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?

Paige Paisley Pamela Pandora Paris Patience Patricia Paula Pearl Penelope Peony Persephone       Petra Phaedra Philippa Philomena Phoebe Pia Piper Poppy Portia Presley Primrose Priscilla Prudence

Palmer Parker Parrish Pascal Patrick Patton Paul Pavel Pax Paxton Penn Percival Percy Peregrine Perry Peter Peyton Phillip Phineas Phoenix Pierce Porter Powell Prescott 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 -->

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! 

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?

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?

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?

Oakley                    Oceana Octavia October Odelia Odessa Odette Odile Oksana Olenna Olga Oliana Olive Olivia Olympia Ondine Opal Ophelia Oriana Oriole Orla Osanna Ottavia Ottilie Ottoline

Oakes Obadiah Oberon Ocean Octavian Octavius October Odin Odysseus Oliver Olson Omar Onyx Orion Orlando Orrin Orson Osbourne Oscar Oswald Othello Otis Otto Owen 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:

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

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?

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?

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.

Nadia                Nadine Naima Nancy Naomi Natalia Natalie Natasha Nellie Neve Nia Niamh Nicole Nicolette Nikita Nila Nina Noa Noe Noelle Noemi Nola Nora Nova Nyx

Nash Nathan Nathaniel Naveen Neal Ned Nehemiah Neil Nevin Newman Niall Nicholas Nico Nigel Nikolai Niles Nixon Noah Noam Noble Noel Nolan Norman Norris 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!

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

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.

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.

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?

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!

Mabel                        Madeline Maeve Magnolia Maisie Margaret Margot Maria Marley Mary Matilda Maude May McKenzie Megan Meredith Mia Michaela Mila Minerva Mirabelle Miranda Miriam Molly Morgan

Maddox Magnus Malachi Malcolm Marcus Marlon Marshall Martin Mason Matthew Matthias Maverick Maximilian Maximus Maxwell Merrick Merritt Micah Michael Miles Milo Mitchell Morgan Moses 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 -->

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!

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?

Luna

Taken straight from our list of The Very Best L Names for Boys and Girls is the lovely name Luna.

While Luna is usually listed as either Italian, Spanish or both, it originates as a Latin name meaning "the moon". According to the ancient Roman mythology, the goddess Luna was considered the divine embodiment of the moon and was often portrayed as driving a white chariot through the sky. Her Greek counterpart is the goddess Selene.

As a baby name in the US, Luna dates back to the start of our modern records in the year 1880. Luna has been used on and off over the years, encountering a bit of a dry spell in the mid-60s. It was never popular until recently when it joined the Top 1000 names in 2003. It has been steadily rising on the popularity chart since then. 2,314 baby girls were given the name in 2014 for a ranking of #143. At this rate, it should continue to rise in popularity.

Luna is short and sweet. It carries beautiful imagery with it as it evokes peaceful vibes synonymous with the night sky. It works very well on Spanish and Italian girls but it is popular enough now to work on anyone without raising eyebrows.

Since it is relatively short, it best pairs with a longer-looking middle name, even if they might have the same amount of syllables. For more ideas of how to pair this name, view my suggestions for potential sibling names and middle names below:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aurora, Cara, Maia, Molly, Sadie, Stella, Violet
Brothers: Asher, Damian, Jack, Marius, Paul, Ruben, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:
Luna Charlotte
Luna Delphine
Luna Mirabelle
Luna Penelope
Luna Tamsin

As a Middle Name:
Abigail Luna
Eleanor Luna
Marjorie Luna
Persephone Luna
Rafaela Luna

What do you think of the names I suggested? What would you pair with Luna? My favorite guilty pleasure pairing is Luna Sapphire for the image of a big blue moon.

The Very Best L Names for Boys and Girls

The letter L is a very important letter. It can not only be found within many of today's most popular names, but it also has plenty of great options as a starting letter.

