Boy Name of the Week: Ewan

The Boy Name of the Week is the Scottish form of a Gaelic name: Ewan. It is pronounced YOO-un.

It comes from the Gaelic name Eoghan. There were several legendary Irish figures with the name Eoghan, which possibly means "born from the yew tree" in Irish. Some say it may be derived from Eugene which comes from Greek words meaning "well born."  I've also seen some sites say that Ewan means "Youth" but I'm not sure where they got that information from.

So while I can't seem to get a clear picture on what it really means, it is still a very handsome name. Ewan can also be spelled Euan, Ewen, Ewyn or even Ouen, depending on where you live.  Sometimes it is said to be a variation of names like John, Owen, Evan, Hugh and again Eugene. Owen is actually the Welsh spelling of the name, also spelled Owain.

If you do more research on Eoghan, you'll see that it also has various spellings and that its true meaning is heavily debated.  The encyclopedia of Irish Names (1981, 1990) disputes any connection with Eugene and derives the name from Old Irish: Eógan meaning "born of the yew". So I think I'll go with that!

As you can see, Ewan has plenty of possible roots and brother-names.  What I think makes it so special is its unique sound, spelling and the fact that it isn't super popular. Sure, you've heard of the Scottish Actor Ewan McGregor, but how many others do you know? I can't say I've met one.

You may need to click the image to see it better.  Source

Let's look at the stats! This name wasn't heard of in the US until 1972. It did not catch on at all until 1997. The most usage that Ewan has received was in 2006 when there were 148 babies born. That wasn't enough for the name to crack the Top 1000 though.

In 2012, there were 140 baby Ewans born, ranking the name at #1245. Compare that to the 7,851 baby boys named Evan (#47), and the 8,630 baby boys named Owen (#38).

I like Ewan for how under-the-radar it still is.  What do you think of it?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ainsley, Caitlin, Clara, Fiona, Isla, Maeve, Rosalie, Siobhan
Brothers: Aiden, Callum, Finn, Gavin, Kellan, Lachlan, Ronan, Teague

Middle Name Ideas: 
Ewan Bryant
Ewan Cashel
Ewan Dempsey
Ewan Flannerry
Ewan Malone
Ewan Rafferty
Ewan Reilly

Result of "Favorite Classic Boys Name" Poll

If you've noticed the polls that are located on the right side of this blog, you'll see that the two on the bottom have closed. I have the results of the boy poll here!  I will feature the girl's poll on Thursday.

I asked the question: "Which of these classic boy names do you prefer?" These were the options:

Alexander - 14 votes (35%)
William - 8 votes (20%)
James -  8 votes (20%)
John -  5 votes (12%)
Charles - 4 votes (10%)

Looking back on this, I would have probably preferred to remove one of them and include Arthur or Frederick. Nonetheless, you guys voted and the clear winner was Alexander.

Alexander is a Greek name meaning "Defender of the People," and it is also my favorite on this list. It is the name I chose for my son's middle name. It ranked at #9 on the 2012 US Top 1000 Names chart! It is a noble name with many nicknames and variations such as Alex, Lex, Xander/Zander and even the exotic Sasha.

There was a two-way tie for second place, William and James.  William is a royal name, currently used by Prince William. This is a classic name that has endured over the years. It currently sits at #5! It is both conservative and contemporary with the cute, popular nickname Liam (which ranked #6 on its own.) Despite Liam, there will continue to be Wills and Bills and Billys. William is an English name meaning "resolute protection."

James is considered the English variation of Jacob, but it is also known as a Hebrew name meaning "supplanter." This name has also endured time and remains as popular and stylish as ever! It ranks at #14 and is beloved by many for its extensive history and cute nicknames like Jimmy and Jamie. There are also many interesting foreign variations of the name from Jacques to Hamish to Seamus.

John is a solid classic that stood at the top of the list for decades. In fact, before the SSA began compiling data in 1880, John was the most popular name for nearly 400 years! While it ranked at #28 last year, many parents view it was overused, opting for Jack or another international variation such as Jean, Sean, Ian, Evan or Ewan. The ones that use John today seem to use it to honor a relative rather than using it for stylistic reasons. It is at its lowest point ever right now. It is a Hebrew name meaning "God is gracious," and despite its drop in popularity, I imagine it will always be in the Top 100.

Lastly, Charles only got 4 votes. The name dates back to Charles the Great or the emperor Charlemagne. It is an elegant royal name that is currently in usage by Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth and first in line to the throne of England. It has also been the name of Kings in France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary. It ranks at #62 in the US and is a French name meaning "free man." It seems many parents prefer the nickname Charlie as a given name.

Which of these names did you vote for? What are your favorite nicknames for each? Let me know in the comments below!  And stay tuned for the results of the girl's name poll! It will post on Thursday!

10 Ancient Names that Deserve Usage Today

Minerva

Many vintage names are coming back into style today but there are also plenty of ancient gems out there that very few people are considering. It begs the question, what makes certain names desirable and others not?  Here are 10 perfectly viable names with history and beauty that are being virtually ignored for modern babies:

Aveline
This name originated as a French surname that was introduced by the Norman French to the British. It became very rare after the Middle Ages. I found it listed as a surname for some famous people dating back as early as 1656. Unlike most surnames, this one is actually very feminine and would be beautiful on a girl. It follows the popular Ava trend and is similar to all the other -line names.  It has very rare usage in the US (the first record being in 1923) and it ranked at #3678 in 2013 with 41 births. Unlike some of the other Av- names, this is not associate with birds. Aveline is said to come from "Avila," a town in Spain, which means "desired." Another source says it comes from the Ancient Roman place "Avella" which means "Hazelnut." Perhaps in this case, you can choose which meaning you like better since neither are marked as the official meaning.

Isolde
A name that frequently gets tossed around naming forums but is rarely used in the US. There were only 9 births in 2013 which ranks the name at #11264; this is down from 22 births in 2012. A romantic and tragic name, Isolde brings to mind the Arthurian legends of the Irish Princess and her lover Knight Tristan. This story made the name very popular during the Middle Ages (also spelled Iseult.) It regained some popularity from Richard Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde" in 1865. However there are no US births on record until 1971, then not again until 1997. Its been used regularly but rarely since 2006.

Junia
With the spunky Juno being tossed around (but still rarely used) and the lovely June coming back, I'd like to explore another rare option: Junia. Ranking at #4655 with 30 births in 2013, this Ancient Roman name could be hot again! With a Biblical twist, Junia is also debated to possibly be a female apostle who was complimented by Paul in the 1st century (some argue the name was used for a man.)  The name Junia first ranked at #981 in 1883 (with 5 births) and has been used sporadically  over the years with a vintage peak of 16 births in 1922. It took a hiatus through the 60s and 70s and has seen a slight increase in usage since 2004.

