The Art of Naming

Today we will be exploring one of the most powerful things in nature: fire. Whether it is controlled in a fireplace or a bonfire, or raging out of control in destructive ways, it is hard to deny that fire is exciting.

However, staring into the mesmerizing, continuous flicker of flames from a safe distance on a cool night might be one of the best ways to experience this phenomenon, especially if you have some marshmallows.

Name-wise, though, there is a handful of excellent names that relate to fire. Let's explore them:

You may be wondering which names are the fieriest.  Perhaps the most popular name with a fiery meaning is Aidan. The name Aidan comes from a sizable family tree of related names. The original Ancient Irish name was Áed meaning "fire". From that name came names like Áedán, Aodh, Aodhán and today's variations of Aidan such as Aiden, Aydan, Ayden and so on.

The name Aodh, pronounced EE or AY, was very popular in early Ireland. It was used by many different figures in Irish mythology as well as several kings. Interestingly, Aodh was traditionally anglicized as the name Hugh rather than any of the Aidans.

Aidan's distant cousin is the name Keegan by way of the diminutive name Aodhagán turning into the surname Mac Aodhagáin. There's also the Scottish Iagan and Edan. More or less, all of these names mean "fire" or descendant of the fiery one, at least.

Like I said, Aidan is very popular. I'm sure many of you are tired of this name and its soundalikes such as Braden, Cayden, Hayden, etc. That's probably because of how incredibly fast this name rose from out of nowhere. It wasn't even used in the US until 1957. It didn't rank in the Top 1000 until 1990 at #889. Suddenly, by the year 2003 there were over 10k boys given the name for a rank of #39.

However, it was actually the spelling Aiden with an E that was vastly more popular. It rose slower than Aidan but has hung on longer. It had half the popularity of Aidan in 2003, but climbed the charts while Aidan declined. Aiden's peak came in 2009 with exactly 16,000 births and a rank of #12. But it went on to rank higher at #9 in 2010 and 2011 with slightly fewer births per year.

Currently, Aidan ranks at #187 in 2014 while Aiden holds steady at #14. They are both finally overstaying their welcome a bit and creeping back down the charts. Which spelling do you prefer?

This name can refer to the residue of a fire, but it is more typically associated with the Ash Tree or it is simply a short form of names like Ashley, Asher or Ashton. However, it has to be noted that these longer forms don't have meanings having to do with fire.

Ash was first regularly given to boys as a name in the US in 1996. Most parents probably prefer longer forms of the name since Ash has never been popular on its own. There were a record-high 66 male births in 2014.  Would you ever use Ash on its own? Do you like any of the longer forms?

Tyson is an English surname that is said to mean "firebrand" based on the Old French word tison. In the past it has also been used as a nickname for a quarrelsome person.

This name has been around in the US since 1912, It never ranked all that well until it joined the Top 1000 in 1966. It ranked well through the 1980s but declined again in the 90s. Tyson peaked in popularity in 2009 with nearly 1,500 births for the year and a rank of #237. These days it's down to #282.  What do you think, is the name Tyson hot or not?

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Names that mean "fire" in other cultures:

Agni (m) "fire" Sanskrit
Azar (m&f) "fire" Persian
Brandr (m) "sword or fire" Scandinavian
Cinaed (m) "born of fire" Gaelic
Conleth (m) "chaste fire" Irish
Fajra (f) "fiery" Esperanto
Fiammetta (f) "fire" Italian
Fintan (m) "white fire" Irish
Hurik (f) "small fire" Armenian
Keahi (m&f) "the fire" Hawaiian
Nina (f) "fire" Quechua
Ognyan (m) "fiery" Bulgarian
Plamen (m) "flame, fire" Slavic
Shula (f) "flame" Arabic
Şule (f) "flame" Turkish
Ugne (f) "fire" Lithuanian

So what do you think of these fiery names? Can you think of any that I missed?

Let's face it. There just aren't very many popular Y names. You occasionally hear them, my own middle name starts with a Y, but as a whole, Y names just aren't hitting the spot for mainstream parents.

Isn't that something we should change?  There are many more names that start with Y out there than I even thought there were.

I found a couple hundred per gender to browse through which means this letter has enormous potential if only someone would get the trend going.

