessa Niamh Nike Niobe Nyx Padma Pallas Pandora Pax Penelope Persephone Phaedra Phoebe Phyllis Priya Rhea Selene Signy Tanith Tara Thalassa Uma Venus Vesta Xanthe Ziva

Don't miss the list of Mythological Boy Names too!

Don't forget to check out this fabulous, longer list of mythological names courtesy of Behind the Name. Here are my Top 5 favorites from the above list. I'll list them with potential sibling and middle name ideas just in case you also love these names too!

1. Athena

Sisters: Ariadne, Aurora, Evadne, Helena, Lydia, Penelope
Brothers: Ambrose, Apollo, Damian, Lysander, Orion, Philip

Middle Name Ideas:
Athena Catherine
Athena Hyacinth
Athena Persephone
Athena Sybil

As a Middle Name:
Cleo Athena
Daphne Athena
Iris Athena
Phoebe Athena

2. Diana

Sisters: Celeste, Flora, Jane, Margaret, Sophia, Victoria
Brothers: Andrew, Elliot, Henry, Michael, Thomas, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Diana Christine
Diana Hermione
Diana Katherine
Diana Simone

As a Middle Name:
Chloe Diana
Ivy Diana
Lucy Diana
Selene Diana

3. Iris

Sisters:  Audrey, Cassia, Hazel, June, Ophelia, Violet
Brothers: Atlas, Everett, Jason, Nicholas, Oliver, Wyatt

Middle Name Ideas:
Iris Cassandra
Iris Evangeline
Iris Matilda
Iris Victoria

As a Middle Name:
Althea Iris
Calista Iris
Eugenia Iris
Phillipa Iris

4. Minerva

Sisters: Andromeda, Cordelia, Isolde, Luna, Octavia, Rowena
Brothers: Auberon, Evander, Inigo, Leander, Matthias, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Minerva Amaryllis
Minerva Calliope
Minerva Eloise
Minerva Sybil

As a Middle Name:
Catherine Minerva
Eleni Minerva
Helen Minerva
Thisbe Minerva

5. Xanthe

Sisters: Agatha, Charis, Eleni, Lotus, Phoebe, Thalia
Brothers: Achilles, Damon, Erasmus, Hector, Linus, Plato

Middle Name Ideas:
Xanthe Acacia
Xanthe Corinna
Xanthe Eulalia
Xanthe Odessa

As a Middle Name:
Alyssa Xanthe
Calla Xanthe
Elena Xanthe
Isadora Xanthe

Freya

The Girl's Name of the Week also comes from my Australian research. The name is currently ranked at #130 in Australia and gaining popularity! The lovely name is Freya.

Freya is a Nordic name meaning "a noble woman". The Norse goddess of love, beauty and fertility was named Freya.  However, this is not the usual spelling in Sweden and Denmark. In those countries, it is spelled Freja and in Norway it is Frøja, but Freya is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English.

This moniker has been rather popular in the UK for quite a while! It ranks at #16 in Scotland, #19 in England and Wales, #53 in Northern Ireland and #61 in the Republic of Ireland. In Victoria, Australia, Freya is currently ranked at #130.

As for the United States, this name was first seen in 1931 on 5 baby girls.  It wasn't until 1939 that it saw more regular usage, however many years had single digit births or none at all. Finally in 2007 the name hit the triple digit mark with 109 babies born. Freya's high-peak was 205 births in 2011 for a ranking of #1175. Last year, the name declined slightly with 180 births and a ranking of #1301.

Clearly the States have not caught on to the beauty of this name like the UK and Australia have. While I would like to see it gain a bit more popularity, I do like to keep some names obscure as well. I feel like this name is in the sweet-spot between obscurity and familiarity.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Astrid, Carys, Dagny, Elsa, Imogen, Ingrid, Jeneve, Kirsi, Maren, Sigrid, Thora
Brothers: Axel, Connor, Eric, Gunnar, Harry, Jacob, Knute, Leif, Ragnar, Soren, Thurston

Middle Name Ideas:
Freya Josephine
Freya Elise
Freya Scarlett
Freya Brigit
Freya Dagmar
Freya Elin
Freya Hanne
Freya Maren

As a Middle Name:
Halle Freya
Kiersten Freya
Signe Freya
Catherine Freya
Annabelle Freya
Natalie Freya

What do you think of this lovely name and what would you pair with it? Let me know!

Fan-Chosen Girl Name of the Week: Eir

Our "Fan of the Week" Kiira chose a super cool girl's name straight out of Norse Mythology. Love it! The name is Eir.

Eir was a Norse goddess of healing and medicine. The name means "mercy" or "protection, help" in Old Norse. If you're wondering how it is pronounced, you can listen to it here.  To my ear, this Icelandic pronunciation almost sounds like "ayvf."  I've also heard it said sort of like "air" on a character in the video game "Guild Wars 2," Eir Stegalkin.

No matter how you may pronounce it, this name is rare. And I mean RARE. Upon researching the number of births that Eir has had in the US, well, the results came back "No matches were found."

Aha! Nobody in the States has ever used this name. Well, at least not the minimum requisite of 5 babies per year in order to be recorded.

Despite these statistics, there's actually quite a bit of information on the name on Wikipedia, which mentions poetry and prose. Read it if you'd like!

