The Art of Naming

Trending Baby Names for Boys: The Rising Stars of 2023 that Skyrocketed in Use in the USA Naming trends can tell us a lot about cultural shifts, emerging influences, and the evolving tastes of new parents. The latest data on baby names reveals some fascinating changes from 2022 to 2023.  Let's explore the names that have skyrocketed in popularity and what might be driving these trends. Top Gainers in Male Baby Names 1. Izael  Rank Change: +860    - 2023 Rank: 806    - 2022 Rank: 1666    - Why it’s trending: Izael’s dramatic rise could be attributed to its unique sound and the growing popularity of names with a strong, distinctive flair. It has a biblical vibe but also a unique and modern style. 2. Chozen Rank Change: +666    - 2023 Rank: 813    - 2022 Rank: 1479    - Why it’s trending: Chozen’s appeal lies in its modern, empowering connotation. It’s a name that stands out and signifies a sense of purpose and destiny. And who doesn't want to be "the chosen one"? 3. Eid

Lately, I've been loving the name Thea. However, when I thought about longer, proper names, I just don't like Theodora or Dorothea enough to consider using those on the birth certificate with Thea as just a nickname. Some people like to skip that middle step and put nicknames or shortened forms directly on the paperwork. It occurred to me that shortening or contracting names could work for those wishing to honor a relative. You love grandma Wilhelmina but don't wish to use her exact name, so you contract it and go with Willa. Easy, right? Are there any names that you can think of that could be shortened to create interesting short forms? Maybe some that are a bit more unexpected than traditional? Sure, there's Thea from Theodora, and Tessa from Theresa. Are there any others that aren't as obvious? Just pick a name, drop a few letters and see what you're left with. Maybe it'll be the next big thing! Here are a few I came up with: Adelaide > Ada, Adla

The very first thing that all name-searching parents do when they find a name is say it. Whether it is in their mind or out loud, pronouncing the name always comes first. How does the name sound when you say it? Do you like the sound of the name? Does it easily roll off the tongue or are there pronunciation issues that could cause the child problems in life?  Many of these questions are answered subconsciously as we say and hear the name. And of course, this is going to vary greatly per person. What sounds like a lovely name to one person may not be attractive at all to another. But the question is, are there specific sounds in a name that are more mass-appealing than others? Do we, as a country, tend to gravitate toward certain sounds within a name?  Take for instance the top 5 girl names of 2016. They all end in the letter A: Emma, Olivia, Ava, Sophia, and Isabella.  These are all very vowel-heavy names that easily roll off the tongue. Today’s parents are flocking to these

The baby girls who were born in 1950 are now grandmothers. They will turn 65 this year! It is safe to say, though, that a lot of their first names may not be getting passed down to their grand-daughters at the same rate that grandpa's name is probably being given to the boys. While the boys have some solid classics on their side --even their more dated options like Jerry are well-used today-- the girl names have not survived the test of time as well. Take a look at how the top girl names of 1950 rank then and now and see if you don't agree: Girls:             Linda Mary Patricia Barbara Susan Nancy Deborah Sandra Carol Kathleen Sharon Karen Donna Brenda Margaret Diane Pamela Janet Shirley Carolyn Judith Janice Cynthia Elizabeth Judy 1950:     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2013:                        643 121 680 838 844 689 814 766 1617 664 882 416 1340 634 181 1841

You and your partner just found out that you're expecting a baby girl and you couldn't be happier. Immediately, baby names pop into your mind and you're determined to find one that will honor your beloved grandmother. The only problem is that you totally and completely hate her name. Oops! It's difficult when you love someone so much that you want to honor them but, in your mind, their name leaves little to be desired. You simply cannot picture yourself yelling at little Thelma across the playground and you couldn't handle saying Dolores a hundred times a day. These names work beautifully on your grandmother but they are not right for your modern daughter. What can you do? Here are ten exciting ways to reinvent, revamp and retrofit your loved one's name in order to fall in love with your choice while still honoring them. These will be in the order of most relevance to the person's actual name. The lower you go on the list, the less obvious the ho

This month's set of birth announcements started out somewhat unusual as I began building the list, and as I continued, the names got a bit more traditional.  However, they are all mixed together because of being placed alphabetically.  Once again, the middle name choices seem to be very common or old-fashioned for most of the babies below. There are a few interesting exceptions like Yaamach and Kapri. I wonder why so many parents choose "safe" middle name options. I feel like the middle name, since it is mostly tucked away, provides the perfect opportunity to use guilty pleasure names or the highly unusual.  Instead, there are more unusual first names being used such as Alithia, Zyanya, and Kipper. What thoughts spring to your mind as you browse through the following list?: Girls: Adele Grace Alithia Brooke Aliza Bethany Allison Marie Amy Rose Lei Annabelle Rose Ara Fae Ariauna Danielle Linn Athena Jene Leann Irene Aubrey Faith Aurora Kapri Belle Madely

