The Art of Naming

Are you expecting a baby girl soon? Congratulations! Have you found a name yet? If not, here are three lovely choices that you could consider: Nora, Sophie and Tabitha. I have paired each of these names with several middle names for ideas, just in case you're stumped. The middle names vary in popularity and style, but all flow nicely with the first names. Nora can be a short form of either Honora or Eleanor , and related names. Honora comes from the Latin Honorious meaning "honour".  Eleanor comes from the Old French form of the Occitan name Aliénor , related to the name Aenor . Nora herself dates back to 1880 in the US on record, and has been used well. She had a boosted run from 1914 to 1930, and again from 1947 to 1964. Recently, Nora has increased in popularity in 2004, entering the Top 100 in 2013. Today, Nora ranks at #28. Nora Louise Nora Caroline Nora Jeanne Nora Brienne Nora May Nora Willow Nora Payton Nora Elise Nora Gabrielle Nora Katherine N

Sometimes parents are attracted to more unusual names but they don't wish for it to be the first name that their child goes by on a daily basis. Here are three common first names for boys that have been paired with more unusual choices in the middle name spot. This way, you can have some familiarity with your uniqueness and the child can choose which one suits them better. Nolan is derived from an Irish surname  Ó Nualláin  meaning "descendant of Nuallán", which itself came from  nuall  meaning "noble, famous". Nolan dates back on record to the 1880s, but held steady for decades at a similar popularity. It started increasing in the 1990s, and entered the Top 100 in 2011. As of 2017, it ranked at #67. Nolan Maverick Nolan Marvel Nolan Colbalt Nolan Escher Nolan Ramsey Nolan Hawthorn Nolan Cordovan Nolan Sterling Nolan Quade Nolan Bingham Nolan Thackeray Nolan Wiley Nolan Lysander Nolan Huckleberry Nolan Peregrine Theodore  means "

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

March 27th is considered National Joe Day! From a "cup of Joe", to Sloppy Joes to the Average Joe; from Joe DiMaggio, to Joe Jonas, to Joe Biden, there are a ton of Joes to celebrate! So today we will take a closer look at Joseph, Josephine, Joe and other similar names. According to Behind the Name , Joseph comes from From Ioseph , the Latin form of the Greek Ιωσηφ ( Ioseph ), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף ( Yosef ) meaning "he will add". Since it his Hebrew in origin, of course it is a biblical name. In the Old Testament, Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel. Joseph is one of those names that translate well across a variety of languages and cultures around the world: Yousef, Youssef, Yusef, Yusuf (Arabic) Youcef (Arabic (Maghrebi)) Hovsep (Armenian) Yusif (Azerbaijani) Joseba (Basque) Ioseph, Ioses (Biblical Greek) Yosef (Biblical Hebrew) Ioseph (Biblical Latin) Jusuf (Bosnian) Yosif (Bulgarian) Josep (Catalan) Ghjaseppu (Co

Are you looking for something slightly different than the norm? Just a little unusual with a touch of classic? Familiar but not weird? Here are some great name ideas for you! Some are more unusual than others, and there is a variety of styles here. Feel free to mix and match or suggest even more great names in the comments! Silas Merrill Truett James Beau Jameson Watson Lucas Ellison Burke Huxley Wyatt Brom Harrison Maxwell Ranger Eli Bennington Harley Reid Fletcher Henry Graham Bennett Merritt Ross Tilden Sumner Hayden Gabriel Zayne Upton Thorne Elijah Jasper Emmett Colton Lemuel Bridger James Branson Reid Archer Daniel Kingston Jack Lincoln Bradley Zane Percival Drake Richmond Thane Oliver Emery York Ryder Ellis Flynn Arrow Nolan Reid Greyson Tobias Landon Monroe Harley Roarke Rollin Foster Griffin Lark Sawyer Quill Emerson Gray Duncan Reid Rafe Archer Blaine Upton Phoenix Rourke Victor Armand Eleazar Forrest Viggo Henrik Milo Konrad