Lavinia

I've featured this name before and it remains one of my favorites. It has been used every year since 1880 but it averages only 20-40 births a year with a peak of 93 births in both 1920 and 1921. Perhaps parents aren't loving it because of its unknown meaning. However, she was a Shakespearean character in Titus Andronicus. Lavinia was also the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas and was considered to be the mother of the Roman people according to Roman legends. The town of Lavinium, Italy was named after her. For those of you that like a name with history or a name that comes from ancient legends, this is a very ancient name that sounds beautiful and classy. It was also the middle name of the beloved Old Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner. There were only 70 girls born with this name in 2013, with a ranking of #2534.

Minerva
This is another Ancient Latin name that has long been neglected. It means"intellect." This name's most notable namesake is the Roman Goddess of wisdom, invention and war. She is said to be the equivalent of the Greek Goddess Athena. Minerva is also associated with arts, music, poetry, medicine and crafts which would be an excellent choice for artistic, adventurous parents. This name has been used since the Renaissance. It peaked in popularity around 1915-1920 and again around 1955-1960 so it is due for a spike in modern usage. It only ranked at #3417 with 46 births in 2013.

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Amadeus
This Latin boy's name is most famously known as the middle name of the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. "Amadeus" was also the title of a Peter Shaffer play which became an award-winning film in 1984. The name Amadeus means "Lover of God" and is a unique but familiar pick. It has only been used as a recorded first-name since 1985, probably as a response to the film. Its peak usage occurred last year in 2013 with only 53 babies born. That ranks the name at #2351. Amadeus definitely deserves some love!

Constantine
Another Latin name that could use more usage! With the similar girl name Constance having such success, its a wonder why Constantine is rarely heard! A derivative of Constans, meaning "steadfast" or "constant", a famous bearer of the name was Constantine the Great (272-337) who was the first Roman emperor to adopt Christianity. He famously moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople after himself. It is now Istanbul in modern times. Perhaps the long length of Constantine and the lack of good nicknames (Connie? Stan? Tino?) is enough to keep the name from gaining popularity. However, it was given to 95 babies in 2013 for a rank of #1602. It's been regularly used since 1906, with its first US appearances in 1885. I happen to love this name in the middle name spot!

Leopold
This name tends to get associated with the "Leo" names meaning "Lion" like Leon and Leonardo, but Leopold does not come from the same meaning. It is derived from the Germanic elements "leud" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold." Some sites say that it means "Brave People." Bold or Brave, this aristocratic name was used by Queen Victoria to honor her favorite uncle King Leopold of Belgium. This name was common among German royalty as well. Leopold was also a 12th-century Saint in Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. In literature, Leopold Bloom is the main character in James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" (1920). Leopold has been steadily used every year since 1880 but for few babies per year. It hit a peak of 79 births in 1916. In 2013, only 64 little Leopolds were born, ranking the name at #2090. I prefer the nickname "Leo" to come from Leopold.

Marcellus
This is a Roman family name that originates from the more popular "Marcus." All these Mar- variations stem from the name of the Roman god "Mars" who was the god of war, equivalent to the Greek Ares. Marcellus is a Latin name meaning "Young Warrior" and has been used by two popes along with the famous Marcus Claudius Marcellus. With other ancient Roman names like Maximus, Augustus, Julius and Titus gaining popularity, I could see Marcellus fitting right in with the nickname Marc. The name has had very little usage per year, but has been on the record since 1880. Its first usage peak was in 1971 when 121 babies were born. Next, the 90's saw elevated numbers like 107 and 117 and 109 births. Marcellus has stayed in the 90-110 range, falling to just 80 births in 2013. That ranks the name at #1792.

Romulus

I would love to see a little Romulus with the nickname Romy. Like Marcellus, this name would fit right in with all the other Latin "-us" names that are gaining popularity. While I love the sound of this name, I do have to warn parents about its most obvious namesake. Romulus was one of the original Romans. His name means "citizen of Rome" in Latin. He and his twin brother, Remus, founded Rome. However, according to legend, Romulus killed his brother and created the city in his own image. His name is later changed to Quinnius.  Another notable namesake is found in the Star Trek series as the home planet of the Romulan race. Despite the legendary Romulus, a few parents have found this name appealing over the years. It was first recorded as being used in the US in 1922 with just 6 births. There have only been a total of 225 boys named Romulus in the US. In 2013, only 7 boys received this strong, bold choice. 

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What do you think of these rare names? Do you think it is the strong associations that they have in history that keeps parents from using them? Or have they simply not caught on as a popular choice yet? Yes, they are not in the normal rotation of names, but I don't see why they should remain obscure and unloved.  

Tell me: why do you think some names are overused and some remain forever obscure? Is our society just not ready for the more unusual but historic choices? Which one is your favorite?

This article also appears on Nameberry.

Girl Name of the Week: Maeve

The Girl Name of the Week is a short and sweet Irish name in honor of the one-syllable girl names post from yesterday. This name belonged to a legendary ancient Irish queen: Maeve. Today, it is starting to come back into favor with modern parents for both a first and middle name.

Maeve is the anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Medb" which means "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a powerful, warrior Queen of Connacht. Her fight against Ulster and the hero Cúchulainn is told in the Irish epic "The Cattle Raid of Cooley."

In Ireland, the Irish spelling Meabh is used more frequently. It is in the top 100 names there, but that spelling isn't recommended for usage in the US. Meabh actually comes from  "Medb" which is the original Irish form of Maeve. Other variants include Meadhbh, Mave, Maive, Mayve, Maeva and Meave. However, Maeve is my favorite.

It is gaining popularity in the US. It has the lovely nickname Mae/May as well as the stylish V sound. Maeve did not appear on [recorded] US birth certificates until 1940 when 8 girls bore the name. It has been rarely but steadily used since then but did not start to gain momentum in usage until the early 90s. Maeve landed in the top 1000 in 1997 at #955, which accounted for 207 births.  It gradually climbed the ranks and sits pretty at #484 in 2013, which equals 620 births.  In Ireland, Maeve ranked at #147 in 2011 with just 15 births.

Source

What do you think of Maeve? If you like it, here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Bridget, Erin, Fiona, Julia, Molly, Tessa
Brothers: Aiden, Connor, Finn, Jack, Patrick, Sean

Middle Name Ideas:
Maeve Alexandra
Maeve Carrigan
Maeve Kathleen
Maeve Sheridan

As a First Name:
Caroline Maeve
Enye Maeve
Kiley Maeve
Saoirse Maeve (seer-shah)

What name would you pair with it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

One-Syllable Given Names for Girls

Names that are "short and sweet" are often very desirable for a girl, especially in the middle name spot to complement a long first name. What are some viable names that only have one-syllable? I'm sure you can think of a few, but how many are full names and not nicknames?

Let's see if we can list as many one-syllable full-names as possible! Let me know if I have missed any or if any should be removed because they are just too nicknamey. Although some may double as a nickname and a stand-alone name. This is where it gets tricky! For instance, you can be just "Gwen" but that could potentially be a nickname for Gwendolyn. I will include it anyway.