Featured Dutch Names: Diederick  & Madelief This month for our World-Wide Wednesday segment, we will be examining Dutch baby names. These are classified as names that are mostly found in the Netherlands as well as the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium known as Flanders. Like many other countries, parents in  present-day Netherlands are attracted to internationally loved names like Emma and Luca: names that are a bit more anglicized and less traditionally Dutch. While some things tend to change over time, there are still plenty of traditional names being given to Dutch babies. This article will focus on the interesting traditional choices available and how they were used in the past. However, many of these names are difficult for non-Dutch speakers to pronounce. First, let's start with naming traditions. Like many other countries in the past, Dutch families tended to use and reuse the same few names over many generations. Patronymic names were big. According to DutchGenea

Just like last week's post about boy names from 1920, here are some wonderful vintage classics for girls as well as some names that are no longer very fashionable. It is interesting to see how many names remain popular over time and how many have returned to the limelight after a vacation from the Top 1000. Which of these do you like most? Enduring Classics Names that are in the Top 100 for both 1920 and 2013 and have always been within the Top 1000: Elizabeth #8 in 1920 #10 in 2013 Anna #10 in 1920 #35 in 2013 Evelyn #12 in 1920 #20 in 2013 Lillian #18 in 1920 #26 in 2013 Ruby #26 in 1920 #93 in 2013 Grace #37 in 1920 #22 in 2013 Katherine #45 in 1920 #77 in 2013 Emma #46 in 1920 #2 in 2013 Sarah #50 in 1920 #48 in 2013 Julia #55 in 1920 #75 in 2013 Eva #58 in 1920 #88 in 2013 Charlotte #79 in 1920 #11 in 2013 Lucy #94 in 1920 #66 in 2013 Returning Vintage Faves Names that were within the Top 200 in 1920 but fell out of

The year 1920 was big and booming for many baby names. I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few different categories of names from 1920 and see how they compare to the recent 2013 list. Enduring Classics Names in the Top 100 both in 1920 and 2013: John #1 in 1920 #27 in 2013 William #2 in 1920 #5 in 2013 Robert  #3 in 1920 #62 in 2013 James #4 in 1920 #13 in 2013 Charles #5 in 1920 #57 in 2013 Joseph #7 in 1920 #20 in 2013 Thomas #11 in 1920 #61 in 2013 Henry #17 in 1920 #37 in 2013 Jack #20 in 1920 #40 in 2013 David #25 in 1920 #18 in 2013 Anthony #43 in 1920 #19 in 2013 Samuel  #44 in 1920 #25 in 2013 Andrew #49 in 1920 #22 in 2013 Michael #50 in 1920 #7 in 2013 Daniel #52 in 1920 #10 in 2013 Benjamin #83 in 1920 #14 in 2013 These names just keep hanging in there as the years pass by. Other names have not been so lucky. Faded Memories Names in the Top 100 in 1920 that are no longer in the Top 1000 in

Birth announcements can be even more telling of what names are actually being used than even the most official lists of statistics and data. The US Top 1000 chart may show the most popular names, one spelling of that name at at time, but it does not make any mention of middle names. I like to see name combinations: firsts and middles put together. Like I mentioned in last month's birth announcement list, the middle names that many people seem to use are rather common or "filler". I'd like to do another quick tally of the repeated middle names on today's list: Girls:  Ann: 2 Elizabeth: 3 Louise: 2 Lynn: 2 Marie: 3 Rose: 8 Did you see all those Roses? It seems to be a very popular choice! And then there's the adorable and old-fashioned middles like Sue, Joan, and Mae. Which of the following names do you like best? Girls: Aerabella Lee Adley Ann Anastasia Rose Aniyah Rose Aria Rose Aubrey Virginia Brynn Renee Carly Rae Catherin Marceline

Family is very important in Italy. So much so that there has been a very strong custom in place for how parents are expected to name their children. The first male is named after his paternal grandfather. The second male is named after his maternal grandfather. The first female is named after her paternal grandmother. The second female is named after her maternal grandmother. Any further children would then be named either for their parents, for a favorite aunt or uncle, for a saint, or for a deceased relative. There are always exceptions to this custom but this is typically the pattern that has been traditionally in use. If there was a child who died at a young age, for instance the first born son Emilio, his name would probably be reused for the next boy that was born in order to honor his paternal grandfather Emilio again. Sometimes if the first born was a girl, they'd use a female variation of the paternal grandfather's name. The pattern wasn't always follo