Are you a fan of L? If so, you may just love this list! I have compiled 25 of the very best L names for girls and the 25 for boys!

However, just like all the other articles like this, the names are listed alphabetically. I did not rank them from best to worst or favorite to least favorite.

These are simply 50 of the best L names that I could find that I think would suit a modern American child.  While there are plenty of other L names out there, these are the ones that I liked the most.

What are your favorite names on the list below?

Lacey                        Lana Lara Lauren Lavinia Layla Leah Leigh Leila Leonora Leticia Lilah Liliana Lily Lindsay Linnea Liv Lola London Lorelei Louise Lucy Luna Lydia Lyric

Lachlan Lance Landon Lawrence Leander Lee Leif Leland Lennon Leo Leonardo Leonidas Leopold Leroy Levi Lewis Liam Liev Lincoln Linus Logan Lorcan Lorenzo Louis Lucas

Did I choose your favorites or did I miss a few that you think should be included?  Share your Top 50 in the comments if you'd like! Or feel free to browse the links below to view the best names starting with other letters.

<-- The Very Best K Names for Boys and Girls ||| The Very Best M Names for Boys and Girls -->

Uncommon Alternatives to the Top 10 Girls' Names

As you may know, here in the US the Social Security Administration tallies up the names of all the babies born within a year and reveals which names were most popular. While there are clearly thousands of parents who are happy using popular names, there are also parents who would rather avoid them.

For those parents who may secretly like the sound of the top names but hate their popularity, I've created a list of alternative options to the Top 10 names for girls.

The names may be similar in sound, syllables, initial letter, meaning, origin or a combination of those. None of the alternate names below rank on the SSA's Top 1000 most popular names chart in 2014.

1, Emma ---> Amabel
The rare medieval name Amabel maintains a sound similar to Emma at the start of the name but it also offers the trendy "bel" sound at the end. It does all of this while still being an unusual name and a cool alternative to the popular Emma.  I can never believe that this lovely precursor to Annabelle can remain so unused. Amabel was only given to 5 baby girls in 2014 which is as opposite in popularity as you can get compared to the #1 name Emma.  Other options: Alma, Jemma, Amelina, Esme 

2. Olivia ---> Octavia
These two names can easily be alternatives for each other sound-wise. They both start with O  and end with -via.  As far as nicknames go, these are also easily swapped: Liv and Tave or Livia and Tavia. If Olivia is too popular for you, try the always rare yet very familiar Octavia.  It was only given to 69 baby girls in 2014 which is very low compared to Olivia's nearly 20,000 births. Other options: Olympia, Vianna, Ophelia, Alba

3. Sophia ---> Seraphina 
Seraphina is a great alternative to Sophia in terms of sound. Just like Amabel and Octavia above, Seraphina is a name that feels like it should have plenty of usage but it just doesn't. Except for 6 recorded births in 1916, Seraphina has only been around recently. It is gaining a bit of usage but still only received 175 births in 2014. It is pretty and unusual which is a great contrast to the popular Sophia.  Other options: Sonya, Sophronia, Delphina, Sapphira

4. Isabella ---> Isadora 
Instead of focusing on finding an alternate name that shares the "bella" sound, I thought we'd focus on the beautiful "Isa" sound instead. The best option, of course, is the rare Isadora. Isadora has been around in the US since 1880 with regular usage except for a brief hiatus from 1958-1968. It's gained some momentum since then, receiving 167 births in 2014 but it is still far from ranking in the Top 1000.  Other options: Bellamy, Isabeau, Elizabella, Sable

5. Ava ---> Aviva
This interesting Hebrew name means "spring" and feels like a very refreshing alternative to the popular Ava. It maintains the same letters and sounds but adds a syllable which gives it a unique and cool vibe.  Aviva has been around since 1935 in the US but it has never been popular. With 94 births in 2014, this rare gem is an excellent choice! Other options: Aveline, Maeva, Evadne, Geneva