What about the popularity of the name in other countries? The earliest this name has been traced back to is 1917 in Norway.  The most recent information I could find on the number of births per year with the name Eir was in 2009 and it goes like this:

Norway: 80 females as a first name
Norway: 130 females if counting both the first and middle names.
Sweden: 7 females as a first name
Sweden: 30 females, including middle names.
Sweden: 3 males had it as a middle name.
Denmark: 5 female first names
Finland: 5 female and 5 male middle names.

In Finland, records show that there have been less than 25 males and less than 25 females who have ever had the name since 1899. Interesting!

Eir is definitely a rare name all around. While I love the idea of it, I'm pretty sure it won't work very well on a modern American child, but only because of pronunciation issues. It is definitely cool and unique otherwise.

However, another form of Eir that is potentially used in Norway and Sweden is Eira. You can hear the pronunciation of it here. It is a little easier to say and I think its slightly prettier because of the fashionable -a ending. It sounds like "eye-ir-ah" to me but with some rolling of the sounds that I'm not sure how to describe in written word. Just go listen to it! :)

What do you think of this "buried treasure" of a name? Do you have any guilty pleasure names that you totally love but will probably never use? I think Eir is on my list now.

Thanks again, Kiira!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aoife, Axelia,  Catriona, Dahlia, Dagmar, Elin, Freya, Hanne, Karena, Linnea, Maren, Ottilia, Sigrid, Sorena

Brothers: Alder, Auren, Connall, Dyre, Gael, Hans, Johannes, Knute, Leif, Nils, Ragnar, Sorren, Thane, Viggo

Name of the Day: Isadora

Today's Name of the Day sounds like it should be popular but it actually is not.  For those parents who love the name Isabella but hate its popularity, have you ever considered the name Isadora?

This name has always been around but it hasn't been on the Top 1000 chart since 1900 when it ranked in at #992.  The highest rank Isadora has ever received is #654 in 1882, however that only accounted for a total of 9 births.

Last year, 2012, there were 148 little Isadora's born. The name just fell shy of ranking, coming in at #1497 which is the highest it has ranked since 1915.  In fact, Isadora wasn't used at all from 1958-1968.

Source

So why does this name hardly get any attention when cousin-name Isabella is mega-popular? Perhaps parents just prefer the "Bella" nickname to that of a possible little "Dora." Or perhaps pop-culture influence really is strong, (i.e. Bella Swan vs Dora the Explorer.) Putting that aside, Isadora is a beautiful and unique name that sounds like it should be popular even though it isn't. (Win/Win?)

But, like Isabella who didn't rank at all on the Top 1000 chart from 1948-1990, Isadora has major potential to become something huge if parents are interested in "different but familiar." Isadora is Latin, meaning "gift of Isis" and has international appeal. It has been used in many languages such as Serbian, Macedonian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, English and Ancient Greek.

Isis was the Egyptian goddess of fertility and birth. The rest of the name comes from the Greek word δωρον (doron) meaning "gift." Male counterpart Isidore was historically popular with Jews who used it as an Americanized version of names like Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).

With more and more babies being named Isadora, do you think it will gain popularity? Would you use it as an alternative to Isabella? And do you like possible nicknames Issy, Isa or Dora?

Let me know the answers to these burning questions!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Arabella, Calliope, Delphina, Evangeline, Junia, Magnolia, Seraphina
Brothers: Amadeus, Benjamin, Felix, Jasper, Leopold, Phillip, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Isadora Violet
Isadora Claire
Isadora Ruth
Isadora Colette
Isadora Jane

As a Middle Name:
Katherine Isadora
Maeve Isadora
Sloane Isadora
Lark Isadora
Hadley Isadora

Name of the Day: Calliope

Today's featured name is a lovely and truly rare gem in the US: Calliope (Cuh-LIE-oh-pee). The nickname Callie is adorable for this big, strong name.  The meaning of this name is "Beautiful Voice."

Straight out of the Greek Myths, Calliope was the name of one of the nine muses, inspiring epic poetry.

Since this name is so bold and creative, it would be recommended for artistic parents who enjoy literature, poetry and music. Hopefully your daughter will also enjoy these things and be able to live up to the image that this name portrays, namely, a beautiful artistic muse.

In the real world, there is an American actress who wears the name, Calliope "Callie" Thorne.  In the TV world, there's a Dr. Calliope "Callie" Torres on Grey's Anatomy.

The original form of this name is actually spelled Kalliope. The meaning "Beautiful Voice" comes directly from the root of the name:  from Greek καλλος (kallos) "beauty" and οψ (ops) "voice".

This name is a unique and lovely find! Calliope has never ranked on the US Top 1000 chart at any time between 1880-2013, so your daughter would truly be one of a kind in her school! Although, I have seen the name tossed around baby name forums more and more frequently and the name is on a very slight increase.

In 2000, there were only 9 girls named Calliope in the US. By 2013, the number has climbed to 186 births, ranking the name at a record-high #1264. It is gaining a bit more usage every year, but don't expect it to become "popular" anytime soon.  If you're looking for an unusual, rarely-used name, Calliope is still a safe bet for the time being.

What do you think of the name Calliope? If you're interested, here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Beatrix, Demetra, Helena,  Isadora, Sybil
Brothers: Christopher, Damian, Hadrian, Leander, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Calliope Reese
Calliope Eve
Calliope Jane
Calliope Harper
Calliope Grace

As a Middle Name:
Aria Calliope
June Calliope
Mia Calliope
Wren Calliope

Would you consider using it for your child? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

First published: 6/2/13
Revised: 12/25/14