Cordovan

After compiling a list of color names that could potentially be used as baby names, the color Cordovan caught my eye. After searching in various baby name databases, I've found that this has never been used as a name in the U.S. I was struck by Cordovan because of its similarities to names like Sullivan and Donovan and Cor- names like Cordell, Corbeau, Cormac or Corbett. Cordovan sounds like it should be a trendy, modern name.

Cordovan is a Spanish name meaning "native of Cordova" which refers to a city in Spain called Cordoba. It was there that seventh century Visigoths began production of "shell cordovan leather." In this case, cordovan describes the color of the leather. It was first used as the name of a color in 1925 in English.  As a color, Cordovan is a rich burgundy color, or a dark shade of wine. If you'd like to see what color it is, the Hex number is #893F45.

As for popularity, it has never been used on a child in the US since it began keeping record in 1880. I managed to find Cordovan used as a surname in many death indexes and marriage records after a simple search. I also found one woman named Cordovan Denise R. from North Carolina. I wasn't able to track down any birth records in other countries.

Since Cordovan has a strong association with leather, it has a masculine image behind it. Cute nicknames could include Cory, Cord, Cordy, Cordo or Van. What would you pair with this fantastic color name? What do you think of it?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Brielle, Capri, Claret, Esme, Finlay, Hazel, Olive, Raven, Saffron, Scarlett, Wisteria
Brothers: Adler, Beckett, Cashel, Fletcher, Griffin, Jasper, MacAllister, Roan, Sterling, Zaffre

Middle Name Ideas:
Cordovan Blake
Cordovan James
Cordovan Lee
Cordovan Tate

As a Middle Name:
Andrew Cordovan
David Cordovan
James Cordovan
Parker Cordovan

Color Me Named: 106 Baby Names from Colors

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You've heard of color names like gray and scarlet, sure, but have you heard of options like these? Which color name is your favorite for a potential baby name? Let me know if I missed any!

Also, feel free to combine your favorite from the list below and post it as a first and middle name combination in the comments!  I'd love to know what sort of names you'd pair with these colors! :)

Amaranth Amber Amethyst Aqua Ash Auburn Aureolin Azure Beige Blue Brick Brown Burgundy Cadet Capri Carmine Celeste Cerise Cerulean Chamois Cherry Citrine Citron Claret Cobalt Cocoa Copper Coral Cordovan Crimson Cyan Dove Ebony Ecru Emerald Fawn Fuchsia Ginger Granite Gray Green Greige Hazel Henna Hyacinth Indigo Iris Isabelline Ivory Jade Jasmine Jasper Jet

Lavender Lilac Magenta Magnolia Mahogany Maize Marigold Mauve Moss Olive Orchid Peach Pearl Peridot Plum Poppy Rackley Rajah Raven Red Regalia Roan Rose Ruby Rufous Russet Saffron Sage Sapphire Scarlet Sepia Sienna Silver Slate Steel Sterling Tangerine Tawny Teal Thistle Topaz Tulip Turquoise Tuscan Tuscany Umber Vermilion Veronica Violet Viridian Wisteria Xanthene Zaffre Zinc

I like Kate Amaranth, Tawny Josephine, James Cobalt, and Sterling Alexander.  What about you?

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30 Years At A Time: Analyzing Top Baby Names

Just like fashion is constantly changing, so too are names! Occasionally, very old names will even become new and fresh again many years later!

I thought it would be interesting to see just how names have changed over the years. The data that I used comes in 30-year intervals, starting in 1892 and ending last year in 2012.

1892: Boys 1. John 2. William 3. James 4. George 5. Charles 6. Frank 7. Joseph 8. Robert 9. Harry 10. Henry 11. Edward 12. Thomas 13. Walter 14. Arthur 15. Fred 16. Albert 17. Clarence 18. Roy 19. Willie 20. Samuel

1892: Girls 1. Mary 2. Anna 3. Elizabeth 4. Margaret 5. Ruth 6. Florence 7. Emma 8. Ethel 9. Helen 10. Clara 11. Bertha 12. Minnie 13. Bessie 14. Alice 15. Annie 16. Grace 17. Ida 18. Edna 19. Mabel 20. Lillian

Much like present-day England and Wales, the 1880s in America saw the use of "nickname names" or diminutives of proper names that are used as given names. Examples above include Harry and Willie for boys, Minnie, Bessie and Annie for girls.

