The Art of Naming

Continuing with our theme, today we will explore names ending with -vy. Most of these are very rare or unusual. Do you like any names ending with -vy?  Of course, I love Ivy, but some of these others are interesting too, like Livy, Navy, Savvy and Chevy! Ivy currently ranks at #108 for girls in 2017. Avy Bevy Elvy Evy Ivy Keavy Levy Livvy Livy Lovy Maevy Navy Rivy Savvy Savy Silvy Tavy Truvy Vivy Alvy Arvy Chevy Covy Davy Garvy Harvy Ivy Kevy Levy Navy Rivy Tavy Stevy Zavy Are there any others you can think of? Which do you like most?

We've been exploring different name endings based on specific letters lately. We saw -ina names for girls, and -ian names for boys. Last week we looked at boy names ending with -us. Today we will try our best to narrow it down for the letters "-ra".  Like the other series, I limited myself to only choosing one name per letter. Here are my 26 picks from A-Z. What would you pick? I also listed the ranks of those within the Top 1000, so as you can see, most of these names are rare picks! Audra Barbara  (#908) Cora   (#83) Deidra Electra Flora Ginevra Honora Indira Jara Keira   (#331) Lysandra Mara   (#670) Nora    (#28) Ophira Pandora Quorra Riviera Sierra    (#452) Theodora Uhura Vespera Wara Xantara Yadira Zamora Would you use any of these names?

The majority of names that end with -us may bring to mind Ancient Latin rulers. While many of these will remain rare, there are others gaining popularity. I put the ranking of those within the Top 1000 in parenthesis.  Which do you like? I used Maximus for my son, and would consider Augustus, Cyrus, Erasmus, Julius, Thaddeus and Xanthus! What about you? Augustus  (#423) Belarius Cyrus  (#427) Darius  (#500) Erasmus Fergus Gaius Honorius Ignatius Julius  (#336) Klaus Linus Maximus  (#200) Nicodemus Octavius Pius Rufus Severus Thaddeus (#666) Urbanus Vitus Wenceslaus Xanthus Yunus Zacchaeus Do you have any other favorite names that would also belong on this list? 

From our previous article listing names ending with the letters "-sy" , we find a diamond in the rough. The most popular name on the list is Daisy.   This pretty name is directly related to the flower. However, it also derives from the Old English word  dægeseage meaning "day eye".  Daisies  belong to one of the largest families of plants in the world. Often they have a yellow center and come in a variety of colors, with white being perhaps the most common. . By böhringer friedrich - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5 Sometimes Daisy is used as a nickname for Margaret. It happened in a round-about way due to the French name Marguerite becoming associated with the daisy in French. Margaret means "pearl" in Greek, and daisies were considered "pearls of the field" or "marguerites".  So Marguerite, and the Spanish Margarita, gained association with Daisy and Daisy became a nickname for Margaret. In pop-culture, there is the animated Daisy

This series is nearing the end of the alphabet. With the letters -sy, we find several interesting names. Some of these are more on the nickname side, but usable nonetheless.  Are there any names below that you would considered? The most popular options are undoubtedly Daisy, Maisy and Tansy. Notice how there are many more options for females than males. Can you think of any others that could be added to the list? Girls: Bethsy Betsy Blessy Cassy Cessy Chrissy Cissy Crissy Daisy Deisy Dessy Elsy Gypsy Isy Jassy Jesy Jinsy Joisy Kassy Keisy Kelsy Krissy Lindsy Lissy Lynsy Maisy Mimsy Missy Pansy Patsy Posy Rosy Shannessy Sissy Susy Tansy Zissy Boys: Hennessy Jessy Massy Patsy Shaughnessy Sy Do you like any of these? Share your thoughts in the comments!  And view the other articles in this series focused on "name endings".

