The Art of Naming

Here is a list of names (and potential name ideas) that have been used by automakers and car companies. Are there any that you would love to use as a name but feel as if it is too closely associated with the car? I think Ford and Lexus are cool but they are very obvious.  Have any of these been ruined for you or would you still use them anyway? There sure are a lot of little Bentleys being born lately! Makes: Acura Alfa Romeo Ariel [Atom] Aston Martin Audi Austin Healey Bentley Ford Kia Lexus Lincoln Mercedes [Rolls-]Royce Shelby Tesla Models: Acadia  (GMC) Allante (Cadillac) Alero (Oldsmobile) Altima (Nissan) Amanti (Kia) Apollo  (Buick) Aspen (Chrysler) Astra (Saturn) Aura (Saturn) Aurora (Oldsmobile) Avalon (Toyota) Aveo  (Chevrolet) Azera (Hyundai) Azure (Bentley) Beretta (Chevrolet) Cadenza (Kia) Camaro (Chevrolet) Camry (Toyota) Capri (Ford / Mercury) Caprice (Chevrolet) Carina (Toyota) Carrera (Porsche) Cater...

These names are taken from real babies who were featured in recent hospital announcements. These are all first and middle names; no last names were included.  Which of these do you like? Are there any that you dislike? If you had to pick one to use, which would it be? Girls: Alivia Noel Americus Marie Amira Denise Annabelle Grace Anniesse Marie Avianna Carmen Belize Madeline Caroline Daye Chloe Lynn Claire Danielle Colbi Alisa Elizabeth Renee Ella Mae Emily Cathrynne Jacelyn Beth Kysen Alayah Liliana Sophia Lillian Abigail Lily Marie Michelle Mackenzie Brooke Madison Elaine Natalie Rose O'Laina Sophia Olivia Faye Payton Mae Penelope Hazel Reagan Leigh Samantha Mae Sana'a Geneva Louise Vada Monroe Boys: Aaron Anthony Aiden Russell Andrew Charles Bradley Alexander Braxton Cole Brylen Josiah Caleb James Cody Allen Daelyn Jacovi Damien Alexander Easton Alexander Elijah Cole Elliott Sebastian Ethan Paul Garrett Lewis Henry Theron ...

Featured French Names: Olivier  & Colette This month's edition of World-Wide Wednesday will focus on French baby names.  The French were originally very limited in what names they could use for a child because France was very strict as far as which names were and were not allowed. Traditionally, babies were only allowed to be named after Roman Catholic saints . Sometimes a child acquired the name of the saint who's National Saint Day fell on the day they were born. Today, that practice is not commonly used anymore, however most French people are still given the name of a saint or a version of a name of a saint. The Saint's Day associated with their name is then celebrated throughout their life as a second birthday. The most common saint names that were used include Jacques (James), Jean (John), Michel (Michael), Pierre (Peter), or Jean-Baptiste (John the Baptist) for males; and Marie (Mary), Jeanne (Jane), Marguerite (Margaret), Françoise (Frances), or Élisabeth...

In 1900, there was a big trend occurring among baby girl names. Parents loved the cutesy style of names that ended in -ie. These were not nicknames, they were given names. As you can see by the list below, there was a plethora of options just within the US Top 1000 names .  We're seeing a few of these threaten to come back into style today while others, like Sophie, Ellie and Sadie, are already hot! Drew Barrymore just used the name Frankie for her daughter last month! Did your [great] great-grandmother have a name like this? If so, do share it with us in the comment section below! Which of these -ie names are your favorite? Would you ever use it? Abbie                   Addie Aggie Allie Amie Ammie Angie Annie Arie Arlie Arrie Artie Audie Bennie Berdie Bertie Bessie Bettie Billie Birdie Bobbie Bonnie Callie Carrie Cassie Charlie Christie Classie Clemmie Cordie Corrie Dessie Dicie Dixie Dol...

The lovely name June has been used for girls as a given name since the 19th century!  Boys occasionally wear it too but not to the same extent as girls.  As a month name, June originally comes from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. Juno's true meaning is unknown but it is said to possibly be related to a root name meaning "youth". Juno was the wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology and considered the queen of the heavens. She protected marriage, women and childbirth. That is one of the reasons that many weddings traditionally took place in the month of June. This sweet name hasn't been very popular lately.  In fact, there was a twenty year dry-spell that ended in 2007 where June was not ranked within the Top 1000 names at all. Until recently, She's generally been considered an old-fashioned, grandma name because of her super-popularity that peaked in 1925. But as the 100 year rule goes, she's due to become a hot name once again and we're already see...

