Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Best Names from Horror Movies

It's that time of year again. Nearly every doorstep is currently occupied by pumpkins, cobwebs and skeletons. Halloween is days away! You are no doubt finalizing your costume for the big party on Saturday or to take your little ones trick or treating. What about a horror movie marathon? Are you planning one of those?

There are many great horror films out there so I decided to browse through a few in search of great character names. Whether you would ever use one of these names for a child or not is up to you but surely you can appreciate these monikers and their counterparts.


Girls:
Addison (Saw II)
Blair (Blair Witch Project)
Carrie (Carrie)
Casey (Scream)
Dana (The Cabin in the Woods)
Elvira (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark)
Erin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Gale (Scream)
Iris (30 Days of Night)
Jules (The Cabin in the Woods)
Katie (Paranormal Activity)
Laurie (Halloween)
Lila (Psycho)
Marion (Psycho)
Minnie (Rosemary's Baby)
Regan (The Exorcist)
Ripley (Alien)
Rosemary (Rosemary's Baby)
Samara (The Ring)
Sidney (Scream)
Stella (30 Days of Night)
Tatum (Scream)

Check out last year's list of spooky baby names for even more ideas!

Boys:
Ashley (The Evil Dead)
Chucky (Child's Play)
Dallas (Alien)
Damien (The Omen)
Eben (30 Days of Night)
Freddy (Nightmare on Elm Street)
Gage (Pet Sematary)
Guy (Rosemary's Baby)
Jack (The Shining)
Jason (Friday the 13th)
Kemper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street)
Marlow (30 Days of Night)
Michael (Halloween)
Morgan (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Norman (Psycho)
Radford (Midnight Movie)
Rigg (Saw II)
Torrance (The Shining)
Xavier (Saw II)
Zeke (The Faculty)

What is your favorite horror flick? Which of these names do you like most? Can you think of any I missed?

Friday, October 23, 2015

Quincy

Quincy was hand-chosen from our article that featured The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls. We'll take a closer look at it now.


Quincy is a surname that came from the place name Cuinchy which is a village in France. Cuinchy was originally derived from the Ancient Roman praenomen, or given name, Quintus which means "fifth" in Latin. Typically, Quintus was only given to the fifth born son but this isn't a necessary requirement for a modern boy named Quincy.

Perhaps the most famous bearer of this name is the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, who happened to be born in the town Quincy, Massachusetts which was named after his mother's grandfather Colonel John Quincy.

This interesting, quirky name has been in regular usage since name records were first kept in 1880 in the US. It was never all that popular until the mid 1970s. At its peak, Quincy ranked at #273 in 1977 with a total of 717 male births. Usage has now fallen to a steady 400-500 births per year. In 2014, 422 boys were named Quincy for a popularity rank of #622.

While I am featuring this name for boys, it has also been regularly used for girls since about 1913. Quincy has never ranked within the Top 1000 for girls, but it is up to #1468 in 2014 with 152 female births. It is gaining more and more usage for girls and could potentially be considered unisex and then surpass the boys, especially with the popularity of the similar name Quinn for girls these days.

Since we're focusing on the male Quincy for now, here are some ideas for sibling names and middle names:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Charlotte, Darby, Fallon, Meghan, Olivia, Piper, Riley
Brothers: Dashiell, Finnegan, Kelvin, Neil, Owen, Sawyer, Tobias

Middle Name Ideas:
Quincy Eamon
Quincy Donovan
Quincy Jude
Quincy Logan
Quincy Samuel

As a Middle Name:
Eli Quincy
Isaac Quincy
Levi Quincy
Malcolm Quincy
Sean Quincy

What do you think of Quincy? What middle name would you pair with it?

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Very Best Q Names For Boys and Girls

Without looking at the list below, how many Q names could you come up with for either gender? 

Admittedly, this is a very tough letter. The end of the alphabet is full of difficult letters with hardly-used names and Q is no exception. 

Quinn is by far the most popular Q name today for both genders. It actually ranks higher for girls: in 2014, it ranked at #126. For boys, Quinn came in at #363 in the US. Other male names like Quentin (#471) and Quincy (#622) also rank well. 

If you fancy the letter Q, this list is for you. Check out all of the unusual but interesting options! There are 25 for girls and 25 for boys. Which do you like most? 

