What Will May's Names of the Month Be? You Decide!

Thank you for voting! If you'd like to submit your own favorite name combinations to be used in future Names of the Month polls, go to this page and enter them!  

Check Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on May 1st to see which names won.

What Are the Best Names Within the US Top 100?

Two polls were recently posted on our Facebook page and we've received quite a few votes, but we could always use more for the sake of the data!

 If you have a moment, vote for your favorite names within the US Top 100 chart. The polls are embedded below and your answers are completely anonymous!

It will take a bit of scrolling to view them all but don't give up!



Thanks for voting! Don't forget to share this with your poll-loving friends!

From Juliet to Julius: The Popularity of 5 Jul- Names

In the naming world, sometimes you will find names that all begin with the same few letters. This can sometimes make it difficult to choose between them. For example, I asked which of these Jul- names you would sooner use and the results are in!

The options include two boys names: the popular Julian and the strong, Roman Julius. For girls, I limited it to sweet Julia, romantic Juliet and exotic Juliana.

Every single one of these names comes from the same root. They come from the Roman family name ioulos which is from the Greek ιουλος meaning "downy-bearded" which implies youthfulness. The patriarch name is Iulius from which Julius was born. Following Julius's lead came Iulia and Iulianus.

The Ancient Roman Iulia inspired many of the feminine names including Julia, Julitta, Yuliya, Jools, Juliet, Juliette, Julie, Juliska, Giulia, Giulietta, Julinha, and Yulia. Names like  Juliana, Julijana, Liana, Leanna, Gillian, Jill, and Uliana came from the Ancient Roman Iuliana which came from the male Iulianus.

The boy names all sprang from Iulianus and include favorites such as Julian, Julius, Jules and Julio. There's also the Italian Giuliano and Giulio, the Russian Yulian, Yuliy and Yuli, the rare English name Jolyon, the Polish Juliusz and Julek, and any other variant or diminutive you can think of!

You can view the Jul- family tree here!

Here is how the names ranked in popularity on The Art of Naming's poll:

1. Juliet  29 Votes (38%)
2. Julian  24 Votes (32%)
3. Juliana 11 Votes (14%)
4. Julia    8 Votes (10%)
5. Julius   3 Votes (4%)

In the U.S. these names are all ranked within the Top 1000 names. Here is how they measured up in 2012:

• Julian #53 with 7,336 births
• Julia #65 with 3,844 births
• Juliana #147 with 2,201 births
• Juliet #253 with 1,267 births
• Julius #331 with 940 births

Which of these Jul- names is your favorite? I personally love Juliet the most! I would also use Julius over Julian for a boy. What do you think?

What is Your Favorite Max Name?

I asked another popularity question recently. "Which Max name is your favorite?"  Then I listed them from the most-popular to the least. 74 votes were cast and there were three top names.

Maxwell    24 Votes (32%)

Max       17 Votes (22%)

Maximus    15 Votes (20%)

Maxim      8 Votes (10%)

Maximilian   5 Votes (6%)

Maxton      4 Votes (5%)

Maximo      1 Vote  (1%)

32 percent of you name-artists prefer the name Maxwell and 22 percent would rather go with just plain ol' Max. 20 percent, myself included, voted for the cool Latin Maximus, and 10 percent chose to drop the -us and go with Maxim. The very-long Maximilian only received 6 percent of the vote while the made-up-sounding Maxton had 5%. Bring up the rear was the Spanish Maximo with a single vote.

Let's learn more about these names. Do they all have the same root or do they differ?

Maxwell is actually related to the Scandinavian name Magnus. It comes from a Scottish surname that means "Mack's stream" from the name Mack which is a short form of Magnus combined with the Old English "wella" which means stream.  It was most popular in the US in 2000, ranking at #113 with 3,364 births.  In 2012, there were 3,187 boys born (and 8 girls) which ranked the boy's name at #116.