The majority of the male names are considered classic or traditional and still see plenty of usage, with the exception of Clarence and Fred which are not currently in the top 1000 anymore.  The female names have some classic choices, some vintage chic choices and some choices that might never come back in style.  Florence, Ethel, Bertha, Minnie, Bessie, Ida and Edna are nowhere near the top 1000 and of those, I cannot see Bertha ever being fashionable again, and I'd be surprised to see Bessie making waves. The others have a shot to rejoin the top 1000 but not all at once.

1922: Boys 1. John 2. Robert 3. William 4. James 5. Charles 6. George 7. Joseph 8. Edward 9. Richard 10. Frank 11. Thomas 12. Donald 13. Harold 14. Paul 15. Walter 16. Raymond 17. Henry 18. Jack 19. Arthur 20. Albert

1922: Girls 1. Mary 2. Dorothy 3. Helen 4. Margaret 5. Ruth 6. Betty 7. Virginia 8. Mildred 9. Elizabeth 10. Frances 11. Doris 12. Anna 13. Evelyn 14. Marie 15. Alice 16. Marjorie 17. Irene 18. Florence 19. Lillian 20. Jean

John and Mary continue to reign while Dorothy suddenly appears at #2. Many of the boys names are similar but the chart has an overall new crop of names on it compared to 1892.  The boy's list is pretty solid and full of classic names that don't waver much; in fact, all of these top 20 boy names are still on the present-day top 1000.

The girl's list feels like the wildcard here. Names like Betty, Mildred, Doris, Marjorie and Jean are new to the list but are not names we hear often in present day. Other choices like Margaret, Ruth, Elizabeth, Anna, Evelyn, Marie, Alice and Lillian are still rather popular today!

1952: Boys 1. James 2. Robert 3. John 4. Michael 5. David 6. William 7. Richard 8. Thomas 9. Charles 10. Gary 11. Steven 12. Joseph 13. Donald 14. Larry 15. Ronald 16. Kenneth 17. Mark 18. Dennis 19. Paul 20. Daniel

1952: Girls 1. Linda 2. Mary 3. Patricia 4. Deborah 5. Susan 6. Barbara 7. Nancy 8. Karen 9. Debra 10. Sandra 11. Kathleen 12. Carol 13. Donna 14. Sharon 15. Brenda 16. Diane 17. Pamela 18. Cynthia 19. Janet 20. Christine

Now things start to really change! 30 years can make such a difference. Mary and John are dethroned, replaced by James and Linda. Dorothy is nowhere to be seen and has been taken over by fresh choices like Patricia and Deborah. Actually, Mary is the only female name to last from 1922 to 1952, even Elizabeth fell.

So many of the boys names seem unshakable but we do see new options like David, Gary, Steven, Larry, Ronald, Kenneth, Mark, Dennis and Daniel.  Interesting to think about how this batch of baby names now belongs on grandparents.

1982: Boys 1. Michael 2. Christopher 3. Matthew 4. Jason 5. David 6. James 7. Joshua 8. John 9. Robert 10. Daniel 11. Joseph 12. Justin 13. Ryan 14. Brian 15. William 16. Jonathan 17. Andrew 18. Brandon 19. Adam 20. Eric

1982: Girls 1. Jennifer 2. Jessica 3. Amanda 4. Sarah 5. Melissa 6. Nicole 7. Stephanie 8. Elizabeth 9. Crystal 10. Amy 11. Michelle 12. Heather 13. Tiffany 14. Kimberly 15. Rebecca 16. Angela 17. Ashley 18. Amber 19. Christina 20. Erin

The 80's bring about an entirely different set of names.  There are a few boy's names that remain from 30 years earlier like Michael, David, James, John, Daniel, Joseph, and William, but there are no survivors on the girl's side from 1952 to 1982.

Many of you probably have these types of names as the current generation of parents, whether you are brand-new or a bit experienced. I grew up with plenty of classmates with these names. The boy's names feel so traditional to me that I don't have much to say about them and the girls names feel rather dated to this time period, even if a few are classic like Elizabeth and Sarah.

