The Art of Naming

As we reach the end of the month of August, let's take a moment to look at the related Aug-/Ag- names that could be used on a person today. Generally, these names all come from the Latin augere meaning "to increase", but other meanings came to include "great" and "venerable". Augustus was a title that Octavian, the first Roman emperor, was given. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. There are many options available for both boys and girls. Some are more popular than others, but these are mostly rather uncommon here in the US.  Are there any that you would use? By Unknown Till Niermann (Own work)  [ GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0  or CC BY-SA 2.5 ], via Wikimedia Commons Agostina   (Italian form of Augustinus - feminine - zero births on record for 2015 in US) Agostino   (Italian form of Augustinus - masculine - 5 births on record for 2015) Ágúst (Icelandic form of Augustus - masculine - zero births in 2015) Agust (Swedish form of August - masculi...

It's that time of year again. Nearly every doorstep is currently occupied by pumpkins, cobwebs and skeletons. Halloween is days away! You are no doubt finalizing your costume for the big party on Saturday or to take your little ones trick or treating. What about a horror movie marathon? Are you planning one of those? There are many great horror films out there so I decided to browse through a few in search of great character names. Whether you would ever use one of these names for a child or not is up to you but surely you can appreciate these monikers and their counterparts. Girls: Addison (Saw II) Blair (Blair Witch Project) Carrie (Carrie) Casey (Scream) Dana (The Cabin in the Woods) Elvira (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark) Erin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Gale (Scream) Iris (30 Days of Night) Jules (The Cabin in the Woods) Katie (Paranormal Activity) Laurie (Halloween) Lila (Psycho) Marion (Psycho) Minnie (Rosemary's Baby) Regan (The Exorcist) Ripley (Ali...

Today is the first day of spring and what is spring without flowers and sunshine? If you're expecting a baby girl this season, perhaps you are searching for the perfect name to fit the occasion.  Look no further than this list! There are plenty of applicable nature names that would be beautiful on a spring-born baby girl. Here are some of the lovelier options: Amaryllis Azalea Aya - "bird" Beryl - A sea-green stone Birdie Blossom Bluebell Brooke Calla Chloe - "Green shoot" Daffodil Dahlia Daisy Dawn Deborah - "bee" Emerald Fleur Flora Hyacinth Iris Ivy Jade - A green stone Lilac Lily Magnolia Orchid Peony Peridot - A green stone Petunia Phyllida - "Green bough" Poppy Primrose Rain Robin Rose Spring Sunny Sunshine Tulip Violet Here are other ideas relating to spring, newness, and Easter that would apply and make for less-obvious but still lovely springtime names: Anastasia - "Resurrection...

Spring is a time for newness and growth. Everything is blooming and turning green! Nature is full of life! If you're also bringing forth a new life into the world, what better way to celebrate than to give him a handsome, timely name to fit the occasion? Here are some great baby names that would suit a spring-born boy. Some of these are nature names that also refer to an actual spring or stream of water as well. Which do you like best?: Atherton - "From the town by a spring" Attwell - "Lives by the spring" Aviv - "Spring" (Hebrew) Berilo - Variant of Beryl - a green stone Bloom Bradwell - "From the broad spring" Bud Caldwell - "From the cold spring" Denver - "Green Valley" Green Haruki - "Spring child" Irving - "Green water" Jarek - "Spring" (Slavic) Kelby - "Place by the fountain or spring" Leaf March Maxwell - "Mack's stream" Navin - "New...

It isn't officially winter yet, but the snow is already starting to fall in many places. There is something so magical about the white snow. If you're a fan of sipping hot cocoa in front of the fire and gazing out the window as the snowflakes flutter down from the night sky, you may find yourself in love with this list of wintery baby girl names. There's also plenty of holiday-related choices for you as well if you're expecting a winter or Christmas baby!  Which of these are your favorite? Adair                                         Alaska Amaryllis Angelica Aspen Belle Berry Bianca Camellia Carol Christabel Christmas Chrysanthemum Clara Coco Crimson Crystal Dancer December Demi Dorothea Eira Eirwen Eliora Epiphany Estelle Eve February Finola Fire Freesia Frostine Gabrielle Garnet Holiday Holly Hope Icelyn Imani Ivy January Jenara...