6. Mia ---> Pia
There aren't very many names that start or end with -mia. Finding a decent sound-alike name wasn't easy until I dropped the letter M and found rhyming name Pia. It is a Late Roman name that comes from the male name Pius and has actually been around in the US since 1908. In 2014, there were 71 girls given the name. It would be a lovely and unique alternative to Mia. Other options: Melia, Noemia, Mina, Magnolia

7. Emily ---> Romilly 
If you're searching for something that sounds like Emily but is the opposite when it comes to popularity, Romilly is the name for you. With the ending of both names being identical, you really only exchange the E for the Ro but you get a very unique name. How unique? Well, Romilly has only been used in the US since 2013 for a total of 12 babies on record ever being given the name. Other options: Kirrily, Milani, Camellia, Amberly

8. Abigail ---> Abilene
Abigail may be popular but it has a unique sound all to itself. There are no other names that offer "gail" that I could find and only a handful of names starting with "Abi-". One solution is to find a less common biblical girls' name, another is to find something that simply sounds similar. In this case, you get a two for one deal with the rare, Hebrew name Abilene. Used briefly in the New Testament, Abilene means "grass" and has only been regularly used in the US since 1987. It was given to 48 girls in 2014. Other options: Gaia, Aberdeen, Fabiana, Esther

9. Madison ---> Madigan
If you're a fan of the nickname Maddie, Madison and Madeline aren't the only options. An unusual and interesting option is Madigan. It is very similar in sound to Madison but it isn't nearly as popular. It has been used in the US since 1992 with a high peak of 67 births in 2002. Now in 2014, it was only given to 15 girls. It's a cool, spunky alternative to the popular Madison.  Other options: Madelief, Madelena, Maude, Matilde

10. Charlotte ---> Harriet
The regal name Charlotte may rank at number 10 in 2014 but it seems posed to climb even higher, possibly even hitting number one in the coming years. Harriet has been around since 1880 with a real heyday during the '20s and '30s. It left the Top 1000 in 1971 and has been uncommon ever since. In the past two years, 127 girls were given the name Harriet which would be a lovely alternative name to Charlotte.  Other options: Arlette, Charlize, Liesel, Lottie

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What do you think of my uncommon alternatives to these popular girl names?  Don't forget to check out the alternate names I chose for boys too!

Uncommon Alternatives to the Top 10 Boys' Names

As you may know, here in the US the Social Security Administration tallies up the names of all the babies born within a year and reveals which names were most popular. While there are clearly thousands of parents who are happy using popular names, there are also parents who would rather avoid them.

For those parents who may secretly like the sound of the top names but hate their popularity, I've created a list of alternative options to the Top 10 names for boys. The names may be similar in sound, syllables, initial letter, meaning, origin or a combination of those. None of the alternate names below rank on the SSA's Top 1000 most popular names chart in 2014.

1. Noah ---> Nahum
Nahum is the best alternative to Noah because it is also a biblical Hebrew name and it has a similar meaning. Noah means "rest, comfort" and Nahum means "comforter". It starts with the same letter, has the same number of syllables and they're both very vowel heavy. While Noah ranked at #1, Nahum sits nicely at #2076. Perfectly suitable to take Noah's place!  Other options: Noam, Enoch, Jonah, Nolan

2. Liam ---> Calum
Calum is a fun choice because it has the same ending sound as Liam and they both have Celtic roots with Liam being Irish and Calum being Scottish. Calum is a form of Columba, a Latin, saintly name meaning "dove". While Calum ranks down at #2452 last year, it does have a slightly more popular brother, Callum, that ranks at #729. Both are still much less popular than Liam at #2!  Other options: Alec, Leeland, Noam, Willem

3. Mason ---> Pierson
Mason is an occupational surname that refers to a stoneworker. What better alternative than a surname name referring to a rock? Pierson comes from the medieval name Piers which is a variant of Peter. Both of these names end with -son and they both come from Old French roots. It's cool and unusual and the perfect uncommon alternative since it ranked way down at #1301 in 2014. Other options: Cason, Colson, Stetson, Thatcher

