The Art of Naming

Many of today's most-popular boy names have actually been rather popular for decades. The same few traditional choices have stuck around and lasted the test of time moreso than many of the popular female names have. While looking at the Top 200 Names of the 1880s via the Social Security Administration's data , it is no surprise that the hottest names of the decade include John, William, James, George, and Charles. While John, George and Charles have declined in usage, James and William still dominate the modern charts. How many interesting names from the 1880s could be revived and given to modern boys? In order to find these names, we will need to skip over the evergreen names that are still ranking well in 2014. We aren't interested in those right now. We want to find the names that have fallen from favor, names like Clarence or Earnest that were once well-used. Sticking to the collective data from the entire decade, we will take a closer look at 10 of those names

Names that start with the letter U  aren't always favored very highly but Ulysses is a great exception that deserves more usage. The masculine name Ulysses is the Latin form of the excellent Greek mythological name Odysseus. Odysseus is said to be derived from the Greek οδυσσομαι ( odyssomai ) which means "to hate, wrathful". While that isn't the greatest meaning ever, both of these names are strong and interesting. In Greek legend, Odysseus was a hero of the Trojan War. Homer's The Odyssey, follows Odysseus's journey back to his kingdom and his wife Penelope. As for the name Ulysses, it was used as the title of a book written in 1920 by Irish author James Joyce. This story was loosely based on The Odyssey and was adapted into a movie in 1967. The most famous man named Ulysses in American history is Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War. He later became the 18th President of the United States f

Quincy was hand-chosen from our article that featured The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls. We'll take a closer look at it now. Quincy is a surname that came from the place name Cuinchy which is a village in France. Cuinchy was originally derived from the Ancient Roman praenomen, or given name, Quintus which means "fifth" in Latin. Typically, Quintus was only given to the fifth born son but this isn't a necessary requirement for a modern boy named Quincy. Perhaps the most famous bearer of this name is the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, who happened to be born in the town Quincy, Massachusetts which was named after his mother's grandfather Colonel John Quincy. This interesting, quirky name has been in regular usage since name records were first kept in 1880 in the US. It was never all that popular until the mid 1970s. At its peak, Quincy ranked at #273 in 1977 with a total of 717 male births. Usage has now fallen to a steady 4

Today's featured name comes from this week's list of Presidential Baby Names.   It is one of the greatest names that belonged to one of the greatest presidents: Theodore. The name Theodore comes from the Greek name Θεοδωρος ( Theodoros ) meaning "gift of god". In the past, this name has belonged to several saints. There was Theodore of Amasea, a soldier from 4th-century Greece; Theodore of Tarsus, the 7th century archbishop of Canterbury; and a 9th century Byzantine monk named Theodore the Studite. There have also been three Tsars of Russia known as Fyodor, the Russian form of Theodore; and of course our American President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919). As a name, Theodore was quite common in Greece because of the aforementioned saints. Christians in particular have been drawn to Theodore because of the name's appealing meaning. However, it was very rare in Britain before the 19th century.  In recent years, it's ranked in England/Wales at #97.

Today is President's Day in the US! In honor of this, it's time to take a look at the best (and worst) presidential first and last names. At the very bottom, there's also a list of all the names of the country's first ladies. Whether you live in the US or not, surely you can appreciate the names on this list! Without discussing politics, share your thoughts in the comments about which baby name you like (or hate) the most. Would you ever use any of these? Have you already? The following Presidential first names are most usable for a modern baby: Abraham Andrew Benjamin Franklin George Harry James John Martin Richard Theodore Thomas William Zachary These first names aren't as common as the above, but they could still work on the right child: Barack Calvin Chester Dwight Gerald Grover Herbert Lyndon Millard Ronald Rutherford Ulysses Warren Woodrow The following surnames are the most usable as a first name for a modern baby: