Name of the Day: Larkin

Today's Name of the Day is Larkin. It is Irish in origin and means "rough or fierce."  While "Lark" is a bird name that is generally used for a girl, "Larkin" is considered a masculine surname name.

Just over 1900 boys have been named Larkin since 1880, which is an average of 15 baby boys every year. It has steadily been used, but it has never been popular. Even though it was technically in the Top 1000 in the late 1800's, very few boys were given the name. 

The early data and ranks aren't comparable to today's data. For example, in 1880, Larkin was ranked at #454 with 16 boys carrying the name. In 2012, 20 boys were given the name Larkin and it ranked in at #4757. While the charts vary over the years, the amount of babies given this name is very steady.

Starting in the 1970's, parents began regularly giving this name to baby girls. Just over 1000 girls have ever been named Larkin, or an average of 25 girls every year. This rare name is classified as unisex. While more boys have been named Larkin overall, the name is vastly more popular for a girl, (55 girls to 20 boys in 2012).

But enough with the numbers and stats! Larkin is defined as Irish today, but it seems to also have Medieval English roots. One site says that it is a diminutive of Laurence. Most associate it as a relative of Lorcan, which is Irish and also means "fierce."

Either way, this is a steadily used but rare name that may appeal to baby-namers today! It can fall into the "nature" category because of "Lark", but also into the "surname" category. It would make a great sibling to both Daisy and Cooper.

What do you think of this name? It was suggested to me by a baby-namer on Facebook named Stephani. (Let me know if you have any names that you'd like to see featured for the Name of the Day.)

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Dagny, Daisy, Harper, Kylie, Piper
Brothers: Cooper, Jasper, Parker, Titan,

Middle Name Ideas:
Girl:
Larkin Hesper
Larkin Marina
Larkin Bellamy
Larkin Willow

Boy:
Larkin Isaiah
Larkin Justus
Larkin Maris
Larkin James

As a Middle Name:
Girl:
Hadley Larkin
Eloise Larkin
Ava Larkin
Molly Larkin

Boy:
Philip Larkin
Max Larkin
Jeremy Larkin
Evan Larkin

Would you use Larkin for a boy or for a girl?

Quintuplets Born in Czech - What would you name 5 babies?

Alexandra Kinova

STANISLAV ZBYNEK/CTK/AP

This past Sunday, a Czech woman, Alexandra Kinova, 23, gave birth to quintuplets! This is the first recorded quint birth in the country!

They were conceived naturally and were born at 31 weeks without any complications. Their weights ranged from 2.3 lbs to 3 lbs. She delivered them by Cesarean section. The mother was originally told that she was expecting twins. She did wind up having identical twin boys, as well as a girl and two more boys.

They have chosen the following names:
Tereza
Michael and Deniel (Twins)
Alex
Martin

Their father, Antonin Kroscen, 26, told reporters that he is very happy to welcome these five little ones into the world. "I was crying all the way since I feared I would not manage it," he said. He was held up by a late train but made it on-time to be present for the birth of his children! The couple already had a young son together as well.

 We want to congratulate these new parents and wish them all the best in the years to come! What do you think of the names they chose?

If you were expecting quintuplets, what would you name them? Play our "Name the quints" game in the forums!

Name of the Day: Amabel

A name that was very common in the 12th and 13th centuries, Amabel is a rarity today. It was revived during the 19th century when a medieval fad swept through England.  Amabel is the feminization of the Late Latin male name "Amabilis" who was a Saint in the 5th century in France.

Amabel is a much older name than the popular Annabel. However, its shortened form Mabel has had much more popularity in recent times.  Amabel (and Mabel) mean "Loveable" in Latin which may appeal to parents who have high regard for name meanings.

This distinctive name would be adorable on a modern day baby girl. It fits right in with other old-fashioned names that are seeing a strong revival, as well as the popular -bel/-belle names. However, Amabel is much more unique (even though it feels familiar) because it has never once ranked on the US Top 1000.  As of 2013, there has been a total of 98 girls named Amabel on record since 1880. There were only 10 girls named Amabel in 2013 for a ranking of #10,209 which is very far from being the most popular name in the country.

