The Art of Naming

Kids today have so much technology at their disposal that most of them probably don't write nearly as often as us older folks did. I don't know about you but when I grew up, cursive was still very much a thing. I remember having to practice each letter over and over again until I got them right. My favorite letters, of course, were the loopiest ones like f, g, l,  p, and y. I remember doodling all over my binders wishing that my name had loopier letters in it. When my name didn't satisfy, I began writing the names of my friends, my classmates, my family members and my crushes instead. These days, everything is so digital that I can't remember the last time I actually pulled out a pen and paper and got my loop on. Since I was thinking about it, I started to wonder which names would be the most fun to write. I'm sure there are tons of great options out there but I picked my 10 favorite names to write: 1.  This interesting and rare boy name has so m...

When something is "whimsical" it is defined as "playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way." When applied to names, I would consider these to be names that are a bit out of the ordinary. Something that you don't quite hear everyday but when you do hear it, you can't help but feel drawn to it. Many of these might only make it as far as your "guilty pleasure" list but you may find yourself falling for one enough to at least sneak it in the middle name spot. If you happen to be a bold namer, you're sure to love this list! Which of these do you like the most? Aerith                         Alaska Allifair Allure Alouette Amethyst Amity Anais Apolline Arianwen Astoria Atalanta Athalia Ayelet Belladonna Bliss Boheme Briar Bronwyn Calantha Calixta Celandine Ceridwen Charis Chrysanthemum Clemence Clover Corisande Cressida Daenerys December Éire Eirwen El...

When something is "whimsical" it is defined as "playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way." When applied to names, I would consider these to be names that are a bit out of the ordinary. Something that you don't quite hear everyday but when you do hear it, you can't help but feel drawn to it. Many of these might only make it as far as your "guilty pleasure" list but you may find yourself falling for one enough to at least sneak it in the middle name spot. Or perhaps you're a bold namer and you're already adding many of these to your first names list. Whatever the case may be, surely you'll enjoy browsing this list: Adler                       Alchemy Alfric Ambrose Atlas Atreyu Auberon Bane Barclay Basil Beau Bingham Bravery Breccan Bromley Cadwallader Caius Caldwell Caspian Cassius Castor Cato Chauncey Cobalt Creed Crosby Cuthbert Dempsey Digby Draco Dre...

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 boys. 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. 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...

Colors are everywhere: some vibrant, some pastel. Things would be dreary if we suddenly removed color from our lives. Some might even go the extra step to ensure that their surroundings are always colorful and lively by painting the walls in their home or dressing in only the hottest pinks or brightest yellows. Plenty of parents already opt for nature names so why not extend your love for colors to baby naming, too? I've previously posted a list of color names on The Art of Naming, but they were not broken down according to the major base colors. I decided to take a look at the rainbow and categorize some of the more interesting name possibilities under the closest related parent color. The following list was the result: Red: Amaranth Carmine Cerise Crimson Magenta Red Rose Ruby Scarlet The last three on the red list are probably the most popular with Rose leading the pack, however Scarlett is more popular than Scarlet. Would you use one of the more unusual reds...

While everyone will have differing opinions about which are The Very Best J Names for Boys and Girls, I'm sure many can agree that Juno is an interesting and unique choice! The feminine name Juno is very mythological. The ancient Roman goddess was a daughter of Saturn, the wife (and sister!) of the Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth and often looked after the women of Rome. Juno was also the Queen of the Gods, known as "Regina" which means Queen. Her Greek equivalent is the goddess Hera. The meaning of the name Juno is generally thought to be unknown but some speculate that it is related to an Indo-European root word that means "youth".  Juno is a variation of the Roman name Iuno. Other related names are Iunius, Junius, Iunia, and Junia. As a name, Juno isn't very used in the US. It randomly charted way back in 1919 with 6 births and it wasn't heard from again until 1996. This name re...

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...

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...

The male name Diederick is the Dutch form of the Germanic name Theodoric. Both mean "ruler of the people". Theodoric is completely different than the similar sounding Greek name Theodore which means "gift of God". There was a Theodoric the Great in the 6th-century who became the ruler of Italy. He was also called Theodoricus but the original Gothic version of the name may have been Þiudreiks which is where Diederick comes from. Pronounced DEE-də-rik, this cool and unusual Dutch name has some equally cool counterparts in other languages like Theoderich, Derek, Derrick, Dirk, Thierry, Tiede, Dierk, Dietrich, Thilo, Tielo and Tudor. However, as a baby name in the USA, Diederick is unexplored territory. There are zero births on record since records were first kept in 1880. Since the Social Security Administration does not report births for a name unless there was at least 5 in one year, it's possible that there have been a few boys named Diederick born in ...