Here is a short list of girl names for those who want the more common choices pointed out among the more unusual names on the list:

Anne, Bea, Belle, Beth, Blanche, Blythe, Bree, Brooke, Claire, Dawn, Elle, Eve, Faith, Fawn, Faye, Gail, Gwen, Hope, Jade, Jane, Jean, Jill, Joy, June, Kay, Lane, Leigh, Lux, Maeve, Maude, May, Moon, Naomh, Niamh, Paige, Pearl, Rae, Raine, Rose, Ruth, Sage, Shea, Skye, Snow, Tess, True, Wren, Wynne

These are names that would work on a girl, whether they're feminine or unisex. Click here to view the list of one-syllable boy names! However, there may be duplicates on both lists.

Ames                           Ann Anne Ash Aure Bay Banks Bea Belle Bern Bess Beth Blaine Blair Blaise Blake Blanche Blaze Bliss Blue Blythe Bree Brett Bridge Britt Bronx Brook Brooke Bryce Brynn Cade Cael Cain Cane Case Claire Clove Coeur Coy Crane Cree Dawn Drew Elle Eve Faith Fauve Fawn Faye Fern Fleur Fran Gail Gene Gift Glenn Greer Grey Gwen Hilde Hope Ives Jade Jan Jane Jax Jean Jem Jiles Jill Jin Joan Joss Joy Joyce Jules June Kade Kai Kate Kay Keane Kern Kerr Kieve Kit Kris Kyle Lane Lee Lei Leigh Len Lis Liv

Locke Lorne Lux Luz Lyle Lynn Lyre Madge Mae Maeve Maine Mair March Mare Marge Mars Maude Mauve May Mayes Mead Merle Mills Milne Mint Mist Moon Mose Myrrh Naomh Neith Neve Niamh Nile Noor North Nowles Nox Oakes Page Paige Park Pax Paz Pearl Pier Quinn Rae Raine Rea Reed Reese Reign Ren Rhodes Rome Rose Rue Ruth Sage Sean Shae Shane Shay Shea Shields Sky Skye Snow Sol Star Storm Tait Tate Teal Tess Thais Thane Trace Tress Trish True Twain Tyme Tyne Vail Voss Wren Wynne Yale Yates Yule Zane Zeal Zen

Let me know if I have missed any or if some should not be included (and why!) If you're interested in short names, you may also love this list of 3-Letter Names or this list of 4-Letter Names for girls!

If you need help coming up with first and middle name combinations that flow well, take a look at some of the naming services I currently offer!

Boy Name of the Week: Flynn

In honor of my "One-Syllable Boy Names" post from yesterday, I chose a one-syllable name to feature.  This Boy Name of the Week has had a very sharp increase in usage from one year to the next. The name is Flynn.

You probably already know why it is suddenly more popular.  The Disney movie "Tangled" was released in November 2010 starring a cool character called Flynn Ryder. In 2011,  the name landed on the Top 1000 chart for the first time at #940 (up from #1806) with a total of 210 baby boys born (up from just 86 in 2010.)

Actor Orlando Bloom and his model wife Miranda Kerr recently named their son Flynn, which may or may not have had a lasting influence.

Flynn is an Irish surname. It is an anglicized form of "Ó Floinn" meaning "descendant of Flann." It is also said to mean "son of the red-haired one."  Flynn has a casual charm to it with a very handsome appeal.

In 2012, the name ranked #692 which is its highest ranking ever!  It originally appeared on US babies in 1913 when 5 of them were born. It remained very sporadically used with 5 babies here, none there, 7 here, etc. until it began ranking every year in the 50's. Only in the past decade has it gained popularity.

Click Image to View it Larger.  Source

Since Flynn is originally a surname, there are many famous people who have the last name Flynn. I'd like to see this name used more regularly in the first name spot.

However, there is a slight downside by association. The infamous Errol Flynn wore it as a surname and may be the most popular Flynn. Born in 1909, he was an Australian-American actor known for his romantic swashbuckler roles as well as his over-the-top playboy lifestyle. There were some allegations of sexual misconduct against him before and after his early death.

The phrase "In like Flynn" is a slang phrase meaning "having achieved a goal or gained access as desired". However, some believe it was in reference to Errol Flynn because of his reputation for womanizing.  He died in 1959 so it has been a long time since his name was in public thought.

Does this bother you or would you use Flynn despite the association?

What do you think of the name Flynn? Do you prefer one of the Finn variants instead? Let me know!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Charlotte, Emily, Lauren, Paige, Ruby
Brothers: Ashton, Ethan, Liam, Noah, Rowan'

Middle Name Ideas:
Flynn Oliver
Flynn Walter
Flynn Silas
Flynn Henry
Flynn Alexander

As a Middle Name:
Sawyer Flynn
Thomas Flynn
Emmett Flynn
Eli Flynn
Lucas Flynn

One-Syllable Given Names for Boys

What are some viable names that only have one-syllable? I'm sure you can think of a few, but how many are full names and not nicknames?

Let's see if we can list as many one-syllable full-names as possible! Let me know if I have missed any or if any should be removed because they are actually a nickname. Although some may double as a nickname and a stand-alone name. This is where it gets tricky! For instance, you can be just "Abe" but that could potentially be a nickname for Abel or Abraham. I will include it anyway.

These are names that would work on a boy, whether they're masculine or unisex. You can find the list of one syllable girl names here, but there may be duplicates on both lists.

Short list of semi-common names for those of you that don't want to browse through so many options: 

Blaine, Blake, Boone, Brant, Brent, Brice, Brock, Cade, Cane, Chance, Charles, Chase, Clarke, Craig, Dean, Drake, Dwayne, Earl, Finn, Ford, Gage, Graham, Grant, Gray, Hayes, Heath, Hugh, Jack, James, John, Jude, Keane, Keith, Lance, Lee, Luke, Kyle, Max, Miles, Nash, Neil, North, Page, Paul, Pierce, Quinn, Ray, Reece, Reid, Rex, Rhett, Rhodes, Ross, Scott, Seth, Shawn, Sloan, Stone, Tate, Thorne, Todd, Troy, Vaughn, Wade, Wolf, Yale

Have fun browsing through the rest of them and let me know if there are any that you'd like me to add or delete.  