2012: Boys 1. Jacob 2. Mason 3. Ethan 4. Noah 5. William 6. Liam 7. Jayden 8. Michael 9. Alexander 10. Aiden 11. Daniel 12. Matthew 13. Elijah 14. James 15. Anthony 16. Benjamin 17. Joshua 18. Andrew 19. David 20. Joseph

2012: Girls 1. Sophia 2. Emma 3. Isabella 4. Olivia 5. Ava 6. Emily 7. Abigail 8. Mia 9. Madison 10. Elizabeth 11. Chloe 12. Ella 13. Avery 14. Addison 15. Aubrey 16. Lily 17. Natalie 18. Sofia 19. Charlotte 20. Zoey

These are the names that the 80s kids are now giving to their children. They are much different than the names we were familiar with on our friends as we grew up, and they're not the names of our parents either. There are a few exceptions like Emma, Abigail and Elizabeth for the girls that may have been the names of our grandmothers or even great-grandmothers.

The boys see a few "modern" choices sneak in among the traditional choices. There's Liam, Jayden and Aiden that seem different to me than all the others that are either biblical or very, very old. I am aware that Liam comes from William, but in this case, it's its own name.

In a way, these lists have changed dramatically, and yet, we see some of the same favorites repeat year-after-year. The only two boys names that have lasted the test of time are James and William.  None of the girls names last throughout all 5 lists. Elizabeth is on four of them, and would have been on all five had she not fallen to #22 in 1952. Elizabeth is the only female name to perpetually be in the top 30 since records began in 1880.

While I prefer older names to the modern and trendy choices of today, I think I would choose a name off of the 2012 list before any of the others, except for the oldest one 1892.  Which list is your favorite?

Primrose

Purple Primroses

I got this week's featured name from the list of Colonial names that I posted on Tuesday! It was apparently used back then but it sure is rare now!

There are many "Rose" names out there. Beyond just Rose, there are Rosa, Rosalie, Rosamund, Roseanne, Roselyn, Rosemary, Rosetta, Rosemarie, etc. I have never been a huge fan of any of these. And then I found Primrose. 

It switches the "rose" to the end of the name and is an entirely different flower altogether than a rose, which I like! I'm one of those odd girls that do not like roses just because everyone else does. The primrose is very lovely, though, and comes in many colors!  (Don't let the name fool you! The Primrose flower comes from the family Primulaceae and is not closely related to the rose family Rosaceae.)

This name was originally used as a Scottish surname but it ultimately derives from the Latin "prima rosa" which means "first rose". And as its name indicates, it has the word "prim" in it which lends to the saying "prim and proper." Many people view this name as somewhat uppity but I think it is uniquely cool.

Primrose has been used in several British novels and TV series so it does have a British air about it that may not work as well in America. But despite the general vibe that it gives, it is definitely a bold and attractive choice! It is a great alternative to other popular flower names like Lily and Daisy and Rose itself!

The most recent Primrose that may be familiar today is the character Primrose "Prim" Everdeen in the Hunger Games trilogy, who is of course the younger sister of Katniss.  I think that it was that exact character that influenced the 16 births of girls named Primrose in 2012.

Before 2012, there were no girls being given this name for 30 years! There were 5 born in 1982, 6 in 1973, 5 in 1960, 7 in 1940 and a total of 66 Primroses born between 1914 and 1932. Basically, this name is a rare gem! If you are looking for something pretty and unique, this is it! It has the beautiful image of flowers to back it up and she can still be called Rose or Rosie as a nickname. Win win!

I would pair this name with something somewhat classic or traditional since it is a very unique choice. Something short and sweet!  What do you think of this name? What would you pair with it?

[Sidenote: I had to choose Primrose after I chose Peregrine last week. They are my two favorite P-names and they just sort of "go together" in my mind. I would love to meet boy/girl twins named Peregrine and Primrose! Both super unique and rare and nature related! Pip and Prim or Perry and Rosie.  Just my thoughts!]  :)

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amity, Cordelia, Everly, Honora, Junia, Lavinia, Magnolia, Octavia, Pearl, Verity
Brothers: Amadeus, Declan, Emmett, Faustus, Hawthorne, Merritt, Peregrine, Theodore, Ulysses, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Primrose Eve
Primrose Hope
Primrose Kate
Primrose Lucille
Primrose Susanna

As a Middle Name:
Anna Primrose
Claire Primrose
Hester Primrose
Lydia Primrose
Tabitha Primrose

Colonial Names for Boys and Girls

The Freake Limner
(American Colonial Era Painter,
active 1670-c 1680)
Mrs Elizabeth Freake and Baby Mary 1674

British Colonial America was a very important time in our history. They are the ones that started it all with a sense of freedom and independence. The ones who made the voyage over were discovering a whole new land and developing their own rules in their own new towns.

