Summer Names for Boys

Summertime officially began at the end of June! Next, we'll get to watch the fireworks light up the summer sky! After that, it's time to start pondering more about that baby name you're looking for. Your summer baby will be arriving soon! If you're having trouble narrowing down the right name for your little guy, perhaps one of these timely choices will best suit him! Take some of that warmth and sunshine and happiness associated with summer and apply it directly to naming and you'll have yourself the perfect moniker! Check out this list for ideas:

August

Augustine
Augustus
Azul
Bay
Beach
Birch
Bodhi
Brody
Cain
Calder
Dax
Dune
Dylan
Field
Finn
Julian
Julio
Julius
July
Junius
Junot
Kai
Lake
Leaf
Leo
Marlin
Marino
Murphy
Ocean
Pacifico
Ray
Rip
River
Sandy
Shade
Sheldon
Somerset
Storm
Sumner
Sunny
Tanner
Theros
Thunder
Tide
Tripp

Which of these names could you see yourself using for your baby boy? Don't forget to take a look at the list of Summer Names for Girls too! Also, Autumn Names for Boys and Autumn Names for Girls.

Sullivan Rhys - (Birth Announcements!)

These baby names were pulled from birth announcements at a hospital in Oregon since the start of the year, (January-April 2014). I picked out the ones that I liked or thought were interesting. Which of these do you like best?

Girls: 

Amiyah Rose
Ariana Renee
Aspen Jolee
Aubrielle Kinzie
Audrianna Taylor
Ava Penelope
Avery Gabriella
Beatrice Aveah-Dawn
Callie Elizabeth
Cecelia Opal
Charlotte Marie
Delilah Jane
Elayna Jade
Ellanie Rose
Evia Shay
Francesca Vail
Hallee Christine Roseann
Hannah Rogue
Harmony Clair
Ily Mae-Joan
Ivy Sophia Ann
Isabella Faith
Jasmine Faye
Jessica Lynn
Jinevieve Nicole
Julia Carmen Annalise
Julianna Lynn
Khloe Elise Lisa
Khloe Sophia Alexandria
Kylea Nicole
Layla Josephine
Leila Mae
Lilly Marie
Lola Anne Marie
Maddilyn Dawn
McKinley Nichole
Melony Angel
Nola James
Peyton June
Remington Lane
Ruby Jean
Savannah Rose Lynn
Stella Jo
Sylvie Kate
Temprence Gail Francis
Trinity Joy


Boys:
Aleczander Lawrence
Andrew Paul
Apolo Leonardo
Atreyu Ainsley
Bentlee Lucas
Braden James
Bryson Boyd
Caden Eugene
Camden Timothy
Cole Lewis
Connor Vaughn
Corbin Wayne
Dimitri James
Donovan Clark
Easton Anthony
Elias Malcolm
Emmett Brannick
Emerson George
Fabian Thanos Von
Gabriel Alexander
Gabriel Tyler
Grant Christopher
Hunter Jack
Hunter Patrick James
Ian Thomas
Ivan Alexander
Jeramiah Arthur William
Kale Matthew
Liam Edward
Logan Bradley James
Micah Everett
Orion James
Paul Wesley
Riggs Matthew
Rowan Gerard
Ryder Gage
Ryland Thomas
Stark Richard
Sullivan Rhys
Titan Daniel
Tristan Bobby
Tyrion James Freddie
Wesley Ray
William Roy
Wyatt Louis
Zane Forrest

Twins:
Emberley Quinn & Lakin Avery (girls)
Bryson Luke & Dillon John (boys)
Adam Isaiah & Conner James (boys)

Lorelei

To complete our week of analyzing German baby naming traditions and names, I present to you the lovely name Lorelei.

It actually comes from German mythology. According to legend, a beautiful seductress lived on a rock headland on the Rhine River. The rock itself is located near St. Goarshausen, Germany and is named the Lorelei even today. It is said that the maiden, or "water spirit", lures fishermen to their death with her haunting voice and beautiful song. For this reason, Lorelei means "luring rock" or "alluring temptress/enchantress".   It is sometimes spelled Loreley as well.

The image of this deadly siren has been a part of the name Lorelei for ages. Some may view that with a negative connotation, and others may enjoy the mythic beauty of a singing mermaid seductress despite the fact that she caused many deaths. It is just a legend, after all, so it is up to you whether the association is an issue or not.

Another strong association that has been around for a while is that of a gold digger in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She was portrayed by the late Marilyn Monroe.

However, the most recent association around today comes straight from pop-culture. In fact, many people will think of these two Loreleis first upon hearing the name. On the TV show The Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), a young mom named Lorelei decided that her daughter would be a junior and named her Lorelei as well, but she went by Rory. They spelled it Lorelai but pronounced it the same: LORE-uh-lie. Their middle names were Victoria and Leigh.

Other nicknames beyond Rory may include Lori, Lora, Lorel, Lore, and possibly even Lola, Lila or Lolly if you stretch it.

Lorelei was first used as a baby name in the US in 1916. It gained more regularity in 1925 with a small spike in 1938 of 121 births. It did well in the 1950s and early 60s but tapered off again until it got a boost in 2002.  It has been trending upward since then, climbing to a peak of 594 births in 2013 which ranks it at #501.

Interestingly, the spelling Lorelai, used in Gilmore Girls, was not used at all until 2001, coinciding with the show.  It has also climbed up the charts and had 336 births in 2013 for a ranking of #800.

Which spelling do you like better? Lorelei or Lorelai? Perhaps something else?  Here are some ideas for sibling and middle names if you're considering using this name for your child!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Adelaide, Alexis, Amelia, Daphne, Elodie, Minerva, Rebecca, Scarlett
Brothers: Alaric, Elliott, Garrett, Gideon, Liam, Matthew, Theodore, Warren

Middle Name Ideas:
Lorelei Adele
Lorelei Charlotte
Lorelei Geneva
Lorelei Johanna

As a Middle Name: 
Ava Lorelei
Elsa Lorelei
Katrina Lorelei
Minna Lorelei

What do you think of the name Lorelei. Does the German myth bother you? What middle name might you pair with Lorelei? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook!

World-Wide Wednesday: German Baby Names

Moritzburg Castle, Germany
Featured German Names:
Alaric & Lorelei

This month's World-Wide Wednesday features baby naming customs from Germany.

Prior to the late 19th century, Germany was a vast territory that saw major differences in the way baby names were given across the land and in different time periods. Traditionally, most boys in central and southern Germany in the 1700s were named Johann or Johannes. (Hans was big in the 1600s). Sometimes they would go by a middle name to differentiate between them. Similarly, girls tended to be named Maria or Anna.