Abe         Ace Ames Arch Ash Aure Baird Banks Bart Bash Bay Beale Bear Beau Beck Berne Bert Birch Blade Blaine Blair Blaise Blake Blaze Bliss Blue Bond Boone Booth Boyce Boyd Bram Brant Breck Brent Brett Brice Brick Bridge Brit Brock Bronx Brook Brooks Brown Bruce Bryce Brynn Burke Burt Butch Buzz Byrd Byrne Cade Cael Cain Cale Cane Carl Carr Case Cash Chad Chance Charles Chas Chase Chaz Chet Cid Clark Claude Claus Clay Cleave Clem Cliff Clint Clive Cloud Clove Clyde Coeur Cole Colt Coy Craig Crane Creed Crew

Cruz         Curt Cyd Czar Dale Dane Darth Dash Dax Dean Dirk Doug Doyle Drake Drew Duane Duke Dunn Dwayne Dwight Earl Falk Field Finn Fionn Fisk Flint Floyd Flynn Forbes Ford Fox Frank Franz Fred Fritz Frost Gael Gage Gale Garth Gates Gene Geoff George Gil Giles Glenn Graham Grant Gray Greer Grey Gregg Gus Guy Haines Hank Hayes Heath Herb Holt Howe Huck Hugh Hume Ives Jace Jack Jacques Jake Jam James Jan Jarl Jase Javes Jax Jay Jazz Jean Jem Jett Jiles Job John Jon Jones Joss Juan Judd

Jude Judge       Juke Jules Kade Kael Kai Kale Kane Karl Keefe Keane Keith Ken Kent Kern Kerr King Kipp Kirk Kit Klaus Knox Knute Kris Kurt Kyle Laird Lance Lane Lee Leif Lev Link Lisle Lloyd Locke Lorne Luce Luke Lux Luz Lyle Lynn Lyre Mace Maine March Mark Max Mayes Mead Merle Miles Mills Milne Mitch Mitt Moon Mose Nash Neal Neil Niles Noor North Nowles Nox Nye Oak Oakes Orde Page Park Patch Paul Pax Paz Penn Perth Pier Pierce Platt Price Prince Quade Quinn Rafe Rain Ralph Ray

Reece Reed Reese Reeves Reid Reign Ren Rex Rhett Rhodes Rhys Rock Rogue Rolf Rome Ross Roy Royce Rush Sage Saul Scott Scout Sean Serge Seth Shae Shane Shaun Shaw Shawn Shay Shea Shields Sky Slade Sloan Smith Spence Sprague Stone Storm Strom Sven Sain Tadhg Tate Tave Teague Teal Teige Thai Thane Thor Thorne Todd Trace Trent Trey Tripp Troy Twain Tyme Tyne Vail Vance Vaughn Verne Vlad Voss Vox Wade Ward Wayne Webb West Wolf Woods Worth Wright Wynn Xan Xarles Yale Yates York Yule Yves Zane Zeal Zeus

If it is short and sweet names that you're looking for, you may also like this article: The Very Best 4-Letter Boys Names!  If you need help coming up with first and middle name combinations that flow well, take a look at some of the naming services I currently offer!

Real Names from Real Babies

I recently got the idea to browse through hospital birth announcements to see what kind of interesting names are actually being used on real babies. It was harder to find this information than I thought. I found a list of a few hospitals in California that I pulled this information from. Apparently newspapers don't publish names anymore (or if they do, I couldn't find anything online.)

But anyway, the following photo contains all of the names that I hand-picked from the long lists. The lists included births from April-June 2013. These names all made the cut for either being interesting (whether that's good or bad) or being something I found attractive and different from the norm. Yes, they are all mixed together so you can form your own opinions! :)

Which names do you like the most? Which are just terrible? Let me know!

More names of real babies can be found using the links below:

Birth Announcements:
Penelope Hazel 
Sullivan Rhys 
Copelynn Eleanor
Caius Michael 
Lily Raphaella 
Austin Ford 
Gabriella Pearl 
Owen Frederick 
Helena Mae 
Tristan Samuel
Norah Bailey
Wyatt Arthur

Girl Name of the Week: Adelaide

The Girl Name of the Week is Adelaide. I chose this name off of my latest blog post "Old-Fashioned, Vintage Girl Names."

The name Adelaide has been around since the SSA began recording names in 1880. It comes from the German "Adalheidis" which is composed of the elements "adal" meaning "Noble" and "heid" meaning "kind, sort, type."  Some variations that stem from the same root word as Adelaide are Alicia, Alice, Heidi, Alix, Alise and Allison. Diminutives include Ada, Addie, Addy, and Della.

The name Adelaide was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great. She was known as "a marvel of beauty and goodness."

In the 19th century, the name became common in Britain due to the popularity of the German-born wife of Britain's King William IV, "Good Queen Adelaide." The city of Adelaide, Australia was named in 1836 after her.  So this name not only means "noble" but it has two historical figures who were widely regarded as "good."

Let's look at the numbers! Before the name's modern spike in popularity, the year with the most number of births was 1917 with 537 births which ranked the name at #268 on the Top 1000 chart of its time.  Adelaide has only had two popularity spikes, the first starting around 1912 and lasting until it declined in the mid 1920s.

From the 1950's to the 1990's, Adelaide was rarely used. It ranged from 9-70 births a year, but spent a lot of time in the 20-30 range.   However, starting just before the year 2000, Adelaide gained more usage. In 2005, it landed in the top 1000 (#901) for the first time since 1948.  The n ame has been climbing in popularity over the past few years, reaching a high of #258 in 2016! That amounts to 1,227 births for the year!

I suspect that Adelaide name will continue gaining popularity. The nickname Addy has been extremely popular for other names like Addison. Adelaide is a great alternative if you wish to use that nickname.

What do you think of Adelaide? Or perhaps one of the other variants that I listed that come from the same German root?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Caroline, Daphne, Evangeline, Lydia, Sophia, Victoria
Brothers: Andrew, Benjamin, Daniel, Jasper, Oliver, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Adelaide Grace
Adelaide Sylvia
Adelaide Delphina
Adelaide Louise
Adelaide Eve

As a Middle Name:
Lily Adelaide
Matilda Adelaide
Katrina Adelaide
Elsie Adelaide
Zelda Adelaide

Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below!

First published: 6/28/13
Revised: 12/25/14
Revised: 5/13/17

Old-Fashioned, Vintage Girl Names

Are you trying to find the perfect baby name that has history and class? Many parents find themselves looking to the past. Names that were hot for our grandmothers and great-grandmothers are now turning the corner and becoming fresh and new again despite being classified as "old lady" or "old fashioned" names before.

Perhaps the perfect name for your daughter is on the list below! Take a look and see if you find any that you like. They are all wonderful options. Check out the "Naming Services" tab above if you'd like more information about a certain name or if you'd like an outsider's opinion on which you should go with! I can help you narrow down your choices statistically!  Enjoy!

Ada
Adelaide
Adeline
Agatha
Alice
Alma
Amabel
Anna
Antonia
Augusta
Beatrice
Catherine
Cecily
Celia
Clara
Cora
Cordelia
Dorothea
Edith
Eleanor
Eloise
Elsa
Esther
Etta
Evelyn
Flora
Florence
Frances
Francesca
Georgia
Harriet
Hazel
Helena
Henrietta
Ida
Imogen
Iris
Ivy
Josephine
Lavinia
Leonora
Louise
Lucille
Mabel
Mae
Matilda
Maude
Mercy
Millicent
Miriam
Myrtle
Olive
Pearl
Penelope
Priscilla
Rosemary
Ruby
Ruth
Sophia
Tessa
Theodora
Violet
Vivian
Wilhelmina
Winifred

Some of these are obviously more popular today than others. What do you think of the list? Are there any more names that you'd like me to add?  Don't forget to check out the list of Old-Fashioned, Vintage Boy Names too!

