Name of the Day: Basil

Today's Name of the Day might raise your eyebrows at first. The Greek boy name Basil means "Regal" or "King" and is a quirky choice!

The most famous bearer of this name is Basil Rathbone who portrayed the very British Sherlock Holmes in 1939. And of course, many of you probably already thought of the basil herb. It is usually pronounced Baz-uhl rather than Bays-uhl like the herb.

Let's try to see it from a different perspective than the above:

From the Greek name Βασιλειος (Basileios) which was derived from βασιλευς (basileus) meaning "king".  There were many Byzantine Empire rulers named Basil, as well as some Eastern Orthodox saints. Saint Basil the Great was a 4th century bishop who helped to found the early Christian church. Basil is rich in history.

Despite its past-bearers, this name is definitely unique today. It has been used very steadily since 1880. It was most popular from 1912-1969. It fell off the Top 1000 chart in 1970 and hasn't ranked since! However, in 2012, it ranked at #2709 with 44 boys named Basil, and 20 girls! (Although there have only been a total of 69 girls EVER named Basil. It saw usage starting in 2006, with the exception of 12 named in the early 1900s.)

Today, Basil has been classified as a very fun name because of the manic Basil Fawlty from the British TV comedy classic "Fawlty Towers." There is also a Disney movie called "Basil of Baker Street" which stars "the Sherlock Holmes of the Mouse World."

If you still aren't sold, that's fine. I think this is an interesting name. It is on my guilty pleasures list so I can't blame any of you for not immediately using it for a son. However, there are other variations of the name that are interesting like the Russian Vassily or Vaska, the Ancient Greek Basilius, the French Basile, the Italian Basillo or the Polish Bazyli.

What do you think of Basil? Do you get the same unique and quirky, yet old-fashioned vibe that I get? Do you think it will ever be popular again, or is it too fusty?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Beatrix, Celeste, Daphne, Eleanor, Lilac, Octavia, Sabina
Brothers: Dexter, Edward, Gideon, Luca, Otto, Rafferty, Tobias

Middle Name Ideas:
Basil Sebastian
Basil Edmund
Basil Augustus
Basil Hayes
Basil Owen

As a Middle Name:
Phillip Basil
William Basil
Leonard Basil
Ethan Basil
Samuel Basil

Softer-Sounding Boy Names

Another new naming trend that is gaining popularity this year is softer-sounding boys names. Many of these names contain the "sh" sound.

Here are some of our favorites:
Asher
Bishop
Cashel
Cassius
Dashiell
Elisha
Fisher
Hamish
Joshua
Marshall
Misha
Nash
Parish
Sasha
Shawn
Shai
Shane
Shepherd
Sheridan
Sherwood
Shiloh
Tavish

We particularly like the short but handsome nicknames/names such as Ash, Cash, Dash and Nash.  What is your favorite full name for the nickname Cash? Cashel, Cassius, Cassian, or just plain Cash?

Can you think of any other names that might fit this trend? Do you like the trend? Let me know below!

Name of the Day: Isadora

Today's Name of the Day sounds like it should be popular but it actually is not.  For those parents who love the name Isabella but hate its popularity, have you ever considered the name Isadora?

This name has always been around but it hasn't been on the Top 1000 chart since 1900 when it ranked in at #992.  The highest rank Isadora has ever received is #654 in 1882, however that only accounted for a total of 9 births.

Last year, 2012, there were 148 little Isadora's born. The name just fell shy of ranking, coming in at #1497 which is the highest it has ranked since 1915.  In fact, Isadora wasn't used at all from 1958-1968.

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So why does this name hardly get any attention when cousin-name Isabella is mega-popular? Perhaps parents just prefer the "Bella" nickname to that of a possible little "Dora." Or perhaps pop-culture influence really is strong, (i.e. Bella Swan vs Dora the Explorer.) Putting that aside, Isadora is a beautiful and unique name that sounds like it should be popular even though it isn't. (Win/Win?)