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...

Last week we saw a great selection of celestial names for baby boys. Now it is the girls' turn!  If you're looking for the perfect name for the little star in your life, perhaps you'll find it on this list! Included in the list are names of stars, constellations, planets, moons, satellites and more! It covers all things space-related. So if you're a fan of astronomy or astrology or you simply find yourself gazing up into the cosmos often, I think you'll love this list! If you're unfamiliar with any of these names, I suggest doing some research before committing to it, as with any baby name.  Which of these lovely choices do you like best? What would you pair with it? Adara                                         Adhara Adrastea Agena Alula Alya Andromeda Aquila Alhena Amalthea Ara Ariel Aries Aster Asterope Astra Atria Auriga Aurora Austrina Auva ...

As we look at celestial names this week, there's no better name to look at than Atlas. Atlas was the titan of astronomy and navigation in Greek mythology. After the Titans were defeated in war with the Olympians, Zeus condemned him to the western edge of Gaia, or the Earth, where he was then forced to hold the celestial spheres on his shoulders. There are many depictions of Atlas "carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders". There's plenty of history that can be learned about Atlas, but we're here to talk about the name itself. You can read more about the mythological figure here. A golden statue of Atlas As a name, some of the etymology is uncertain, however, the ancient Roman poet named Virgil was the one who defined Atlas. He regularly translated etymologies of Greek names and combined them with appropriate adjectives. In the case of Atlas, he was given the adjective durus which means "hard, enduring". Therefore, the name Atlas has ...

From stars, moons and planets to comets, satellites and even the names of iconic scientists, here is a wonderful list of all things celestial. If you're into astronomy or astrology or you're simply a fan of the night sky, you're sure to find inspiration from this dazzling list of baby names. However, I don't have the space to define each of these. If you're unfamiliar with one of the names, be sure to research it before writing it on a birth certificate. :)  Which of these names do you like best for a boy? Acamar                             Aegir Aquila Altair Apus Ariel Atlas Beid Brooks Caliban Cassini Castor Caelum Celestin Cepheus Cetus Copernicus Corvus Crux Daniel Donati Dorado Draco Fenrir Ferdinand Finlay Fornax Francisco Galileo Hercules Herschel Holmes Hubble Indus Jupiter Keid Kepler Leo Lupus Mars Mercury Miram Montani Naos Nash Neptune Newton ...

The last piece in this week's World-Wide Wednesday segment on Welsh names is the lovely girl name Carys. Pronounced ka-RISS or KAH-ris in Wales and sometimes CARE-iss in the US, it comes from the Welsh word caru which means "love". In the stream of time as far as names go, Carys is actually somewhat modern. It has only been in use since the middle of the 20th century in Wales. The most recent stats I can find rank the name at #239 in England/Wales. Carys has only been used in the US since 1991. It never received more than 16 births in a year until it suddenly got a boost in 2003 with 106 births. The cause of this increase is most likely because of Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and her husband Michael Douglas choosing the name for their daughter in 2003. Since 2003, the name has consistently continued to receive at least a hundred births per year but it hasn't had more than 200. In 2013, there were 122 girls given the name for a ranking of #169...

Here is a list of names (and potential name ideas) that have been used by automakers and car companies. Are there any that you would love to use as a name but feel as if it is too closely associated with the car? I think Ford and Lexus are cool but they are very obvious.  Have any of these been ruined for you or would you still use them anyway? There sure are a lot of little Bentleys being born lately! Makes: Acura Alfa Romeo Ariel [Atom] Aston Martin Audi Austin Healey Bentley Ford Kia Lexus Lincoln Mercedes [Rolls-]Royce Shelby Tesla Models: Acadia  (GMC) Allante (Cadillac) Alero (Oldsmobile) Altima (Nissan) Amanti (Kia) Apollo  (Buick) Aspen (Chrysler) Astra (Saturn) Aura (Saturn) Aurora (Oldsmobile) Avalon (Toyota) Aveo  (Chevrolet) Azera (Hyundai) Azure (Bentley) Beretta (Chevrolet) Cadenza (Kia) Camaro (Chevrolet) Camry (Toyota) Capri (Ford / Mercury) Caprice (Chevrolet) Carina (Toyota) Carrera (Porsche) Cater...