The Art of Naming

I asked another popularity question recently. "Which Max name is your favorite?"  Then I listed them from the most-popular to the least. 74 votes were cast and there were three top names.

32 percent of you name-artists prefer the name Maxwell and 22 percent would rather go with just plain ol' Max. 20 percent, myself included, voted for the cool Latin Maximus, and 10 percent chose to drop the -us and go with Maxim. The very-long Maximilian only received 6 percent of the vote while the made-up-sounding Maxton had 5%. Bring up the rear was the Spanish Maximo with a single vote.

Let's learn more about these names. Do they all have the same root or do they differ?

Maxwell is actually related to the Scandinavian name Magnus. It comes from a Scottish surname that means "Mack's stream" from the name Mack which is a short form of Magnus combined with the Old English "wella" which means stream.  It was most popular in the US in 2000, ranking at #113 with 3,364 births.  In 2012, there were 3,187 boys born (and 8 girls) which ranked the boy's name at #116.

Max is most known as a short-form of Maximilian (which came from the roman family name Maximilianus which came from the Latin Maximus meaning "greatest) but obviously it can be short for any of the above names, or stand on its own. Max was rather popular from 1914-1938 before it slightly declined in usage. It increased again around 1987 and has been on the up-and-up since then. Its highest rank was in 2011 at #96 with 3,946 births. It fell to #105 last year. Max ranks very well in other countries too.

Maximus is the name I chose for my own son.  It is a Roman family name that is derived from the Latin Maximus meaning "Greatest". There was a Saint Maximus in 7th century Constantinople who was a monk and theologian.  Maximus ranked at #206 in 2012 with 1,835 boys born. It first appeared on the chart in 1997 and gained popularity after the 2000 movie "Gladiator" came out. It had 11 births in 1999, 188 in 2000 and 892 in 2001. Maximus seems to be the root name for many of these other variants.

Maxim is a variant of the Russian Maksim which comes from Maximus. Maxim ranked at #683 in 2012 with 344 births. This name is also popular in England/Wales, Belgium and the Netherlands. I think it is a cute name on its own, or as a nickname for Maximus or Maximilian. Too bad there is a racy magazine with the name that somewhat taints the awesomeness of the name Maxim.

Maximilian, again, comes from the Roman name Maximilianus which comes from Maximus. There was a 3rd century saint and martyr with the name. In the 15th century, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III blended together the names of generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus to get Maximilian for his son. In the US, Maximilian ranks at #464 with 582 births in 2012. When it is spelled with two L's, it ranks at #1279 with 136 births.

Maxton doesn't seem to have a solid history that I can find information on. It reminds me of a modern-sounding name like Paxton, even though Paxton does have a history behind it. No doubt parents wanted the nickname Max but were not a fan of the other long-forms. There were 5 Maxtons born in 1927 and 1953; it wasn't used again until 1985. It ranked at #884 in 2012 with 235 births.

Maximo is a name that I originally considered before falling for Maximus. It is the Spanish form of Maximus pronounced MAHK-see-mo.  There were 5 births in 1903 and then it gained regular usage in 1914. It first entered the top 1000 chart in 2002 at #933. In 2012, it ranked at #920 with 222 births. It is more popular than it has been in the past but it is still fairly unused. A handsome alternative to more-popular Spanish boy names that end with -o.

Additionally, here are the number of births in 2012 for Max and all of the longer formal names that could lead to Max as a nickname:

Max Variants on Record:

Max: 3,663 born in 2012.
Maxwell: 3,187 born.
Maximus: 1,835 born
Maximiliano: 975 born.
Maximilian: 582 born
Maxim: 344 born
Maxton: 235 born
Maximo: 222 births
Maksim: 161 births (Maks = Max in sound)
Maximillian: 136 births
Maxon: 66 births
Maxson: 44 births
Maximos: 24 births
Maxen: 22 births
Maxten: 9 births

Add that up, you get 11,505 "Maxs" born in 2012.

Which is your favorite Max name? Let me know in the comments below!

The name Mara seems to come from a few different possible origins. Firstly, Mara is a Hebrew name that means "bitter". It was taken by Naomi in the Old Testament at Ruth 1:20.  Since it does mean "bitter" or "sorrow", she took it as an expression of her grief after her husband and sons died.