  1. Qadira                       
  2. Qiana
  3. Quanda
  4. Quarrey
  5. Queen
  6. Queenie
  7. Quenby
  8. Quennell
  9. Querida
  10. Questa
  11. Quetzal
  12. Quiana
  13. Quiane
  14. Quilla
  15. Quillan
  16. Quinby
  17. Quincia
  18. Quincy
  19. Quinlan
  20. Quinn
  21. Quinta
  22. Quintana
  23. Quintara
  24. Quintessa
  25. Qwinne
  1. Quadarius
  2. Quade
  3. Quadir
  4. Quaid
  5. Quantavius
  6. Quantrell
  7. Quarry
  8. Quartz
  9. Quasim
  10. Quebec
  11. Quenby
  12. Quennell
  13. Quentin
  14. Quest
  15. Quigley
  16. Quill
  17. Quillan
  18. Quilliam
  19. Quincy
  20. Quinlan
  21. Quinn
  22. Quintin
  23. Quirin
  24. Quixley
  25. Quixote
If Q isn't your letter, be sure to follow these links for even more great names:

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Choosing Non-Matchy Twin Names That Still Go Together

Here in the US, some of the most popular twin sets include names like Matthew & Michael, Daniel & David, Hailey & Hannah or Ella & Emma. While there isn't technically anything wrong with matching names together like this, there are plenty of ways to be more creative when naming twins.

Last week, I mentioned 5 things that make twin names too matchy. Today, we'll take a look at some examples of names that would better allow twins to have their own identities than the examples from last week.

I've come up with 3 ways to ensure twins won't have overly matchy names. We will examine twin names that are linked together by meaning while still being different from one another, names that sound very different but still work together stylistically, and names that share a common sound without rhyming or being too sound-alike.

1. Linked by meaning

These names don't rhyme or sound alike but they do share a similar meaning. This is great for parents who feel the urge to make twin names matchy but don't want to rhyme or have the names start with the same letter.

Female Twins: 
Aurora & Roxanne ("Dawn")
Eve & Zoey ("To Live" / Life")
Corinna & Imogen ("Maiden")

Male Twins:
Joshua & Isaiah ("God is Salvation")
Derek & Henry ("Ruler of People / Home Rule")
Matthew & Theodore ("Gift of God")

Male/Female Twins:
David & Cara ("Beloved")
Beau & Calista ("Beautiful")
Brendan & Sarah ("Prince / Princess")

Or the rare instance where the meaning of a name is also a name:

Margaret & Pearl ("Pearl")
Susannah & Lily ("Lily")
Daphne & Laurel ("Laurel")
Hannah & Grace ("Grace")
Ione & Violet ("Violet")
Erica & Heather ("Heather")

2. Very different sounds

These names may be of a similar style or origin but they do not sound the same. They do not rhyme; they might not even have any of the same letters in common. These names stand together but have their own identities. 

Female Twins:
Charlotte & Matilda
Emma & Chloe
Molly & Jessica
Daisy & Lola
Jade & Tabitha

Male Twins:
Tyler & Brandon
Hunter & Mason
Kevin & Patrick
Oliver & Flynn
Jacob & Gideon

Male/Female Twins:
Cole & Brianna
Gavin & Alexandra
Jeremy & Nicole
Evan & Isabella
Benjamin & Emily


3. Complementary sounds

These names share a similar sound or two, but they are not overwhelmingly similar and they do not rhyme. Often, these sounds will be emphasized differently and the names will have different syllable counts. 

Female Twins:
Brooke & Rebecca  (B & R)
Natalie & Lauren (N & L)
Ivy & Genevieve (V)

Male Twins:
Milo & Dominic (M)
Vincent & Oliver (V)
Lewis & Maxwell (W & L)

Male/Female Twins:
James & Tessa (S)
Phillip & Seraphina (Ph)
Brooks & Aubrey (Br)

--
What do you think of this list?  Whether you like or dislike the idea of making twin names overly matchy, perhaps you can share in the comments some examples of names that you appreciate on twins. 

Do you have twins of your own? Do you have twin names picked out just in case? Where do you draw the line between the names being subtly linked and being too close for comfort?

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

When Twin Names Are Just Too Matchy


Naming a baby is an exciting process which means that naming two babies should be double the fun, right? If you happen to be expecting twins, you are now part of an elite club of parents who have the responsibility of naming two humans at once instead of one.

The rules of naming twins are a bit different.  While most parents of twins feel the need to make the names match, is it necessary? You wouldn't normally make different-aged siblings match quite the same way as twins. Perhaps it is because twins tend to be paired up and associated with each other much more than regular siblings are. But do they need their names to tie them together too?

It may be appealing while they're young but as they grow up, they may want their own identities. Giving them nearly identical names (like Taylor and Tyler) might be overkill.  Subtly linking the twins' names together can be a great way for them to bond while still allowing them to have their own name and their own identity apart from their womb buddy.