This series is finally in the last portion of the alphabet. We've looked at a lot of names ending with -y. Today we continue with -ry names.  Here are some of the best and most interesting options for this particular ending-sound. Which of these names catch your eye? Girls: Aimery Amory Aubry Audry Autry Avery Awtry Bellary Cabery Camry Cary Cathry Century Chandry Channary Cherry Clary Connery Cory Curry Dalary Dorry Dory Eiry Elery Ellery Ellory Embry Emery Emmary Emory Emry Fairy February Flannery Gentry Gerry Glory Hilary Hillary Ivory January Jenifry Jerry Kairy Kamry Kary Keary Kemery Kerry Kimery Kinnery Landry Lowery Mabry Maebry Mallory Malory Margaery Margery Marjory Mary Memory Merry Mindry Perry Rory Rosemary Sabry Saory Shannary Sherry Sonary Story Sury Terry Valery Victory Winry Boys: Alvary Amaury Amery Amory Ary Avery Avory Barry Berry Bravery Calvary Carbry Car

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

This series explores different names ending with -y. We've already seen quite a few. Today we'll look at the many interesting and unusual names that end with the letters "-ny". Girls: Adrianny Albany Aleny Anny Aubuiny Audny Bethany Betony Bonny Borgny Briony Britany Britny Brittany Brittny Bryony Bunny Christany Dagny Delany Destiny Devany Devony Ebony Elleny Epiphany Estefany Evany Evony Fanny Franny Genny Ginny Giverny Harmony Henny Idony Janny Jenny Jessany Jinny Khyany Kiffany Kilmeny Linny Mahogany Marigny Marny Melany Melony Oddny Penny Peony Rainy Romany Sidony Signy Steffany Stephany Sunny Symphony Tawny Tiffany Tiffiny Tinny Tiny Tiphany Yolany Boys: Anthony Antony Benny Berthony Danny Denny Donny Giovanny Johnny Jonny Jovanny Jovany Kenny Lanny Lemony Lenny Lonny Manny Ronny Sonny Sunny Tony Vinny Are there any names on this list that you would consider usin

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

To continue our series, let's take a look at the many names that end with the letters -ly.  This list is not necessarily exhaustive, but it is fairly long and full of great options if -ly is your favorite end-sound. Girl names: Ally Amberly Aracely Beverly Billy Blakely Bly Caily Caitly Callalily Carly Cecily Chantilly Chavelly Cicely Connolly Daily Dolly Donnelly Eily Emily Everly Gilly Haverly Havily Heavenly Holly Ily Irely Italy Jessaly Joely Josaly July Kaily Karly Keely Keily Kelly Kessly Kimberly Kirrily Lily Linsly Lolly Lovely Marely Mariely Molly Nallely Nathaly Nelly Nerilly Noely Orly Paigely Pialy Polly Reilly Romilly Sally Shyly Sicily Siddaly Sonaly Tally Temily Tessaly Thessaly Tigerlily Tilly Truely Truly Tully Vally Verily Waverly Weatherly Yanelly Yanely Zaily Zeely Boy names: Anatoly Beverly Billy Chavelly Connolly Dally Daly Donnelly Early Huntly Karoly

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

We've covered nearly half the alphabet already. Sure, there are some letters that just won't fit into this category, so we have skipped a few of them. But here we are, arriving at letter K for a compilation of "-ky" names! How many can you name off the top of your head? Luckily, you don't have to since I did the legwork for you! I even went so far as to include names ending with "-kie" since the choices were slim for "-ky" names.  Enjoy: Girls: Becky   Jacky Lucky Nicky Pinky Ricky Sky Suky Vicky Beckie Cookie Frankie Jackie Lockie Markie Mickie Nickie Pinkie Rickie Rivkie Saskie Sookie Sukie Vickie Boys:   Chucky Dicky Franky Jacky Ky Melky Nicky Ricky Rocky Sky Starsky Dickie Frankie Mackie Mickie Nickie Rickie Can you think of any that I missed? Would you use any of these?

