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: Aidan/Aiden 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....

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 Y...

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 X...

When it comes to earthy boy names, some of the coolest ones are related to rock and stone. There are some names that mean rock such as the Scottish surname Carrick from the  Gaelic Carraig.  The name Peter means "stone" and so does all of its variants and translations such as the French Pierre , the Spanish Pedro, and others such as Piers, Pierce, Pierson, Piet and Pietro.   If it's a down-to-earth name you want, the list below features a few more names with rocky and earthy meanings: Cephas Clayton Cole Craig Dunstan Ebenezer Haldor Halle Halstein Halvard Harlow Hermes Leofstan Malachite Mason Seneca Stanford Stanley Terran Torsten Winston Wystan "rock" "clay settlement" "charcoal" "crag, rock" "dark stone" "stone of help" "Thor's rock" "rock" "rock, stone" "rock guardian" "rock hill" "piles of stones" ...

Water is everywhere. We use it for countless reasons every day. Heck, we're made of water. It is essential to life as we know it. What better way to honor our precious life-sustaining water than to choose a name inspired by it? Plenty of parents are already fans of nature names, why not filter those down to just the water-related ones? You'll find that you have many great options to choose from. Before we dive into the deep end, let's explore a bit of mythology. The God of the Sea is known as Poseidon in Greek mythology. One of his love interests was the Sea Goddess Amphitrite . Together they had a son named Triton who was the Messenger of the Sea.  The Roman equivalent of Poseidon is Neptune , the God of Freshwater and the Sea. Here are some of the best names inspired by water: Bodies of water that could be used as names: Bay Bayou Brook Cascade Cove Delta Fjord Frost Harbor Icy Laguna Lake Marsh Ocean Rain River Snow Names of falls...

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 Wes...

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 W...

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...

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 ...

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 B...

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 To...

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 Sant...

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 th...

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...

Without looking at the list below, how many Q names could you come up with for either gender?  Admittedly, this is a very tough letter. The end of the alphabet is full of difficult letters with hardly-used names and Q is no exception.  Quinn is by far the most popular Q name today for both genders. It actually ranks higher for girls: in 2014, it ranked at #126. For boys, Quinn came in at #363 in the US. Other male names like Quentin (#471) and Quincy (#622) also rank well.  If you fancy the letter Q, this list is for you. Check out all of the unusual but interesting options! There are 25 for girls and 25 for boys. Which do you like most?  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 Quadariu...

Perhaps you are looking to honor someone whose name starts with the letter P. However, you don't want to use their exact name so you've decided to simply give your child the same initials as that person. That means you need a great P name that you can love! Fortunately for you, you've just stumbled upon a list of The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls! 50 P names, to be exactly, 25 for girls and 25 for boys. That gives you plenty of options to choose from! So what will it be?  Share your favorite P names in the comments below. Did I miss any great ones? 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 Powe...

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 Marlow...

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...

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 ...

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...