Let's take a look at different things make that twin names too matchy:

1.  Starting with the same letter AND ending with the same letter
There is nothing wrong with picking a single letter and using it to find names for all of your kids whether they are twins, triplets or not.  If you'd like their names to start with the same letter, make sure they end with different sounds. For example:

Mia & Madelyn = Not Too Matchy  |   Ella & Emma or Camden & Cannon = Too Matchy

2. Not varying the syllables
If you take a look at the first example above, you'll notice that the length and syllable count for Mia and Madelyn vary from one another.  Ella and Emma not only start and end with the same letters, but they are the same length and syllable count too. Same with Camden and Cannon. While there are probably several twins who currently have these names, they would be considered too matchy for many parents. Syllable count isn't normally a huge offense on its own, though, unless it is combined with another offense like #1 or #3:

3. Rhyming or sharing too many of the same sounds
This is the biggest no-no of twin naming. Don't make their names rhyme. Even further, don't make their names so reminiscent of each other that they barely have any noticeable difference in sound or spelling. Here are some real life examples that unnecessarily rhyme or sound too alike:

Female Twins:
Sarah & Farah
Miranda & Amanda
Sharon & Karen
Alaysia & Nalaysia
Tonya and Sonya
Miley & Riley
McKayla & McKenna
Jean & June
Lillian & Jillian
Kendal & Kennedy
Shayla & Kayla

Male Twins:
Mason & Jason
Chad & Brad
Jerry & Garry
Zane & Zander
Bryan & Ryan
Dion & Diondre
Marcus & Marquise
Lyle & Kyle
Derrick & Errick

Male/Female Twins
Jerry & Cherry
Victor & Victoria
Jesse & Jessica
Dennis & Denise
Deryl and Jeryl
Diondre & Diondrea
Wesley & Leslie
Nick & Nicole

You can be more creative than that. You don't need to pick a single name and then duplicate it with minor tweaks. Choose two separate names that will give the twins their own identity.  This goes for triplets, quadruplets, and octuplets too. We will explore good examples of that in the next article.

4. Using two variants of the same name:
Sometimes it isn't super obvious when two names are related. Some people genuinely don't know that Isabella comes from Elizabeth or that James and Jacob come from the same root name. They do seem like excellent twin names and can be forgiven. However, there are plenty of related names, variants, nicknames, diminutives, etc that shouldn't be used together whether it's obvious to the namer or not. For instance:

Jimmy & Jamie (both are nicknames for James)
Nicholas & Colin (Colin is a diminutive of Nicholas)

Maggie & Peggy (both are diminutives of Margaret)
Sarah & Sally (Sally is a diminutive of Sarah)

You get the idea. This is why research is so important. Unless, of course, those parents chose those related names on purpose, but I'd advise against it. What do you think?

5. Using anagrams and reversed spellings:
An anagram is when you take one name and rearrange its letters to come up with a new name. And then there's reversed names, the first twin has the forward spelling and the second twin has the backward spelling. This is admittedly very cute but also extremely matchy. Some are a little less obvious at first but once you notice it, that's all you'll see. For example:

Anagrams
Adeline & Daniele
Alice & Celia
Johan & Jonah
Kaleb & Blake
Brady & Darby
Neal & Lena

Reversed Spellings:
Heaven & Nevaeh
Iris & Siri
James & Semaj
Noel & Leon
Aidan & Nadia
Axel & Lexa

They're not all bad. Adeline & Daniele are so long, many people might not even notice they're anagrams. Alice & Celia and Aiden & Nadia slide under the radar and are close to being acceptable since they are legitimate names with different sounds. Then there's the unfortunate ones like the notorious Nevaeh.  Can you think of more?
--

Next week's article will explore some real life examples of excellent twin names that are different from one another but still work well together.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Phoebe

Today's featured girls' name, Phoebe, is brought to you by our previous article, The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls.


Phoebe was Latinized from the Greek name Phoibe (Φοιβη) which means "radiant or bright". It is pronounced FEE-bee. There was a Titan named Phoibe in Greek mythology who was associated with the moon. One of Saturn's moons is named Phoebe after this Titan whose granddaughter was the moon goddess Artemis. Occasionally, Phoebe is considered as a synonym for Artemis.

Biblically, the name Phoebe appears in the New Testament and refers to a female minister from Cenchrea, mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. Spelled Phebe, there was a shepherdess by this name in Shakespeare's As You Like It, published in 1623. The name Phoebe gained usage in England after the Protestant Reformation which ended in 1648.

In the US, the name Phoebe has been in use since records began in 1880. It has very slowly gained more and more usage. It has regularly ranked within the US Top 1000 chart since 1989.

The name Phoebe had its ups and downs through the 1990s and early 2000s so it's hard to tell whether the character from the popular TV show Friends had any affect on the usage of the name. It has generally been climbing the charts overall even before the  show first aired in 1994.

It is currently more popular than ever before with 1,086 female births in the year 2014 and a rank of #298. It will probably continue slowly inching up the charts.

If you are considering this baby name, take a look at the following ideas for sibling names and middle names for Phoebe.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Eleanor, Georgia, Hazel, Lydia, Rowena, Willa
Brothers: Adrian, Cyrus, Jonas, Lucian, Maxwell, Thomas, Weston

Middle Name Ideas:
Phoebe Amelia
Phoebe Isobel
Phoebe Madeline
Phoebe Sophia
Phoebe Violet

As a Middle Name:
Annalise Phoebe
Cordelia Phoebe
Ella Phoebe
Octavia Phoebe
Sabrina Phoebe

What would you pair with Phoebe? Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below! 