But, like Isabella who didn't rank at all on the Top 1000 chart from 1948-1990, Isadora has major potential to become something huge if parents are interested in "different but familiar." Isadora is Latin, meaning "gift of Isis" and has international appeal. It has been used in many languages such as Serbian, Macedonian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, English and Ancient Greek.

Isis was the Egyptian goddess of fertility and birth. The rest of the name comes from the Greek word δωρον (doron) meaning "gift." Male counterpart Isidore was historically popular with Jews who used it as an Americanized version of names like Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).

With more and more babies being named Isadora, do you think it will gain popularity? Would you use it as an alternative to Isabella? And do you like possible nicknames Issy, Isa or Dora?

Let me know the answers to these burning questions!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Arabella, Calliope, Delphina, Evangeline, Junia, Magnolia, Seraphina
Brothers: Amadeus, Benjamin, Felix, Jasper, Leopold, Phillip, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Isadora Violet
Isadora Claire
Isadora Ruth
Isadora Colette
Isadora Jane

As a Middle Name:
Katherine Isadora
Maeve Isadora
Sloane Isadora
Lark Isadora
Hadley Isadora

Name of the Day: Asher

Today's Name of the Day is a soft, handsome boy name from the Old Testament: Asher.

This name is a Biblical Hebrew name meaning "happy" or "blessed." Asher was the son of Jacob and Zilpah, (Leah's handmaid), and he was also the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

This name is definitely a favorite with today's parents! It has been climbing up the charts quickly! A very rare name at the end of the 19th century (only 42 boys received this name between 1880 and 1895.) It wasn't heard from again until 1910 and it remained rarely used.

It finally hit the Top 1000 chart in 1983 at #934. In 2000, it ranked at #579 and has shot up since then. In 2012, Asher ranked at #108 with a total of 3,514 baby boys receiving the name (and 44 girl!)

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What do you think of this handsome, biblical name? It falls into the new trend of giving boys "softer-sounding" names.  Asher is possibly the favorite of the bunch that contain the "sh" sound. And of course, the nickname Ash is appealing! Let me know your thoughts on this name!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ella, Hannah, Isla, Olivia, Ruby
Brothers: Caleb, Ethan, Jonah, Milo, Owen

Middle Name Ideas:
Asher Maxwell
Asher Thomas
Asher Samuel
Asher Levi

As a Middle Name:
Nathan Asher
Daniel Asher
Brendan Asher
Michael Asher

Name of the Day: Clementine

Today's featured name is Clementine. It originates as the French feminine form of the male name Clement, which is derived from the Late Latin name Clemens or Clementius, meaning "merciful," "gentle" or "mild."

If the "Oh my Darlin'" association is too strong for you, try pronouncing it as Cle-mahn-teen instead as the French do. Alternatively, try Clementina. This spelling originates with Italian, Late Roman, Portuguese and Spanish.  The Polish Klementyna is neat too if you have Polish roots!

Personally, I think Clementine would make a lovely middle name. (i.e.  Amelia Clementine or Ivy Clementine). It has the beautiful, French flair and is still rather unique!

Clementine was a darling on the charts in the 1920s-1950s. 1921 was Clementine's best year for number of births. There were 160 girls born which ranked the name at #567 at the time. It went up and down on the charts for a while and actually had a few years in the 70s and 80s where the name wasn't used at all, but it is on an upswing again. 221 girls were named Clementine in 2013 for a ranking of #1100.

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In France, though, the name Clementine is ranked just outside of the Top 100!  What do you think of this name?  Would you ever use it? Here are some sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amelia, Josephine, Mabel, Scarlett, Tallulah
Brothers: Alastair, Benedict, Nathaniel, Sullivan, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas: 
Clementine Ivy
Clementine Eve
Clementine Louise
Clementine Estella

As a Middle Name:
Isla Clementine
Reese Clementine
Lily Clementine
Piper Clementine

Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below!