4. Jacob ---> Javan
Jacob was the #1 name for many years only to begin its descent in 2013 when Noah took over. Javan has never even cracked the Top 1000, receiving only 52 births in 2014. Both 5-letter J-names are Hebrew but clearly have opposite popularities which makes Javan an interesting alternative to Jacob. Other options: Coby, Israel, Jaime, Séamus

5. William ---> Bertram
This was a tough choice. In the end, Bertram has similar, appealing qualities to William. Both names are derived from Germanic elements and both end with -am. While William has Will, Bertram has Bert. While Bert isn't as fashionable as Will at the moment, there's potential for it to come back and rank as well as it did in the 1920s. With barely 7 births last year, I find Bertram a handsome and truly rare alternative. Other options: Alaric, Edmund, Luther, Wilson

6. Ethan ---> Japheth
These two names take us from a popular biblical name to a rare one. Ethan may rank at #6 now but it wasn't always popular. It wasn't even regularly used in the US until 1911. Ethan gradually increased in usage through the 1970s until it exploded onto the scene in 1989 and zoomed up the charts, ranking as high as #2 in 2009 and 2010. Japheth was unheard of until 1970 and has slowly gained a handful of usage today with 43 births in 2014. Could it follow Ethan's pattern and someday be discovered in a big way?  Other options: Eben, Lathan, Ephraim, Irah

7. Michael ---> Micaiah
These two biblical names sound similar enough to swap and still keep everyone happy. Michael has been hugely popular for a very long time. There are Mikes everywhere. However, Micaiah  is relatively obscure. It has only been in use in the US since 1973. 2014 was its best year yet with 133 male births and a rank of #1311. There were also 41 female births.  Other options: Melchoir, Mischa, Mitchell, Malcolm

8. Alexander --->  Lysander
Alexander is a big, strong Greek name that has been used very well all around the world. Lysander is also a Greek name but it has a more tame and whimsical feel to it. Both end with "ander" which makes the rare Lysander a good alternative to the popular Alexander. It only had 43 male births in 2014 for a low, low ranking of #2764. Are you sold yet? Other options: Evander, Ferdinand, Constantine, Augustus

9. James ---> Ramsey
Without featuring a variant of James or a translation in another language, I wanted to find something uncommon that sounded similar. This one was very tough, especially since we also featured James' twin brother Jacob earlier. I settled on Ramsey. They have a similar sound  because of the "am" and "s" that should satisfy that quota, and they also have a potentially cool, bad boy vibe in common. Ramsey only had 93 births in 2014 for a ranking of #1649.  Other options: Hayes, Ellis, Hamish, Thiago

10. Daniel ---> Dashiell
These two names sound very similar to each other. Dashiell would work very well as an alternative choice for those who love Daniel but cannot use it. Daniel has always ranked well in the US but Dashiell has only been used in the US since 1979. It has never ranked in the Top 1000 and had only 123 births in 2014.  If you're looking for unusual, Dashiell is it! Other options: Adriel, Uriel, Dane, Niall

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What do you think of my choices? Would you choose different alternative names for any of these?

From Amaranth to Violet: A Look at Names of the Rainbow

Colors are everywhere: some vibrant, some pastel. Things would be dreary if we suddenly removed color from our lives. Some might even go the extra step to ensure that their surroundings are always colorful and lively by painting the walls in their home or dressing in only the hottest pinks or brightest yellows. Plenty of parents already opt for nature names so why not extend your love for colors to baby naming, too?

I've previously posted a list of color names on The Art of Naming, but they were not broken down according to the major base colors. I decided to take a look at the rainbow and categorize some of the more interesting name possibilities under the closest related parent color. The following list was the result:

Red:

Amaranth
Carmine
Cerise
Crimson
Magenta
Red
Rose
Ruby
Scarlet

The last three on the red list are probably the most popular with Rose leading the pack, however Scarlett is more popular than Scarlet. Would you use one of the more unusual reds like Amaranth or Carmine?