If you're into the unique and unusual, this letter can be your best friend! Take a look at the 25 Y names for girls and the 25 Y names for boys that I picked out and let me know which ones you love most!

Yadira Yaella Yamileth Yara Yareli Yaretzi Yasmine Yeardley Yelena Yesenia Ygritte Ynez Yohanna Yolanda Yoselin Yosephina Ysabel Ysadora Yseult Ysolde Yuliana Yulisa Yveline Yvette Yvonne

Yale Yannick Yarden Yardley Yarley Yarrow Yasser Yates Yeardley Yeats Ygnasio Yorick York Yosef Young Yovan Ysaac Ysidor Ysidro Ysmael Ysrael Yule Yuri Yves Yvon

What do you think of the letter Y? If it isn't the letter for you, use the links below to browse other letters.

<-- The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls |||  The Very Best Z Names for Boys and Girls -->

We have covered the letter X before on The Art of Naming. We pondered some "Xcellent" underused names for boys and girls.

We also listed out names for boys that contain the letter X, as well as a list for girl names with an X in them.

 This letter typically gives names an edge. They tend to be rather bold and interesting.

Today we'll look at some of the very best names that start with X. I handpicked 25 for each gender for a total of 50 awesome names.

Is X your favorite letter? Are you looking for something unusual, unique and interesting? This list is for you!

Xabrina Xalvadora Xandra Xantara Xanthe Xanthippe Xaria Xavienna Xaviera Xavierre Xena Xenaida Xenia Xenobia Xeraphina Xevera Xeveria Xia Xiamara Ximena Xiomara Xochitl Xola Xolani Xylia

Xachary Xadrian Xaime Xalvador Xan Xanadu Xander Xannon Xanthos Xanthus Xanto Xarles Xavian Xaviell Xavier Xavion Xenon Xenos Xerxes Xhaiden Ximenes Xola Xuan Xylander Xylon

Which name catches your eye? Would you put one of these on your short list? If not, perhaps you'd enjoy exploring one of the other letters. Use the following links for that:

<-- The Very Best W Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best Y Names for Boys and Girls -->

As you continue your search for the perfect name, I'd like to ask you to take a moment and consider using a name that starts with the letter W.

We're nearing the end of the alphabet so if you've been following this series and you haven't found a winner yet, this might finally be the list for you.

The letter W has a good variety of names. There's the more proper ones like William and Winston for boys, and the more whimsical options like Waterlily or Wintress for girls.

There should be a little bit of something for everyone here.

Tell me in the comments, did I miss any good W names that you enjoy? Of the ones featured below, which name catches your eye the most?

Wanda Waterlily Waverly Wednesday    Wendy Whisper Whitley Whitney Wilda Wilhelmina Willa Willamena Willene Willow Wilma Wilmet Windsor Winifred Winnie Winona Winter Wintress Wren Wylie Wynne

Wade Walker Walter Warren Watson Waylon Wayne Wendell Wesley Weston Wilder Wiley Wilfred Willard William Willis Willoughby Wilmer Wilson Winslow Winston Wolf Wolfgang Woodrow Wyatt

If W isn't your letter after all, use the following links to continue your search in the remaining letters of the alphabet.

<-- The Very Best V Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls -->

The letter V is trending these days within popular names like Ava and Evelyn for girls.

It's been a constant for boys in the name David. Both genders love Avery as the top unisex name.

What about names that start with the letter V?

Victoria still ranks well and Violet and Valentina are trending upward for girls.

Vincent is just outside the top 100 for boys with Victor not far behind.

Are you a fan of the letter V? If you are, surely you'll enjoy this great list of the 25 best V names for girls and 25 for boys.

 Did I miss any of your favorite V names?

Vale Valencia Valentina Valerie Vanessa Vanna Vella Velvet Venus Verity Veronica Vesper Victoria Vida Vienna Vincenza Viola Violet Violetta Virginia Viveca Vivian Viviana Vivienne Vrai

Vadden Valdemar Valentino Valor Van Vance Vander Vasily Vaughn Verne Vernon Vicente Victor Vidal Viggo Vin Vince Vincent Vincenzo Vinny Virgil Vitaly Vito Vladimir Voyer

Which of these names do you love most? Share your thoughts about this list below! Not a V fan? Check out the following links to browse names starting with other letters:

<-- The Very Best U Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best W Names for Boys and Girls -->

Imagine an alternate universe where the alphabet was arranged differently. I surmise that people love the letter A so much because it is #1, but what if it wasn't?  What if the letter U came first?