Name of the Day: Augustus

Today's Name of the Day is the Latin boy's name Augustus. For years, this name was considered somewhat fusty, or even pretentious. Today, parents are seeing it differently.

Like my own son's name, Maximus, Augustus was originally a title meaning "Great," "Magnificent" or "Venerable." It was given to the first Roman Emperor, Octavius, who was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He kept Augustus as his name.  The month of August was also named in honor of him.

The number of babies given this name has gone down, up, down and way back up again over the years, starting in 1880 until now.

As far as chart ranking goes, it hit as high as #175 in 1880 (a total of 74 babies).  In 2012, it ranked at #697 with a total of 337 little boys named Augustus.  It remained steadily in the Top 1000 from 1880-1968 when it fell off the chart. It jumped back on in 1991 at #874.

(Remember that the charts vary because of the population differences and the vast number of different names being considered today. The "number of babies given this name" charts give a better understanding of its usage. See below.)

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What do you think of the name Augustus? I would love to use it myself but my husband is not a fan of "Gus" or that strong G sound. Also, we wouldn't want to have a Maximus and an Augustus, it's too much "-us" and we'd be trapped in a naming theme (Octavius, Tiberius, Septimus, where does it end?!)

I think this name is very handsome and I would recommend it to parents who want something masculine and strong for their little guy. In fact, most of these Latin "-us" type names are starting to catch on a bit with modern parents.

Would you ever consider this name? First name or middle name spot? Let me know your thoughts below!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Eleanor, Isadora, Octavia, Penelope
Brothers: Alexander, Benedict, Maximilian, Sebastian, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas:
Augustus Leopold
Augustus Clark
Augustus Hadrian
Augustus Miles
Augustus Quentin

As a Middle Name:
Sayer Augustus
Bennett Augustus
Cato Augustus
Leo Augustus

Boy Names on a Girl?

We have all heard of names that were originally masculine but slowly became taken over by the girls.  Classic examples are Shannon, Kelly, Tracy, Stacy, Leslie, Ashley, Aubrey, Meredith, Dana, Caroll, Shirley, Shelby and so on.

One of today's naming trends that I personally dislike is "boy names on girls" but I realize that this is not a new thing. Girls have been stealing names for decades! It is a wonder there are any legitimate boy names left!


While there is nothing necessarily wrong with bending the gender rules, I think it only leads to confusion for children. Possible identity issues, and having to correct people who assume the wrong gender based on the written name, etc. I mean no disrespect to those of you who enjoy this phenomenon, but I personally like gender-specific names more than the gender-neutral names.

That being said, I thought I would list some more modern examples of names that switched sides or can be considered a "gender-bender" in which both sexes use them equally.

Boy Names that are now seen mostly, if not exclusively, on girls today:

Madison
Addison
McKenzie
Aubrey
Lynn
Courtney
Lane
Brooke
Vivian
Evelyn
Clair
Emory

Newly-Appointed "Uni-sex" names (Names that Girls are trying to steal but Boys still primarily use):

Blake
Jordan
Taylor
Quinn
Harley
Camden
London
Bailey
Sawyer
Emerson
Elliott
Morgan
Austin
Tyler
Dylan
Ryan (?!)
James (?!)

Gender-Benders (Frequently used for both genders. These are the names that may cause confusion and lead to " Is that a boy or a girl?" questions.)

Rowan
Riley
Avery
Finley
Spencer
Skylar
Jayden/Jaidyn
Sidney/Sydney
Peyton
Reese
Hayden
Cameron
Devon
Micah
Rory
Parker
Sascha

Click here for even more unisex names and see their boy-to-girl ratios!

Perhaps certain sounds are just more acceptable on a girl. Vowels like A and E as well as soft letters like L, and names ending in -ie or -y usually seem more feminine.  Yet the opposite hardly ever happens, where a boy is given a name that is primarily associated with females.

What do you think of this trend? Would you name your daughter Hunter or Levi? Would you name your son Vivian or Evelyn?   Do any of the names above need to be switched to a different category? Let me know!