Boy Name of the Week: Edmund

The Boy Name of the Week is Edmund! It was recently featured on my list of old-fashioned, vintage boy names. Edmund is a cool and classic choice that would be handsome on a little guy today.

It is a sophisticated English name meaning "fortunate protector." I like the spelling Edmund more, but there is also the French form Edmond. I do like the Irish variation Eamon as well.

Not very many names have a popular, historical quote written about them, but Edmund does. In Jane Austen's book "Mansfield Park," the character Fanny says "There is nobleness in the name of Edmund. It is a name of heroism and renown; of kings, princes, and knights; and seems to breathe the spirit of chivalry and warm affections."  And the poet John Keats once said, "Had my name been Edmund, I would have been more fortunate." I would say that is a mighty fine testament to the name!

If you're considering naming your little prince Edmund, you may want to know more about its statistics! As far as ranking goes, this name was ranked the highest in 1914 at #130 on the US Top 1000 chart. In that year, 792 babies were born with the name. However, there are several years that have more births but a lower ranking.

I like to gage popularity more by the number of births than the rank. From 1916 to 1926, Edmund was at its  peak! It averaged just over 1000 births each year.

Source

Since then, Edmund was steadily used for 500-600 babies per year until usage declined in the late 1960s. Since the 70s, there has been a steady average of 120-250 births per year or so. Aside from decent numbers in the 1920s, this name has never been all that popular. In 2012, there were only 133 Edmunds born, ranking the name at #1295.  It hasn't been in the Top 1000 since it ranked #924 in 1997.

Do you think this is a name that deserves to be revived or is it just too old-fashioned? With the recent popularity of similar-name Edward, I would like to see more little Eddies on the playground.  What do you think?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Abigail, Celia, Lucy, Margaret, Sophia, Violet
Brothers: Bennett, David, Joseph, Maximilian, Nicholas, Zachary

Middle Name Ideas:
Edmund Wilder
Edmund Clark
Edmund Ray
Edmund Vincent
Edmund Quinn

As a Middle Name:
Ryan Edmund
Tyler Edmund
Cole Edmund
Daniel Edmund
Blake Edmund

Old-fashioned, Vintage Boy Names

Today, the new trend is to find old-fashioned, grandma-era names for girls. Many names that were previously thought of as fusty and unusable are now very popular today. What about grandpa names?

Does the popularity of old-fashioned boy names compare to that of the girls? Boys have always had more classic and traditional names at the top of the charts. Names like Michael, William and John have always been popular. Do you think any of the following names might make a comeback if they aren't already?

Abraham
Alfred
Alvin
Amos
Arnold
Arthur
Asa
August
Barnaby
Calvin
Cecil
Clarence
Chester
Clyde
Dewey
Edmund
Edwin
Emmett
Ernest
Eugene
Franklin
Frederick
George
Gilbert
Gus
Harold
Henry
Herbert
Homer
Howard
Humphrey
Irving
Isaac
Isaiah
Jasper
Julius
Leopold
Lester
Lionel
Lloyd
Louis
Martin
Marvin
Maurice
Melvin
Milton
Montgomery
Murray
Nathaniel
Norman
Oscar
Orville
Otto
Percy
Philip
Raymond
Roman
Samuel
Sebastian
Silas
Stanley
Thaddeus
Theodore
Tobias
Vernon
Virgil
Walter
Wendell
Winston
Willard

Which of these names do you like best for a modern boy?  Do you have any that should be added to the list?  Don't forget to check out the list of Old-Fashioned, Vintage Girl Names too!

Royal Baby Name Odds! What's Your Guess?

Image: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Soon, England will have a brand new heir to the throne. Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting a royal offspring soon and bets are flying as to the gender and the name. A bookmaking firm in the UK are even taking bets on what the child's future profession might be and what their hair color would be. (Click here to view all the odds.)

Some people are beginning to wonder if these bookmakers know something that we don't. William and Kate have stated that they do not know the gender of the child and are not going to find out until it is born, but the bookmakers have the odds set at 2-7 for a little princess, and only 11-2 for a prince. This may be based on a slip-up from Kate where she very nearly said "my daughter."

The girl name with the best odds is Alexandra at 5-2. This seems to be the most popular choice all around and it happens to have been my first choice before I ever saw the odds. Queen Alexandra sounds beautiful to me!

In second place is Charlotte with 4/1 odds, which is the middle name of Kate's sister Philippa "Pippa" Middleton.  Charlotte is also a feminization of Charles, who is William's father. This name has become a popular choice to bet on recently, as odds have changed from 12-1 to 4-1.

Elizabeth, the name of William's grandmother and the reigning Queen of England, is ranked at 5/1 odds. However, I have doubts that they would want to purposefully place another Queen Elizabeth back on the throne so soon.  Personally, I would go for a different name to avoid confusion ("which Queen Elizabeth?") even though they do sometimes choose an entirely different name to be known as.

Diana is ranked in 4th place with the odds of 6/1. While Diana is the name of Prince William's late mother, this is not a historically royal name (it has no royal antecedents.) Also, since the accession rules have changed, William and Kate's firstborn will be the heir no matter the gender. With lingering mixed-feelings about Diana's inharmonious history, it truly does not have a good chance of first name usage. However, I would bet on Diana being one of the child's multiple middle names.

More odds include Victoria (7-1), Mary (10-1), Eleanor (12-1), Alice (14-1), Anne, Frances, Grace and Sophia (20-1) for girls.

For boys, the number one name on the bookmaker's radar is George which ranks at 12-1. George is my top pick for a boy. It is a handsome and strong regal name, the name of Queen Elizabeth's grandfather.

Next would be Charles (William's father's name) ranking in at 25/1 along with James, John, Louis and Phillip (the name of Queen Elizabeth's husband, William's grandfather.) These top boy contenders are very handsome and have a solid history. I would be happy seeing any of them used, but I have to say that I don't think Charles will be chosen as a first name. It just seems a bit too soon to have another Charles since the current Prince Charles is first in line to the throne.

Other boy names that I'd like to see used include Albert, Alfred, Arthur and Frederick.

What do you think?  Place your bets on the first name, and just for fun, throw in some middle names that you'd like to see used!

My bets:  Alexandra and George.

Alexandra Charlotte Diana Grace or Alexandra Diana Elizabeth Mary

George Arthur William Philip or George Albert Charles Louis

That was extremely difficult to decide upon. I even looked at all of the immediate relatives' names to see which names haven't been used very frequently and which have.  However, if they don't go with the most traditional and obvious choices that the family always seems to use, I'd love to see something slightly more unexpected like Alexandra Eleanor Diana Margaret or Alexandra Isabella Matilda Jane. And for boys: George Frederick Albert Thomas or George Oliver Michael Rupert.

