The Art of Naming

Behind the scenes, I am able to view the search terms, or keywords, that are entered into search engines that lead viewers here to my site. Often, people are searching for specific names. Some of these names I have already covered previously on other articles, but some of them are new. I thought it was about time that I addressed the names that people are actually looking for. This series will pull names directly from that Name Search Report and investigate closer. The current data that I am using to evaluate a name's popularity comes straight from the Social Security Administration's 2017 popular name database. And I will also include name meanings found via BehindtheName.com. Here's our first group of boy names that you  wanted more information about. Asa  - Short, Biblical, Interesting... Asa is both bold but familiar for a boy today. It has always been in use, dating back on record to 1880, but it didn't truly catch on until a hundred years later. Since

Welcome to Part Two of our series that is focused on Baby Names Inspired by the Animal Kingdom! If you had a chance to view part one, you would remember that we mostly explored names related to bears, eagles, foxes, lions and wolves. Now we will look at names whose meanings relate to birds, insects, sheep, deer, and a handful of others. Take a look at the list below and if you spot any favorites, share your thoughts in the comments! Birds: Bertram "bright raven" from Germanic elements Bran "raven" in Irish/Welsh Branwen "beautiful raven" from Welsh Corbin "raven" from French Cormac "raven, son" from Irish Gaelic Fechín "little raven" in Irish Guntram "war raven" from Germanic elements Korbin "raven" from Latin corvus Raban "raven" from German Rambert "bright raven" from Germanic elements Ronne "raven" in Frisian Lonán "little blackbird" from I

Previously, I have made lists of bird names and nature names , but it just occurred to me that I did not have a list specifically for "animal" names. Now, there are two different directions we can go when considering this category. The first direction explores broad animal names like wolf, fox, bear and more.  The second direction looks deeper into meanings and various translations or associations. Here's the first: Bear Birdie Cat Fox Kitty Lion Tiger Wolf Here are some of the most-used bird names: Falcon Finch Hawk Jay Lark Lory Peregrine (falcon) Phoenix Raven Robin Sparrow Starling Wren Then there are names that aren't as obviously associated with animals. Some of them have meanings or elements within them that refer to a specific animal, and when you break down their etymology, it makes sense. I categorized them below: Bear: Adalbern "noble bear" from Germanic elements. Alfbern "elf bear"

Here in the US, some of the most popular twin sets include names like Matthew & Michael, Daniel & David, Hailey & Hannah or Ella & Emma. While there isn't technically anything wrong with matching names together like this, there are plenty of ways to be more creative when naming twins. Last week, I mentioned 5 things that make twin names too matchy . Today, we'll take a look at some examples of names that would better allow twins to have their own identities than the examples from last week. I've come up with 3 ways to ensure twins won't have overly matchy names. We will examine twin names that are linked together by meaning while still being different from one another, names that sound very different but still work together stylistically, and names that share a common sound without rhyming or being too sound-alike. 1. Linked by meaning These names don't rhyme or sound alike but they do share a similar meaning. This is great for parents wh

Many people today have no idea what their name means nor are they very concerned with discovering it. Many  new parents don't take it into consideration and just consider it "a nice bonus" if the name they chose happens to mean something pleasant. That is what the overwhelming majority of you believe also, according to the poll on the sidebar of the blog. However, there are a few that believe that having a good, positive meaning behind their child's name is essential to the naming decision. After all, part of what makes a name beautiful is its meaning. There are even some cultures that put meaning at the forefront of the naming decision (see African and Japanese names) and yet it tends to get overlooked in many English-speaking countries. Why? Why is the meaning of your name, or your child's name, important? Or rather, why should you view it as an important factor in the naming decision process? First of all, we can all agree that names are essential in