The Art of Naming

The Name of the Week is my favorite from the list of Bird-Inspired names. I took it from the Peregrine Falcon, but the meaning of Peregrine doesn't actually have anything to do with the bird. This is a name that is rarely used in the US because many have viewed it as an eccentric and extravagant name. However it has been considered elegant and even aristocratic in England. It was historically chosen as the name of the first English child born in America. The child, Peregrine White, was born on the Mayflower at what is known today as the Provincetown Harbor in Massachusetts. Interestingly, he had a brother named Resolved. Peregrine is also the name of several early saints, most notably Saint Peregrine Laziosi, the Patron Saint of Cancer Patients. The name comes from the Late Latin name Peregrinus which means "traveler" and more recently "pilgrim". The Italian form of the name is Pellegrino which you may recognize as a brand of mineral water, San Pellegri...

Source The following is a list of names that are inspired by birds! In some cases, the name may be a color name that describes the color of the bird like Scarlet and Tawny. In other cases, it is the name of the person who either discovered the bird or had the bird named after them like Tristram's Starling and Elliot's Pheasant.  Of course there are the cool, common ones like Falcon and Wren. Take a look at the list and let me know which one of these you would consider using! Both male and female options are mixed together. Adelie (Adelie Penguin) Anna (Anna’s Hummingbird) Argus (Great Argus) Blue (Blue Jay) Blyth (Blyth’s Tragopan) Brent (Brent Goose) Brewer (Brewer's Blackbird) Cara (Caracara) Carolina (Carolina Wren) Cassin (Cassin's Finch) Clark (Clark's Grebe) Cliff (Cliff Swallow) Cooper (Cooper's Hawk) Corella (Little Corella) Cory (Cory's Shearwater) Dunlin Eagle Elliot (Elliot’s Pheasant) Emerald (Emera...

Snow? Rose? Winter? Photo taken by me. I previously featured girl names that are inspired by flowers and trees. I thought I would find even more options for both genders that come from nature. Included on this list are baby names that are inspired by flowers, trees, fruit, water, weather, the earth and even animals! There is a great variety here and you're sure to find one that you love! Nature names have increased in popularity lately as parents look for bold, unconventional name options. Which of these cool options is your favorite? Did I miss any? Amber Apple Aqua Arbor Ash Aspen Avis Azalea Basil Bay Beach Berry Birch Blossom Briar Brook Calla Canyon Cedar Cerise Cherry Citron Clay Clementine Cliff Clover Cobalt Coral Crane Cricket Dahlia Daisy Delta Dove Dune Elm Emerald Falcon Feather Fern Field Fjord Flint Flora Forest Fox Frost Gardener Garland Garnet Glen Grove Harbor Hawk Huckleberry Iris Isle I...

Since I posted a list of tree and flower names for girls, I thought I would pick my favorite from the bunch for the Girl Name of the Week! I chose the lovely Magnolia. This is a Latin flower name that gained a sweet, "Southern Belle" image from a character in the iconic novel and musical Showboat by Edna Ferber. If you've never heard of it, don't feel bad. The novel was written in 1926 and the musical was on Broadway in 1927. However there were three films produced since then. The Magnolia flower was originally named in 1703 after a French botanist named Pierre Magnol who lived from 1638-1715 and contributed much to the way flowers are classified today. Isn't she lovely? In modern times, Magnolia as a name has come along on the latest wave of botanical names for girls. She began gaining more popularity around 2006. However, Magnolia has not cracked the Top 1000 chart since 1940. In 2012, Magnolia ranked in at #1123 with 218 births which is a fair a...

There is nothing more beautiful than mother nature. Where names are concerned, flowers and trees are specifically wonderful for little girls. Drawing inspiration from the beauty around us, I've compiled this list of flower and tree names that would be darling on a modern girl. They bring to mind such lovely images of petals and leaves. If you're looking for a beautiful name, look no further! There are some classics in here such as Rose and Holly but there's also plenty of unusual and unique choices that you're sure to love! Which of these do you like best? Acacia Alyssum Amaryllis Amarantha Apple Ash Aspen Aster Aven Azalea Blossom Bluebell Bryony Calla                                   Calantha Camellia Chrysantha Chrysanthemum Clematis Clover Daffodil Dahlia Daisy Delphine Eirlys Fern Fleur Flora Forsythia Gardenia Garland Hazel Heather Holly Hyacinth ...

I'm a fan of names that are somewhat under the radar but still have a solid history. I like names that were popular in the 1880's-1920's and never heard from again until modern times. I have been focusing on these for my "Name of the Day" report, and am doing so again today with the name Arlo. Primarily a boy's name, Arlo is short, sweet and full of character. Two celebrities recently named their sons Arlo, (Natasha Kaplinsky in 2008, and Toni Collette in 2011). Johnny Knoxville named his daughter Arlo in 2011, which suddenly throws this name into the "possibly unisex" category. (Popular girls names Harlow and Marlowe are similar, which may be the reason for Arlo going female.) It will always be a boy name in my mind since it has never ranked for a girl. It ranked in the 600-1000 range on the US Top 1000 chart between 1910 and 1944.  It did not rank again until 2011 when it hit #916, and jumped 98 spots to #818 in 2012. If you read my previou...