As another possibility, Mara is the Hungarian variant of Maria and the Croatian and Serbian variant of Marija.  Of course Maria is the Latin form of the Greek Μαρια which comes from the Hebrew  מִרְיָם or Mary.  Marija also comes from Maria.  The name Mary comes from the Hebrew name  מִרְיָם  or Miryam which does not have a known meaning. Theories include "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness" and "wished for child." However! There is a possibility that Mary comes from an Egyptian name that is partly derived from mry which means "beloved," or mr which means "love".

Whew! Sorry about all of that technical jargon. The point is, even though this name potentially means "bitter", Mary and Maria are notably two of the most-used feminine names in history. None of the parents over the years seemed to mind that it means "bitter" so I don't think parents today will care either.

Mara is a beautiful name: she is short and sassy, sweet and bold.  She's also related to a ton of other M names that come in various languages like Miriam, Mariska, Marilyn, Molly, Marielle, Mia, Moira, Maureen, and Marianne.

As for popularity, Mara is sitting in the sweet spot between common and unusual. She ranks at #800 in the US. Mara first appeared in the US in 1892 when it was used for 6 baby girls. It was not on record again until 1911 when it gained regular usage. The birth count hit triple digits in 1951, peaking at 441 births in 1990 (#539).  Mara has consistently been in the Top 1000 since 1950.

Source

Famous Maras include 3 actresses: Mara Wilson, Kate Mara and Rooney Mara. There is also a fashion designer named Mara Hoffman.   On the mythological side, Mara (or Marzanna) is the Slavic goddess of winter, death and harvest.  Mara is also a goddess in Latvian myths.

What do you think of this name? Do you prefer a different variation of Mary?

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Abigail, Anna, Clara, Elena, Hannah, Leah, Naomi, Ruth, Vera
Brothers: Asher, Eli, Henry, Ian,  Jonah, Liam, Nathan, Noah, Sean

Middle Name Ideas: 
Mara Abilene
Mara Elizabeth
Mara Genevieve
Mara Josephine
Mara June

As a Middle Name:
Anneliese Mara
Eleanor Mara
Lillian Mara
Lorelei Mara
Violet Mara

I have seen many families with a 4-letter name theme for their children. Others just like names that are short and sweet without nickname possibilities. Whatever your reason is for wanting a 4-letter name, you've come to the right place!

Here are 300 of the best 4-letter names for girls that I could find! I'm sure there are many more but I hand-selected these ones to represent The Art of Naming's favorites!  Which of these do you like?

Abby Abra Addy Aida Aila Aine Alba Alix Ally Alma Alva Anna Anne Anya Aria Aris Arya Asha Asta Aura Avia Avis Avra Ayla Azul Bess Beth Bree Bria Brie Bryn Cady Caia Cait Cali Cami Cara Cass Cate Cecy Clea Cleo Clio Cora Cori Cyra Daci Dana Dara Dawn Deja Demi Desi Dina Dora Edda Eden Edie Edna Effy Eila Eira Elba Elia Elin Ella Elle Elsa Elsy Elva Emma Emme Emmy               Enid Enna Enya Erie Erin Esme Esta Etta Eula Evan Evia Evie Eyre Fawn Faye Fern Gaia Gail Geri Gina Gray Gwen Gwyn Hena Hera Hope Ibis Idra Ilsa Ines Inez Inga Iola Ione Iris Irma Isis Isla Isra Jacy Jada Jade Jael Jana Jane Jean Jeri Jess Jill Joan Jody Joss Judy July June Juno Kacy Kady Kaia Kali Kara Kari Kate Katy Kaye Kiva Klea Kora Kris Kyla Kyra Lacy Lana Lane Lara Lark Leah Leia

Lena Leta Lexi Lila Lily Lina Lisa Lois Lola Lori Lucy Lulu Luna Lupe Luxe Lyla Lynn Lyra Macy Maia Mara Mary Maud Maya Medb Mika Mila Mina Mira Mona Moon Mora Myah Myla Myra Nala Nara Nava Naya Nell Neva Neve Nika Niki Nina Nola Nona Noor Nora Nova Nyla Oana Odie Olia Oona Opal Orla Page Peri Plum Poet Posy Pria Prim Prue Rain Raya Reba Remi Remy Rhea Rian Risa Rita Roma Romy Rory Rosa Rose Roxy Ruby Ruth Sade Sage Sana Sara Sela Sera Shae Shay Shea Siri Skye Sose Star Suki Suri Susy Suze Suzy Sean Tacy Taja Tali Tara Tavi Taya Teri Tess Thea Tina Toni Tori True Tyra Ulla Veda Vega Vela Vera Vida Vita Viva Vivi Vola Vrai Wren Xena Xoey Yael Yara Ylva Ynez Yoko Yume Yvie Zana Zara Zaya Zela Zena Zion Ziva Zoey Zola Zoya Zula Zura Zuzu

Don't forget to take a look at the list of The Very Best Four-Letter Boy's Names too!