What if there were an abundance of favorable baby names that began with the letter U? What if common A names had their spellings changed to start with U and everyone loved them?

If that is hard to imagine, perhaps you should take a moment to stop and smell the U-scented roses. There is a surprising amount of lovely names that begin with this under-appreciated letter. I narrowed it down to the best I could find.

Here are the 50 best boy and girl names that start with the letter U:

Ujana Ulani Ulla Ulyana Ulyciana Uma Umay Umeko Umi Umika Ummi Una Unique Unity Ura Urania Uriela Urja Ursa Ursula Usra Utari Uttara Uva Uzuri

Uba Uchenna Uday Udell Ugo Ulmer Ulrich Ulysses Umberto Umed Umi Unique Uorsin Upton Urbain Urban Urbano Uri Uriah Urian Uriel Urijah Usher Usman Uttam

Which of these do you like best? If U isn't your letter, use the links below to explore 25 others.

<-- The Very Best T Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best V Names for Boys and Girls -->

Surname names aren't anything new. There are countless surnames that could work as a given name for a boy, but did you know that there is also an increasing amount of surname names for girls?

This list ranges from the more unisex options like Morgan, Parker and Carson that are also popular for boys to the interesting, feminine ones like Ayala, Miranda and Valencia.

Do you have a favorite surname to use as a girl's given name? Perhaps you'd use your maiden name or your grandmother's maiden name for a daughter.

Browse the list below and let me know in the comments if there are any other surname names that you can think of that I've missed.

Adair Addison Ainsley Aniston Arden Arlington Ashley Astor Avery Avila Ayala Bailey Bardot Bell Bellamy Bettany Blair Blakely Caldwell Callan Cameron Campbell Carlisle Carrigan Carrington Carroll Carson Carter Chandler Connelly Darby Darcy Delaney Ellery Ellington Elliott Ellis

Ellison Embry Emerson Emery Everly Fifer Finley Garcia Gracen Greer Hadley Haley Hanna Harlow Harper Hayden Holland Hollis Hollister Hope Jordan Karter Kelly Kennedy Kensington Kerrington Kim Landry Lane Lara Larkin Lexington Lindsey Luna Mackenzie Madden Madigan

Madison Mara Marley Matlin May Mckenna Mckinley Miranda Monroe Mora Morgan Paige Parker Phoenix Presley Quinn Reese Riley Rivera Rose Sailor Santana Sawyer Sayer Sheridan Sinclair Sloane Sutton Taylor Tierney Valencia Valentine Whitney Windsor Winslet Winslow Wylie

Do you know any girls with any of these names? Which is your favorite?

Surname names for boys is one of the largest trends in baby names today, so much so that it is sometimes happening under the radar. Many of the names on this list have become so well-used and well-known as first names over the years that we don't really think about them also being surnames, we know that they are but the connection may not be immediately made.

That isn't always the case though. Some names are obviously more reminiscent of a surname than others like Smith or Nicholson or Campbell but many parents are increasingly using these surnames for first names.

This especially occurs in relation to maiden names. Mothers like to pass down their surnames by giving them to their sons as firsts or middles. This can also happen through wanting to honor a whole branch of the family tree.

Whatever the reason, many of the following names are hot these days while others are waiting to be discovered. Which of these do you like most?

Anderson Bauer Baxter Bennett Blaine Brady Brando Brennan Brooks Bryant Bryson Callahan Camden Cameron Campbell Carlisle Carter Carson Channing Charlton Clancy Clark Clinton Cohen Connor Cooper Crosby Cruz Cullen Curran Cyrus Davis Dawson Dillon Donovan Elliott Emerson Emmett Evans Everett Farrell Finnigan Finnegan Fitzgerald Fletcher Flynn