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls

Perhaps you are looking to honor someone whose name starts with the letter P. However, you don't want to use their exact name so you've decided to simply give your child the same initials as that person.

That means you need a great P name that you can love!

Fortunately for you, you've just stumbled upon a list of The Very Best P Names for Boys and Girls! 50 P names, to be exactly, 25 for girls and 25 for boys. That gives you plenty of options to choose from!

So what will it be?  Share your favorite P names in the comments below. Did I miss any great ones?

  1. Paige
  2. Paisley
  3. Pamela
  4. Pandora
  5. Paris
  6. Patience
  7. Patricia
  8. Paula
  9. Pearl
  10. Penelope
  11. Peony
  12. Persephone      
  13. Petra
  14. Phaedra
  15. Philippa
  16. Philomena
  17. Phoebe
  18. Pia
  19. Piper
  20. Poppy
  21. Portia
  22. Presley
  23. Primrose
  24. Priscilla
  25. Prudence
  1. Palmer
  2. Parker
  3. Parrish
  4. Pascal
  5. Patrick
  6. Patton
  7. Paul
  8. Pavel
  9. Pax
  10. Paxton
  11. Penn
  12. Percival
  13. Percy
  14. Peregrine
  15. Perry
  16. Peter
  17. Peyton
  18. Phillip
  19. Phineas
  20. Phoenix
  21. Pierce
  22. Porter
  23. Powell
  24. Prescott
  25. Preston
Since you'll be needing another letter to complete your honor name, be sure to browse the following links for more excellent monikers!

<-- The Very Best O Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best Q Names for Boys and Girls -->

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Juno, Margot & Willow: Girl Names Ending in the "Oh" Sound

There is something intriguing about feminine names that end with the "oh" sound. Many of these names have a spunky elegance to them.

Since this ending sound is somewhat unusual for girls, the majority of these names are far from popular.

Willow ranks the highest at #138 in 2014. Harlow ranks at #508, and Shiloh is at #608. A name to watch is Margot. It is catching on fast, ranking at #749 in the US.

These are some of the best options I could find that end with "oh". If you are searching for names that are interesting and uncommon, you've found the right list!

Which of these do you like most? Can you think of any names that I missed?

Amiko                            
Arlo
Arrow
Callisto
Cielo
Cleo
Clio
Coco
Devereaux
Dido
Echo
Farrow
Flo
Gwenno
Halo
Harlow
Hiro
Indigo
Io
Isabeau
Jo
Juneau
Juno
Kahlo
Keiko
Kimiko
Lilo
Lucero
Margeaux
Margo
Margot
Mariko
Marlo
Marlow
Marlowe
Meadow
Peridot
Picabo
Rainbow
Rio
Rosario
Shiloh
Snow
Socorro
Sparrow
Tamiko
Willow
Winslow
Yoko
Yoshiko
Be sure to check out the list of boy names that end with the "ah" sound, as well! 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Ezra, Josiah and Luca: Boy Names Ending in the "Uh" Sound

In recent years, the majority of masculine names have ended in the letter N. The second runner up to that is the letter R. These endings, while also used for females, tend to denote a strong, masculine name.

However, there is a whole other breed of masculine names that happen to end with what some may consider the "most feminine sound." The names we're looking at today are mostly biblical and end in either -a or -ah. There are a few notable exceptions such as Dakota, Indiana and Ventura that aren't based on a biblical name but still work very well for boys.

Interestingly, though, it is this "uh" sound at the end that gives these biblical names their strength. More and more parents today are using these names. For example, our #1 boy name for the past two years is Noah which is leading the pack and paving the way for other "ah" names to rise to fame.

Take a moment to explore these masculine "uh-ending" names:

Abdullah    
Adoniah
Alijah
Alva
Andrea
Asa
Azariah
Bautista
Cinna
Coda
Dakota
Dana
Eliah
Elijah
Elisha
Ezra
Garcia
Gianluca
Hamza
Hezekiah
Hosea
Indiana
Ira 
Isa
Isaiah
Ithaca
Jebediah
Jedediah
Jeremiah
Jonah
Jorah
Josemaria  
Joshua
Josiah
Judah
Judea
Koda
Luca
Lucca
Mattia
Messiah
Micah
Micaiah
Mischa
Nehemiah
Nikola
Noah
Nova
Obadiah
Santana
Sascha
Sasha
Seneca
Shea
Shia
Tacoma
Tobiah
Uriah
Urijah
Uriyah
Uzziah
Ventura
Yeshua
Zachariah
Zebediah
Zechariah
Zephaniah
Zoriah
Zuma

Which are your favorites? Are there any I missed?

Friday, September 11, 2015

Oberon

Pulled from our previous list regarding The Very Best O Names for Boys and Girls is the interesting male name Oberon.