In the north and northeast, children in the mid-1800s received anywhere from three to five given names. This was a sign of nobility. The more names a person had, the more important they would appear. In records, ministers would often underline the preferred name, and sometimes marriage licenses would have the names in a slightly different order than what was on the birth record. They may have even been simplified or spelled differently.  Surnames weren't regularly used until the 1500s.

Up near Denmark in a place called Schelswig and a place called the duchy of Holstein, it was popular tradition to use patronymic names through to the 18th century. This means that most children were named for their fathers or grandfathers. For example, if a father was named Peter, his sons and daugthers would use the surname Petersen (and occasionally girls who were very near Denmark would follow those traditions and use Petersdatter as a surname instead). It wasn't until 1771 that this got to be rather confusing and a law was passed that required children to take a set surname, usually the same one their father had instead of basing a new one on his first name.

In Ostfriesland, which is in the northwestern corner of modern Germany, people followed a patronymic pattern that was very similar to that of their Dutch neighbors to the west. Instead of adding -sen or -datter to their father's name, boys and girls would simply add an -s. The confusing part about this tradition is that back in Schleswig most wives would take their husband's name and add -s to it. Depending on where you lived, your name would indicate whether you were the wife of Peter (in Schleswig and Denmark) or the daughter of Peter (in Ostfriesland).

As you can see, different areas had different customs that drew great influence from neighboring countries. Another example is that of the people of Westfalen which borders Hannover, Rheinland. Since medieval times, they had an entirely different naming method.  Surnames were called Hofname or "farm-names". The family living on that particular farm would take that particular surname. If a daughter inherited the farm and married, her husband would change his name to that of her farm. His old name would be listed with his new surname with a phrase such as genannt, vulgo, modo, sive, or alias listed between them meaning he had one surname but was called by another.

Today, there are still some faint remnants of these patronymic systems but they don't tend to form a child's official name. Names consist of one or several usually gender-specific given names and a set surname. Women traditionally adopt their husband's surname and hyphenate it with their own.

Most first names in the past were very traditionally Germanic, or they were biblical. Examples include:

Boys:                                       Carl Karl Wilhelm Otto Heinrich Friedrich Paul Hans Gustav Max Walter Walther Hermann Ernst Werner Heinz Curt Kurt Günter Günther Herbert Gerhard Helmuth Peter Claus Klaus Uwe Jürgen Dieter Horst Manfred Wolfgang Bernd Andreas Frank Stefan Jörg Torsten

Girls: Anna Martha Frieda Bertha Emma Maria Margarethe Erna Elsa Gertrud Hertha Käthe Elisabeth Hildegard Ilse Irmgard Gerda Lieselotte Elfriede Ursula Edith Helga Gisela Inge Ingrid Ingeborg Karin Renate Elke Monika Brigitte Angelika Sabine Martina Ute Keike Petra Birgit Anja

It is only since the 1970s or so that Germans have adopted more Westernized names such as:

Boys:                                       Thomas Michael Marcus Christian Oliver Matthias Sebastian Daniel Martin Dennis Alexander Tobias Patrick Marcel Philipp Lucas Ben Finn Jonas Maximilian Felix Leon Louis

Girls: Nicole Claudia Stephanie Andrea Susanne Julia Melanie Sandra Nadine Christina Sabrina Sarah Jennifer Lisa Katharina Jessica Laura Leah Hannah Michelle Lara Lena Mia Sophia Leonie

There was a bit of a pattern that many parents followed in order to properly honor saints and relatives in their children's names. Take a look at this chart for an example:

Source

If there were duplicate names in the pattern, they'd usually skip to the next name in the pattern. If a child were to die in infancy, their name would be reused for the next child of the same gender.

When the children were baptized, they were most often given one first name that was a spiritual name honoring that special saint or relative, and they'd receive a middle name or a "call name." They would go by this call name most often. Often, children were all given the same first name such as the very popular Johann. Three brothers might have the following names:

Johann Heinrich Schmidt
Johann Wilhelm Schmidt
Johann Gustav Schmidt

They would be known as Heinrich, Wilhelm and Gustav. Girls would have a similar situation but most commonly with the first name Anna or Maria. This occurrence did not always happen though. It did depend on the family and when and where they lived.

There is no official statistics for baby names in Germany but Knud Bielefeld (publisher of firstnamesgermany.com) has analysed approximately 182,300 German birth notifications and compiled a list of the most popular baby names in 2013. Borrowing graciously from him, here are the Top 10:

1. Ben                                         2. Luca / Luka 3. Paul 4. Jonas 5. Finn / Fynn 6. Leon 7. Luis / Louis 8. Lukas / Lucas 9. Maximilian 10. Felix

1. Mia 2. Emma 3. Hannah / Hanna 4. Sofia / Sophia 5. Anna 6. Lea / Leah 7. Emilia 8. Marie 9. Lena 10. Leonie

What do you think of the baby naming customs of Germany? Do you have any German relatives with names like these? Which traditionally German name is your favorite? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below or on our Facebook page!

Source | Source | Source | Source

[Note: I do have German blood but I've never been to Germany and don't speak German. If any of this information seems incorrect, please let me know so I can fix it!]

Alaric

The awesome baby name lovers on Instagram and Tumblr have spoken! When polled about which German name I should feature for my World-Wide Wednesday segment, Alaric was the clear winner for the boys! The girl name is coming on Friday!

Alaric is an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Ruler of All" or "All-Powerful Ruler".  It comes from the Gothic name Alareiks and is derived from the Germanic elements ala "all" and ric "ruler, power".

In history, Alaric was the name of the king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century. Because of this king, the name has a very ancient and regal feel to it, but it still has the potential to be a cool, quirky and modern choice for a baby boy today.

This name is still flying under the radar in terms of popularity. I've seen it discussed many times on forums but as far as actual usage goes, it is rare!

It first appeared in the US in 1949 and it took another ten years to catch on regularly. Alaric is just now coming into its prime! It hasn't had much love until recently with 88 births in 2012 and a record-high 116 births in 2013 for a ranking of #1414. I think Alaric could potentially break into the Top 1000 in the next decade. It seems to be a growing favorite!

Alaric is a bold and strong name on its own, but it also has the nickname possibilities of Al, Ric, Ricky, Lars, Alec, Alar and Aric. It is typically pronounced AL-er-ic, just like it looks, but this name is used on the TV show The Vampire Diaries and is pronounced as uh-LAR-ik.  I definitely prefer the typical pronunciation.