Revision:  A few more girls were named Amabel since the previous stats were recent. There were 9 births in 2016 putting our grand total at 120.

If Amabel is too different for your tastes, Mabel is an adorable alternative to consider. A huge hit in the late 1800's and early 1900's, Mabel hit its highest ranking of #15 in 1891. It remained in the double-digits until it steadily declined starting in the 1920's. As of 2013, Mabel has jumped back onto the Top 1000 chart for the first time since 1964.  Now considered vintage-chic, Mabel ranked at #707 in 2013.  Revision:  Mabel was #513 in 2016, which means it is gaining more popularity.

Either of these two lovely names would be a refreshing choice today!  I think Amabel deserves some usage! What do you think? Would you use Amabel or Mabel?  Here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Beatrice, Caroline, Estella, Lavinia, Pomeline, Rebecca
Brothers: Augustus, Benedict, Dominic, Marcus, Peregrine, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas:
Amabel Celeste
Amabel Corinne
Amabel Frances
Amabel Grace
Amabel Josephine

Middle Name Ideas:
Mabel Aveline
Mabel Christine
Mabel Elizabeth
Mabel Joy
Mabel Tabitha

Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below!

First Published: 6/4/13
Revised: 12/25/14
Revised: 5/14/17

Name of the Day: Arlo

I'm a fan of names that are somewhat under the radar but still have a solid history. I like names that were popular in the 1880's-1920's and never heard from again until modern times. I have been focusing on these for my "Name of the Day" report, and am doing so again today with the name Arlo.

Primarily a boy's name, Arlo is short, sweet and full of character. Two celebrities recently named their sons Arlo, (Natasha Kaplinsky in 2008, and Toni Collette in 2011). Johnny Knoxville named his daughter Arlo in 2011, which suddenly throws this name into the "possibly unisex" category. (Popular girls names Harlow and Marlowe are similar, which may be the reason for Arlo going female.) It will always be a boy name in my mind since it has never ranked for a girl.

It ranked in the 600-1000 range on the US Top 1000 chart between 1910 and 1944.  It did not rank again until 2011 when it hit #916, and jumped 98 spots to #818 in 2012. If you read my previous post about trending boy names that end with the letter -o, you'll notice that Arlo was one of my "Names to Watch".  I really think this one is going to boom up the charts in the next few years.

Of Spanish origin, Arlo means "barberry tree", so it also puts it into the "nature name" category, which can sometimes be tricky for boys. Along those lines, Arlo would be a fascinating sibling for Jasper and Dahlia.

If you are looking to honor a relative, Arlo has also been known to be a variation of the following names: Harlow/Harley, Carlos/Charles, Arlene.  It could also be spelled Arlow, Arlowe, or Arrlo.  Because of this, the meaning of Arlo may be more relative to these other names. But as its own name, Arlo is indeed Spanish for Barberry tree.

What do you think of this unique moniker? Would you use it for your son? Or do you see it better suited for a girl?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Claire, Dahlia, Lily, Olive, Sabrina
Brothers: Henry, Finley, Jasper, Luca, Miles

Middle Name Ideas:
Arlo Maxwell
Arlo Sebastian
Arlo James
Arlo Thomas

As a Middle Name:

James Arlo

Dean Arlo

Benjamin Arlo

Ryan Arlo

New Trend?: Boy Names Ending with the Letter O

I keep hearing talk about a new trend in boys names and I wanted to do some research to see if this is a real thing yet or not. Apparently the new favorite thing is boys names that end with the letter -o. Some examples that I keep hearing about are Hugo, Arlo, Milo, and Leo.

Now, when I went through the Top 500 names of 2012, I found so many more names ending in -o than I imagined that I would. However, the Top 100 was very absent of a single -o name. It wasn't until I hit #110 that I found my first, Diego. In all, there were 37 names between #110-500.