Pronounced O-bər-ahn, this name is a variant of the name Auberon which is the Norman French derivative of the Germanic name Alberich. Alberich means "elf power" and is also the father name of Aubrey.

A similar and relatively well-known literary name is Oberyn which was created by author George R. R. Martin for a character in the popular book series A Song of Ice and Fire and the television adaptation Game of Thrones.

Oberyn may have been inspired by Oberon even though the two are pronounced slightly differently. Oberon is also a literary name but it dates back much further than Oberyn.

Oberon was the King of the Fairies in Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1595. In honor of that character, Oberon is also the name of one of the moons of Uranus which makes Oberon a celestial name as well.

Despite all of these associations, Oberon remains obscure in the US. Oberon was not used as a name on record in the US until 2007. Even then, the most births it has received in a single year is 8 in both 2012 and 2014. This unranked, unusual name is surely deserving of some love. After all, its cousin name Aubrey is doing so well for girls at #20.

What do you think of the name Oberon for a boy? Do you prefer Auberon?  Here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alice, Johanna, Matilda, Minerva, Rosalind, Winifred, Zelda
Brothers: August, Conrad, Hawthorne, Jarvis, Roland, Titus, Willard

Middle Name Ideas:
Oberon Charles
Oberon Gray
Oberon Noble
Oberon Rivers
Oberon Walter

As a Middle Name:
Everett Oberon
Luther Oberon
Phoenix Oberon
Thomas Oberon
Vincent Oberon

These are just ideas. What would YOU pair with Oberon?

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Very Best O Names for Boys and Girls

Beyond the popular Olivia, Oliver and Owen, there aren't very many popular names that start with O. In fact, most names that start with the letter O are rather obscure.

Orion and Orlando are rather common now for boys, but many familiar female names like Ophelia or Octavia do not rank within the Top 1000 names and they haven't for decades.

Do you have any favorite O names on your shortlist? If not, you have now found a treasure trove of unique options! Just browse the list below and name with boldness knowing that your little one will have a great, uncommon name!

So tell me, which of the 25 very best O names for girls, and 25 for boys, do you like best?


  1. Oakley                   
  2. Oceana
  3. Octavia
  4. October
  5. Odelia
  6. Odessa
  7. Odette
  8. Odile
  9. Oksana
  10. Olenna
  11. Olga
  12. Oliana
  13. Olive
  14. Olivia
  15. Olympia
  16. Ondine
  17. Opal
  18. Ophelia
  19. Oriana
  20. Oriole
  21. Orla
  22. Osanna
  23. Ottavia
  24. Ottilie
  25. Ottoline
  1. Oakes
  2. Obadiah
  3. Oberon
  4. Ocean
  5. Octavian
  6. Octavius
  7. October
  8. Odin
  9. Odysseus
  10. Oliver
  11. Olson
  12. Omar
  13. Onyx
  14. Orion
  15. Orlando
  16. Orrin
  17. Orson
  18. Osbourne
  19. Oscar
  20. Oswald
  21. Othello
  22. Otis
  23. Otto
  24. Owen
  25. Ozzy
If O isn't your letter of choice, be sure to browse the links below to view the very best names of the other 25 letters:

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

10 Names That Are Super Fun To Write In Cursive


Kids today have so much technology at their disposal that most of them probably don't write nearly as often as us older folks did. I don't know about you but when I grew up, cursive was still very much a thing. I remember having to practice each letter over and over again until I got them right.

My favorite letters, of course, were the loopiest ones like f, g, l,  p, and y. I remember doodling all over my binders wishing that my name had loopier letters in it. When my name didn't satisfy, I began writing the names of my friends, my classmates, my family members and my crushes instead.

These days, everything is so digital that I can't remember the last time I actually pulled out a pen and paper and got my loop on. Since I was thinking about it, I started to wonder which names would be the most fun to write.

I'm sure there are tons of great options out there but I picked my 10 favorite names to write:


1. 

This interesting and rare boy name has so much going for it in the way of cursiveness. The ll, the g-to-h, the b and the y... I'm dying to write this down right now! Aren't you?  Willoughby was sometimes used a century ago for males but it's very rare now. This spelling had 6 births for boys and 7 for girls in 2014.



2.

This nature name looks beautiful in cursive. You really can't beat going from a drop-down-loop to an upper loop like this y to double-l transition. And there's something adorable about a lowercase S. Amaryllis has never been popular but it has been used since 1926 in the US. There were 49 births for girls in 2014. 

3. 

My favorite cursive letter of all is the capital L! There are so many loops in Loulabelle that it's impossible to not want to write it a dozen times! Plus it sounds beautiful too! This spelling of Loulabelle has no usage on record in the US as a name.

4 .

Honestly, the longer the name, the better! With four syllables and eleven letters, Cadwallader offers so much in the way of cursive writing. Even just eyeballing it made me dizzy! Cadwallader has no usage as a name in the US but it would be a quirky choice. 

5 . 