What do you think of this name? What sort of middle names and sibling names would you pair with it? Here are some ideas that I came up with:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Adelaide, Elsie, Ingrid,  Lorelei, Mathilda, Wilhelmina
Brothers: Caspar, Edsel, Jaegar, Kiefer, Otto, Warren

Middle Name Ideas:
Alaric Charles
Alaric Ferdinand
Alaric Johan
Alaric Leonardo
Alaric Theodore

As a Middle Name:
Diesel Alaric
Henry Alaric
Joseph Alaric
Lucas Alaric
Matthew Alaric

I tried not to only pair other German names with it, but it was a bit tricky to get decent flow. What do you think? Which names would you use?

How Much Does Popularity Matter? + My Confession

Ever since I began The Art of Naming, I've had a pretty firm stance against using popular names. My objective was to help parents find obscure and unusual names to use instead of going with the most common choices that everyone else is using.  While I still completely love unique names, I have a big confession to make.

As many of you may know, my husband and I are expecting a daughter in August. We have chosen three names for her, a first and two middles. The kicker is, despite all of my pro-unusual name posts, two of my chosen names are within the Top 50.  [Cue the collective gasp].

We were originally planning on using a first name that ranked in the mid-200s but now we've bumped it to the middle name.  We will be using one of the more popular names as her first name because it *feels right*.  If any of you have had a child, I'm sure you can relate to the feeling of a name just being "the one". I realized it when I saw her little face in an ultrasound picture.  You can't hate me too much for falling in love with a popular name, right? You still love me?

All of this has got me thinking about popularity. How important is it? Really?

I began obsessing over baby names when I was 17. I was more on the clueless side of things and only looked at the name based on how it sounded. Over time I began to appreciate meanings and history and eventually popularity. Today I feel as though I've been so darn picky about everything in recent years that I've finally had to give in to what names I really love and relax on the technicalities behind them.  The names I've chosen are more popular than I thought I would have ever chosen but they're also full of great meanings and some family honor. This triumphs over popularity for me.

I have done my research and know how popular my choices are. I'm to the point where it finally doesn't bother me. However, a year ago, I would have never actually gone through with using a Top 50 name as the first name just on principle alone. Perhaps I'm experiencing character development? That, or I've taken comfort in the fact that popular names of today just aren't as popular as they once were in the past.

Take for example the most popular girl's name ever: Mary.  She peaked in 1921 with (are you ready for this?) 73,983 births. Can you wrap your brain around that figure for a moment? And then remember that she lingered around those types of figures for years!  She was the #1 or #2 name every year from 1880-1965 and still remained in the Top 50 until 2001. Today she's fallen to #121 but still received over 2,600 births for the year. If that isn't popular, nothing is.

Compare Mary's stats to those of the other #1 baby girl names since 1880. It took me a while but I did all the math for you. Notice how the numbers in the 3rd column get progressively smaller as time goes by. With all of the variety in spelling and the pool of acceptable names rapidly growing, the top names are actually being used by fewer babies per year. This is why I like to share the number of births when I feature names rather than the rank. Rank means very little when the number of births for the year varies as drastically as Linda and Sophia's stats do.  Take a look:

What do these stats tell us? The true popularity of a name is deceiving. There are people every year who now combine all of the various spellings together to find out what the "True Top Names" are. And I was only comparing the #1 names in the above image. When you climb down the chart a bit and realize that the names in the #30-#40 range (where my daughter's name sits) only get about 5,000-6,000 births per year, it suddenly doesn't seem that bad. Think about how huge this country is and how many babies are born every year. Sure, she may know a couple other girls in her school with the name, but I'm currently not worried about it.

If you have a very common last name and give your child a very common first name, chances are they'll run into an issue at some point in their life with having the same exact name as someone else they are near, so popularity may be a priority for you and that's great! Choose something odd! However, many parents worry about their child being 1 of 4 in a classroom with the same name. If you're one of those, I'd suggest searching for something more obscure if it really bothers you.

There are so many names out there, thoroughly search for the right one. With the stats we see today, names are nowhere near as popular as they have been in the past. (Did you see how many Marys there have been?) If the name you choose ends up being popular, ask any Jen, Jenny or Jennifer of the 1970s how they dealt with it. If they could handle it, I'm sure your child will survive too. :)

So what do you think? Does popularity really matter? Does your child have a common name? How has it worked for them? Was your name popular in school? How did you deal? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook! 

...What? You wanted me to tell you my daughter's name?... How about I make you work for it? In the year 1920, they ranked as such: #103, #744, #280. The third is after my husband's sister. :)

Baby Naming Challenge - Car Edition

For your challenge today, you will be naming three hypothetical siblings! This past Tuesday, we saw a list of baby names stolen by big car companies and we learned all about the name Ford a couple days ago. In honor of "car week," I want you to think about your vehicle history when choosing the names for the challenge. If that sounds crazy, just bear with me a moment.

As a visual aid, here's a short breakdown of vehicle makes and models just in case you're not sure:

Make = Name of Company (Ford, GMC, Toyota, Nissan, Dodge etc)
Model = The "brand" of the car. Sometimes this is just a letter or number, or a word or name.

If you've never owned your own car, use that of your parents or partner.  Okay, here we go:

Baby #1 

• If the make of your first car starts with A-L, you're having a boy! If it starts with M-Z it's a girl! 
• Take the first letter of the make of your car and use it for the first name of the baby.
• If the model of your car is a number/letter sequence, choose a vowel for the middle name. If the model is a name or a word, choose from B, D, F, K, T and W for the middle name.

Baby # 2

• If your current car is blue, green, red or black, you're having a boy! If your current car is any other color, it is a girl! 
• If your current car is 2-door, the first name starts with either A, L, O, P or R.  If your car is a 4-door, the first name starts with C, E, J, M or S.
• If your car has tinted windows, the middle name must be 2 syllables long. If not, go with a 4 syllable name.

Baby # 3

• If you currently have a big vehicle, (truck, SUV, crossover or van) it is a boy. If it is a smaller vehicle (coupe, wagon, sedan, luxury, hybrid) then you're having a girl! 
• If you drive an automatic, choose a first name that begins with a consonant. If you drive a manual, choose a first name that begins with a vowel.
• If your current car was made in 2005 or earlier, the middle name is 1 syllable long.  If your car is a 2006 or newer, the middle name is 3 syllables long.