As a woman of Hispanic heritage, I have to imagine that most of these -o names are legitimately used by Spanish and Italian families. It leaves me wondering how many of these are truly gaining popularity across the race spectrum, and how many have always lingered around their respective ranks.

I have no way of looking up the race of the parents, but I had to dig deeper to see which of these are climbing the charts and which are reliably stable.

Names ending with the letter -o ranking in the US Top 500 in 2012:

Diego: #110
Antonio: #118
Santiago: #122
Leo: #134
Mateo: #138
Alejandro: #148
Leonardo: #150
Francisco: #225
Ricardo: #226
Fernando: #243
Mario: #253
Marco: #269
Sergio: #283
Emilio: #297
Emiliano: #302
Lorenzo: #307
Roberto: #308
Angelo: #310
Pedro: #317
Maximiliano: #320
Romeo: #323
Milo: #330
Armando: #366
Pablo: #367
Gerardo: #371
Julio: #383
Gustavo: #408
Matteo: #412
Rocco: #415
Enzo: #417
Rodrigo: #431
Hugo: #436
Alberto: #446
Arturo: #459
Orlando: #461
Mauricio: #472
Alfredo: #492

Most of these climbed or dropped an average of 10 spots. I can't mention all of them individually (and still keep your attention) but I will show you the following:

Biggest climbers from 2011 to 2012:

1. Romeo (#323): Climbed 38 spots!
2. Leo (#134) and Mateo (#138) tied for 2nd. Both jumped 33 spots!
3. Milo (#330) Shot up 30 spots!
4. Gustavo (#408) Climbed a surprising 29 spots!
5. Orlando (#461) Jumped up 21 spots! (Haven't heard this in a while!)

Biggest Fallers from 2011-2012:

1. Fernando (#243) Fell 34 spots!
2. Mario (#253) and Maximiliano (#320) Both dropped 30 spots!
3. Mauricio (#472)  Fell 28 spots!
4. Matteo (#412) and Arturo (#459) Both fell 27 spots!
5. Alberto (#446) Dropped 26 spots

Of the names that I hear about most often this year, I will predict that these names will continue to move up the ranks of the 2013 chart:

1. Arlo (#818 in 2012)
2. Leo  (#134 in 2012)
3. Mateo (#138 in 2012)
4. Thiago (#862 in 2012)
5. Hugo (#436 in 2012)

Absent in 2010, Arlo placed at #916 in 2011 before jumping a whopping 98 ranks to settle at #818 in 2012. This is one to watch!  Leo and Mateo seem to be gaining popularity. Both climbed 33 spots last year, but I think they'll continue to climb the ranks and quiet possible break into the top 100 in the next couple years.

Thiago is an interesting one. Its counterpart Santiago moved up 9 spots to sit at #122 in 2012; however Thiago has just burst onto the scene for the very first time, landing at #862 in 2012. I'd like to keep an eye on this one.  Lastly, Hugo gets thrown around the baby name forums regularly so it may seem more popular than it actually is, but I'll include it on the list despite only climbing 3 spots from 2011 to 2012. Hugo rests at #436 for now.

I'd like to also throw in a couple "noteworthy mentions." The name Milo is definitely gaining popularity and is regularly suggested on forums. After shooting up 30 ranks in 2012, I will be starring this one on my list as a major popularity gainer for 2013.  A name that surprised me was Gustavo. It climbed 29 places on the chart. Then I thought perhaps its increase in popularity comes from creepy-cool bad-guy Gustavo "Gus" Fring from AMC's hit TV show "Breaking Bad." I expect this one to begin dropping back down over the next year. No spoilers for those who haven't watched.  ;)

That is my assessment of the -o name trend for boys. This is one trend that I can get behind, especially considering how tiring the -n names are becoming.

What do you think of my list? What is your favorite boy name ending with -o?  Let me know in the comments below!