I may have added an extra L to this beautiful guilty pleasure name but Tigerlilly really is a pleasure to write! I mean, check out that capital T!  According to records, this spelling of Tigerlilly has only been used for 5 girls in 2001 and 5 girls in 2010.

6 .

It would be a shame to exclude the marvelous lowercase letters Z and Q.  Plus, capital E's are so curvy and fun to write!  Used since 1912, Ezequiel has ranked in the Top 1000 since the early 1980s and had 485 births for boys in 2014.

7. 

Don't forget about those loopy F's! Rafferty excellently displays plenty of fun letters that you'll love to doodle absentmindedly. Cross that T with style! As a name, Rafferty is rare. Used in the US since 1989, it only had 11 births for boys in 2014.

8.  

Another satisfying letter is the capital D. This lovely name will take you on a roller coaster ride of cursive goodness! Plus, it's rare and lovely as a name! It has been around since 1902 but it has never gained steam. There were only 8 girls named Delphina in 2014.

9.  

Gorgeous Gwendolyn also has an amazing capital letter along with some lowercase loopiness and an l-to-y combo. What's not to love? This name had a popularity peak in 1953, declined after that but is starting to climb the charts again. There were 756 girls given this name in 2014 for a rank of #420.

10. 

Last but not least, Jumpin' Jehoshaphat may not be used at all as an actual name in the US, but it's definitely full of excellent cursive loopiness. Look at that capital J! It even has three H's! I dare you not to doodle this one throughout your next class or business meeting. 


What do you think of my collection of cursive-friendly names? I know there are way more names out there that would inspire anyone to pull out a pen and paper. Can you think of any?

Friday, August 28, 2015

Nova

Inspired by our list of The Very Best N Names for Boys and Girls, I present the name Nova.


Nova comes from the Latin word novus which means "new". A nova is also a space term for when there is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion on a white dwarf planet. It causes a sudden brightening of the star. A nova is slightly different than a supernova which is a stellar explosion that briefly outshines an entire galaxy with as much energy as the sun before fading.

As a name, Nova has been in use for girls since 1885 in the US but it was never popular until it exploded within the past 5 years. It ranked below the Top 1000 at #1133 in 2010. By 2013 it was up to #529. As of 2014 Nova ranked way up at #287 with 1,121 births for the year. It also ranks well in the Netherlands and Sweden.

Nova has recently spiked for boys, too. It has always been given to males here in the US but not regularly until 1996. In 2014 there were 102 boys named Nova for a rank of #1553. Do you like this name more for a boy or a girl?

Nova is an interesting celestial name that's gaining more popularity today than ever before. It's short and sweet with a vivid letter V. It's quirky and cool for a modern girl. If you're considering using Nova, here are a few ideas for sibling names and middle names:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters:  Amara, Celeste, Estelle, Lila, Sidonie, Vella, Zoey
Brothers: Evander, Griffin, Hale,  Jules, Merritt, Orion, Xander

Middle Name Ideas:
Nova Beatrice
Nova Helene
Nova Juliet
Nova Leonie
Nova Scarlett

As a Middle Name:
Charlotte Nova
Elizabeth Nova
Josephine Nova
Margaret Nova
Penelope Nova

What middle names would you pair with Nova for a boy?

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Very Best N Names for Boys and Girls

The letter N kicks off the 2nd half of the alphabet and the names are noticeably a bit more difficult to choose and narrow down. The tail end of the alphabet tends to contain more difficult letters. However, I did happen to find some of the very best options available that start with N!

There seems to be a few solid names that start with this letter and many unusual options that don't rank very high on the popularity charts. Compiling this list was tricky, but I've put together the 25 best girl names that start with the letter N, and 25 names for boys too!

Is N one of your favorite letters for names or do you have a hard time with it like I do? Take a look at the names I've picked and let me know if there are any great ones that I missed.


  1. Nadia               
  2. Nadine
  3. Naima
  4. Nancy
  5. Naomi
  6. Natalia
  7. Natalie
  8. Natasha
  9. Nellie
  10. Neve
  11. Nia
  12. Niamh
  13. Nicole
  14. Nicolette
  15. Nikita
  16. Nila
  17. Nina
  18. Noa
  19. Noe
  20. Noelle
  21. Noemi
  22. Nola
  23. Nora
  24. Nova
  25. Nyx
  1. Nash
  2. Nathan
  3. Nathaniel
  4. Naveen
  5. Neal
  6. Ned
  7. Nehemiah
  8. Neil
  9. Nevin
  10. Newman
  11. Niall
  12. Nicholas
  13. Nico
  14. Nigel
  15. Nikolai
  16. Niles
  17. Nixon
  18. Noah
  19. Noam
  20. Noble
  21. Noel
  22. Nolan
  23. Norman
  24. Norris
  25. Nyle
What are your favorite names that start with this letter? Perhaps you have more favorites than I do. Share your thoughts in the comments below!  And be sure to use the following links to browse more names!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Whimsical Names for Baby Girls

When something is "whimsical" it is defined as "playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way."