Frazier Ford Gable Gallagher Garner Gordon Grady Grant Gray Guthrie Harper Harrison Hayes Hendrix Heston Holden Holland Hollis Hollister Hudson Hunter Huxley Jackson Jacoby Jameson Jefferson Jensen Jones Keagan Keaton Kennedy Kiernan Larkin Lawson Ledger Lennon Lennox Levitt Lincoln Madigan Mason Mckinley Miller Monroe Morgan Morrison

Morrissey Murphy Murray Nicholson Nolan Parker Penn Phoenix Pierce Porter Quinn Rafferty Ramsey Reagan Reid Rooney Ross Russell Ryan Ryder Sawyer Seeley Shepherd Sloan Smith Stewart Sullivan Sutton Taylor Theron Theroux Tiernan Truman Tucker Turner Tyler Tyson Walker Ward Wayne West Whitaker Wilder Wilson Wiley Winston

There are no doubt plenty more names that could be added to this list. Did I miss any of your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments or follow the links to learn more about the handful of names already featured.

The process of tracking down the right name for your child can be tricky. Sometimes there are just too many options to sift through and you find yourself overwhelmed by the possibilities.

Allow me to make it easier for you. If you are fond of the letter T or if you're searching for a T name to honor someone in particular, you've found the right place.

Below are 25 of the best T names for girls, and 25 for boys too. I took the time to sift through the hundreds of T names so I could bring you only the best of the best.

Here you may very well find the perfect, fashionable T name for your child.

Which of these do you like most?

Tabitha Tallulah Tamsin Tanya Tara Tatiana Tatum Tavia Tawny Taylor Teagan Temperance        Tessa Thalia Thea Theodora Theresa Thisbe Thora Tiana Tiffany Trinity Trista Trudy Tyra

Tate Tavish Taylor Teague Tennyson Thaddeus Thatcher Theodore Theron Thomas Tiberius Timothy Titus Tobias Todd Tolliver Torsten Travis Trenton Trevor Trey Tristan Troy Tucker Tyler

If you had to, which name would you remove from this list and what would you replace it with?   If T isn't your letter after all, be sure to follow the links below to browse names starting with other letters.

<-- The Very Best S Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best U Names for Boys and Girls -->

It's time to choose a name. Not just any name, though, you must pick one that you and your partner mutually love. A name that feels relevant to your family and suitable for your child.

While there are thousands of options out there, the amount that you can actually select for one child is usually limited to four names at most.

On your search, you'll no doubt develop a sort of naming style. Many of your names will have similar sounds or popularity to one another. Perhaps you'll even be drawn to one or two specific letters. If your current favorite letter is S for names, this list is for you.

Below are 25 of the best S names for girls and 25 of the best S names for boys listed alphabetically. Among these, you'll surely find a winner!

Sabrina Sadie Samantha Sarah Sasha Savannah Scarlett Selah Selena Seraphina Serena Serenity Shayla Shelby Shoshanah Sienna Sierra Simone Sonia Sophia Stella Summer Susannah Sybil Sylvia

Samuel Santiago Sasha Saul Sawyer Schuyler Scott Seamus Sean Sebastian Seth Shane Shay Shepherd Sidney Silas Simon Solomon Soren Spencer Stellan Stephen Sterling Stuart Sullivan

Which of the above S names do you enjoy most? I apologize if I missed one of your favorites, these were tough to narrow down!  If S isn't your letter, try the links below to browse more names!

<-- The Very Best R Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best T Names for Boys and Girls -->

Leonardo da Vinci

There is a very large Latin presence in the United States these days. Did you know that there are several Spanish, Italian and Portuguese names for boys that rank within the Top 1000 most popular names?

My favorite of the bunch is listed as the "Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Leonard" on Behind the Name. Leonardo fits all three origin categories with ease and yet it is familiar enough to English ears that it could be considered for American boys who do not have Latin origins. The part-Italian Leonardo DiCaprio has helped make the name more mainstream in America. Interestingly, his name was chosen when his pregnant mother felt him kick for the first time while his parents were viewing a painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo isn't the only name that works across all three of these cultures though.  Below are all of the Latinate names and their popularity rank for the year 2014 in the US.