In this set of birth announcements from a hospital in Pennsylvania, I found myself more fascinated by all the middle names than anything. Count with me. Ann/Anne: 5 Marie: 4 Jane/Jayne: 2 Noel/Noelle: 2 Rayne: 2 Rose: 4 Alan/Allan: 3 Andrew: 3 James: 3 Johnathan/Jonathan: 2 Joseph/Joesph: 3 Michael: 4 I started to think about middle names and how often a more common or "filler" name is chosen. I wish there was an official SSA-style list for just middle names so we could calculate the most popular ones. However, it would make a difference if these were family names or used for sentimental reasons as opposed to just filling a space. Beyond just finding repeating middle names, so many of these are classic or traditional names. I do like seeing the more unique options like Patience and Raven, Axel and Dash. However, I used Alexander for my own son's middle name and Sophia for my daughter so I understand the thought process. What are your kids' middle n

Welcome to World-Wide Wednesday! Today we'll take a look at Irish baby names and naming traditions! First, let's start with a bit of trivia.  Irish babies are typically named for their relatives, especially in the past. This trend may not be as prominent today as it once was, but there is a pattern that Irish families tended to follow: First born son named after his father's father Second born son named after his mother's father Third born son named after his father Fourth born son named after his father's oldest brother Fifth born son named after his father's 2nd oldest brother or his mother's oldest brother First born daughter named after her mother's mother Second born daughter named after her father's mother Third born daughter named after her mother Fourth born daughter named after her mother's oldest sister Fifth born daughter named after her mother's 2nd oldest sister or her father's oldest sister Another fun tradi

These real baby names were taken from birth announcements listed on the website of a small California hospital from earlier this year! I found this compilation to be quite diverse; from the more proper names like Abigail Virginia and Ronald Richard to the more fun and creative names like Tymberlyn and Bodee.  What do you think of this list? Which is your favorite? Girls:  Abigail Virginia Addyson Marie Allison Cena Angelic Grace Milagros Aspen Lynn Arielle Alicia Aubrey Skylar Braelynn Rene' Brynn Rose Chloe Lane Copelynn Eleanor Eden Beverly Ella Marie Emelia Ava Emmalynne MacKensie Evangeline Marie Harper Joan Heidi Rose Isabella Adelina Jewell Janet Kathlynn Katelynn Michelle Ann Kelcie Louise Makayla Lynn Maryann Josephine Paylin Rae Saige Kimberlee Sophie Ann Elyse Tymberlyn Ellie Jean Boys: Aeden Ivan Anthony Rolla Arturo Joseph Austin Paul David Bodee Wilson Braydon Charles Caeden Izaak Chance Williams-Ray Chester Landon Lee David

Beaumaris Castle Anglesey Wales United Kingdom Welsh baby names are very interesting. Traditional names have their own rules that may make the names complicated to pronounce for those who are not familiar with them. I've found a website that studies Welsh names from medieval times and breaks down specific elements within the names. It was actually a bit over my head but I definitely want to share those links if you're interested in more of the etymology:   Link #1  | Link #2   |  Link #3 Let's start with a bit of information about surnames in Wales. From the 15th century onward, families adopted a fixed family name. Before that, they used a patronymic naming system in which a "surname" was derived from the child's father's name. This kind of naming was especially telling for the male line throughout the generations. Typically, a person's baptismal name would be linked to their father's baptismal name by the letters ap or ab (son of) for a b

These baby names were pulled from birth announcements at a hospital in Oregon since the start of the year, (January-April 2014). I picked out the ones that I liked or thought were interesting. Which of these do you like best? Girls:  Amiyah Rose Ariana Renee Aspen Jolee Aubrielle Kinzie Audrianna Taylor Ava Penelope Avery Gabriella Beatrice Aveah-Dawn Callie Elizabeth Cecelia Opal Charlotte Marie Delilah Jane Elayna Jade Ellanie Rose Evia Shay Francesca Vail Hallee Christine Roseann Hannah Rogue Harmony Clair Ily Mae-Joan Ivy Sophia Ann Isabella Faith Jasmine Faye Jessica Lynn Jinevieve Nicole Julia Carmen Annalise Julianna Lynn Khloe Elise Lisa Khloe Sophia Alexandria Kylea Nicole Layla Josephine Leila Mae Lilly Marie Lola Anne Marie Maddilyn Dawn McKinley Nichole Melony Angel Nola James Peyton June Remington Lane Ruby Jean Savannah Rose Lynn Stella Jo Sylvie Kate Temprence Gail Francis Trinity Joy Boys: Aleczander Lawrence Andre

Ever since I began The Art of Naming, I've had a pretty firm stance against using popular names. My objective was to help parents find obscure and unusual names to use instead of going with the most common choices that everyone else is using.  While I still completely love unique names, I have a big confession to make. As many of you may know, my husband and I are expecting a daughter in August. We have chosen three names for her, a first and two middles. The kicker is, despite all of my pro-unusual name posts, two of my chosen names are within the Top 50.   [Cue the collective gasp]. We were originally planning on using a first name that ranked in the mid-200s but now we've bumped it to the middle name.  We will be using one of the more popular names as her first name because it *feels right*.  If any of you have had a child, I'm sure you can relate to the feeling of a name just being "the one". I realized it when I saw her little face in an ultrasound pic