When applied to names, I would consider these to be names that are a bit out of the ordinary. Something that you don't quite hear everyday but when you do hear it, you can't help but feel drawn to it.

Many of these might only make it as far as your "guilty pleasure" list but you may find yourself falling for one enough to at least sneak it in the middle name spot.

If you happen to be a bold namer, you're sure to love this list! Which of these do you like the most?




Aerith                        
Alaska
Allifair
Allure
Alouette
Amethyst
Amity
Anais
Apolline
Arianwen
Astoria
Atalanta
Athalia
Ayelet
Belladonna
Bliss
Boheme
Briar
Bronwyn
Calantha
Calixta
Celandine
Ceridwen
Charis
Chrysanthemum
Clemence
Clover
Corisande
Cressida
Daenerys
December
Éire
Eirwen
Elendra
Ellowen
Elula                      
Evienne
Fable
Fawn
Ferelith
Galaxy
Galilea
Gwynne
Hypatia
Illyria
Indica
Iridessa
Ismay
Jemima
Jovia
Junia
Juniper
Juno
Karenina
Kismet
Lavender
Loire
Lolita
Lothira
Lotus
Lumina
Luneth
Maebry
Maisie
Medea
Miette
Mireille
Nymeria
Orchid
Oriane
Ottoline
Peridot
Persis
Petal
Pommeline
Posy
Prairie
Quintessa
Reverie
Rogue
Sabine
Sable
Sailor
Salome
Sansa
Satine
Selah
Sincerity
Sparrow
Sybil
Tamsin
Theodosia
Thisbe
Thora
Tigerlily
Topanga
Valeska
Valkyrie
Vella
Verona
Vianne
Waverly
Whisper
Winsome
Zosia
How many names could you add to this list? Share your favorite whimsical names in the comments below!  You may also enjoy our similar list of Unusual and Quirky Middle Names for Girls.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Whimsical Names for Baby Boys

When something is "whimsical" it is defined as "playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way."

When applied to names, I would consider these to be names that are a bit out of the ordinary. Something that you don't quite hear everyday but when you do hear it, you can't help but feel drawn to it.

Many of these might only make it as far as your "guilty pleasure" list but you may find yourself falling for one enough to at least sneak it in the middle name spot.

Or perhaps you're a bold namer and you're already adding many of these to your first names list.

Whatever the case may be, surely you'll enjoy browsing this list:

Adler                      
Alchemy
Alfric
Ambrose
Atlas
Atreyu
Auberon
Bane
Barclay
Basil
Beau
Bingham
Bravery
Breccan
Bromley
Cadwallader
Caius
Caldwell
Caspian
Cassius
Castor
Cato
Chauncey
Cobalt
Creed
Crosby
Cuthbert
Dempsey
Digby
Draco
Dresden
Duvall
Eben
Emery
Éos
Euan                    
Everest
Fabian
Feivel
Fielding
Finch
Fischer
Frost
Gable
Hayes
Hemlock
Huckleberry
Icarus
Idris
Indigo
Isidore
Kit
Lachlan
Loki
Lórien
Lysander
Madden
Mahogany
Merrick
Merritt
Midnight
Napoleon
Noble
Orchard
Orrin
Payson
Percival
Peregrine
Pippin
Psyche
Quade
Quill
Rafe
Rafferty
Ragnar
Ransom
Rigby
Rohan
Rudyard
Rumor
Sayer
Seven
Socrates
Soren
Spiro
Sterling
Sutton
Tennyson
Thackeray
Thane
Theodoric
Thor
Thorin
Timber
Tolliver
Tomlin
Toulouse
Valentine
Viggo
Whistler
Wilder
Wiley
Willoughby
Wolfram
Zeus
Which do you like most? Can you think of any others that could be added?
You may also enjoy our similar list of Unusual and Quirky Middle Names for Boys.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Milo

Our featured boy name is Milo. It comes to us from our previous article that featured The Very Best M Names for Boys and Girls.


The origin of the name Milo is not fully known. Milo has been listed as being both Latin and Old Germanic. Sometimes it is said that it is a form of Miles, but it seems more likely that Milo came first.

According to Behind the Name, it's possible that Milo came from the Medieval Slavic name Milu from which names like Milan, Milena, Ludmila, and Miloslav come. It makes sense that Milo would be related to these names but apparently it isn't certain.

What we do know is that the name Miles came from the Germanic name Milo which was introduced to England by the Normans. The confusing part is that Milo is listed as the "Old Germanic form of Miles as well as the Latinized form." So according to Behind the Name, Milo gave rise to Miles which gave rise to Milo.

Either way, this name dates back to the Middle Ages where it was found being used in official documents. If it does indeed come from the Slavic name Milu, then it would mean "gracious". If it is associated with the Latin word "miles" then Milo would mean "soldier".