Okay, I'll stop there. This is way too much fun! (I should have been royal!)   Of course, it is not up to me! We shall wait and see what they choose!  Place your bets!

The True Top 50 Names - Very Important for Expecting Parents!

This amazingly informative list was originally put together by Kelli at NameFreak!  I cannot take the credit, but I had to share. I think it is very important that expecting parents have access to this sort of thing.

She called it the "Playground Analysis," which is a great way to describe it! When you are out and about and you hear a child's name, you have no idea how it is spelled.

Let's say you are currently pregnant with your first boy and you are in love with the name Jackson. It honors your husband, your husband's father and grandfather, your late brother Jack, and it is your mother's maiden name too. It seems perfect!!  But popularity does concern you. According to the SSA's Top 1000 chart, Jackson ranks at #22. That is a bit too high for your usual liking, but Jackson is so perfect for your family that you commit to using it anyway and announce it to your family and friends!

However, you're on the playground one day with your three year old and you start noticing many children named Jackson. Suddenly, Jackson is everywhere and it really bothers you.  "But it's only at #22, it can't be that bad. It must be a coincidence, right?"

Well, there is more to it than that.

When you combine all of the different spellings, Jackson, Jaxon, Jaxson and Jaxen, your absolute favorite name in the world isn't ranked at the tolerable #22, it is actually ranked as the #2 most popular name in the US!

What now? Do you go ahead with it anyway?

This is the type of thing that I think is super important for parents to know! The SSA only accounts for popularity by individual spelling, but in a world of "unique spellings" (read: misspellings), you cannot be sure how popular your favorite names really are.  Take Aiden, for instance. The SSA has it ranked at #10 but with all the different spellings, it is truly the most popular name in the country! Would that make you think twice about naming your son Aiden?

Some people are not concerned with popularity and would rather have their child fit in as one of 7 Aidens in a classroom than stand out with an odd name.  However, others are horrified by the thought!  No matter where you fall with your concern, here is a list that compiles all the spellings together.

Some names to make a note of are Aiden, Jackson, Kayden, Caleb, Brayden, Nicholas, Cameron, Connor, Dominic and Colton. I apologize if I make you completely reassess your name list because of this.

This is the truest Top 50 that you can possibly find according to 2012 records.  The listed name is the SSA's spelling. The number in parenthesis is the SSA's ranking, followed by all the possible variations that alter the stats. Remember, these are listed by combining all the options together and re-ranking them.

Boy Names

1. Aiden (10) – Aaden, Adan, Aden, Aidan, Aidyn, Aydan, Ayden, Aydin
2. Jackson (22) – Jaxen, Jaxson, Jaxon
3. Jayden (7) – Jaden, Jadon, Jaeden, Jaiden, Jaidyn, Jaydon
4. Jacob (1) – Jakob, Jaycob
5. Mason (2) – Maison, Masen, Mayson
6. Ethan (3)
7. Noah (4)
8. William (5)
9. Liam (6)
10. Michael (8) – Micheal
11. Kayden (99) – Caden, Caiden, Cayden, Kaden, Kaeden, Kaiden
12. Alexander (9) – Alexzander
13. Matthew (12) – Mathew)
14. Elijah (13) – Alijah
15. Daniel (11)
16. James (14)
17. Anthony (15)
18. Caleb (32) – Kaleb
19. Benjamin (16)
20. Christopher (23) – Cristopher, Kristopher
21. Joshua (17)
22. Andrew (18)
23. David (19)
24. Joseph (20)
25. Logan (21)
26. Lucas (27) – Lukas
27. Christian (33) – Cristian, Kristian
28. Landon (34) – Landen, Landyn
**All of the variants of "Max" would fit right here when calculated based on nickname. (See below)**
29. Gabriel (24)
30. Brayden (39) – Braden, Bradyn, Braeden, Braiden, Braydon
31. Samuel (25)
32. Jonathan (35) – Johnathan, Johnathon, Jonathon
33. John (28) – Jon
34. Ryan (26)
35. Dylan (31) – Dillon
36. Nicholas (49) – Nicolas, Nickolas, Nikolas
37. Isaac (30) – Issac
38. Nathan (29)
39. Carter (36) – Karter
40. Cameron (54) – Camren, Camron, Camryn, Kameron, Kamron, Kamryn
41. Connor (59) – Conner, Conor, Konner, Konnor
42. Isaiah (42) – Isiah, Izaiah, Izayah
43. Luke (37)
44. Owen (38)
45. Gavin (40) – Gavyn
46. Dominic (70) – Dominick, Dominik, Dominique
47. Jordan (48) – Jorden, Jordyn
48. Wyatt (41)
49. Colton (65) – Colten, Kolten, Kolton
50. Henry (43)

Notable changes to the girl's list include Zoey. When combined with Zoe and Zoie, this name jumps from #20 to a true #7. More popular than you thought, huh? Another big change is Madelyn. You may think that this name is finally losing its steam, but when you add all the other spellings, Madelyn is no longer #67, it is actually #13.  Same thing with names like Layla, Hailey, Riley, Aaliyah, Kaylee, Arianna, Kaitlin, Adalyn and Elena among others. These girl names really move around a lot, so take a good look at the list below! You may find yourself reevaluating your favorite names. (Sorry about that!)

Girl Names

1. Sophia (1) – Sofia
2. Isabella (3) – Isabela, Izabella
3. Emma (2)
4. Olivia (4) – Alivia, Alyvia
5. Ava (5) – Avah
6. Emily (6) – Emely, Emilee, Emilie, Emmalee
7. Zoey (20) – Zoe, Zoie
8. Chloe (11) – Khloe
9. Madison (9) – Maddison, Madisyn, Madyson
10. Aubrey (15) – Aubree, Aubri, Aubrie
11. Abigail (7) – Abbigail
12. Mia (8) – Miah
13. Madelyn (67) – Madalyn, Madalynn, Madeleine, Madeline, Madelynn, Madilyn, Madilynn
14. Lily (16) – Lillie, Lilly
15. Layla (31) – Laila, Lailah, Laylah, Leila, Leyla
16. Hailey (32) – Hailee, Haley, Haylee, Hayleigh, Hayley, Haylie
17. Addison (14) – Addisyn, Addyson
18. Riley (47) – Rylee, Ryleigh, Rylie
19. Elizabeth (10) – Elisabeth
20. Natalie (17) – Natalee, Nataly, Nathalie, Nathaly
21. Aaliyah (36) – Aleah, Aleigha, Alia, Aliya, Aliyah
22. Avery (13) – Averi, Averie
23. Kaylee (34) – Caylee, Kailee, Kailey, Kayleigh, Kaylie
24. Arianna (49) – Ariana, Aryana, Aryanna
25. Ella (12)
26. Brooklyn (29) – Brooklynn
27. Amelia (23) – Emelia, Emilia
28. Allison (38) – Alison, Alisson, Allyson, Alyson
29. Hannah (22) – Hana, Hanna
30. Kaitlyn (118) – Caitlin, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlynn, Katelyn, Katelynn
31. Mackenzie (71) – Makenzie, Mckenzie
32. Kylie (59) – Kiley, Kylee, Kyleigh
33. Peyton (53) – Paityn, Payton
34. Lillian (25) – Lilian
35. Evelyn (27) – Evalyn, Evelynn
36. Leah (33) – Lea, Leia, Lia
37. Charlotte (19)
38. Sarah (43) – Sara
39. Grace (21)
40. Harper (24)
41. Katherine (64) – Catherine, Kathryn
42. Gabriella (37) – Gabriela
43. Anna (35) – Ana
44. Samantha (26)
45. Alyssa (44) – Alisa, Alissa, Elisa, Elissa
46. Brianna (51) – Breanna, Briana, Bryanna
47. Victoria (28)
48. Makayla (69) – Mckayla, Michaela, Mikaela, Mikayla
49. Adalyn (198) – Adalynn, Addilyn, Adeline, Adelyn, Adelynn
50. Elena (139) – Alaina, Alayna, Elaina