The four-letter name of the week is one that is being revived for both boys and girls. It has a modern feel to it and is certainly attractive on both genders, however I prefer it for a boy.

Rémy is a French name that comes from the Latin name Remigius which was derived from the Latin remigis meaning "oarsman".  It was also the name of a fifth century saint.


This name, when said in its French form, is pronounced ray-MEE. However you can get by with just REM-ee in the US, especially without the accent mark over the e. Another variant is Rémi or Remi. The Italians, Portuguese and Spanish prefer the name Remigio.

The name appears on French alcoholic beverages: Rémy Cointreau is the company and they have a brandy called Rémy Martin.

In pop culture, there is a band called Remy Zero; and the main character in the film Ratatouille is named Remy. There are also a few geographical locations with this name. As for famous namesakes who have Remy as a first name or a surname, the list is far too long for this blog. Take a look here if you want to view it.

Statistically, the name breaks down like this for the year 2012:
Remy (Boy): #891 with 233 births
Remy (Girl): #1237 with 195 births
Remi (Boy): #2074 with 66 births
Remi (Girl): #1036 with 242 births

So according to this data, it is fair to say that the Remy spelling is more commonly used for boys, while Remi is a bit more feminine. However, it is clearly very unisex overall.

Boy Remy and Boy Remi were used in the US well before either girl spelling.  Remy was first used on 6 boys in 1914 and Remi followed the next year with 8 births. Females began receiving these names much later. Remi appeared on the record for girls in 1963 with 5 births and Remy followed the next year, also with 5 births. At least these names seem to travel together!

It wasn't until the late 70s and early 80s that these 4 names were regularly used every year, and it is only in the past decade that they've gained a boost in usage. Despite this, none of the spellings have ever been in the Top 1000 except for Boy Remy who cracked the barrier in 2009. Girl Remi may be next!

I favor Remy for a boy over all of these. While I love the French spelling and pronunciation, I can't help but like the Americanized REM-ee a little bit more.  However, for Francophones, I definitely recommend Rémy paired with a French middle name.  Which spelling do you prefer for which gender and which pronunciation do you like best?


Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amelie, Benoite, Claire, Eloise, Helene, Jovie, Lydia, Nadine, Odette, Sophie, Vivienne
Brothers: Armand, Bastien, Dashiell, Eben, Finn, Jasper, Lucien, Pascal, Rupert, Soren, Thierry

Middle Name Ideas (Boy):
Remy Alexandre
Remy Benoit
Remy Gervais
Remy Laurent
Remy Olivier
Remy Sebastien

Middle Name Ideas (Girl):
Remy Alaina
Remy Beatrice
Remy Diane
Remy Isabelle
Remy Nicolette
Remy Simone

Four-letter boy names are in a class of their own! They have to be strong, bold and handsome all within a very short amount of space.


It is important that these names pack a punch! Here are 460 of the very best four-letter names for boys! Which is your favorite?

Abel         Adam Adan   Adin Ajax   Alai Alan Aldo Alec Alek Alex   Ames Amir   Amos Andy Aram Arch Ardo Ares Aric Arik Aris Arlo Arne Aron Arvo       Aviv Axel   Aziz Bard Bart Bear Beau Beck Bert Biel Bill Bing   Birk Blue Boaz Bode Bolt Bond Boyd Brad Bram Bran Bret Brit   Bryn Buck Burn Burt   Cade Cael Cage Cain Caio Cale Cane Carl Cary Case Cash Cato Celt Chad Chaz Chet Chip Cian Ciel Clay   Cobb Coby Cody Coen Cole Colt Cory Crew Cris Cruz Curt Cyan     Dale Daly Dana Dane Dash   Dave Davy   Dean   Dell Deon   Dion Dior Dirk Doak       Doug Drew Duke Earl Eben Eddy Eden Edge Edin Eion Elam Elan Elio Elis Eliu Elmo   Eloy   Emet Emil Emir   Emry Enos Enzo Eoin   Eric Erik Eron Eros Esau Euan Evan   Ewan Ewen Ezio Ezra   Fife Finn Ford Fran Fred Frey Fynn Gabe Gael Gage Gale   Gary Gene Gian Gibb Gino Glen Gray Greg Grey