Let's take a look at the first half of the Top 1000 first:

Angel #67                                         Jose #76 Juan #98 Luis #99 Mateo #106 Jesus #111 Leonardo  #114 Santiago #115 Carlos #117 Giovanni #125 Diego #129 Antonio #139 Miguel #146 Alejandro #157 Luca #185 Jorge #207 Javier #216 Andres #222 Lorenzo #227 Francisco #232 Emiliano #254 Ricardo #256 Eduardo #261 Fernando #263 Manuel #265 Josue #269 Mario #270 Cristian #273 Cesar #279

Emilio #280 Cruz #290 Rafael #293 Sergio #307 Marco #308 Angelo #315 Fabian #325 Joaquin #326 Romeo #341 Roberto #343 Maximiliano #344 Pedro #354 Enzo #369 Adan #373 Matteo #375 Thiago #390 Esteban #392 Pablo #396 Armando #400 Gerardo #402 Marcos #404 Enrique #414 Raul #423 Leonel #430 Hugo #438 Julio #452 Jaime #468 Gustavo #482 Rodrigo #488

Within the Top 500, there are many very handsome, strong and stylish names for boys. Even though these are all of Spanish, Italian or Portuguese origin, some are no doubt given to boys who do not have those ancestries. For example, I could see a blond, blue-eyed boy sporting the names Luca, Cruz or Hugo these days.  It would be inaccurate to claim that all of these Latinate names belong only to those with the corresponding heritage. Do you know anyone with these names?

Here are the names in the second half of the Top 1000 chart in the US for 2014:

Matias #503                                     Alberto #513 Gianni #515 Arturo #518 Alfredo #524 Alonzo #525 Arlo #539 Isaias #547 Neymar #548 Luciano #568 Ezequiel #569 Mauricio #577 Matthias #580 Mathias #582 Salvador #600 Lucian #608 Alessandro #623 Santino #632 Aldo #645 Ramon #647 Ernesto #651 Carmelo #653 Tomas #658 Guillermo #678 Alonso #708 Felipe #713 Lucca #740 Marcelo #741 Vicente #744 Aron #745

Ulises #749 Jadiel #756 Valentino #765 Giovani #769 Rogelio #780 Leandro #784 Vincenzo #812 Franco #817 Giancarlo #823 Alfonso #849 Jairo #865 Crisiano #872 Agustin #879 Rey #884 Santana #887 Ramiro #890 Salvatore #899 Rolando #905 Santos #909 Jovani #920 Maximo #921 Alvaro #922 Jovanni #943 Rodolfo #945 Eliseo #952 Camilo #962 Efrain #963 Deangelo #968 Giovanny #969 Dario #971 Osvaldo #989

While most of these names are still very handsome, strong and stylish, they are also a bit more on the unusual side than the names at the top of the charts.  The one name that stands out in this bunch is Arlo. It is a Spanish name but it has been climbing the charts rapidly in the last couple years which indicates that more than just Spanish boys are being given the name. Do you have any favorites in this bunch?

Unless I missed any, that makes 119 Spanish, Italian or Portuguese names for boys within the Top 1000! Which names do you love, which are you not keen on?

Since most baby name websites have thousands of names in their databases, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. Where should you even begin?

If you happen to know what sort of sound you're looking for in a name, that's a good place to start.

Maybe you're even looking specifically for a name starting with a certain letter. If you're fond of R, this list is for you.

Below are 25 of the best R names for girls and 25 of the best names starting with the letter R for boys.

There are so many wonderful R names that it's tough to narrow it down.

Which of these do you like the most?  Did I miss one of your favorites?

Rachel Rae Ramona Raphaela Raven Rebecca Reese Regina Renata Rhea Rhiannon Riley Robin Rochelle Romy Rosa Rosalie Rosalind Rosamund Rose Rosemary  Rowan Rowena Ruby Ruth

Rafferty Ramsey Raphael Raymond Reid Reuben Rex Rhett Rhys Richard Riley Riordan Robert Robin Rocco Roderick Roland Roman Ronan Ross Rowan Rupert Russell Ryan Ryder

What is your favorite R name?  If I didn't list it above, share it in the comments below.  If R isn't your thing, use the links below to explore more names that start with other letters.