Max is most known as a short-form of Maximilian (which came from the roman family name Maximilianus which came from the Latin Maximus meaning "greatest) but obviously it can be short for any of the above names, or stand on its own. Max was rather popular from 1914-1938 before it slightly declined in usage. It increased again around 1987 and has been on the up-and-up since then. Its highest rank was in 2011 at #96 with 3,946 births. It fell to #105 last year. Max ranks very well in other countries too.

Maximus is the name I chose for my own son.  It is a Roman family name that is derived from the Latin Maximus meaning "Greatest". There was a Saint Maximus in 7th century Constantinople who was a monk and theologian.  Maximus ranked at #206 in 2012 with 1,835 boys born. It first appeared on the chart in 1997 and gained popularity after the 2000 movie "Gladiator" came out. It had 11 births in 1999, 188 in 2000 and 892 in 2001. Maximus seems to be the root name for many of these other variants.

Maxim is a variant of the Russian Maksim which comes from Maximus. Maxim ranked at #683 in 2012 with 344 births. This name is also popular in England/Wales, Belgium and the Netherlands. I think it is a cute name on its own, or as a nickname for Maximus or Maximilian. Too bad there is a racy magazine with the name that somewhat taints the awesomeness of the name Maxim.

Maximilian, again, comes from the Roman name Maximilianus which comes from Maximus. There was a 3rd century saint and martyr with the name. In the 15th century, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III blended together the names of generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus to get Maximilian for his son. In the US, Maximilian ranks at #464 with 582 births in 2012. When it is spelled with two L's, it ranks at #1279 with 136 births.

Maxton doesn't seem to have a solid history that I can find information on. It reminds me of a modern-sounding name like Paxton, even though Paxton does have a history behind it. No doubt parents wanted the nickname Max but were not a fan of the other long-forms. There were 5 Maxtons born in 1927 and 1953; it wasn't used again until 1985. It ranked at #884 in 2012 with 235 births.

Maximo is a name that I originally considered before falling for Maximus. It is the Spanish form of Maximus pronounced MAHK-see-mo.  There were 5 births in 1903 and then it gained regular usage in 1914. It first entered the top 1000 chart in 2002 at #933. In 2012, it ranked at #920 with 222 births. It is more popular than it has been in the past but it is still fairly unused. A handsome alternative to more-popular Spanish boy names that end with -o.

Additionally, here are the number of births in 2012 for Max and all of the longer formal names that could lead to Max as a nickname:

Max Variants on Record:

Max: 3,663 born in 2012.
Maxwell: 3,187 born.
Maximus: 1,835 born
Maximiliano: 975 born.
Maximilian: 582 born
Maxim: 344 born
Maxton: 235 born
Maximo: 222 births
Maksim: 161 births (Maks = Max in sound)
Maximillian: 136 births
Maxon: 66 births
Maxson: 44 births
Maximos: 24 births
Maxen: 22 births
Maxten: 9 births

Add that up, you get 11,505 "Maxs" born in 2012.

Which is your favorite Max name? Let me know in the comments below!

5 Lovely and Rare Names for Girls

This poll from the sidebar of The Art of Naming blog closed quite a while ago! You voted! Now it is time to find out which of the five options won the poll!  Here are the contenders and the results:

Emmeline  17 votes (32%)

Ariadne  14 votes (26%)

Calliope  8 votes  (15%)

Bryony  7 votes (13%)

Lavinia  6 votes  (11%)

Let's learn more about each of these names!  Which is your favorite?

Emmeline is a name that I fear is rising fast! With the popularity of Emma and Emily, as well as -line names like Caroline and Madeline, Emmeline seems like a shoo-in!  It is a French name that comes from German elements that mean "work."  It ranked just outside of the US Top 1000 in 2012 at #1078.  click here to read even more about this lovely choice. 

Ariadne is an Ancient Greek name that means "most holy." I first heard it in the move Inception (Ellen Page's character) and I liked it right away for being different but full of history. It is pronounced ar-ee-AD-nee. In Greek Mythology, she was the daughter of King Minos and eventually married the god Dionysus. This would be a cool alternative to the more-popular Aria and Ariana. It ranked #1762 in 2012.

