The Art of Naming

The list of The Very Best I Names for Boys and Girls offered plenty of interesting choices.  This week is the boys turn for a featured name and the options were hard to choose from. In the end, Ignatius was the victor. The name Ignatius comes from the Roman family name Egnatius . Originally, Egnatius had an unknown meaning from the ancient Etruscan origin. As time went on, the spelling was altered so it would be similar to the Latin word ignis which means "fire". Because of this, the Etruscan Egnatius became the Latin Ignatius and inherited itself a meaning. There were several saints named Ignatius. The most well-known St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was the founder of the Jesuits. Interestingly, his birth name was Íñigo which is sometimes regarded as a form of Ignatius, but it is probably just because of its association with this saint.  (Inigo was also one of our featured I names that I nearly chose. It is Spanish but comes from the name Eneko which is deriv...

To complement our list of The Very Best H Names for Boys and Girls , we will further examine the feminine name Honora. It was the Normans who introduced the name Honora to England and Ireland. Honora is a variant of the name Honoria which is the feminine form of Honorius. Honorius is a Late Latin name meaning "honor". It has been worn by a few saints and popes as well as an emperor. In addition to the lovely Honora, there is also the Irish Onóra and the English Annora. Nora is an excellent nickname for all of these, and diminutives include the similar Norene, Noreen, Norah and Nóirín. While some parents like the shorter and simpler name Honor to reflect its virtuous meaning, others opt for a bit more of an elaboration with Honora or Honoria. These types of abstract virtue names were popular with the Puritans after having been introduced to Britain by the Normans. Today in modern America, Honora is very under-the-radar. It has been used quietly but consistently s...

Today's featured name comes straight from our list of The Very Best G Names for Boys and Girls. It is a handsome choice that feels somewhat under-the-radar but is certainly climbing up the charts. Graham is a Scottish surname which was derived from the English place name Grantham. This name is likely to  mean "gravelly homestead" in Old English.  There is a bit of a debate surrounding the pronunciation of this name but this mostly differs based on accents. Americans tend to say "gram" whereas those in the UK and elsewhere might say "gray-um". Both are correct, it just depends on where you live and what you prefer. How do you say it? Graham first appeared as a surname in Scotland in the 12th century. It was worn by Baron William de Graham of Norway. Another famous Graham was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) who is credited with inventing the telephone. While the name Graham has been in use since name statistics were first recorded in the US, ...

The beautiful, feminine name Flora is brought to you today in light of our previous post that featured The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls. As a name, Flora has been in use since the Renaissance era in France. Diminutives of the name include Flo, Floretta, Florrie and Floella. In Dutch, Flora is known as Floor or Floortje. The French call her Flore and Florette, Hungarians say Flóra while the Welsh use Fflur. Flora could be used as a nickname for Florence but the two aren't actually related since they come from different roots. Another similar name is Fleur which is French for Flower; there's also Fleurette, a diminutive of Fleur. Flora It's no surprise that this lovely name comes from the Latin word flos meaning "flower".  Flora was the goddess of flowers and the season of spring according to Roman mythology. She was the wife of Favonius, who was the west wind and bringer of light spring and early summer breezes. This couple's Greek equival...

To go along with the article regarding The Very Best E Names for Boys and Girls , today's featured name is Emmett. Emmett is rather unique because it is a male name that is derived from a female name. Masculinization doesn't happen very often in names whereas there are many feminized names such as Josephine from Joseph or Philippa from Philip.  Emmett comes from Emma. Originally Emmett comes from an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of Emma.  Emma comes from the Germanic element ermen (or possibly ermin or irmin ) which mean "whole" or "universal". In history, Emma was the daughter of Richard, Duke of Normandy. She introduced the name to England when she married King Ethelrede and later King Canute. This was way back in the 11th century and caused the name Emma to be very popular at the time along with short forms Em and Emm. Emmot was also a recorded variant derived from Emma. There's also a place called Emmott in Lancashir...

Inspired by this week's article featuring The Very Best D Names for Boys and Girls , we will be taking a closer look at the name Daphne, pronounced DAFF-nee.  This lovely Greek name means "laurel" which is a flower. Laurels are often used in circular wreaths, one of which was worn on top of the head of Apollo in Greek mythology. According to the legend, a beautiful female nymph named Daphne gained the unwanted attention of Apollo and was turned into a laurel tree by her father in order to escape Apollo's advances. Apollo is associated with laurels because of his desire for Daphne. As a baby name, Daphne has been in use in the US since 1886. While it has never been popular, it had one large spike in usage in 1962. In that year, 1,131 girls were given the name which ranked it at #266.  Usage declined through the 1980s but suddenly climbed again in 2001. As of 2013, Daphne is on the rise with 770 births and a ranking of #397. This is the best the name h...

