The Art of Naming

The name Xanthe is brought to you today in honor of a previous article featuring The Very Best X Names for Boys and Girls.


This name is Greek and is derived from ξανθος (xanthos) meaning "golden, yellow" or "fair hair".

While this is a very beautiful name, there can be some annoying pronunciation issues that go along with it. Fortunately, the overwhelming consensus that I've found among typical English speakers is that they pronounce it ZAN-thee. ZAN-tha is another possibility. Some claim that it is pronounced more like ZAN-they or KSAN-thee. If you'd like to read a discussion about it, click here.

For the purposes of this article, I will be assuming the pronunciation ZAN-thee.

Xanthe is a name used twice on the planet Mars. Once for the Xanthe Montes which is a mountain range, and once for a region referred to as Xanthe Terra. Additionally, there is an asteroid called 411 Xanthe. There were also a few minor mythological characters with this name.

Xanthe has only been in use in the US since 1964 however, it is far from common. It has never ranked anywhere close to the US Top 1000.

There have been many years that did not have at least 5 births on record for this name. There's also never been more than 12 females given the name Xanthe in a single year; this happened only once in 2001. As of 2014, there were only 5 girls given this name. It is very uncommon. Even rarer is the name Xanthia which has hardly had any use.

If you are looking for a big, bold, rare name for a girl, Xanthe is a great choice. The trendy X makes this name interesting while the rest of the name offers a unique sound. This name is sure to turn heads. If you're considering it, here are ideas for sibling and middle names:

Sibling Name Ideas: 

Sisters:   Aurelia, Ariadne, Cassia, Clio, Eulalia, Freya, Iris, Octavia, Sybil

Brothers: Augustus, Damian, Everett, Ignatius, Lucian, Tavish, Theron, Vance

Middle Name Ideas:

Xanthe Adeline
Xanthe Elena
Xanthe June
Xanthe Lenore
Xanthe Pearl

Xanthe Viola

As a Middle Name:
Caroline Xanthe
Helena Xanthe
Lydia Xanthe
Olivia Xanthe
Philippa Xanthe
Sophia Xanthe

I played it a bit safe with these pairings since Xanthe is the bolder option. What would you pick as a middle name for Xanthe?

Be sure to check out the list of boy names that end with the "ah" sound, as well! 

As you may know, here in the US the Social Security Administration tallies up the names of all the babies born within a year and reveals which names were most popular. While there are clearly thousands of parents who are happy using popular names, there are also parents who would rather avoid them.

For those parents who may secretly like the sound of the top names but hate their popularity, I've created a list of alternative options to the Top 10 names for girls.

The names may be similar in sound, syllables, initial letter, meaning, origin or a combination of those. None of the alternate names below rank on the SSA's Top 1000 most popular names chart in 2014.

1, Emma ---> Amabel
The rare medieval name Amabel maintains a sound similar to Emma at the start of the name but it also offers the trendy "bel" sound at the end. It does all of this while still being an unusual name and a cool alternative to the popular Emma.  I can never believe that this lovely precursor to Annabelle can remain so unused. Amabel was only given to 5 baby girls in 2014 which is as opposite in popularity as you can get compared to the #1 name Emma.  Other options: Alma, Jemma, Amelina, Esme 

2. Olivia ---> Octavia
These two names can easily be alternatives for each other sound-wise. They both start with O  and end with -via.  As far as nicknames go, these are also easily swapped: Liv and Tave or Livia and Tavia. If Olivia is too popular for you, try the always rare yet very familiar Octavia.  It was only given to 69 baby girls in 2014 which is very low compared to Olivia's nearly 20,000 births. Other options: Olympia, Vianna, Ophelia, Alba

3. Sophia ---> Seraphina 
Seraphina is a great alternative to Sophia in terms of sound. Just like Amabel and Octavia above, Seraphina is a name that feels like it should have plenty of usage but it just doesn't. Except for 6 recorded births in 1916, Seraphina has only been around recently. It is gaining a bit of usage but still only received 175 births in 2014. It is pretty and unusual which is a great contrast to the popular Sophia.  Other options: Sonya, Sophronia, Delphina, Sapphira

4. Isabella ---> Isadora 
Instead of focusing on finding an alternate name that shares the "bella" sound, I thought we'd focus on the beautiful "Isa" sound instead. The best option, of course, is the rare Isadora. Isadora has been around in the US since 1880 with regular usage except for a brief hiatus from 1958-1968. It's gained some momentum since then, receiving 167 births in 2014 but it is still far from ranking in the Top 1000.  Other options: Bellamy, Isabeau, Elizabella, Sable