Today we will take a look at one of the interesting boy names from our list of " Baby Names Ending With The Letters -ry ".   Destry is the English form of Destrier, a French surname derived from the Anglo-Norman word destrer meaning "warhorse".  The destrier is the best-known war horse of the medieval era. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. Sources of its time called it the "Great Horse" due to its significance. In 1930, "Destry Rides Again" was published by Max Brand. This western novel introduced the name Destry to America, and brought forth films in 1939 and 1954, and a short-lived TV series in 1964.  Interestingly, according to Social Security records in the US, the name Destry was not in use until 1955, the year after that second movie was released. This name's most popular year coincided with that brief TV series in 1964 when 149 boys (and 5 girls) were named Destry. You could label this year as D

The baby name Dagny is our featured name, taken from our list of names ending with the letters "-ny". Dagny is an Old Norse name for females. It comes from Dagný, which was derived from the elements dagr meaning "day" and ný meaning "new". If you ask me, "new day" is an adorable meaning, and it would be especially sentimental on a rainbow baby. It is often used in Scandinavian countries, including Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.  Another form includes the Latvian Dagnija. This name first appeared on record in the US in 1893. It has never had significant popularity and it has never been commonly used. If you're looking for a truly rare name, Dagny is a safe bet.  The most births in a single year that were earned by Dagny is 80 in 2013, which is its highest popularity peak on record. There were only 37 girls named Dagny in 2016. This name has never ranked within the Top 1000 in the US. It did rank in Iceland in 2007 at #75. It

We took a look at all the names ending with the letters -my in the previous post. Today we'll pull one of those from the list and get to know it better. I chose Jeremy,  which may feel a bit dated to many of you but it still deserves usage today. Jeremy comes from the name Jeremiah, it is the Medieval English version of it. Jeremiah comes from the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ ( Yirmiyahu ) meaning "YAHWEH has uplifted". Jeremy was occasionally the form used in England in place of Jeremiah since the 13th century. It wasn't until the Protestant Reformation that Jeremiah gained more common usage. Interesting related diminutives include Jez, Jezza, Jem, Jemmy, Jere and Jerry .  Other languages and cultures offer interesting choices such as the Finnish Jorma, Jarkko, and Jarmo; or the Biblical Greek Ieremias , the Biblical Hebrew Yirmiyahu , and the Biblical Latin Hieremias .  The French favor Jérémie and the Spanish use Jeremías . Jeremy itself works internationall

This name is a fast-rising modern Greek name for girls. It was featured in this week's list of gorgeous Greek names and we will learn more about it here. The usage of the name Penelope dates back to Homers Odyssey. In the story, she was the wife of Odysseus who had to stand strong against suitors while he was in Troy. As far as the origin and meaning go, it was possibly derived from the Greek  πηνελοψ ( penelops ) which refers to a kind of duck. However, it is also possible that Penelope is taken from  πηνη ( pene ) which means "threads" and  ωψ (ops) which means "face" or "eye". With those combined, Penelope is sometimes listed as meaning "weaver". As a name in America, Penelope has been in use since records began in 1880 but it wasn't steadily used until 1909. It ranked well from 1935-1975, but left the Top 1000 until 2001. It was majorly trending upward from then on, hitting the Top 100 in 2013. As of 2015, it ranks as the 34

One of my favorite Greek names is Damian, which comes from the Greek name Δαμιανος ( Damianos ).  This name was listed on the Great Greek Names for Modern Boys list posted earlier this week. Damian is ultimately derived from the  Greek δαμαζω ( damazo ) meaning "to tame".  There was a saint by this name from the 4th century who was martyred with his twin brother Cosmo in Syria. There was also an 11th-century saint named Peter Damian who was a cardinal and theologian from Italy. In the US, Damian was first used on boys in 1912. It also gained a minimal amount of use for girls in 1968. For boys, this name gained momentum in the 1970s, peaking in 1977 before dipping a bit again. By the 1990s, it began an upward trajectory of usage. It actually cracked the Top 100 in 2012-2013 at #98 both years. Even though it has dropped again to #116 in 2015, Damian is a solid name with great usage. There's also a few spelling variations associated with different languages and cu