Great job! Feel free to share your answers in the comments below or on Facebook!  Here are my answers:

Boy: Frederick Theodore

Girl: Cecily Winter

Girl: Sabrina Pearl

Ford

Since this is "car week", we'll look at the boy name Ford. The Ford Motor Company has been around since 1903 and was founded by Henry Ford. Clearly, the name comes from a surname but it was originally derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English. Nameberry says that it means "dweller at the ford". A ford is defined as "a shallow place in a river or stream allowing one to walk or drive across." That makes Ford a nature place name and a surname.

Famous namesakes include the aforementioned Henry Ford, former U.S. President Gerald Ford, popular actor Harrison Ford, writer Ford Madox Ford, Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Madox Brown and sportswriter Ford Frick. Actor Owen Wilson named his baby boy Robert Ford.

In pop-culture, there's James "Sawyer" Ford from the TV show Lost, and Nathan Ford on the TV show Leverage. There's a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy named Ford Prefect.  This name seems to be used most often as a surname as opposed to a first name.

In fact, the history of popularity for this name contains very small numbers. The question is, are parents ignoring this name because of the motor company? There are plenty of surnames that have had popularity for boys over the years. Nameberry believes that "the long association to the Ford Motor Company doesn't stand in the way of this being a strong, independent, single-syllable name."  Perhaps Ford just hasn't caught on yet.

It has been given to boys since 1880 but only in handfuls. 1915 was a good year for Ford with 133 births and a ranking of #483. 1923 was also good with 115 births. Since then, the name has hung around in the 30-50 births a year range until it dropped even more in the 70s. It slightly increased again around 2000 and by 2013, the name Ford received 179 births for a ranking of #1050. It has now surpassed its original early peaks and could be poised to finally land within the Top 1000 again for the first time since 1951.

Ford as a given name for boys is still a rare gem that modern parents should take advantage of! Otherwise, there are a few names that contain "Ford" within the name that could be used with Ford as a nickname:

Alford                      Bedford Bluford Bradford Buford Clifford Crawford Forden Gifford Kalford Lanford Milford

Oxford Rayford Redford Rexford Rutherford Sanford Stafford Stanford Talford Telford Wilford Winford

As far as using Ford itself as a given name, here are a few suggestions that I came up with for sibling and middle names to go with it:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Audra, Brooklyn, Cora, Harper, Lena, Presley, Tessa
Brothers: Arlo, Bridger, Clive, Franklin, Gage, Owen, Parker

Middle Name Ideas:
Ford Everett
Ford Jonathan
Ford Oliver
Ford Sebastian

As a Middle Name:
Andrew Ford
Ethan Ford
Tristan Ford
Vincent Ford

What would you pair with Ford? What do you think of it as a baby name? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook!

123 Potential Baby-Names Used on Cars

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)
• Catera (Cadillac)
• Cavalier (Chevrolet)
• Cayenne (Porsche)
• Caymen (Porsche)
• Celica (Toyota)
• Chevelle (Chevrolet)
• Cobalt (Chevrolet)
• Colt (Dodge/Mitsubishi/Plymouth)
• Cordia (Mitsubishi)
• Corsica (Chevrolet)
• Cosmo (Mazda)
• Cooper  (mini)
• Cressida (Toyota)
• Cruze (Chevrolet)
• Daytona (Dodge)
• Diamante (Mitsubishi)
• Diesel (Volvo)
• Echo (Toyota)
• Elan (Lotus)
• Elantra (Hyundai)
• Electra  (Buick)
• Elise (Lotus)
• Enzo (Ferrari)
• Evora (Lotus)
• Fiero (Pontiac)
• Forester (Subaru)
• Genesis (Hyundai)
• Giulia  (Alfa Romeo)
• Giulietta  (Alfa Romeo)
• Herald (Triumph)
• Holden Monaro (Pontiac)
• Hunter (Land Rover)
• Integra  (Acura)
• Jetta (Volkswagen)
• Jimny (Suzuki)
• Lancer (Mitsubishi)
• Liberty (Jeep)
• Lucerne  (Buick)
• Lumina (Chevrolet)
• Magnum (Dodge)
• Mark (Isuzu / Toyota)
• [Grand] Marquis (Mercury)
• Maxima (Nissan)
• Miata (Mazda)
• Milan (Mercury)
• Milano (Alfa Romeo)
• Millenia (Mazda)
• Monaco (Dodge)
• Monte Carlo (Chevrolet)
• Murano (Nissan)
• Optima (Kia)
• Orlando (Chevrolet)
• Pantera (DeTomaso)
• Rio (Kia)
• Riviera (Buick)
• Sable  (Mercury)
• Sedona (Kia)
• Sentra (Nissan)
• Sephia (Kia)
• Sequoia (Toyota)
• Seville (Cadillac)
• Shelby (Dodge)
• Sierra (GMC)
• Sienna (Toyota)
• Sky (Saturn)
• Sonata (Hyundai)
• Sonoma (GMC)
• Sorento (Kia)
• Tacoma (Toyota)
• Talon (Eagle)
• Tiburon (Hyundai)
• Tucson (Hyundai)
• Vega (Chevrolet)
• Verona (Suzuki)
• [Crown] Victoria (Ford)
• Zephyr (Lincoln / Mercury) 

Whether you are inspired by one of these names or they make you think twice about your favorite, what do you think of the list?  My favorites are Apollo, Aurora, Cadenca, Carina, Cavalier, Cressida, Elise, Jimny, Lumina, Maxima, Milan, Sable, Sephia, and Verona.  What about you?

Celebrating One Year at The Art of Naming!

It was one year ago today that I started The Art of Naming. Before I launched it, I was very actively searching for the perfect name for potential future siblings for my son. For years before that I was obsessed with baby names. I spent plenty of free time on forums and polls giving suggestions and advice to everyone that was seeking it. I couldn't tell you how many dozens of name lists I've made over the years.  It came to a point where I needed to concentrate my obsession and The Art of Naming was born!

Now writing blogs and answering questions is more like a part-time hobby to keep me busy while the baby naps. I enjoy coming up with new names to discuss with all of you. I wouldn't post this actively if it weren't for all of you who are there to read my thoughts. I can only hope that I've been able to help some of you to find the perfect name! I want to thank you all for visiting and for interacting with me on my various social media pages. Thanks also to the rest of the baby naming community for being so nice and occasionally sharing my posts with their own readers.

It has been a great year and since I'm currently expecting baby #2, I'm already prepping blogs for you through the rest of this year! Don't worry, even though I'll be busier at home, I will still have plenty of blog posts for you to enjoy for as long as you continue to visit!

Love,

Kara @ The Art of Naming

Penelope Hazel - (Birth Announcements!)