Calliope is pronounced cuh-LIE-oh-pee and is a Greek name that means "Beautiful Voice."  In Greek Mythology, she was one of the 9 muses, the goddess of epic poetry and eloquence. To me, this name should be quite common since I hear it so often, but it has never ranked in the top 1000. Its gaining momentum but still only ranks at #1535 as of 2012.  Read more about this name here.

Bryony is another rare name! Pronounced BRIE-ə-nee, it ultimately comes from the Greek βρυω (bryo) meaning "to swell". It is the name of a Eurasian vine that was formerly used for medicinal purposes. I first heard this name (spelled Briony) from the movie "Atonement" and rather liked it. There were only 13 girls named Bryony in 2012. Its only been occasionally used in the US since 1976.

Lavinia was the first name that I featured on the blog. It is of Roman/Latin origin with an unknown meaning. It ranked as high as #360 in 1880 and is quite an old-fashioned gem that many are unaware of. Lavinia was the mother of the Romans and the wife of the Trojan hero Aemeas who named Lavinium, Italy after her. The name hasn't been on the charts since 1929, but I hear it quite often. It was the name of a character on "Downton Abbey," which is where I first heard it. There were only 52 girls given this name in 2012! Read more about it here.

7 Names That Start With Ev-

Once again, a poll on the sidebar of the blog has come to a close. A whopping 84 votes were cast for these lovely names that start with Ev-.  Because I couldn't help myself, I ended up choosing 7 names for the poll which made the votes spread a little thin, but there was definitely a clear favorite. Here are the results:

Known: Evangeline  19 votes (22%)
Common:  Eve       14 votes (16%)
Unusual:   Everly         14 votes (16%)
Popular:   Evelyn         12 votes (14%)
Popular:   Eva        9 votes (10%)
Rare:  Evadne          9 votes (10%)
Rare:  Eveline          7 votes (8%)

22% of you Name-Artists out there favor the name Evangeline the most!  It is toward the middle of the pack as far as popularity is concerned. Here is how each of the names ranked on the US Top 1000 chart in 2012:

Evelyn #27
Eva #86
Evangeline #292
Eve #558
Everly #907
Eveline #7189
Evadne Unranked (#14129 in 1994, zero births since then.)

Let's find out more about these names!

Evelyn is an English surname that comes from the name Aveline. It was originally common for boys in the 17th century but because of similar feminine names like Evelina, this name is all-girl now.
Eva is the Latinate form of Eve, meaning "life". It is also a variant of the Russian Yeva.  This name works well internationally. It has ranked well in 17 countries, even hitting #1 in Slovenia in 2011.

Evangeline is a Greek name that means "good news".  There is an epic poem entitled "Evangeline" that was written in 1847 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Eve comes from the Hebrew words "Chawah" which means "to breathe" and "Chayah" which means "to live". Eve was the first female human as written in the Book of Genesis in the bible. This name was used in the middle ages and gained more popularity in the 19th century.

Everly has been used on boys because of its association with the Everly Brothers, but nowadays it is very female. It is English meaning "wild boar in the woodland clearing" which is more of a boyish meaning to me!

Eveline is my favorite of the bunch. It is a variant of Evelina which comes from Aveline which is derived from Germanic elements possibly meaning "desired". It is very rarely used but has been around since the 1880s in the US.

Evadne surprised me in how unused it is. I've seen it around and its one of my favorite Greek names, but it hasn't been used at all since 1992-1994, and before that 1962. I suppose she does have a tragic story in Greek legend.

Which if these is your favorite?

3 Girl Names: Similar Sound, Different Popularity

I love questions about popularity. I am always wondering if parents choose names because of how popular (or unpopular) they are. And with that, do they also avoid certain names because they're popular or unheard of?

The above poll focused on names that start with Isa-.  It is no secret that Isabella was the #1 name in 2009 and 2010 after seeming to come out of nowhere suddenly in the early 2000s. In fact, Isabella was rather obscure, not even on the top 1000 chart, between 1949 and 1990.