Today's featured name comes from this week's list of The Very Best C Names for Boys and Girls! While there are plenty of great C names, Conrad is the one that caught my eye. Conrad comes from the Germanic elements kuoni and rad that, when combined, mean "brave counsel".  This moniker comes across as strong and interesting. It is well-known enough to work for a modern boy but it is also rather uncommon which would make it refreshing to hear. As far as Con- names go, it falls into a sweet spot: it is bolder than Connor but not as bold as Constantine. In history, Conrad is both saintly and regal having been used by a 10th-century saint from Germany as well as several medieval German kings and dukes. England had a bit of love for the name during the Middle Ages but it wasn't common until the 19th century after being reintroduced there by the Germans. In the US, Conrad has been used consistently every year since at least 1880. It has never been popular th...

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....

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I chose to feature the lovely name Valentina today! What else would have been more appropriate? This feminine name comes from the Roman Valentinus or Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Already this name has a great meaning! What about namesakes? The masculine Valentine was a 3rd century saint and martyr whose feast day corresponded with a fertility festival, thus forever linking Valentine's day with love. A modern day bearer of the name Valentina is that of Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. You may know her as the first woman to ever visit outer space in 1963. There is also Valentina Cortese, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a few celebrity children with the name. In the US, Valentina is doing very well in the popularity department. It first appeared on record in 1897 but it wasn't regularly used until about 1910. It wasn't until 1994 that it entered the Top 1000. Now in 2013, there were 2,5...

Original post: 2/6/15 Revision: 5/14/17 The latest article featuring The Very Best B Names for Boys and Girls had such a great collection that it was difficult to choose just one. In the end, today's featured name is Bridget. Anglicized from the Irish name Brighid, Bridget means "exalted one".  It has also been suggested that Brighid could be derived from the Irish brigh  meaning "strength". Other spellings include Brigid, Bridgette, Brigit, and Bedelia . Variations in other languages include the Danish Britta , the Dutch Brigitta, the Finnish Riitta , the French Brigitte, the Italian Brigida , the Manx Breeshey , the Polish Brygida, and the Welsh Ffraid among many others.  Were you aware that Bridget was so internationally used? In Irish mythology, there was a goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom named Bridget or Brigid. It was also the name of Saint Brigid in the 5th century, a patron saint of Ireland.  This saint was so esteemed in Irela...

Did you pick your favorite male A name from the previous post about The Very Best A Names for Boys and Girls? I did. And I will be featuring it right now.  Alistair is the anglicized form of the name Alasdair which is the Scottish version of Alexander . See the similarities between the three names?  There are other brother-names drawn from Alexander like the Arabic Iskandar , the Finnish Aleksanteri , the Irish Alastar , the Russian Aleksandr and the Ukrainian Oleksander among many others.  Alexander itself comes from the Greek Alexandros which means "defender of men". Of course, Alexander is a Greek mythology name (another name for the hero Paris) and a biblical name (found in the New Testament). The most famous bearer in history was Alexander the Great. It has also been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia and eight popes.  However, the English Alistair doesn't have any big namesakes. There are many...

There are so many lovely 4+ syllable names for girls ; narrowing it down to one was difficult but I decided on beautiful Seraphina. Seraphina is the feminine form of the Late Latin male name Seraphinus . This name comes from the biblical, Hebrew word seraphim meaning "fiery ones" and referring to an order of angels that had six wings each. The Seraphim were described by the prophet Isaiah in the bible.  Seraphina was also the name of a 13th century saint from Italy who was known for making clothing for the poor.  As a name, Seraphina was never really favored in the past. However, it is starting to take off as an usual but pretty name. Actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner named their second daughter Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck in 2009 which put the name on people's radars more, but yet it still remains mostly unused. The celebrity endorsement bumped Seraphina from having only 50 births in 2008 to having 88 in 2009 and 107 in 2010. How...

After looking at all of the 4+ syllable boy names available, I wanted to pick one that was legitimately 4 syllables on its own as opposed to a name that earned 4 syllables by adding an -o to the end of a name that is usually 3-syllables. With this criteria, it was actually rather tough to find a good one that hasn't already been featured. I settled on the biblical Jeremiah. Jeremiah comes from the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ ( Yirmiyahu ) meaning "Yahweh has uplifted". In the bible, he was one of the major prophets in the Old Testament who wrote the Book of Jeremiah as well as the Book of Lamentations. He lived in the 6th century BC during the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. In England, the Protestant Reformation brought about the usage of a lot of names that were later carried to Colonial America with the pilgrims. Jeremiah was one of those names. However, the shorter variation Jeremy was sometimes used since the 13th century in England. Over...

Along with dozens of other names , Elsa comes from the name Elizabeth .  Of course, Elizabeth comes from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Elisheva. It means either "my God is an oath", "my God is abundance" or "pledged to God". Elizabeth has been extremely consistent in its popularity over the years, having always been in the Top 30 since 1880. The lovely German Elsa is also very consistent in its popularity since 1880 in the US. Since the release of the wildly successful movie Disney's Frozen in November 2013 featuring a Queen Elsa, the baby name Elsa is expected to leap up the charts in 2014.  Before Frozen, Elsa originally gained popularity as a name among English speakers because of Wagner's romantic opera Lohengrin in 1848. Elsa was the name of the heroine in the opera. I chose to feature Elsa as part of Scandinavian week because, while it is mostly used in Germany, it also has usage in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Sw...