Even if the first day of Winter doesn't officially arrive until December 21st, you're surely feeling a cold breeze or two by now. This magical, snowy time of year puts people in a rather festive mood. If you're expecting a baby this winter, you're sure to find this list useful for a timely name. If you're expecting a baby boy towards the end of December, well, you'll probably really love this list for its holiday-related ideas!  Whether you like the chill in the air or the roaring heat of a fire, these baby names sure are wonderful. Angel Aster Aubin Balthasar Blaze Branch Chill Christian Colden Coldin Cole Crispin Darke Demitri Douglas Emmanuel Felix Frost Gabriel Glover Hail Jack Joseph March Melchior Nicholas Noel North Oakley Pax Pine Phelan Quilo Ralph Robin Rollo Rory Rudolph Rufus Snowden Storm Theodore Valentine Whittaker Winterhawk Yule Zev Zohar Which of these are your favorites? Can you think of a...

With crisp air, colorful leaves, bonfires and pumpkins in your mind, look no further than this list for some unique fall-inspired baby name ideas! Even though the first day of Autumn is still a couple weeks away on September 23rd, I thought we'd start pondering it as cooler weather approaches. If you're due with an Autumn baby in the next couple months and find yourself in need of the perfect name, perhaps you'll "fall" for one of these ideas! Amber                                               Anise Annona Apple Aster Aurelia Autumn Baize Berry Carmine Celeste Ceres Charde Cinnamon Crysanthemum Coral Crimson Crisanta Emerald Eve Fira Gaia Ginger Goldie Hazel Ivy Jade Jora Juniper Keziah Laurel Lavender Libra Lily Maize Maple Marigold Mauve Moon November Octavia Olive Opal Orla Paisley Persephone Rain Raven Rhea R...

The first day of Autumn doesn't officially begin until September 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere this year, but I thought we'd start pondering it as cooler weather approaches. Perhaps you're due with an Autumn baby in the next couple months and find yourself in need of the perfect name. With crisp air, colorful leaves, bonfires and pumpkins in your mind, look no further than this list for some unique fall-inspired baby name ideas! Adam                                         Ash Asher Auburn Azure Bacchus Barley Blaze Birch Branch Bronze Browning Bruno Cedar Chard Chestnut Copper Cormac Crispin Demeter Dionysus Farmer Finley Finn Flint Forrest Frost Garner Garnet Gerald Gold Harkin Harvest Hawke Hay Hue Hunter Jasper Jet Kale Leaf Linden Mica Mountain Oak Octavius October Oliver Radley Red Reed Rory Roux Rowan Russet Rusty...

Summer is officially in full swing! That means it's the time of shorts and sunscreen, swimming pools and barbecues, sunshine and tan lines.  If you also happen to be baring a baby belly instead of a bikini, you may be in need of a wonderful summertime name!  I've composed a list of timely names that will suit any baby girl born in the summer heat! I'll be using one of these myself next month! Which of these names could you see yourself using for your little sunshine? Alexandrite America Augusta Berry Breezy Brooklyn Coral Daisy Julia Juliet July June Junia Lake Leonie Leonora Liberty Lillia Lily Marina Marisol Meadow Morwenna Nerida Nixie Oceana Oceane Peach Pearl Pelagia Peridot Plum Rae River Ruby Sailor Sandy Shelly Sky Suma Summer Sunny Sunshine Thalassa Waverly If you can think of more lovely summer names to add, let me know in the comment section below! Don't forget to also check out the list of Summer Names for Bo...

When you think of warm weather and outdoor activities, perhaps a body of water comes to mind. Whether you enjoy the pool or the ocean, water is a huge part of summertime. Since we're discussing summer names this week and next, I thought I'd feature the name River for my boy name choice even though I'm aware of how unisex it is. Of course, River comes from the English word that refers to a flowing body of water. Many people enjoy rafting down a river during the summer or camping near one. Ultimately, the word river is derived from the Latin ripa meaning "riverbank". As a name, River was considered masculine first but the girls staked their claim on it fairly quickly. It is still more popular for boys though. As a nature name, River offers a great tranquil vibe, but also one of adventure. Pluralizing it as Rivers is also an option but it doesn't receive as many births per year as the singular River. There have been a few celebrities who have used this na...

Summertime officially began at the end of June! Next, we'll get to watch the fireworks light up the summer sky! After that, it's time to start pondering more about that baby name you're looking for. Your summer baby will be arriving soon! If you're having trouble narrowing down the right name for your little guy, perhaps one of these timely choices will best suit him! Take some of that warmth and sunshine and happiness associated with summer and apply it directly to naming and you'll have yourself the perfect moniker! Check out this list for ideas: August Augustine Augustus Azul Bay Beach Birch Bodhi Brody Cain Calder Dax Dune Dylan Field Finn Julian Julio Julius July Junius Junot Kai Lake Leaf Leo Marlin Marino Murphy Ocean Pacifico Ray Rip River Sandy Shade Sheldon Somerset Storm Sumner Sunny Tanner Theros Thunder Tide Tripp Which of these names could you see yourself using for your baby boy? Don't forget to ...