Name of the Day: Calliope

Today's featured name is a lovely and truly rare gem in the US: Calliope (Cuh-LIE-oh-pee). The nickname Callie is adorable for this big, strong name.  The meaning of this name is "Beautiful Voice."

Straight out of the Greek Myths, Calliope was the name of one of the nine muses, inspiring epic poetry.

Since this name is so bold and creative, it would be recommended for artistic parents who enjoy literature, poetry and music. Hopefully your daughter will also enjoy these things and be able to live up to the image that this name portrays, namely, a beautiful artistic muse.

In the real world, there is an American actress who wears the name, Calliope "Callie" Thorne.  In the TV world, there's a Dr. Calliope "Callie" Torres on Grey's Anatomy.

The original form of this name is actually spelled Kalliope. The meaning "Beautiful Voice" comes directly from the root of the name:  from Greek καλλος (kallos) "beauty" and οψ (ops) "voice".

This name is a unique and lovely find! Calliope has never ranked on the US Top 1000 chart at any time between 1880-2013, so your daughter would truly be one of a kind in her school! Although, I have seen the name tossed around baby name forums more and more frequently and the name is on a very slight increase.

In 2000, there were only 9 girls named Calliope in the US. By 2013, the number has climbed to 186 births, ranking the name at a record-high #1264. It is gaining a bit more usage every year, but don't expect it to become "popular" anytime soon.  If you're looking for an unusual, rarely-used name, Calliope is still a safe bet for the time being.

What do you think of the name Calliope? If you're interested, here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Beatrix, Demetra, Helena,  Isadora, Sybil
Brothers: Christopher, Damian, Hadrian, Leander, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Calliope Reese
Calliope Eve
Calliope Jane
Calliope Harper
Calliope Grace

As a Middle Name:
Aria Calliope
June Calliope
Mia Calliope
Wren Calliope

Would you consider using it for your child? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

First published: 6/2/13
Revised: 12/25/14

Name of the Day: Gideon

The Name of the Day for June 1, 2013 is Gideon, a boy name taken straight from the pages of the Old Testament.

Biblical Gideon was known as a modest and humble young man of the tribe of Manasseh. With the help of an angel, he was divinely called upon to save the Israelites from Midianite oppression. Before he could do this, he had to be tested to prove himself worthy for battle. God asked Gideon to destroy his father's alter to Baal and to cut down the sacred pole that stood with it.

For this reason, the name Gideon means "Destroyer" or "Feller [of trees]" or even "One who cuts down".  It may also mean "Hewer" or "Great Warrior", depending on where you look.

Many parents opt for biblical names for their sons, but for those who are tiring of the traditional Benjamin, James or Jacob, Gideon offers a fresh approach to naming. This name has began climbing the charts in recent years. It was always rather popular among the Puritans of the 16th-18th centuries who preferred Old Testament names.

You may hear the name Gideon and think of the Gideon Bibles in every hotel room across the country, but this isn't necessarily a bad association. They were named because Gideon symbolizes great work done by few people. He famously led very few men against a larger army and won.

Take a look at this popularity chart. Gideon has been used since the US began keeping baby name records in 1880. However, there were several years that had single-digit births per year or none at all. It wasn't until 1912 that the name received regular usage and it finally hit triple-digit births in 1993. Gideon received a spike in popularity starting around 2000, and it currently sits at #390 on the US Top 1000 chart in 2012.

Source

Perhaps Gideon is a name that you'd consider for your son. It certainly has a strong history and a positive, biblical association!   What do you think of it?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annika, Esther, Olivia, Simone, Violet
Brothers: Aaron, Caleb, Ezra, Isaac, Silas

Middle Name Ideas:
Gideon Oliver
Gideon James
Gideon Andrew
Gideon Alexander
Gideon Blake

As a Middle Name:
Henry Gideon
Theodore Gideon
Nathaniel Gideon
Zane Gideon