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

Up until now, we've discovered names ending with the letters -ay, -by and -cy. Now it is time to explore -dy ending names. It's sometimes difficult to do specific searches for names with specific criteria so I thought I'd compile some of the best -dy names that I could find. Can you think of any others? Girls: Addy Biddy Brandy Cady Candy Carmindy Cassidy Cindy Goldy Haddy Haidy Heidy Hildy Indy Jody Judy Kady Kandy Kassidy Kennedy Lady Liddy Lindy Maddy Mady Mandy Melody Mindy Randy Rhapsody Rudy Sandy Teddy Trudy Wendy Windy Zandy Boys: Andy Brady Brody Buddy Cassidy Claudy Cody Eddy Freddy Gennady Grady Hardy Huddy Indy Jody Jordy Kassidy Kennedy Kody Mardy Randy Roddy Rowdy Rudy Sandy Teddy Woody Do you spot any new favorites from this list? Would you use any? <-- Names ending with "-cy"  |||   Names ending with "-ey"  -->

We previously featured names that end with the letters -ay. Now we'll continue on to -by names in this new mini-series that dives into name endings. There is something so adorable about these names that end with the letters "-by". Many of these are unusual which is perfect for those seeking something special for their child. Take a look and see if you don't agree with me about their adorability factor: Girls: Abby Ashby Baby Catesby Colby Darby Debby Effaby Gabby Kelby Kirby Kolby Libby Maeby Quenby Ruby Shelby Tabby Interestingly, there are more -by names for boys than for girls: Boys: Alby Ashby Barnaby Bartleby Bixby Bobby Coby Colby Corby Crosby Darby Digby Gatsby Gibby Herby Jacoby Joby Kelby Kirby Koby Kolby Rigby Robby Roxby Saxby Selby Toby Willoughby Can you think of any more that could be added? Which are your favorites?! Be sure to view the rest of this series as it is published using the links

Welcome to a new mini-series featuring specific name endings. This list will explore the various names that end with the letters "-ay". The next article in the series will take a look at "-by" names, followed by "-cy" names, etc. If you are searching for a specific sound and cannot find all that many options, allow me to assist you. This list of names ending with '-ay" is as neatly comprehensive as possible with only the most usable names on it.  There many be other spellings that lend to a similar sound but we are focusing primarily on the spelling. Can you think of any names that I may have missed? If not, tell me which of these you like most. Girls: Bay Chardonnay Day Fay Finlay Friday Gray Halliday Holiday Holliday Islay Ismay Janay Jenay Kay Lindsay Lyndsay May Saray Shay Sunday Tueday Wednesday Boys: Ajay Barclay Bay Callaway Carvay Cejay Chay Clay Conway Deontay Dontay Findlay Finlay Gray Jay

There is something intriguing about feminine names that end with the "oh" sound. Many of these names have a spunky elegance to them. Since this ending sound is somewhat unusual for girls, the majority of these names are far from popular. Willow ranks the highest at #138 in 2014. Harlow ranks at #508, and Shiloh is at #608. A name to watch is Margot. It is catching on fast, ranking at #749 in the US. These are some of the best options I could find that end with "oh". If you are searching for names that are interesting and uncommon, you've found the right list! Which of these do you like most? Can you think of any names that I missed? Amiko                             Arlo Arrow Callisto Cielo Cleo Clio Coco Devereaux Dido Echo Farrow Flo Gwenno Halo Harlow Hiro Indigo Io Isabeau Jo Juneau Juno Kahlo Keiko Kimiko Lilo Lucero Margeaux Margo Margot Mariko Marlo Marlow Marlowe Meadow Peridot Picabo Rainbow Rio Ros

In recent years, the majority of masculine names have ended in the letter N. The second runner up to that is the letter R. These endings, while also used for females, tend to denote a strong, masculine name. However, there is a whole other breed of masculine names that happen to end with what some may consider the "most feminine sound." The names we're looking at today are mostly biblical and end in either -a or -ah. There are a few notable exceptions such as Dakota, Indiana and Ventura that aren't based on a biblical name but still work very well for boys. Interestingly, though, it is this "uh" sound at the end that gives these biblical names their strength. More and more parents today are using these names. For example, our #1 boy name for the past two years is Noah which is leading the pack and paving the way for other "ah" names to rise to fame. Take a moment to explore these masculine "uh-ending" names: Abdullah     A