Welcome to Scandinavian Week! You may have seen the polls that I made on the sidebar of the blog and maybe you even voted for your favorite Scandinavian names for each gender. After a tie-breaker, the winning male name was Magnus. Magnus is a Late Latin name meaning "Great" but it is heavily used by Scandinavians, particularly those from Sweden, Norway and Denmark.  It became popular in those countries because of the 11th century King Magnus I of Norway. It was said that King Magnus I may have been named after another ruler, Charlemagne, who was also known as Carolus Magnus, or Charles the Great.  Others who bore the name Magnus include a 7th century saint, 6 more kings of Norway, and 3 kings of Sweden. In the middle ages, the name Magnus gained usage in Scotland and Ireland. Manus is an Irish variant of the name. There's also the Finnish variants Manu, Mauno and Maunu, and the Danish Mogens. Interestingly, from Magnus sprang forth the Medieval English name M...

To complement Tuesday's post regarding the best V names for girls , and last week's post about the best V names for boys , I chose to feature the feminine name Savannah which contains the letter V. Savannah isn't just a city in the state of Georgia, USA. It comes from an English word that indicates a large, grassy plain. Originally, Savannah comes from a Taino (Native American) word zabana. Variants of the name include Zavanna and Savanna. It's a place name and a nature name. Savannah gained usage as a baby name in the 19th century. It has also been on record in the US every year since 1880 but its usage was very minimal until it suddenly boomed in the 1980s. This increase in births-per-year is most likely a result of the 1982 movie "Savannah Smiles". There were only 43 births in 1981, 118 in 1982 and in 1983, there were 434 Savannahs born. That means the name went from ranking in the 1100s to being #466 in just one year. The year 2000 had a record-h...

Today's featured name is a strong, handsome Irish name that I hand-picked from this week's blog about boy names that contain the letter V! The masculine name Donovan comes from an Irish surname which ultimately came from the Irish Ó Donndubháin which means "descendent of Donndubhán". That name is basically Gaelic for "dark brown". Donovan has been in use in the US since 1900 and it has nearly always been in the Top 1000, save a few years early on. It peaked in 2003 with 2,210 births and a ranking of #176. Now in 2013, it has fallen to a respectable #281 with 1,224 births.  It also ranks at #380 in France. Since this name is on the decline, it'll only become more and more unique. There probably isn't a danger of it sounding dated since it has been solidly established since 1900. It also wasn't incredibly popular. If it had peaked in the Top 50 and then immediately declined, it would be a different story. As it sits, it's still receivi...

I chose to feature the name Casper this week because of its well-known association with "the friendly ghost" who is an animated character that's actually been around since 1939. It felt appropriate since today is Halloween and ghosts are a spooky staple of the holiday. Beyond the ghostly association, though, resides a really fabulous family of names.  Casper is the Dutch and Scandinavian form of the name Jasper which comes from the ancient Hebrew word Gizbar meaning "Treasurer". Gaspar was traditionally the name of one of the wise men who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus Christ.  Other related names include Caspar, Kasper, Jesper, Gaspard, Gaspare, and Gazsi. Casper is not an unfamiliar name to the ear in the US. However, it isn't being used all that often. It has been consistently used since records began in 1880, but it has never been popular. It was once ranking in the bottom half of the Top 1000 chart, but it fell off of it in 1933. Th...

The male Dutch name that I featured this week, Diederick, is relatively rare. The female name that I'm about to share is actually ranking pretty well in the Netherlands! Madelief is the name. It is pronounced mad-uh-LEEF and it's actually rather adorable! I think this could catch on in lieu of the more popular "Maddie" names like Madeline and Madison if more people knew about it. It would fit in well with other unusual Mad- names like Madigan and Madeleva as well as male choices like Maddox and Madden. It also goes hand in hand with botanical names that are gaining popularity today. The best part is that this adorable name comes from the Dutch word madeliefje which means "daisy". So it's actually an obscure nature name! I say that it is obscure because, well, it is. It may rank at #126 in the Netherlands, but here in the USA, Madelief is non-existent. There have never been at least 5 girls given this name in a single year. Anyone who has this nam...

To round out Italian Week, let's take a look at a lovely Italian girl name: Luciana. This name not only has Italian usage, but also Spanish, Portuguese and Ancient Roman.  It is the feminine form of the Latin Lucianus which is a Roman family name. It is derived from Lucius which comes from the Latin word lux meaning "light" . For girls, names like Lucia, Lucilla, Lucetta, Lucinda, Lucienne and Lucy are all related to Luciana. Male variations include Luciano, Lucianus, Lucius, Lucio and Lucian.  Of these, Lucia is hot in Spain. Luciana has a couple different pronunciations. The Italians say loo-CHAH-nah and the Spanish will say loo-THYAH-nah or loo-SYAH-nah. You'll probably hear the last one most in the US. In the US, Luciana has occasionally been used since 1897. It was very sporadic and with only a handful of births per year until there was a sudden boost from 1974-1977.  1976 was the biggest year with 317 births and a ranking of #546. Luciana has onl...