I didn't think to include Isabelle on the poll, but she's not nearly as popular as Isabella. That -a ending makes all the difference.  Isabelle ranked at #126 in 2012, while Isabella is #3.  Alternatively, Isabel ranked right behind Isabelle at #134. I wonder how many of you would have voted for Isabelle or Isabel.

What about other options that don't have a bell chained to it?

The lovely Isadora is my personal favorite. I would use this over Isabella any day! And the rare and unique Isabeau was the third option on the poll.

These three names have differing popularity on actual babies, but on The Art of Naming, there was one clear winner. Here are the poll results:

Isadora:  20 votes  (51%)

Isabella: 14 votes  (35%)

Isabeau:  5 votes (12%)

This tells me that most of you would prefer to be right in the middle of the popularity scale. Here is where the names ranked in 2012:

Isabella ranked at #3
Isadora ranked at #1497
Isabeau ranked at #10664

Isabella is the latinate (Spanish and Italian) version of Isabel which is the Medieval Occitan form of Elizabeth. This name works very well internationally, but the major draw to the name was influenced by the character in Twilight. The Bella nickname suddenly swept America as one of the most desirable. It means "pledged to God".

Isadora comes from Isidora which is the female form of the male name Isidore.  Isadora comes from Greek elements meaning "Gift of Isis".  As you can see above, Isadora is not even close to ranking in the US Top 1000. It wasn't used at all from 1958-1968, but it has been around since the 1880s, even ranking at a high of #654 in 1882. But that ranking only accounted for 9 births. I get the feeling this name will continue to slowly gain more usage over the next few years. There was a record 148 babies born last year with this name.  Read more about this name here.

Isabeau has only been used in the US since 1987.  There were only 10 girls given this name in 2012. The only information that I can find on this name says that it is an Old French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was the wife of the French King Charles VI, Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422) also known as Isabeau de Bavière.  Since Isabeau comes from Isabel, it also means "pledged to God" and would be an excellent alternative on the opposite end of the popularity spectrum. I sense that this may also gain a bit more usage in the near future, but I can't imagine it hitting the Top 1000 any time soon, if ever.

Which of these names do you like best?

5 Em- Names And Their Popularity

See that poll above? I asked you what I thought was a very difficult question, but surprisingly, the answer was a very easy choice to make.

The clear-cut favorite Em- name on The Art of Naming is Emmeline. In fact, just turn the poll upside-down to put the names in the correct order! Here are the official results:

Emmeline: 19 votes  (45%)

Emerald: 7 votes (16%)

Emilia:  6 votes (14%)

Emily:  5 votes (11%)

Emma:  5 votes (11%)

This was a Popularity Question. I wanted to know how many people would prefer sticking to something popular like Emma or Emily, and how many people would opt for the bolder, rarer choices like Emerald and Emmeline, with Emilia tucked safely in the middle.

Emmeline is destined to be popular in the coming years and its because of the popularity of Emma and Emily, as well as the popular -line names like Caroline and Madeline. Parents love the Em- but want to be unique, so Emmeline is a great choice!  It is a French name that comes from German elements that mean "work."  It ranked just outside of the US Top 1000 in 2012 at #1078.  For now, it is a rare gem but don't be surprised if it hits the Top 1000 next year and continues climbing upward!  Click here to read even more about this lovely choice.

The name Emerald does indeed come from the word for the green precious stone, which is the birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer, which can only make the name that much more desirable. In 2012, there were 145 baby girls and 6 baby boys born with this name. The girls ranked in at #1518 in the US.

Emilia has been gaining popularity for decades and has finally crossed the 1000 births-per-year milestone with 1,207 girls born in 2012. It ranks in at #268 in the US; both of these statistics are record-highs. Emilia is the feminine form of the Roman Family name Aemilius  which was derived from Latin "aemulus" meaning "rival".