These names are taken from real babies who were featured in recent hospital announcements. These are all first and middle names; no last names were included.  Which of these do you like? Are there any that you dislike? If you had to pick one to use, which would it be?

Girls:
Alivia Noel
Americus Marie
Amira Denise
Annabelle Grace
Anniesse Marie
Avianna Carmen
Belize Madeline
Caroline Daye
Chloe Lynn
Claire Danielle
Colbi Alisa
Elizabeth Renee
Ella Mae
Emily Cathrynne
Jacelyn Beth
Kysen Alayah
Liliana Sophia
Lillian Abigail
Lily Marie Michelle
Mackenzie Brooke
Madison Elaine
Natalie Rose
O'Laina Sophia
Olivia Faye
Payton Mae
Penelope Hazel
Reagan Leigh
Samantha Mae
Sana'a Geneva Louise
Vada Monroe

Boys:
Aaron Anthony
Aiden Russell
Andrew Charles
Bradley Alexander
Braxton Cole
Brylen Josiah
Caleb James
Cody Allen
Daelyn Jacovi
Damien Alexander
Easton Alexander
Elijah Cole
Elliott Sebastian
Ethan Paul
Garrett Lewis
Henry Theron
Hunter Ray
Hutchinson Taylor
Iker Andres
Jace Carter
Jackson Monroe
John-Brooks Hall
Jaxson King
Kaleb Nicholas
Kingston Isaiah
Lawson James
Luke Browning
Maddox Alexander
Malachi O'Bryant
Matthew Thomas
William Grady

Twins:
Willow Storm & Pailyn Elizabeth (girls)
Jaime Isaiah (boy) & Rayven Alessandria (girl)
Jason Abel & Tyler Curt (boys)

Colette

To round out our week of examining French baby names and customs, here is one of my favorite choices for a girl! You voted for Colette on the poll that I had on the sidebar of the blog and she won with 40% of the vote!

Colette is the short form of Nicolette which comes from Nicole, the French feminine form of the masculine name Nicholas. All of these related names (and believe me, it is a huge family tree) come from the Ancient Greek name Nikolaos. They all mean "victory of the people" from the Greek words nike meaning "victory" and laos which refers to "people".  There are many names that come from this tree but let's focus on our lovely French name of the week, Colette.

Famous namesakes include Saint Colette from 15th century France. She was a nun who was known for giving her money to the poor. There was also a French author known as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954). There are several more that are listed on Nameberry if you'd like to view them.

As a name, Colette first appeared on American babies in 1892.  It wasn't until 1906 that the name gained regular yearly usage and by the mid-1940s, she began climbing up the charts. Her biggest popularity peak was side by side with many other -ette names in 1966 with 594 births for the year and a ranking of #372.

In 1987 she completely fell off the Top 1000 chart and it wasn't until 2012 that she made a reappearance. Jumping from #1040 in 2011 to #659 in 2012 is quite a big deal, even if it only accounted for 424 births. Now in 2013 with 456 births, she's up to #608! This means that she's climbed 432 ranks in just 3 years!  If she continues climbing at that pace, we could expect to see more of her in the near future!

With this new-found momentum in the popularity game, Colette is a proving to be refreshing to modern parents' ears today! This name is a lovely French option that can also work very well on non-French baby girls. It is a bit fresher today than Nicole and not as long as Nicolette, but Colette is still unique enough to bea great under-the-radar choice! Nicknames could include Coco, Coli, Cole, Lette, Lettie & Ette. Can you think of more?

Below are some names that I'd personally pair with Colette. What would you use? Feel free to share them with us in the comment section below or on Facebook!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Camille, Elodie, Frances, Genevieve, Madeleine, Natalie, Teresa
Brothers: Alexandre, Damien, Joseph, Michael, Olivier, Patrick, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Colette Adelaide
Colette Gabrielle
Colette Johanna
Colette Renee

As a Middle Name:
Aubrey Colette
Harper Colette
Olivia Colette
Rosalie Colette

World-Wide Wednesday: French Baby Names

Featured French Names:
Olivier & Colette

This month's edition of World-Wide Wednesday will focus on French baby names.  The French were originally very limited in what names they could use for a child because France was very strict as far as which names were and were not allowed.

Traditionally, babies were only allowed to be named after Roman Catholic saints. Sometimes a child acquired the name of the saint who's National Saint Day fell on the day they were born. Today, that practice is not commonly used anymore, however most French people are still given the name of a saint or a version of a name of a saint. The Saint's Day associated with their name is then celebrated throughout their life as a second birthday.

The most common saint names that were used include Jacques (James), Jean (John), Michel (Michael), Pierre (Peter), or Jean-Baptiste (John the Baptist) for males; and Marie (Mary), Jeanne (Jane), Marguerite (Margaret), Françoise (Frances), or Élisabeth (Elizabeth) for females. Often these names would be hyphenated such as Jean-Pierre or Marie-Claude. This is still a popular naming style today.

When 1966 came around, the government decided to give parents a bit more freedom by allowing mythological names as well as some regional or foreign names. It wasn't until 1993 that parents gained even more freedom. In that year, most restrictions were lifted as long as the name was not deemed detrimental to the child's future. The birth registrar has the ultimate say and can refuse to allow a name that is thought to be harmful. If a name is rejected, the parents may be sent to a local court but this tends to be a rare occurrence.

Typically in the past, the French tended to have one given name that they use, (hyphenated names are considered one name) and a second and third name that are hardly mentioned beyond official documents. These latter names tend to honor godparents or grandparents and may be considered "out of fashion" for those reasons. These second and third names are similar to the Anglo-Saxon "middle name" that is rarely known or used. However, a French person may choose to be called by one of these more "hidden" names rather than the first one listed on the birth certificate. Nowadays, using more than one name on a daily basis is rather out of fashion, but they still tend to have multiple middle names.

Nearly all traditional given names are gender-specific. There are some cases where a name may appear unisex but actually be pronounced or spelled slightly differently for each gender such as Frederic (M) and Frederique (F).  When it comes to compound or hyphenated names, sometimes the second name can be that of the opposite gender; for example, a girl named Marie-George or a boy named Jean-Marie. It is the first name that denotes the gender.

As a result of the lifting of the baby naming restrictions, names that are being given today are drastically different than the names used even 40+ years ago.