What do you think? Did I just break your heart or does it not bother you at all? Let me know!


[EDIT]: Someone asked me where Max would fit on the list when all of the variants that use the nickname "Max" were added together. Since Max IS a name and could very well be on the above list, I obliged. Here's my work:

Max Variants on Record:

Max: 3,663 born in 2012.
Maxwell: 3,187 born.
Maximus: 1,835 born
Maximiliano: 975 born.
Maximilian: 582 born
Maxim: 344 born
Maxton: 235 born
Maximo: 222 births
Maksim: 161 births (Maks = Max in sound)
Maximillian: 136 births
Maxon: 66 births
Maxson: 44 births
Maximos: 24 births
Maxten: 9 births

Add that up, you get 11,483 "Maxs" born in 2012.

To fit it into the list, I figured out how many births there were in 2012 for each name until I found the right range.

#28: Landon: 9,296 + Landen 1,461 + Landin 141 + Landyn 825 = 11,723 births
Maxs: 11,483 births (including variants)
#29: Gabriel: 11,442 births (no obvious alternate spellings)

So if Max was used as the nickname for all of the names listed above, Max would be the #29 most popular name since you don't know if they are JUST Max or if they're a Maximiliano.

However, there are many other nicknames that would affect this ranking if they were also added in. (Think of all the Maddy's and Ellie's there are!)   This new info isn't concrete but based solely on the criteria above.

Perhaps I'll make a "Popular Nicknames List!"

Name of the Day: Verity

In light of my most recent list of names, today's Name of the Day is a feminine virtue name: Verity.

This name is Latin meaning "truth." If you know some Latin-based languages, you would recognize the root of the word. Verdad in Spanish, Vrai or Vérité in French, Vero or Verità in Italian, etc, which are also sometimes used as names. Or you could always straight-up go with the name "True" if you wanted. However, of all these, I think Verity has the prettiest sound, especially if you live in an English-speaking country. (If you have Latin roots, by all means, use one of the options above.)

The name Verity is one of the virtue names that originated with the Puritans in the 17th century. They put such value and importance on the meaning of names that they began giving these virtue words as names. Other popular ones are Grace, Hope, Joy and Faith. However, I like to find the more unusual ones. While Verity currently ranks at #360 in England/Wales, it is rarely used these days in the US.

In 2012, there were 51 girls given the name Verity, which ranked the name at #3232 on the popularity charts. If you recall, the names aren't recorded unless there are at least 5 births per year. Therefore, the first recorded usage of the name Verity did not occur until 1966 when 6 baby girls were born. After that, it wasn't used again until 1973. From 1973 to 2006, the name was barely used, (an average of 10 babies per year.)

But then in 2007, popularity increased to 41 babies from 19 the year before. However, 2012 is indeed the year that has seen the most usage and it also has the highest ranking in modern history. (Makes you wonder how many Puritans were given this name back in the day, huh?)

Source

If you're curious about the modern day usage, there have only been 582 baby girls ever named Verity in the recorded US history of names. If you use Verity, the chances of your daughter having a unique name are very good! Yet it is not hard to pronounce or unfamiliar! Score!

What do you think of this virtue name? Would you use it in the first name spot or the middle name spot?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amabel, Evangeline Felicity, Grace, Hope, Lavinia, Primrose, Temperance
Brothers: Alistair, Honor, Joshua, Merritt, Miles, Peregrine, Vincent, Will

Middle Name Ideas:
Verity Anne
Verity Evelyn
Verity Lucille
Verity Katherine
Verity Jane

As a Middle Name:
Olivia Verity
Amelia Verity
Sarah Verity
Abigail Verity
Mabel Verity

Virtue Names

Virtue names are usually accredited to the Puritans for their earliest, most-frequent usage. However, names that had powerful and important meanings were also popular with Ancient Greeks and Romans. Around 1590, the Puritan movement developed as a sect of the Church of England. They began using the names of saints and martyrs instead of virtue names by order of the Catholic Church.

Then the Puritans fled to America to escape religious persecution. It was then that they freely used their virtue names, as well as phrase names and scriptural names such as "Fight the good fight of Faith" as a name. While these long phrase names didn't catch on, many of the virtue names did and are still in use today. Here is a list of both popular and not-so-popular virtue names for boys and girls:

Girls: 

Amity
Charity
Clarity
Clemency
Comfort
Constance
Faith
Felicity
Fidelity
Grace
Honor
Hope
Joy
Mercy
Merritt
Modesty
Patience
Prudence
Remember
Sage
Serenity
Sincere
Sincerity
Temperance
Tranquility
Unity
Verity

Boys: 

Able
Anchor
Bravery
Bright
Calm
Chance
Constantine
Hardy
Free
Freedom
Harbor
Increase
Justice
Loyal
Lucky
Merit
Noble
Pax
Prosper
Revere
Sage
Sincere
Tranquil
True
Valor
Vigor
Worth
Zen

Can you think of any good ones that I missed?

Name of the Day: Everett

Today's Name of the Day is the boy name Everett. This is an English variation of the German name Eberhard meaning "brave as a wild boar."

This is a name that is quickly climbing back up the popularity charts. If you go by rank alone, Everett was at its peak in 1906 with a ranking of #81. In 2012 it ranked at #214 which is up from #534 in 2005.

If you go by the number of babies born each year, there are two notable peaks in usage. The first is in 1912 when the name shot up with 424 births more than the previous year. Then it really spiked, averaging 1,500 or more babies every year from 1914 until the early 1930s.

Then it started to decline until it started gaining momentum again in the mid 2000s. Its new highest peak is in 2012 when there were 1,724 boys named Everett.