They also had some interesting names, some of which you don't hear often today, and others that might just be cool enough to actually use again. These names were popular in colonial times, taken straight from the 18th century!

Some of these overlap with the Biblical names list, and they seem to be much different than the names popular in England during the Victorian era. If you're looking for some cool, historical choices, perhaps you'll find a name that you like here!

Boys:                              Abel Abiel Abijah Abimael Abner Abraham Absalom Adonijah Ajax Alden Amias Amiel Ammiras Amos Amzi Ansel Archibald Asa Asahel Azariah Balthasar Barnabas Bartholomew Bazel Benajah Boaz Chauncey Clement Comfort Constant Cotton Cyrus Duncan Ebenezer Elbert Eleazar Eli Eliab Eliakim Elias Elihu Elijah Eliphalet Elisha Emanuel Emory Enoch Enos Ephraim Experience Ezekiel Garvan Gawen Gerrard Gideon

Hannibal Hercules Hezekiah Hiram Holmes Homer Horatio Hosea Increase Isaac Isaiah Isham Israel Jabez Jared Jedidiah Jehu Jeremiah Jethro Job Jonas Josiah Jothan Kenelm Lazarus Lemuel Levi Linus Matthias Micajah Miles Nehemiah Noble Obadiah Philo Philomon Phineas Prosperity Reason Rufus Salmon Sampson Seth Silas Simon Solomon Thaddeus Theophilus Truth Zaccheus Zachariah Zadock Zebulon Zephaniah Zophar

I noticed that there were a lot of Ab- and El- names. The list includes some biblical names that are common and even popular today like Elijah, Isaac, Josiah and Seth to name a few.

Click here to view an updated report on the 10 Best Colonial Names for Boys and Girls!

As for the girls, the list is a bit more limited. Again, there are some biblical names but also some virtue names that were popular with the puritans.

Girls:                       Abigail Abitha Amity Anne Aphra Aurinda Azuba Candace Catherine Charity Charlotte Chastity Clarity Comfort Cornelia Constance Dorcas Edith Eleanor Electa Elizabeth Emeline Esther Fanny Fidelity Georgine Harriet Hecuba Helen Henrietta Hepzibah

Hester Isabella Jane Joy Judith Keturah Keziah Lydia Mahala Martha Mary Mercy Modesty Patience Phila Phoebe Primrose Prudence Rebekah Remember Rosanna Sarah Selah Silence Susanna Tabitha Temperance Theodosia Verity Virginia Zipporah

Do you find any of these names completely unusable for a modern baby? Which is your favorite?

Baby Name Popularity By The Letter

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Have you ever wondered which beginning letters seem to be most popular when it comes to baby names? I know that I tend to favor a certain few letters and then there are those letters that continuously stump me when searching for a favorite or even one that I can tolerate.  Have you ever tried to pick a single favorite name for each letter of the alphabet? I cannot narrow down my favorites for A or C or E, but when I get to the tail-end of the alphabet, choosing a decent one seems to be an impossible task!

It begs the question, why do we prefer these letters and side-step those ones? Does it have to do with the sounds? I see trends that favor soft letters like vowels and L's and M's, (think names like Lila and Emma). Are there letters that just have really, really bad name choices all bunched up together?  For instance, I was reminded of this article that discusses F names and how there is only ONE in the entire Top 100 in 2012 but there were 9 in 1880. Parents aren't naming their children Floyd and Fannie anymore. The article asked the question "Is F an unattractive sound for parents nowadays?"

Tell me what you think. Is it related to the basic sound of the name, or does it have more to do with the names themselves?  Below is a tally of how many names start with each letter in the US Top 100 for each gender.