For French-Canadians, there was a typical name structure in place up until the mid-1900s. Children were generally given three names. The first denoted the gender of the child, like Marie or Joseph. The second name was that of a godparent of the same gender. The third name is what the child was actually called by. It was even common for every sibling to receive the same sex appropriate first name, which brought about families whose children looked like this: Marie-Louise, Marie-Antoinette, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Paul. They would then either go by the second half of the hyphenated name or by a third name.

Baptism records often listed only the child's first name and sometimes the second name. The third was virtually ignored. However, the family bible would list all of the names. Records sometimes got confusing, especially when the children were all given the same first names. This would lead to plenty of mistaken identities in genealogical records. Occasionally there was also a practice up until the 1930s in which the name of a deceased child would be reused again for the next child. That no longer happens but it definitely led to even more confusion on official records.

As of 2011, popular baby names in France were much different than those in America. One source even mentioned that using an "American" name is not fashionable and can sometimes indicate a lower class family. This is because the French overused "American" names in the 1990s so they currently shy away from our trends. But they definitely have their own. If the name is not French in origin, it may be Italian, Greek, Spanish or Irish instead, which are all being commonly used these days. There is plenty of debate about whether a foreign name could hurt the child's future job prospects since the country had very limited choices for so long. It is feared that if a name is too unique, the child may not fare well.

Recent trends have included using shorter names like Lucas and Clara rather than using long ones like Alexandre or Nathalie. Girls are increasingly being given names that end with -a rather than the more usual -e endings.  Boys are seeing more names ending in -o.

       Top Names in France for 2013:

Boys:             Nathan Lucas Léo Enzo Louis Gabriel Jules Timéo Hugo Arthur Ethan Raphaël Maël Tom Noah Mathis Théo Adam Nolan Clément

Girls: Emma Lola Chloé Inès Léa Jade Manon Louise Zoé Lilou Léna Sarah Camille Maëlys Lina Eva Louna Clara Alice Romane

For a much longer list of names that are used in France, check out the top names from 2011. It is a bit older but it is more complete than the above.  Which name on the list is your favorite?

[Note: I know very basic French but I've never been to France or Quebec or any other French-speaking country. If I have misinterpreted any information, please let me know!]

Source | Source | Source | Source | Source \ Source | Source

Olivier

I selected four French boy names and threw them in a poll on the blog. You voted and Olivier was barely the winner with 14 votes, sneaking past front-runner Laurent in the 11th hour. So let's take a look at the French name Olivier as we kick off French-Week! Stay tuned for our World-Wide Wednesday post about French naming customs too, and a girl name on Friday!

Parents are in love with Oliver today. Nameberry describes it as "energetic and good-natured, stylish but not nearly as trendy as twin-sister Olivia, with a meaning symbolizing peace and fruitfulness." The French Olivier may have pronunciation problems in the US along with sister Olivie, however there are also other similar options such as the Spanish Olivero and the Italian Oliviero. Olive is also becoming a favorite for girls.

With the following pronunciations, o-lee-VYAY (French), O-lee-veer (Dutch), Olivier isn't exactly rolling off American tongues the same way Oliver is. Both of these names may come from either the Germanic name Alfher or the Old Norse name Áleifr. They became more popularly influenced by the Latin oliva over time which means "olive tree". According to Behind the Name: "In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic 'La Chanson de Roland', in which Olivier was a friend and advisor of the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel 'Oliver Twist' (1838), which was about a poor orphan living on the streets of London."

Both of these names clearly have some solid history behind them in Europe since medieval times, and if you take a look at Behind the Name, you'll see a long list of Oliver's popularity around the world! Oliver is ranked pretty high in several countries, but what about their popularity in the US today?

While Oliver is enjoying plenty of usage at #73 in 2012 in the US, the French spelling of Olivier is not very popular.  Olivier ranked in at #2046 which means only 67 boys were given the name. It has only been in regular usage since the 1960s whereas Oliver dates back in the US to 1880 with a bit of a popularity boost around 1920.   Olivier ranks #282 in England/Wales, #348 in France and #43 in the Netherlands.

If you have any French ancestry or a French last name, Olivier is a wonderful choice! However, non-French Americans seem to flock towards Oliver instead. Which do you prefer? Using the American format of a first and middle name, what would you pair with these? Here are some ideas I came up with for each:

Sibling Name Ideas (Olivier):
Sisters: Amelie, Beatrice, Claire, Estelle, Lucille, Rosalie, Sylvie, Vivien
Brothers: Augustin, Benoit, Emile, Felix, Frederic, Luca, Maurice, Sebastien

Middle Name Ideas:
Olivier Fabian
Olivier Gerard
Olivier Noel
Olivier Remi

As a Middle Name:
Claud Olivier
Damien Olivier
Henri Olivier
Mathieu Olivier

--

Sibling Name Ideas (Oliver):
Sisters: Amelia, Charlotte, Eleanor, Lily, Lucy, Rose, Sophie, Violet
Brothers: Alexander, Daniel, Elliot, Henry, Leo, Noah, Samuel, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Oliver Dominic
Oliver James
Oliver Tristan
Oliver Vincent

As a Middle Name:
Gideon Oliver
Julian Oliver
Nathan Oliver
Sebastian Oliver

What do you think? What sibling or middle name ideas would you add?

Trendy Girl Names from 1900 + Unusual Choices

In 1900, there was a big trend occurring among baby girl names. Parents loved the cutesy style of names that ended in -ie. These were not nicknames, they were given names. As you can see by the list below, there was a plethora of options just within the US Top 1000 names.  We're seeing a few of these threaten to come back into style today while others, like Sophie, Ellie and Sadie, are already hot! Drew Barrymore just used the name Frankie for her daughter last month!

Did your [great] great-grandmother have a name like this? If so, do share it with us in the comment section below! Which of these -ie names are your favorite? Would you ever use it?