5. Ava ---> Aviva
This interesting Hebrew name means "spring" and feels like a very refreshing alternative to the popular Ava. It maintains the same letters and sounds but adds a syllable which gives it a unique and cool vibe.  Aviva has been around since 1935 in the US but it has never been popular. With 94 births in 2014, this rare gem is an excellent choice! Other options: Aveline, Maeva, Evadne, Geneva

6. Mia ---> Pia
There aren't very many names that start or end with -mia. Finding a decent sound-alike name wasn't easy until I dropped the letter M and found rhyming name Pia. It is a Late Roman name that comes from the male name Pius and has actually been around in the US since 1908. In 2014, there were 71 girls given the name. It would be a lovely and unique alternative to Mia. Other options: Melia, Noemia, Mina, Magnolia

7. Emily ---> Romilly 
If you're searching for something that sounds like Emily but is the opposite when it comes to popularity, Romilly is the name for you. With the ending of both names being identical, you really only exchange the E for the Ro but you get a very unique name. How unique? Well, Romilly has only been used in the US since 2013 for a total of 12 babies on record ever being given the name. Other options: Kirrily, Milani, Camellia, Amberly

8. Abigail ---> Abilene
Abigail may be popular but it has a unique sound all to itself. There are no other names that offer "gail" that I could find and only a handful of names starting with "Abi-". One solution is to find a less common biblical girls' name, another is to find something that simply sounds similar. In this case, you get a two for one deal with the rare, Hebrew name Abilene. Used briefly in the New Testament, Abilene means "grass" and has only been regularly used in the US since 1987. It was given to 48 girls in 2014. Other options: Gaia, Aberdeen, Fabiana, Esther
9. Madison ---> Madigan
If you're a fan of the nickname Maddie, Madison and Madeline aren't the only options. An unusual and interesting option is Madigan. It is very similar in sound to Madison but it isn't nearly as popular. It has been used in the US since 1992 with a high peak of 67 births in 2002. Now in 2014, it was only given to 15 girls. It's a cool, spunky alternative to the popular Madison.  Other options: Madelief, Madelena, Maude, Matilde

10. Charlotte ---> Harriet
The regal name Charlotte may rank at number 10 in 2014 but it seems posed to climb even higher, possibly even hitting number one in the coming years. Harriet has been around since 1880 with a real heyday during the '20s and '30s. It left the Top 1000 in 1971 and has been uncommon ever since. In the past two years, 127 girls were given the name Harriet which would be a lovely alternative name to Charlotte.  Other options: Arlette, Charlize, Liesel, Lottie

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What do you think of my uncommon alternatives to these popular girl names?  Don't forget to check out the alternate names I chose for boys too!

1. Noah ---> Nahum
Nahum is the best alternative to Noah because it is also a biblical Hebrew name and it has a similar meaning. Noah means "rest, comfort" and Nahum means "comforter". It starts with the same letter, has the same number of syllables and they're both very vowel heavy. While Noah ranked at #1, Nahum sits nicely at #2076. Perfectly suitable to take Noah's place!  Other options: Noam, Enoch, Jonah, Nolan

2. Liam ---> Calum
Calum is a fun choice because it has the same ending sound as Liam and they both have Celtic roots with Liam being Irish and Calum being Scottish. Calum is a form of Columba, a Latin, saintly name meaning "dove". While Calum ranks down at #2452 last year, it does have a slightly more popular brother, Callum, that ranks at #729. Both are still much less popular than Liam at #2!  Other options: Alec, Leeland, Noam, Willem

3. Mason ---> Pierson
Mason is an occupational surname that refers to a stoneworker. What better alternative than a surname name referring to a rock? Pierson comes from the medieval name Piers which is a variant of Peter. Both of these names end with -son and they both come from Old French roots. It's cool and unusual and the perfect uncommon alternative since it ranked way down at #1301 in 2014. Other options: Cason, Colson, Stetson, Thatcher

4. Jacob ---> Javan
Jacob was the #1 name for many years only to begin its descent in 2013 when Noah took over. Javan has never even cracked the Top 1000, receiving only 52 births in 2014. Both 5-letter J-names are Hebrew but clearly have opposite popularities which makes Javan an interesting alternative to Jacob. Other options: Coby, Israel, Jaime, Séamus

5. William ---> Bertram
This was a tough choice. In the end, Bertram has similar, appealing qualities to William. Both names are derived from Germanic elements and both end with -am. While William has Will, Bertram has Bert. While Bert isn't as fashionable as Will at the moment, there's potential for it to come back and rank as well as it did in the 1920s. With barely 7 births last year, I find Bertram a handsome and truly rare alternative. Other options: Alaric, Edmund, Luther, Wilson