Boys Top 100 By Letter:

Beginning Letter	# of Boy Names in 2012
A	11
B	7
C	12
D	5
E	5
F	0
G	3
H	3
I	3
J	19
K	2
L	7
M	3
N	5
O	2
P	1
Q	0
R	3
S	2
T	3
U	0
V	0
W	2
X	1
Y	0
Z	1

It is no surprise that the letters of the first half of the alphabet are dramatically more popular than the second half.  J is definitely the most popular letter in the top 100 for boys. At first, I was a bit surprised at the amount of J names, but then it just seemed right after I thought more about it. So many of the timeless, biblical choices start with J, and many of those are in the top 100.

The next most popular letters are C with 12 names, then A with 11. After that, B and L both have 7.

Letters that are completely absent from the Top 100 for boys include F, Q, U, V,and Y. Additionally, P, X and Z only have one representative each.

Girls Top 100 by Letter:

Beginning Letter	# of Boy Names in 2012
A	22
B	4
C	5
D	0
E	7
F	1
G	4
H	3
I	1
J	3
K	7
L	8
M	10
N	3
O	1
P	2
Q	0
R	2
S	11
T	2
U	0
V	2
W	0
X	0
Y	0
Z	2

Not surprisingly, the letter A dominates feminine names. 22 of the names in the Top 100 start with A and 32 of them end with A, including the top 5! If you count names that end in the A-sound, like Hannah with the -ah, then you get a total of 37 names that end with the popular A-sound.

In second place is the letter S with 11 names, and then M with 10.  I was a bit surprised to see S be so popular since there were only 2 boys names in the top 100 that start with S.  However, the favorite boy letter is J and the girls only have 3 of those on their side.

Unpopular letters for the girls side include D, Q, U, W, X and Y all with 0 names.

It is interesting to note which letters parents favor and how it differs for each gender.  Just the letters A, S and M alone make up 43% of girl names. 42% of boys names begin with A, C and J.

I wanted to see this kind of data to see how my own naming preferences match up.  33% of America and I love A names.  For a girl, A, C, E, and M tend to be my letters, whereas for the boys, I prefer A, D, E and M.  My problem letters include B, F, J, K, N, P, S  and T, besides the obviously tricky U and Y.  It can sometimes feel a bit limiting.

Which letters do you tend to favor and which do you have trouble with?

Peregrine

The Name of the Week is my favorite from the list of Bird-Inspired names. I took it from the Peregrine Falcon, but the meaning of Peregrine doesn't actually have anything to do with the bird.

This is a name that is rarely used in the US because many have viewed it as an eccentric and extravagant name. However it has been considered elegant and even aristocratic in England.

It was historically chosen as the name of the first English child born in America. The child, Peregrine White, was born on the Mayflower at what is known today as the Provincetown Harbor in Massachusetts. Interestingly, he had a brother named Resolved.

Peregrine is also the name of several early saints, most notably Saint Peregrine Laziosi, the Patron Saint of Cancer Patients. The name comes from the Late Latin name Peregrinus which means "traveler" and more recently "pilgrim". The Italian form of the name is Pellegrino which you may recognize as a brand of mineral water, San Pellegrino.

There is also a character in a novel by Tobias Smollett called Peregrine Pickle. And you can't forget little Peregrin Took, a hobbit from "The Lord of the Rings" series, also known as Pippin.  Pippin or Pip are darling nicknames for Peregrine, and there is also Perry.

Clearly, Peregrine has history behind it from Saints to fictional characters to pilgrims. Statistically in the US, Peregrine has only been in use since 1998 with a total of 70 baby boys ever given the name, the most being in 2010 with 12 births. There have also been 12 girls given the name but it is solely considered a male name.

I would pair a traditional or classic name with Peregrine to balance out the rarity. What would you pair with the name and what do you think of it? Let me know!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurora, Cecily, Daciana, Evangeline, Imogen, Juniper, Lark, Marigold, Simone, Vivienne
Brothers: Atticus, Benedict, Caspian, Felix, Hadrian, Magnus, Quentin, Soren, Thayer, Vesper

Middle Name Ideas:
Peregrine James
Peregrine Arthur
Peregrine Cole
Peregrine Andrew
Peregrine Lee

As a Middle Name:
Henry Peregrine
Lennox Peregrine
Wiley Peregrine
Alaric Peregrine
Leo Peregrine

P.S.  I have edited all of the previously featured names and added the above sibling and middle name categories for each of them!  Take a look!