Abbie                   Addie Aggie Allie Amie Ammie Angie Annie Arie Arlie Arrie Artie Audie Bennie Berdie Bertie Bessie Bettie Billie Birdie Bobbie Bonnie Callie Carrie Cassie Charlie Christie Classie Clemmie Cordie Corrie Dessie Dicie Dixie Dollie Donnie Dottie Dovie Dulcie Eddie Effie Ellie Elsie Elvie Emmie Erie Essie Ettie Eugenie Evie Exie Fannie Florrie Flossie Frankie Freddie Georgie Gertie

Goldie                   Gracie Gussie Hallie Hassie Hattie Hessie Hettie Icie Jamie Janie Jannie Jennie Jessie Jettie Jimmie Johnie Johnnie Jonnie Josie Jossie Julie Kattie Kittie Kizzie Lannie Lennie Leslie Lessie Lettie Lexie Libbie Lillie Linnie Lizzie Lockie Lonie Lonnie Lossie Lottie Louie Lovie Lucie Ludie Lutie Macie Madie Maggie Mallie Mamie Mammie Margie Mattie Maudie Maxie Maymie Mazie Mellie

Mettie Millie Minnie Mittie Mollie Monnie Mossie Myrtie Nannie Nellie Nettie Nonie Ocie Odie Ollie Onie Osie Ossie Ottie Pattie Pearlie Pinkie Pollie Queenie Ressie Robbie Rosalie Rosie Rossie Roxie Rubie Ruthie Sadie Sallie Sammie Sophie Sudie Susie Tempie Tennie Tessie Tillie Tommie Tressie Trudie Valerie Vallie Vassie Vergie Verlie Versie Vertie Vinnie Virgie Willie Winnie Zadie Zettie

I'd also like to point out some unusual girl names from 1900 that you may find interesting, including some names that are typically viewed as masculine-only. Do you think any of these will ever be in style on a modern girl?:

Aleen                   Almeta Alpha Arthur Atha Beaulah Besse Beula Bina Birtha Bula Charles Clella Clifford Clora Clyde Dale Dellar Dorcas Dortha Easter Ebba Electa Ellar Elmer Ena Ether Fairy Fleta Florida Floy Frank Freeda Frona Hazle Hedwig Hertha Hildegard Hildur Hulda

Huldah Icy Isa James Joe John Lady Lavada Leatha Lelar Leo Letha Lue Malvina Marvel Melba Meta Missouri Mozelle Myrtice Myrtis Nena Neoma Nevada Oda Olevia Otelia Ouida Ova Ozella Paralee Reatha Retha Rilla Twila Velva Vernon William Yetta Zada

Unusual Boy Names from 1900 You Don't See Today

We see plenty of interesting and odd baby names being used today but it is not a new concept. People have always had strange names. I thought it would be fun to take a look in the past and see what kind of names were being given to the peers of our [great] great-grandparents.

Way back in 1900, I found some interesting choices for baby boys. These were all listed on the US Top 1000 chart for boys 114 years ago. Do you think any are actually usable or are they too out there?

Admiral                             Alford Brown Buddie Burl Cleve Cloyd Collis Colonel Connie Curley Doctor Dorsey Earlie Early Effie Elige Ellsworth Elmore Elzie Ewell Fate Foy French Furman Gaylord Goebel Green Gust

Hamp Henery Hobart Hosie Hyman Junious Lemon Less Lige Luster Mearl Moody Norval Otha Pink Pinkney Pleas Pleasant Rolla Rosevelt Rossie Sim Son Spurgeon Tallie Vester Wash Wayman Zollie

Sometimes names that we consider "female-only" were used on males in 1900. I tried not to include those that were "male first" and have since been taken over by females. I'm not sure if these were just errors in documentation or if they were legitimately given to boys but you will find these listed on the SSA Top US Baby Names chart for boys in 1900:

Alice                                 Anna Annie Beatrice Bertha Bessie Bonnie Callie Clair Clara Cora Dorothy Edith Edna Elizabeth Elsie Emma Ethel Eva Frances

Gertrude Hallie Hazel Helen Holly Ida Lacy Lillie Lois Louise Mae Margaret Marie Martha Minnie Nora Patsy Pearl Rose Ruth

What do you think of the list? Do you know of any odd names being given to boys today?

Baby Naming Challenge! - Month Edition

This is the ultimate initial challenge! I do have to admit that I borrowed the idea from my friend over at nameddict.  I came across it at the perfect time since I was just about to post Tuesday's blog about month names. I found this challenge to be a genius idea that I hadn't seen before, and it is fun!  Imagine you have twelve babies to name and give it a try!

Using the three-letter abbreviations for each month, come up with the perfect baby name using those letters as a first/middle/middle combo. There's a Y and 3 U's that will make it a bit tricky!  I will post my names below. Feel free to share yours in the comment section or on Facebook!

My names:

JAN: Johanna Adelaide Nell
FEB: Frederick Evan Benedict
MAR: Marius Alexander Rafferty
APR: Amabel Penelope Rose
MAY: Matilda Alice Yvonne
JUN: Julius Ulrich Nathaniel
JUL: Josephine Uma Lenore
AUG: Alistair Ulysses George
SEP: Sebastian Evander Paul
OCT: Octavia Claire Tamsin
NOV: Nadia Olive Valentina
DEC: Dante Everett Cole

Johanna, Frederick, Marius, Amabel, Matilda, Julius, Josephine, Alistair, Sebastian, Octavia, Nadia & Dante. 6 girls and 6 boys!   What names would you choose?

June

The lovely name June has been used for girls as a given name since the 19th century!  Boys occasionally wear it too but not to the same extent as girls.  As a month name, June originally comes from the name of the Roman goddess Juno.

Juno's true meaning is unknown but it is said to possibly be related to a root name meaning "youth". Juno was the wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology and considered the queen of the heavens. She protected marriage, women and childbirth. That is one of the reasons that many weddings traditionally took place in the month of June.

This sweet name hasn't been very popular lately.  In fact, there was a twenty year dry-spell that ended in 2007 where June was not ranked within the Top 1000 names at all. Until recently, She's generally been considered an old-fashioned, grandma name because of her super-popularity that peaked in 1925. But as the 100 year rule goes, she's due to become a hot name once again and we're already seeing signs of her revival!

Back in the day, June rose to fame very quickly! She was always used in some capacity but right around 1914, her popularity skyrocketed. 6,649 baby girls were named June in 1925 (#39), setting a record that hasn't been matched since. After that year, the name began a steady decline in usage. Right around the 1970s, June had fallen to the middle of the pack and began receiving less than 1000 births a year.

In 2008, June jumped back in the game, ranking in at #869 with 320 baby girl births. Since then, June has continued to climb the charts, ranking in at #435 in 2012 with 710 births. Very soon we will find out where she stood in 2013 but I have a feeling she climbed a little bit higher once again.  Click here to view the dramatic popularity charts!

What do you think of June? Is it your favorite month name or do you prefer another? What would you pair with it? Here are some ideas I came up with:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alice, Celia, Elsa, Grace, Hazel, Ivy, Pearl, Rose, Tessa
Brothers: Arthur, Clark, Frederick, Henry, Isaac, Leo, Philip, Silas

Middle Name Ideas:
June Caroline
June Francesca
June Leonora
June Millicent
June Penelope
June Rosalind
June Theodora

As a Middle Name:
Adeline June
Charlotte June
Evelyn June
Lavinia June
Matilda June
Priscilla June
Vivian June

Most of these names have a similar vintage quality to them. I couldn't resist. :)

12 Months of Baby Names

I have seen the question arise quite often lately: "what is your favorite month name?" I believe this question is driven solely by everyone's sudden interest in the name August.