These days, Milo is a favorite among celebrities and the Nameberry community. It ranked as the 11th most popular name according to Nameberry's list they generate based on their pageviews.

In the US, though, Milo isn't quite that popular yet. Milo has been in consistent usage since records were first kept in 1880. It had a popularity boost from roughly 1913 thru the mid-1930s before it declined a bit.

Only recently has it started rocketing up the charts, joining the Top 1000 names in 2001. Now by 2014, Milo ranks at #311 with 1,109 male births. There were even 10 females births.

If you're interested in using this name, here are some sibling name ideas and middle name ideas for you:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Adele, Emily, Lily, Matilda, Rosalie, Sadie, Zoey
Brothers: August, Ezra, Henry, Julian, Lucas, Oliver, Zane

Middle Name Ideas:
Milo Alexander
Milo Carter
Milo James
Milo Nathaniel
Milo Sebastian
Milo Vaughn

As a Middle Name:
Barnaby Milo
Dominic Milo
Jasper Milo
Robert Milo
Thaddeus Milo
Vincent Milo

What are your favorite name pairings with Milo?

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

The Very Best M Names for Boys and Girls

The letter M seems to be regarded as one of the more favored letters when it comes to baby names.

After browsing the list below, you'll understand why people like it!

There are so many great options available in this letter that it was difficult to narrow down the choices to just 25 names for girls and 25 names for boys!

If you know you love M names but you haven't yet chosen the perfect name for your child, perhaps you'll find it here!

Put down that baby name book and close out those other tabs. It's been a long search but, finally, the name you want is below!



  1. Mabel                       
  2. Madeline
  3. Maeve
  4. Magnolia
  5. Maisie
  6. Margaret
  7. Margot
  8. Maria
  9. Marley
  10. Mary
  11. Matilda
  12. Maude
  13. May
  14. McKenzie
  15. Megan
  16. Meredith
  17. Mia
  18. Michaela
  19. Mila
  20. Minerva
  21. Mirabelle
  22. Miranda
  23. Miriam
  24. Molly
  25. Morgan
  1. Maddox
  2. Magnus
  3. Malachi
  4. Malcolm
  5. Marcus
  6. Marlon
  7. Marshall
  8. Martin
  9. Mason
  10. Matthew
  11. Matthias
  12. Maverick
  13. Maximilian
  14. Maximus
  15. Maxwell
  16. Merrick
  17. Merritt
  18. Micah
  19. Michael
  20. Miles
  21. Milo
  22. Mitchell
  23. Morgan
  24. Moses
  25. Murphy
Which M name is your favorite? Did it make the list? If you had to remove one from the above list and replace it with something else, which name would you choose?

<-- The Very Best L Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best N Names for Boys and Girls -->

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wonderful Word Names for Girls



These days, word names are in. Here are some of the more interesting and beautiful words that are being used as names for girls today.  Which are your favorites?


  • Aria                 
  • Bliss
  • Blue
  • Cadence
  • Darling
  • Dawn
  • Echo
  • Ember
  • Eve
  • Ever
  • Fable
  • Faith
  • Felicity
  • Glory
  • Grace
  • Harmony
  • Harper
  • Honor
  • Hope
  • Jade
  • Jewel
  • Journey
  • Joy
  • Karma
  • Kismet
  • Lark

  • Liberty
  • Love
  • Lyric
  • Meadow
  • Melody
  • Mercy
  • Paige
  • Poet
  • Rain
  • Rebel
  • Rose
  • Saffron
  • Sage
  • Sailor
  • Scout
  • Serene
  • Sky
  • Snow
  • Sonnet
  • Storm
  • Story
  • Sunny
  • Trinity
  • True
  • Whimsy
  • Wisteria
Can you think of any that could be added? Help me expand the list in the comments below!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Interesting Word Names for Boys



Have you ever met someone whose name is also a word? I knew a man named Grant who didn't seem to flinch when someone used the word grant in a sentence. It's interesting that there can be such a difference in our minds between hearing the word and hearing the name.

Do you know anyone who has one of the following word names? Can you think of more that weren't listed below?


  • Angel             
  • Archer
  • Arrow
  • Atlas
  • Bishop
  • Blue
  • Brave
  • Chance
  • Christian
  • Clay
  • Cobalt
  • Drew
  • Ever
  • Free
  • Gene
  • Grant
  • Harbor
  • Hunter
  • Justice
  • King
  • Lance
  • Mark
  • Maverick
  • Max

  • Miles
  • Noble
  • Oak
  • Ocean
  • Pace
  • Page
  • Parker
  • Patriot
  • Prince
  • Ranger
  • Ray
  • River
  • Roman
  • Seven
  • Sterling
  • True
  • Vale
  • Valor
  • Van
  • Victor
  • Viridian
  • West
  • Wilder
  • Woody
Which is your favorite word name? Have you used any of these for your child? Do you plan to?

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