Hale         Hank Hans   Hawk Herb Hiro Holt Hoyt Huck Huey Hugh Hugo Hume Hunt Hyde   Iago Idan   Iggy Igor Iker Ilan Iman Ingo Iolo         Ivan Iven Iver Ives Ivey Ivor Iwan Izzy Jace Jack Jaco Jago Jair Jake Jame Jase Jeff Jehu Jens Jere Jess Jett     Joab João   Joby   Joel Joey John Jory José Josh Joss Jove Jovi Juan Judd Jude   Kace Kade   Kael   Kage Kale Kane Karl   Kash Kato   Kean Keir   Kent   Kerr Khai Khan Kian Kiel Kiev   King Kirk Kirt Knox Knut Kobe Koby Koda Kody Koen Kole   Kory Kris Kurt   Kyle Ladd Lael Lake Lane Lann Lars     Leif Leon Leto Levi Liam Liev Link   Loïc   Loki Lowe Luca Ludo Luis Luiz Luka Luke Lyle Lynn Lyon Lyre Mace Mack Maël Maik Mako Måns Marc Mark   Mars Máté Matt Mick   Mike   Milo Mitt Mose Moss Myer Nash Nate Neal Neil Neon Nero Nick Nico Niko Nils Nino Noah Noam Noel Nyle

Obed Odin Odis Olaf Olan Olav Oleg Olen Olin   Olmo Omar   Omni Omri   Onyx Opus   Orin Oris     Otis   Otto Owen Paco   Paul Penn   Pete Petr Phil Piet Pike Pius Polk   Qais Quin Rael Rafe   Ralf   Raul   Reed Reef   Reid   Rémi Rémy Rene Reno   Rhys   Rich Rick Rico Roan Robb Roby Rock Roel Roen Rohn Rolf   Rome Rook Rory Ross Roux Rudy     Russ Ryan   Saul Scot Sean Seth Shad Shai Shaw Shay Shea Shia Shon   Sian   Skip   Stan   Sven   Tadj Taft Tahj Taig Taio Tait Tate     Teal Thad   Theo Thor Tino Tito Toby Todd Tony   Tory Tosh Tove   Trey Troy Tuck   Umar Unai Utah   Vash     Vern Vian Vine Vinh Vito Wade Wael   Walt Ward   Webb West Will Witt   Wolf     Wynn Xabi Xyan Yael   Yale Yann York   Yule Yuri Yvan Yves Yvon Zach Zack Zaid Zain Zale Zane Zayd Zayn Zeal   Zeke   Zeno   Zeus Ziad Zion Zuma

If you're looking for short boy names in particular, you might also like this post about One-Syllable Boy Names.  Don't forget to check out the list of 4-letter Girl Names too!

The Girl's Name of the Week also comes from my Australian research. The name is currently ranked at #130 in Australia and gaining popularity! The lovely name is Freya.


Freya is a Nordic name meaning "a noble woman". The Norse goddess of love, beauty and fertility was named Freya.  However, this is not the usual spelling in Sweden and Denmark. In those countries, it is spelled Freja and in Norway it is Frøja, but Freya is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English.

This moniker has been rather popular in the UK for quite a while! It ranks at #16 in Scotland, #19 in England and Wales, #53 in Northern Ireland and #61 in the Republic of Ireland. In Victoria, Australia, Freya is currently ranked at #130.

As for the United States, this name was first seen in 1931 on 5 baby girls.  It wasn't until 1939 that it saw more regular usage, however many years had single digit births or none at all. Finally in 2007 the name hit the triple digit mark with 109 babies born. Freya's high-peak was 205 births in 2011 for a ranking of #1175. Last year, the name declined slightly with 180 births and a ranking of #1301.



Clearly the States have not caught on to the beauty of this name like the UK and Australia have. While I would like to see it gain a bit more popularity, I do like to keep some names obscure as well. I feel like this name is in the sweet-spot between obscurity and familiarity.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Astrid, Carys, Dagny, Elsa, Imogen, Ingrid, Jeneve, Kirsi, Maren, Sigrid, Thora
Brothers: Axel, Connor, Eric, Gunnar, Harry, Jacob, Knute, Leif, Ragnar, Soren, Thurston

Middle Name Ideas:
Freya Josephine
Freya Elise
Freya Scarlett
Freya Brigit
Freya Dagmar
Freya Elin
Freya Hanne
Freya Maren

As a Middle Name:
Halle Freya
Kiersten Freya
Signe Freya
Catherine Freya
Annabelle Freya
Natalie Freya

What do you think of this lovely name and what would you pair with it? Let me know!