Like Emilia, Emily comes from the same Roman Family name and has the same meaning. It was brought to England in the 18th century. It was thought to come from the German Amelia, since Princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was called Emily, but the two names are unrelated. Emily was always moderately used, but began its ascent to the baby-name throne in the 1970s, hitting the #1 spot in 1996. It was finally usupred by Emma in 2008 and has been sitting comfortably at #6 for the past 4 years.

Emma is not as popular as Emily in modern times. It was only the #1 name in the US for 2008. However, Emma wins the popularity contest around the turn of the century. It ranked in the top 10 from 1880-1897 and had its own baby-boom around 1920. It lost a bit of steam from the 50s to the mid-80s, but definitely gained momentum again by the 90s. The 2000s and the 2010s continue to produce thousands of baby Emmas and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I happen to love the name! However, Emma is not related to Emily. It is originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element "ermen" meaning "whole" or "universal".

Which did you vote for? If popularity was not an issue, which name would you choose based on sound and meaning alone?  Emma is my ultimate favorite, but because of popularity, I would choose Emmeline instead.  Let me know what you think!

5 Rarely Used Greek Boy Names!

Once again, a couple of the polls on the side of the blog have ended and the results are in!

Apollo 17 votes (34%)

Calix 15 votes (30%)

Isidore 7 votes (14%)

Achilles 6 votes (12%

Erasmus 4 votes (8%)

You voted! The winner of the poll was Apollo!

Apollo is a Greek mythology name. He was the son of Zeus and the god of medicine, music and poetry. Modern associations include NASA's Apollo program that landed humans on the moon; the historic Apollo Theatre in New York that launched the careers of many famous musicians.  Apollo ranked within the Top 1000 for the very first time at #993 in 2012! This name has only ranked in the US since 1965.

Calix is a handsome and rare choice. Some think of it as the male form of Calixta/Calista. It is a Greek name meaning "Very Handsome" but some associate it with a Chalice in Latin. It has only been used in the US since 2002. There were 46 boys given the name in 2012, but it only ranks at #2619.

Isidore was a common name in ancient Greece and is held by several saints. The name means "Gift of Isis" and was readily used by Jews in Spain. St. Isidore of Seville worked as an encyclopedist and helped to pass down much of our knowledge about medieval times. This name was most popular from 1912-1924. Since then, usage has nearly stopped. Only 5 boys bore this name in 2012.

Achilles was a great warrior in Greek legend and one of the stars of Homer's Illiad which featured the Greek war against the Trojans. He was famously killed by an arrow to the heel, (now called the Achilles tendon) as it was his only weak spot. Because of this, the name possibly means "pain" but the true meaning is unclear. Achilles is used more in Europe than in the states. It's been used ocassionally since 1912, and had a small boost in 2005. There were 146 boys born in 2012 with this name, ranking at #1209.

Erasmus is a very rare name but it shouldn't be. It is Greek for "beloved, desired" which is very attractive! Perhaps its the two S's in the name that makes it difficult to say. Saint Erasmus was also known as Saint Elmo. And Charles Darwin's grandfather was named Erasmus. This name briefly ranked in the US from 1880-1882. It wasn't used again until 1913-1926, 1942, 1970, 1972, 2000, and 2010-2011. There have only been 105 Erasmus' born in the US since 1880.

I'd like to see Erasmus and Isidore have more usage for modern boys. Which do you like?

Result of "Favorite Classic Girls Name" Poll

If you've seen the polls on the right side of my blog, you may have noticed that two of them have closed. I'd like to report the results of one of the polls now!

This poll asked the question: "What is your favorite classic girls name?"  I provided the following options:

Elizabeth - 14 votes (34%)
Alexandra -  8 votes (19%)
Anna      -  8 votes (19%)
Katherine -  6 votes (14%)
Victoria -   5 votes (12%)

Elizabeth was the clear winner of the poll! I wrote a blog article about the name Elizabeth asking why it has been a perpetually popular name since 1880. It appears to still have the winning-edge over its contemporaries!  Elizabeth has a rich history, a timeless style and a multitude of nickname options! It is a Hebrew name meaning "pledged to God," and is ranked at #10 on the US Top 1000 names chart.