6. Ethan ---> Japheth
These two names take us from a popular biblical name to a rare one. Ethan may rank at #6 now but it wasn't always popular. It wasn't even regularly used in the US until 1911. Ethan gradually increased in usage through the 1970s until it exploded onto the scene in 1989 and zoomed up the charts, ranking as high as #2 in 2009 and 2010. Japheth was unheard of until 1970 and has slowly gained a handful of usage today with 43 births in 2014. Could it follow Ethan's pattern and someday be discovered in a big way?  Other options: Eben, Lathan, Ephraim, Irah

7. Michael ---> Micaiah
These two biblical names sound similar enough to swap and still keep everyone happy. Michael has been hugely popular for a very long time. There are Mikes everywhere. However, Micaiah  is relatively obscure. It has only been in use in the US since 1973. 2014 was its best year yet with 133 male births and a rank of #1311. There were also 41 female births.  Other options: Melchoir, Mischa, Mitchell, Malcolm

8. Alexander --->  Lysander
Alexander is a big, strong Greek name that has been used very well all around the world. Lysander is also a Greek name but it has a more tame and whimsical feel to it. Both end with "ander" which makes the rare Lysander a good alternative to the popular Alexander. It only had 43 male births in 2014 for a low, low ranking of #2764. Are you sold yet? Other options: Evander, Ferdinand, Constantine, Augustus

9. James ---> Ramsey
Without featuring a variant of James or a translation in another language, I wanted to find something uncommon that sounded similar. This one was very tough, especially since we also featured James' twin brother Jacob earlier. I settled on Ramsey. They have a similar sound  because of the "am" and "s" that should satisfy that quota, and they also have a potentially cool, bad boy vibe in common. Ramsey only had 93 births in 2014 for a ranking of #1649.  Other options: Hayes, Ellis, Hamish, Thiago

10. Daniel ---> Dashiell
These two names sound very similar to each other. Dashiell would work very well as an alternative choice for those who love Daniel but cannot use it. Daniel has always ranked well in the US but Dashiell has only been used in the US since 1979. It has never ranked in the Top 1000 and had only 123 births in 2014.  If you're looking for unusual, Dashiell is it! Other options: Adriel, Uriel, Dane, Niall

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What do you think of my choices? Would you choose different alternative names for any of these?

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 modern people who wear the name though, which you can read about here.  Alistair can also be spelled Alastair, Alasdair or Alister. It can be pronounced either al-uh-STARE or AL-iss-ter. Interestingly, there is a Scottish Clan MacAlister which is another cool name option. 

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amelia, Cressida, Elizabeth, Fiona, Madeline, Rhiannon, Rosalind
Brothers: Bennett, Colin, Declan, Lachlan, Quentin, Tristan, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Alistair Caspian
Alistair Graham
Alistair James
Alistair Noble
Alistair Tavish

As a Middle Name:
Finley Alistair
Henry Alistair
Max Alistair
Robert Alistair
Vincent Alistair

Don't forget to vote for your favorite and share your thoughts in the comments below!:

Alistair

Alastair

Alister

Alasdair

Alexander

MacAlister

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. However, it has still only reached as high as 168 births in 2013 for a ranking of #1373. It may not popular, but that isn't a bad thing. Since it still lingers below the Top 1000 chart, it is actually quite a beautiful and rare gem, which makes it a great, unique name.

Sister-name Serafina (with an F) has surprisingly had more usage! Serafina first appeared on American babies in 1901 whereas Seraphina didn't pop up until 1981.  Serafina had 117 births in 2013 ranking it at #1751.  The spellings Saraphina (18 births) and Sarafina (25 births) are even less popular, but still viable options if you want Sara as a nickname.  Other possible nicknames could include Phina/Fina, Sera, Fifi, and Sephy. 

Why do you think this name is so unheard of? Do parents shy away from the association with angels? Putting that aside, Seraphina sounds and looks so beautiful and elegant, it's a wonder it hasn't caught on yet. Perhaps it makes a better middle name and has more usage in that spot. Any thoughts?

If you are considering using Seraphina or Serafina, here are some potential sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Anastasia, Arabella, Evangeline, Francesca, Gabriella, Genevieve, Madeleine, Penelope, Vivienne

Brothers: Alexander, Augustin, Elijah, Gabriel, Maximilian, Raphael, Sebastian, Theodore, Valentino

Middle Name Ideas:

Seraphina Alexis

Seraphina Grace

Seraphina Maeve

Seraphina Rose

Seraphina Wren

As a Middle Name:

Audrey Seraphina

Daphne Seraphina

Harper Seraphina

Lily Seraphina

Violet Seraphina

I think Seraphina and Evangeline would be beautiful for sisters since both have a nod toward a biblical association. What do you think? Perfect or too much?

Is the "friendly ghost" association too much still? Share your thoughts on this name in the comment section below!