<-- The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best S Names for Boys and Girls -->

Qadira                        Qiana Quanda Quarrey Queen Queenie Quenby Quennell Querida Questa Quetzal Quiana Quiane Quilla Quillan Quinby Quincia Quincy Quinlan Quinn Quinta Quintana Quintara Quintessa Qwinne

Quadarius Quade Quadir Quaid Quantavius Quantrell Quarry Quartz Quasim Quebec Quenby Quennell Quentin Quest Quigley Quill Quillan Quilliam Quincy Quinlan Quinn Quintin Quirin Quixley Quixote

If Q isn't your letter, be sure to follow these links for even more great names:

Paige Paisley Pamela Pandora Paris Patience Patricia Paula Pearl Penelope Peony Persephone       Petra Phaedra Philippa Philomena Phoebe Pia Piper Poppy Portia Presley Primrose Priscilla Prudence

Palmer Parker Parrish Pascal Patrick Patton Paul Pavel Pax Paxton Penn Percival Percy Peregrine Perry Peter Peyton Phillip Phineas Phoenix Pierce Porter Powell Prescott Preston

Since you'll be needing another letter to complete your honor name, be sure to browse the following links for more excellent monikers!

<-- The Very Best O Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls -->

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 Rosario Shiloh Snow Socorro Sparrow Tamiko Willow Winslow Yoko Yoshiko

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     Adoniah Alijah Alva Andrea Asa Azariah Bautista Cinna Coda Dakota Dana Eliah Elijah Elisha Ezra Garcia Gianluca Hamza Hezekiah Hosea Indiana Ira

Isa Isaiah Ithaca Jebediah Jedediah Jeremiah Jonah Jorah Josemaria   Joshua Josiah Judah Judea Koda Luca Lucca Mattia Messiah Micah Micaiah Mischa Nehemiah Nikola

Noah Nova Obadiah Santana Sascha Sasha Seneca Shea Shia Tacoma Tobiah Uriah Urijah Uriyah Uzziah Ventura Yeshua Zachariah Zebediah Zechariah Zephaniah Zoriah Zuma

Which are your favorites? Are there any I missed?

Beyond the popular Olivia, Oliver and Owen, there aren't very many popular names that start with O. In fact, most names that start with the letter O are rather obscure.

Orion and Orlando are rather common now for boys, but many familiar female names like Ophelia or Octavia do not rank within the Top 1000 names and they haven't for decades.

Do you have any favorite O names on your shortlist? If not, you have now found a treasure trove of unique options! Just browse the list below and name with boldness knowing that your little one will have a great, uncommon name!

So tell me, which of the 25 very best O names for girls, and 25 for boys, do you like best?

Oakley                    Oceana Octavia October Odelia Odessa Odette Odile Oksana Olenna Olga Oliana Olive Olivia Olympia Ondine Opal Ophelia Oriana Oriole Orla Osanna Ottavia Ottilie Ottoline

Oakes Obadiah Oberon Ocean Octavian Octavius October Odin Odysseus Oliver Olson Omar Onyx Orion Orlando Orrin Orson Osbourne Oscar Oswald Othello Otis Otto Owen Ozzy

If O isn't your letter of choice, be sure to browse the links below to view the very best names of the other 25 letters:

The letter N kicks off the 2nd half of the alphabet and the names are noticeably a bit more difficult to choose and narrow down. The tail end of the alphabet tends to contain more difficult letters. However, I did happen to find some of the very best options available that start with N!

There seems to be a few solid names that start with this letter and many unusual options that don't rank very high on the popularity charts. Compiling this list was tricky, but I've put together the 25 best girl names that start with the letter N, and 25 names for boys too!

Is N one of your favorite letters for names or do you have a hard time with it like I do? Take a look at the names I've picked and let me know if there are any great ones that I missed.

Nadia                Nadine Naima Nancy Naomi Natalia Natalie Natasha Nellie Neve Nia Niamh Nicole Nicolette Nikita Nila Nina Noa Noe Noelle Noemi Nola Nora Nova Nyx

Nash Nathan Nathaniel Naveen Neal Ned Nehemiah Neil Nevin Newman Niall Nicholas Nico Nigel Nikolai Niles Nixon Noah Noam Noble Noel Nolan Norman Norris Nyle

What are your favorite names that start with this letter? Perhaps you have more favorites than I do. Share your thoughts in the comments below!  And be sure to use the following links to browse more names!