And as you'll see below, this name has come back to the forefront very quickly after not being seen much since its heyday in 1915. It is also pretty much the only logical boy option and parents are quickly falling in love with it.

The majority of these names are ruled by girls, the most obvious choices being April, May and June. However, you may find it interesting that 11 of the 12 months have been used many times over the years. Read below to see which month gets no love and which months are the most popular:

January:

This first frosty month has been given to baby girls since 1951 in the US. The name was most popular in the late 1970s. It had one big popularity spike in 1978 with 257 births and has fallen out of style since then. There were 26 births in 2012 for a ranking of #5274.

February:
Our shortest month has never had any recorded usage as a name for boys or girls. Parents probably opt to honor St. Valentine instead of the name of the month. Valent- names have had plenty of usage!

March:
March is not currently used as a name but it was used in the past. For boys, It was given to 5 babies in 1900 but wasn't seen again until 1916. It was sporadically given to a handful of babies until usage stopped in 1989.  Girls received the name most often in the 60s and 70s but it hasn't been seen since 1978.

April:
April has been used regularly for girls since 1917. It was even given to boys from 1959 up until 2004. For girls, April had a huge popularity spike in the 70s and 80s. There were at most 11,469 girls given the name in 1980. Today it has fallen to 778 births and a ranking of #396.

May:
The lovely May has been a consistently used name since records began in 1880. It is very nearly a classic name, being used often for girls. In 1963, it fell out of the Top 1000 and hasn't gotten close since then. With 106 births in 2012, it ranks at #1883.  This name has also been given to a handful of boys nearly every year from 1882 to 1996.

June:
This is surprisingly a unisex name, having been given to both genders every year since 1880. However, it is favored overwhelmingly by the girls. 1925 was June's best year with 6,649 feminine births. It has been on a steady decline since then until it began climbing again in the mid 2000s. 2012 had 710 births and ranked at #435.

July:

This hot month has never made for a hot baby name despite its similarity to other Jul- names like Julie. It has been used for girls since 1962 but it has never had more than 23 births in a single year, which happened in 2010 for a ranking of #5855.  For boys, July has been used since 1989 (except for 5 births in 1973) but the most births in a single year was 12 in 2009.

August:

If there ever was a boys' name that followed the 100 year rule, it'd be August. With a grand peak of 709 births in 1915, this name rapidly declined again until modern parents discovered it around 2000. 2012 had the most births ever for the name, 936 for a ranking of #333. I suspect it will only climb higher. Other variations like Augustus (#697) and Augustine (#999) are also doing well.

For girls, August has only been used since 1914 and is not nearly as popular as it is for a boy. It gained regular usage in 1963. The most births in a single year was 130 in 2012 for a ranking of #1635. Augusta has been used much more consistently but only received 30 births in 2012.

September:
September has been regularly used since 1955 for girls. There are no recorded male births. It has never been popular though. It received a peak of 51 births in 1980 which ranked it at #2059. There were 23 baby Septembers born in 2012 though. (#5827)

October:
Despite the cute nickname possibility of Toby for a boy, nobody has ever thought to do so. There are no recorded male births for the name October, however, it has been used for girls now and then since 1969. 2008 was her best year with 72 births and a rank of #2603. Since there aren't many month choices for boys, perhaps it can catch on for boys soon along with August. Or I can dream at least.

November:
Remember, remember the name of November -- which has only been given to baby girls since 1971 and never to a boy. I suppose it is cuter for a girl if she's called Nova or Ember. Not many agree though. It was only given to 33 girls in 2012, (#4432), which is the most the name has ever seen in one year.

December:
The name December has been given to girls since 1960. It'd be interesting to know if it was given most often IN that month in lieu of Christmas-themed choices like Noelle or Natalie or Holly. Either way, December received a record-high of 46 births in 2012. (#3453)


In the end, August seems to be the only logical month name to give to a boy with the exception of March and July and my own wishful thinking for October nn Toby. The rest of the months are very girl-dominated. By far, April was the name with the most popularity, reaching over 11k births for its peak. And poor little February gets no love!

Which is your favorite month name? Would you ever use one of the months ending in -ber? Let me know your thoughts!

Cosmina

Like her Italian sister Cosima, the feminine, Romanian name Cosmina is a form of the names Cosmin and Cosmas which come from the Ancient Greek Κοσμας or Kosmas. That name was further derived from the name κοσμος or kosmos meaning "order, decency". It refers to the order and beauty of the universe.

Cosmo, Cosimo and Cosima are all currently beginning to gain slightly more attention after having a bit of celebrity usage, but until the new US name data for 2013 comes out, they may be limited to conversations rather than actual birth certificates. View the whole Kosmas family tree here.

Interestingly, the name Cosmina has never had any recorded usage in the US. Ever. And sister name Cosima has very little usage. A handful of births in the late 1980s and only a few in the 2000s. It had 8 births in 2012. These names are not popular but I've seen an increase in chatter about them, Cosima specifically, around the baby naming community. Do you think it may catch on eventually or remain in obscurity?

Sofia Coppola recently named her daughter Cosima. There is a Romanian footballer named Cosmina Dușa and also an actress named Cosmina Stratan.  In Romania, there is a Cosmina River as well.

Beyond this information, there is not very much to be said about the rare Cosmina. It is not listed in the databases of big-name sites like Nameberry and BabyNames.  There are a few other sites that do list very basic information. I got my information from BehindTheName.

I think Cosmina deserves some love. The nickname Mina is certainly cute and could also be spun into Minnie. If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind type of name for your daughter, you can be assured that she is not likely to ever meet another girl named Cosmina unless you live in Romania. Cosima is still a more viable option, one I've even considered, if you'd prefer that. Both are very rare and very beautiful!

Don't forget to take a look at the other Romanian-themed posts from earlier this week!

Here are some ideas for sibling and middle names for Cosmina:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurelia, Corina, Daciana, Elena, Irina, Lavinia, Magdalena, Ramona
Brothers: Augustin, Caspar, Constantin, Darius, Luca, Marius, Sorin, Theodor

Middle Name Ideas:
Cosmina Elisabeta
Cosmina Isabel
Cosmina Madeline

As a Middle Name:
Adele Cosmina
Lillian Cosmina
Maren Cosmina