Congratulations on the little girl you're expecting in the near to distant future!  I couldn't be happier for you!  Not pregnant? No problem. If you're looking for an unusual name for a book character, pet, or simulated video game character, I'm happy that you've also stumbled across this page. Below are ten interesting names that have either had their heyday in your grandparents era, or have never quite taken off.  Either way, these names deserve consideration if you're into the uncommon. Go on, browse a bit, then be sure to check out the other six parts of this series  for even more ideas! Damaris (161 births - #1,428) Damaris was a woman in the New Testament who was converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. It is a Greek name from the word δαμαλις ( damalis ) which possibly means "calf, heifer, girl". The meaning is a little unusual but the biblical association makes up for it. Damaris has been used for girls in the US since 1916. It also ga

Ahhh! Part Seven! Here we are! The series just keeps chugging along with another 10 boy names to choose from! These barely-used names do not rank within 2015's Top 1000 chart. Take a look at the names on this list, pick your favorite(s) and pair them with a great middle name in the comment section below! Cordell (129 births - #1342) Cordell is an interesting surname name taken from Middle English usage referring to the maker or seller of cord. Cordell actually first appeared in 1903 for females, and 1904 for males. However, over the years, it gained more traction for boys, despite being given to a handful of girls here and there until 1937. For boys, Cordell has ranked on and off in the Top 1000, doing the best in the late 1990s.  Now it has fallen off the charts again but still earns a decent amount of births per year. Is this a name that you'd consider? Middle Name Ideas:  Cordell William, Cordell Elijah, Cordell Frost, Cordell Thomas, Cordell Ryan, Cordell Sebastian, C

This featured name is pulled from the list of names that end with the letters "-ly". This list is one of the longest ones in this series so far. It was full of great options, but I decided to highlight Molly. Not many people will realize that Molly comes from the name Mary. It developed as a diminutive based on Malle and Molle over time. Polly is in the same boat. Now, Mary ultimately comes from the Greek Mariam and Maria , which were from the Hebrew Miryam . The meaning of Mary has never been absolutely certain, but meanings such as "sea of bitterness," "rebelliousness," and "wished for child" have been thrown about as possibilities. It's also likely that Mary was originally an Egyptian name derived from mry meaning "beloved". So by association, Molly and all of Mary's other forms, variants and translations, mean the same thing. In the US, Molly has always fared well as a stand-alone name. Since 1880, it has

This name comes from our list of names ending with the letters "-ky". If you saw that article, you know that this is a very limited club of names, but there are definitely some cool choices. One of the coolest options from the list is Rocky. Rocky is given as a full name, but it is also treated as more of a nickname. It could be considered a diminutive of the name Rocco which is a Germanic name from the element hrok which means "rest". Rocco is the patron saint of the sick. However, as you may know, Rocky is not so much a saint as a famous fictional boxer. The Rocky franchise of movies starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky began in 1976 and is possibly the most well-known association with this name. Another association comes from the old cartoons "The Bullwinkle Show" and "Rocky and His Friends" both of which aired in the 1960s. These featured a flying squirrel named Rocky and his moose pal experiencing a variety of adventures. Interestin

Taken from our article about names ending with the letters "-hy", we found the name Dorothy. Dorothy is a form of Dorothea which comes from the Late Greek name Δωροθεος (Dorotheos) meaning "gift of God".  Dorotheos is pulled from the Greek words δωρον (doron) meaning "gift" and θεος (theos) meaning "god". Interestingly, the names Theodora and Theodore (and their variants) also come from theos and doron, but their direct Greek origin name (Theodoros) is a little different: Θεοδωρος. However, all of these names do share a meaning. Perhaps the most well-known Dorothy comes from literature and film. In 1900, an author by the name of L. Frank Baum published a little fantasy novel called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" featuring a young girl named Dorothy as the main character. Portrayed by actress Judy Garland in the 1939 film, Dorothy has become a classic and iconic character in pop culture. You don't meet all that many "