By request, this edition of World-Wide Wednesday will zoom in on the naming traditions used in Romania and Moldova in eastern Europe. In Romania, there are customs that revolve around man's three most essential human events: birth, marriage and death.  We're going to focus just on the birth customs and those surrounding children, their parents and their names. TravelGuideRomania.com says: "Birth related customs regard the grown-ups: besides parents, there are the midwife and the godparents. When the baby suffered from an illness or faced danger, the custom was to change the baby’s name into “The Bear” (Ursu) or “The Wolf” (Lupu), in hope of avoiding the risk of being “recognized” again by that danger in future. This custom also implies the idea of the baby’s “death and resurrection”." It is interesting that they would change the child's name to avoid dangers. This is a new concept that I had never come across before. That site also discusses the other custo...

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...

For parents who are looking for a strong but feminine name, look no further than these! This is a compilation of girl names that contain the letter X.  While this letter is a bit hotter for masculine names, there are still plenty of lovely choices for a girl. From the traditional Alexandra to the elegant Margeaux and the spunky Roxanna, this list is a treasure trove of amazing gems! What is your favorite feminine name that has the letter X in it? Aixa                     Alex Alexa Alexana Alexandra Alexandrea Alexandretta Alexandria Alexandrina Alexandrine Alexea Alexi Alexia Alexie Alexina Alexis Alexius Alexus Alexxia Alexys Alexzandria Alix Alixia Alixana Allexis Alyxandria Alyxia Anaxandra Anaxandria Aphixia Arantxa Aranxa Araxie Aurex Auxerre Axelina Axelle Beatrix Bellatrix Bijoux Brinxlee Brinxley Calixta Calyx Cinxia Devereaux Dexlee Dextra Dixie Elexandra Elexia ...

There is no denying that the letter X is a hot one. As part of a trend that I myself fell prey to with my Maximus Alexander, many parents are finding themselves in love with the X. There is something bold and strong about it but there's also a limited amount of names that contain this letter so it has become somewhat of a sought after gem. If these kinds of names are up your alley, perhaps you'll enjoy this post!  Here are the very best boy names that contain the coveted letter X. Which is your favorite? Abrax                       Abraxas Ajax Alex Alexander Alexandre Alexandreus Alexandro Alexandros Alexandru Alexavier Alexei Alexi Alexian Alexios Alexis Alexius Alexzander Alixander Anaxander Anaxandrias Anaxandros Anxo Axel Axton Bax Baxley Baxter Beauxregard Bix Bixby Blixa Braxton Brexton Bronx Buxton Calexto Calix Calixto Calixte Cilix Croix Dax Daxon Daxton Daxte...

Source The Isle of Man is an interesting little island situated between Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. English is spoken there but Manx Gaelic was traditionally spoken in the past. This Celtic language is closely related to the Irish language as well as Scottish Gaelic. However, Manx Gaelic is now considered endangered of dying out. It was thought to have died out in the 1970s but some are trying to revive it today. Over the centuries, the Isle of Man has been under Welsh, English, Scottish and Viking rule but it now has its own democratic parliament. Culturally, it is influenced by Celtic and Nordic origins but it is viewed as a tourist location for the UK which gives it some British influences as well. The Isle of Man has also had specific traditions when it comes to the birth and naming of a child. In the early 1900's, a man named W.W. Gill wrote a collection of "Manx Scrapbooks" that depicted Manx folkways after 1918 and before his death in 1964.  In h...

Just like fashion is constantly changing, so too are names! Occasionally, very old names will even become new and fresh again many years later! I thought it would be interesting to see just how names have changed over the years. The data that I used comes in 30-year intervals, starting in 1892 and ending last year in 2012. 1892: Boys 1. John 2. William 3. James 4. George 5. Charles 6. Frank 7. Joseph 8. Robert 9. Harry 10. Henry 11. Edward 12. Thomas 13. Walter 14. Arthur 15. Fred 16. Albert 17. Clarence 18. Roy 19. Willie 20. Samuel 1892: Girls 1. Mary 2. Anna 3. Elizabeth 4. Margaret 5. Ruth 6. Florence 7. Emma 8. Ethel 9. Helen 10. Clara 11. Bertha 12. Minnie 13. Bessie 14. Alice 15. Annie 16. Grace 17. Ida 18. Edna 19. Mabel 20. Lillian Much like present-day England and Wales, the 1880s in America saw the use of "nickname names" or diminutives of proper names that are used as given names. Examples above include Harry a...

Source Have you ever wondered which beginning letters seem to be most popular when it comes to baby names? I know that I tend to favor a certain few letters and then there are those letters that continuously stump me when searching for a favorite or even one that I can tolerate.  Have you ever tried to pick a single favorite name for each letter of the alphabet? I cannot narrow down my favorites for A or C or E, but when I get to the tail-end of the alphabet, choosing a decent one seems to be an impossible task! It begs the question, why do we prefer these letters and side-step those ones? Does it have to do with the sounds? I see trends that favor soft letters like vowels and L's and M's, (think names like Lila and Emma). Are there letters that just have really, really bad name choices all bunched up together?  For instance, I was reminded of  this article that discusses F names and how there is only ONE in the entire Top 100 in 2012 but there were 9 in 1880. ...