Alexandra and Anna tied for 2nd place.  Alexandra is my favorite of the bunch. It is a strong but elegant Greek name meaning "Defender of the People."  With many nickname possibilities, this name remains popular at #76.

The name Anna is short and sweet. On its own, it is a Hebrew name meaning "Grace," but it is also considered a Greek or Latin version of the name Hannah. Anna has an exotic appeal that works internationally. It is currently ranked at #35.

Katherine placed next on the poll rankings and is one of the oldest and most diverse names! It is equally powerful and feminine with a royal and saintly edge. Katherine has many spellings, short forms and nicknames which makes it very adaptable to the name bearer. It is Greek meaning "pure," and is currently ranked at #64. This name is my second favorite on the list.

Lastly, Victoria! Queen Victoria's name was responsible for classifying an entire era that epitomizes gentility and refinement. It is Latin meaning "victory," and is currently ranked at #28. I would personally like this name better if I didn't dislike the nickname "Vicky" so much. Perhaps that is one reason this classic name ranked last on the poll.

Which did you vote for? What are your favorite nicknames for each name?  Let me know in the comments below and check out the results of the Classic Boy Name poll from Monday's post!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's Girl Name of the Week! I'll be using a diminutive of one of the names above!

Result of "Favorite Classic Boys Name" Poll

If you've noticed the polls that are located on the right side of this blog, you'll see that the two on the bottom have closed. I have the results of the boy poll here!  I will feature the girl's poll on Thursday.

I asked the question: "Which of these classic boy names do you prefer?" These were the options:

Alexander - 14 votes (35%)
William - 8 votes (20%)
James -  8 votes (20%)
John -  5 votes (12%)
Charles - 4 votes (10%)

Looking back on this, I would have probably preferred to remove one of them and include Arthur or Frederick. Nonetheless, you guys voted and the clear winner was Alexander.

Alexander is a Greek name meaning "Defender of the People," and it is also my favorite on this list. It is the name I chose for my son's middle name. It ranked at #9 on the 2012 US Top 1000 Names chart! It is a noble name with many nicknames and variations such as Alex, Lex, Xander/Zander and even the exotic Sasha.

There was a two-way tie for second place, William and James.  William is a royal name, currently used by Prince William. This is a classic name that has endured over the years. It currently sits at #5! It is both conservative and contemporary with the cute, popular nickname Liam (which ranked #6 on its own.) Despite Liam, there will continue to be Wills and Bills and Billys. William is an English name meaning "resolute protection."

James is considered the English variation of Jacob, but it is also known as a Hebrew name meaning "supplanter." This name has also endured time and remains as popular and stylish as ever! It ranks at #14 and is beloved by many for its extensive history and cute nicknames like Jimmy and Jamie. There are also many interesting foreign variations of the name from Jacques to Hamish to Seamus.

John is a solid classic that stood at the top of the list for decades. In fact, before the SSA began compiling data in 1880, John was the most popular name for nearly 400 years! While it ranked at #28 last year, many parents view it was overused, opting for Jack or another international variation such as Jean, Sean, Ian, Evan or Ewan. The ones that use John today seem to use it to honor a relative rather than using it for stylistic reasons. It is at its lowest point ever right now. It is a Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious," and despite its drop in popularity, I imagine it will always be in the Top 100.

Lastly, Charles only got 4 votes. The name dates back to Charles the Great or the emperor Charlemagne. It is an elegant royal name that is currently in usage by Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth and first in line to the throne of England. It has also been the name of Kings in France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary. It ranks at #62 in the US and is a French name meaning "free man." It seems many parents prefer the nickname Charlie as a given name.

Which of these names did you vote for? What are your favorite nicknames for each? Let me know in the comments below!  And stay tuned for the results of the girl's name poll! It will post on Thursday!