This interesting name comes from our list of names ending with the letters "-gy" . There are not many -gy names. In fact, there were only two decent options for boys, Iggy and Ziggy. I chose to learn a bit more about Ziggy. Have you ever heard of this name before? Perhaps in the pop culture world, you've heard of the late Bob Marley's musician son named Ziggy. Where does the name come from? For Ziggy Marley, it's a nickname. His real name is David Nesta Marley. According to Bob Marley, Ziggy is just a nickname he gave his son meaning "little spliff".  He may have been inspired by David Bowie's album "Ziggy Stardust". Ziggy Stardust, of course, was David Bowie's alter ego. Bowie was quoted in Rolling Stone Magazine as saying that Ziggy was "one of the few Christian names I could find beginning with the letter Z". Later, he also said he was inspired by a tailor shop called Ziggy's. It is possible that Ziggy doesn&

Today's featured name comes from our list of names that end with the letters "-fy" . There weren't a ton of choices, but I picked out one of the most interesting names on that list. Buffy is one of many diminutives of the name Elizabeth. From the Hebrew name Elisheva , Elizabeth (and therefore Buffy) means "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance". Elizabeth is known for its abundance of nicknames, short forms and diminutive options, which makes it very versatile if used in full. It has been extremely popular over the years, consistently being used as both a first name and a middle name for girls. However, Buffy is definitely one of the more obscure options as a nickname for Elizabeth. As a stand-alone full given name, Buffy is almost non-existent. It first appeared on record in the US in 1951. Nearly overnight between 1965 and 1966, Buffy caught on for a brief stint. It popped onto the Top 1000 chart at #793 in 1967, and climbed as h

Today's featured name comes from our list of names that end with the letters "-ey" . There were many to choose from but Harley was the winner. Harley comes from a surname which was derived from an Old English place name meaning "hare clearing", taken from hara meaning "hare" and leah meaning "clearing, meadow". If you name your child Harley, you could definitely get away with rabbit decor.  This is a unisex name. In the US, it ranks higher for females. In England and Wales, it ranks highly for males. In Australia and New Zealand, it is only male.  If we look closer at the popularity statistics in the US, we'll find that Harley has been on record for boys since records began in 1880. It has consistently kept up as the population grew, still ranking within the Top 1000 all these years. In 2015, there were 386 boys named Harley which ranks the name as the 663rd most popular name in the country. Girls, on the other hand

Taken straight from our list of names that end with the letters -dy, is the lovely Melody. This name is also an English word with which you're no doubt already familiar. Melody is derived from the Greek melos meaning "song" and combined with aeido meaning "to sing", which forms the name Melodia. Via Late Latin and Old French, you get the name Mélodie. After that, it winds up as the English word and name Melody.  Google defines it as "mel·o·dy -ˈmelədē. noun: a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying." This musical name has been around in the US on record since 1914, but it wasn't until 1942 that the name arrived on the scene. It joined the Top 1000 in that year and continued to climb in popularity until it peaked in 1960 at #153 with 2,757 births. Its numbers declined a bit through the 1980s and 1990s, but since the start of the aughts, Melody has started climbing up the charts again.  In 2015, there were 2,168 girls given tha

Today's featured boy name is pulled from the list of names ending with the letters -cy. Percy is is male given name that comes from an English surname. There is a commune in Normandy in Northwestern France called Percy-en-Auge from which the surname was derived.  The House of Percy (or Perci in Old French) was one of the most powerful noble families in northern England. There are still members of the Percy family to this day who are Dukes of Northumberland. Their surname comes from the manor of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy which was their home during the Norman Conquest. The name Percy started out being used as a given name in their honor. The Greek Perseus is similar in sound and could be assigned the nickname Percy. It means "to destroy" in Greek and was the name of a mythological hero who killed Medusa and founded the ancient city of Mycenae. Percy can also be considered a short form of the name Percival. The name Perceval, with this spelling, was created by a