Orange:

Amber
Coral
Peach
Rusty
Sienna
Tawny

While Rusty and Tawny are rarely used, Amber was huge in the '80s and Sienna peaked in 2007. Peach doesn't have any recorded usage.

Yellow:

Goldie
Jasmine
Jonquil
Lemon
Maize
Marigold
Mikado
Saffron

Many of these are rather unusual. The most popular by far is Jasmine which ranks at #100 in 2014!

Green:

Emerald
Fern
Forest
Hunter
Jade
Kelly
Laurel
Myrtle
Olive
Pine

Green names are fun, especially the more playful ones like Kelly which only came about because of the Irish surname's association with Ireland and the color green. And then there's Hunter green which was the color of choice for hunters back in the 19th century. The others are very nature related.

Blue:

Aqua

Azure

Blue

Cobalt

Cyan

Navy

Sapphire

Sky

Zaffre

Most of these blues are pretty obscure as names. Sky (g) is most popular at #740 in 2014.  If you’re looking for something related to a shade of blue that is a little more “namey” and a little less unusual, try Alice, Carolina, Celeste, Maya and Tiffany.  

Indigo & Violet:

Amethyst
Indigo
Iris
Lavender
Mauve
Orchid
Plum
Thistle
Violet
Wisteria

Violet is a true vintage name and has come back in style after being popular in 1920. (Check out the 100 year rule!) Iris is also ranking well these days! The others would make beautiful and quirky middle names!
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What's your favorite color? Do your favorite baby names correspond to your favorite color? Would you choose one of the names above and if so, which do you like best? Can you think of any I missed? Share your colorful thoughts in the comments below!  [Source]

Kai

Today's featured name comes from the list of The Very Best K Names for Boys and Girls. This one actually happens to be unisex these days but it will be mainly presented for males in this article, (hence the blue below).

The Kai that I'm most familiar with is the Hawaiian name that means "sea". This is the one being featured here.  Other possible meanings for this name include "forgiveness" in Japanese, "food" in Maori and "willow tree" in Navajo.

Kai is also considered a diminutive for names like Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis and Gaius/Caius. It is also a feminine variant of Kaja which comes from Katarina.

Internationally, Kai ranks well! It is actually doing better in other countries for boys than it is in the US. However, we're the only country that has a ranking for this name as a feminine one.

This is how Kai ranked in the US:
Boy: 2,387 births (#177)
Girl: 262 births (#1000)

This means the name's unisex ratio is 90% boy / 10% girl based on the births for 2014.

In England/Wales, Kai recently ranked at #64 for boys. Canada (BC) ranked it at #36; it was #69 in Australia, #85 in Ireland, #65 in Northern Ireland, #55 in Scotland, and #121 in the Netherlands. These are the most recent rankings I found so they may vary a bit today.

The name Kaia is a feminine form of Kai that's also ranking well at #551 in the US.

What do you think of the name Kai? It is short and sweet and definitely carries that Hawaiian vibe which gives the name warmth and an exotic feel. It is handsome and cool, bold but not unusual. Are you considering it?  If so, here are a few ideas for sibling names and middle names for Kai:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Aria, Kamilah, Leilani, Milana, Noa, Sienna, Zoey
Brothers: Arlo, Finnian, Jude, Milo, Orion, River, Silas

Middle Name Ideas:
Kai Elliott
Kai Hawthorn
Kai Julian
Kai Sebastian
Kai Thackeray
Kai Valentine

As a Middle Name:
Evander Kai
Lachlan Kai
Nathaniel Kai
Remington Kai
Samuel Kai
William Kai

Unless you're Hawaiian, it is probably going to be difficult to find a middle name that will share Kai's origin. I wouldn't worry about that. The above names simply sound nice and flow well with Kai. What would you pair with Kai?