Source

This name has cute nickname options such as Ever or Rhett. I believe Everett's rise in popularity in the past few years is because of similar trendy girl names Eva and Ava and their variants. Many parents view the crisp V sound as stylish. However, there were 21 girls given the name Everett in 2012.

As for the history of the name Everett, it came from the English surname Everard which was introduced to England by the Normans. Everard has Germanic elements to it such as "eber" meaning wild boar, and  "hard" meaning brave or hardy. This name has rarely been used since medieval times, but Everett is clearly gaining popularity in the modern world.

What do you think of the name Everett? Is it on your list or do you prefer similar name Emmett instead?

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Audrey, Caroline, Ella, Harper, Olivia, Ruth
Brothers: Asher, Blake, Griffin, Nathan, Owen, Sawyer

Middle Name Ideas:
Everett Carter
Everett James
Everett Lucas
Everett August
Everett Paul

As a Middle Name:
John Everett
Henry Everett
Braden Everett
Zane Everett

Liquid Names and Raindrop Names

There are so many different classifications of names. Of course you know about the most obvious ones like Classic names or "Yoonik" (Misspelled) Names. What are some of the newish classifications or trends? Here are two that I've heard about recently:

Liquid Names

These names were first classified over on The Baby Name Wizard by blogger Laura Wattenberg. She defined these as names that flow smoothly. Many, if not most of these names have every sound drawn out (long vowels) they don't require much mouth movement such as Aliya or Eliana. These names tend to have three or more syllables and there are fewer consonant sounds than syllables. Letters allowed to be used in this trend include L, R, N, Y and H.  Some examples:

Aaliyah
Arianna
Liliana
Alaina
Eliana
Aria
Elena
Aurora
Alana
Aniyah
Ariel
Alina
Elaina
Liana
Anaya

Is this a trend that you like or is it just too smooth? Some people like more crunch to their names.

Raindrop Names 

In addition to these liquid names are what Laura coined "raindrop names" that are also smooth with the same type of sounds, but they are shorter. In fact, they pack two or more syllables into four or fewer letters. Included in this trend are the letters M, L, N, R and Y.

Examples of names like these are Liam and Mia which both cracked the top 10 last year. Mila, Leo, Eli and Ayla are popular as well as Arya, Noah, Mira and Nora. Do you see the pattern? These types of names are huge right now.  In the past, a great example that was highly used is the name Mary.

Raindrop Girls:

Amy
Anna
Anya
Aria
Arya
Ayla
Ella
Emma
Erin
Isla
Lana
Leah
Lena
Lia
Lila
Lily
Lola
Luna
Lyla
Mara
Mary
Maya
Mia
Mila
Mya
Nina
Nola
Nora
Nyla
Rina
Yael

Raindrop Boys:

Alan
Ali
Amir
Ari
Arlo
Elam
Eli
Ian
Leo
Leon
Liam
Milo
Noah
Noam
Noel
Omar
Owen
Raul
Rory
Ryan

What do you think of Liquid Names and Raindrop Names? Do you like one trend more than the other? Let me know!

Name of the Day: Helena

Today's Name of the Day is Helena. This name is the Latin form of the name Helen, which has a ton of history. Most notably, there is Helen of Troy who was the daughter of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology. She was kidnapped by Paris and was the cause of the great Trojan War. And a more modern example was Helen Keller who overcame being blind and deaf.

While Helen is a strong name, I prefer the girlier Helena. I like to pronounce it Hel-AY-na as opposed to Hel-EN-ah, but both are pretty!

This Latin name means "bright, shining one" which is a lovely meaning. Helena was used for two characters in Shakespeare's works, one in "All's Well That Ends Well" and one in "A Midsummer's Night Dream."  Another Helena was a 4th-century saint who was the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine.

The name Helena translates well around the world. In 2012, it ranked at #560 in the US, #328 in England/Wales, #194 in France and #243 in the Netherlands. It is even more popular in Austria (#30), Croatia (#35) Poland (#45) and Belgium (#55).

As for Helena's history in the US, it has always been in the Top 1000, except for 1992 when it dipped down to #1008. It has been a fairly consistent name. It's largest popularity spikes occurred in 1918 with 488 babies born, and 2006 with 595 babies born.

Source

Still, if you consider the 200-500 or so babies born every year named Helena, this name is not very popular when compared to names that spike up to 10,000+ births a year.

I would say this is is a very lovely, classic choice that is both familiar but not overly used. What do you think of Helena? How do you pronounce it? Do you prefer Helen or Ellen instead?  Let me know below!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Catherine, Esther, Freya, Isabella, Lucille, Sophia
Brothers: Arthur, Daniel, Edward, James, Michael, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Helena Simone
Helena Juliet
Helena Eve
Helena Mabel
Helena Jane

As a Middle Name:
Natalie Helena
Lucy Helena
Violet Helena
June Helena
Alice Helena

Name of the Day: Frederick

Today's blog post analyzed the name Elizabeth, so I thought I would go a bit more "classic" than usual with the "Name of the Day.'  I chose the handsome Frederick.

German meaning "peaceful ruler," Frederick is one of those old-fashioned, classic names that nearly disappeared for a while; (how many Freds do you know?)  Today, some parents are liking its solid history and classic charm and are reviving it!

Of course it hasn't really disappeared. Frederick has comfortably been hanging out in the 300-500 range of the US Top 1000 chart for the past couple decades! It was last in the top 100 in 1957.

Its largest popularity spikes occurred around 1914 and again around 1946. It was most popular in 1951 with a total of 4,982 baby boys born with the name Frederick.  It was even rarely but consistently used for girls between 1908 and 1993! Since the male popularity spikes, the name has fallen back down to respectable levels. In 2012, there were 482 babies born, which ranked Frederick at #536 on the US Top 1000 chart for boys. 

What sort of history does this name have? A very extensive one! I can't list everyone named Frederick. There are many ancient emperors and kings who held the name. Click here to view a wikipedia list of all the famous Fredericks.

The most notable Fredericks are Frederick the Great who was the King of Prussia (1712-1786), Frederick Douglass who was an escaped slave turned abolitionist (1818-1891),  and of course actor/singer Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz 1899-1987).

I had this article prepped up and then a while later I came across this article from Nameberry that was interesting. It interviews a man named Frederick and he gives his thoughts on his name and his nickname Fred. 

What do you think of the name Frederick. Would you call him Freddie/Freddy or Fred?  Would you go with another nickname like Red, Fritz, or Rick? Or perhaps Derick/Erick which are derived from the spelling? Maybe good ol' Frederick is perfect is its entirety!   Let me know your thoughts below!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alexandra, Elizabeth, Helena, Matilda, Victoria
Brothers: Alexander, Finnegan, Matthew, Nicholas, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas:
Frederick James
Frederick Arthur
Frederick George
Frederick Mason
Frederick Dean

As a Middle Name:
Owen Frederick
Evan Frederick
Jacob Frederick
Aaron Frederick
Oliver Frederick