Featured Australian Names: Rafferty &  Freya

For this month's World-Wide Wednesday, I thought I'd explore a land that is more similar to the US than the previously featured countries. I'm talking about "the land down under."

In my research, I couldn't find any information about specific baby naming customs or traditions, but the continent definitely has some regulations in place.  Obviously, like most places, obscene or offensive names or words cannot be used. A name may not be exceedingly long to where it becomes impractical, nor can it contain special characters or punctuation.

Any name that resembles an official rank or title like Lord, Lady, Princess, Queen, Father, Sir, Admiral or Doctor are not allowed, but one that slipped through the cracks is Duke. Click here for a bit more information on other naming laws and regulations throughout Australia.

Like the US and other English-speaking countries, Aussie children traditionally are given their father's last name, however some parents opt for a hyphenated combination of both their last names.  If the parents are not married, the child will be given the mother's surname unless both parents agree to using the father's. Occasionally, the mother's maiden name will become the middle name.

What makes some Australian given names unique is their own distinctive blend of cultures, including some influence from indigenous languages. The native Australian Aborigines are said to have as many as 27 language families within Australia and a few nearby islands that  offer some rare phonetic sounds. These names not only sound unique to the American ear, but they also have specific meanings that have more of a nature feel to them than we're use to seeing.

A few examples include:
Arika - G - "A Waterlily"
Burnum - B - "A great warrior"
Camira - G - "Of the wind"
Dheran - B - "A gully"
Elouera - G - "From the pleasant place"
Gelar - B - " A brother"
Habya - G - "A stone"
Jerara - B - "Falling water"
Kirra - G - "A leaf"
Lowan - B - "A mallee fowl"
Mayrah - G - "Spring, or the wind"
Nambur - B - A tea-tree"
Orana - G - "The moon"
Pindan - B - "A desert"
Tarana - G - "A large waterhole"
Warrun - B - "The sky"
Yara - G - "A seagull"

Click here for a large list of Aboriginal baby names. 

As for non-Aboriginal names, there are many Aussie favorites that are also popular in the US and the UK. This is what Australia's Top 20 looked like in 2012 when all of the various spellings were combined:

1. Charlotte 2. Ruby 3. Lily/Lilly 4. Olivia 5. Chloe 6. Sophie 7. Emily 8. Mia 9. Amelia 10. Ava 11. Isabella 12. Sophia/Sofia 13. Ella 14. Grace 15. Sienna 16. Maddison/Madison 17. Zoe 18. Matilda 19. Emma 20. Isla

1. Jack 2. William 3. Noah 4. Ethan 5. Oliver 6. Thomas 7. Lucas 8. James 9. Cooper 10. Jackson/Jaxon 11. Lachlan 12. Liam 13. Joshua 14. Jacob 15. Samuel 16. Alexander 17. Mason 18. Max 19. Benjamin 20. Charlie

Check out Waltzing More Than Matilda's excellent comparison of popular Australian names and how they rank in the US.  Here is a snippet from that article that highlights names that are rarely used in the US but are popular in Australia!:

#AustraliaRank  NAME -  US DATA

#97 Ebony – 93 births (last charted 2005)
#45 Imogen – 111 births (never charted)
#64 Indiana – 33 births (last charted in 1893)
?     Milla – 135 births (never charted)
#57 Poppy – 171 births (never charted)
#77 Tahlia – 108 births (never charted)

#57 Angus – 83 births (last charted 1948)
#46 Archie – 93 births (last charted 1988)
#75 Bailey – 121 births (last charted 2009, Top 100 for girls)
#85 Darcy – 9 births (last charted for boys 1970, more common for girls)
#72 Hamish – 15 births (never charted)
#10 Lachlan – 183 births (never charted)
#56 Nate – 101 births (never charted)
#90 Zac – 73 births (never charted)

The owner of the blog "Waltzing More Than Matilda," Anna Otto, shared with me some names that stood out to her:  "Tahlia is popular here, and Banjo, Allira and Tasman are rising and fashionable." She mentions even more names in this article that include Allegra, Bridie, Freya, Kirrily and Zali for girls; as well as Bede, Digby, Fergus, Quade and Rafferty for boys.

It goes to show that the two countries share a liking for many of the same names but there are also some vast differences when it comes to popularity.  From Aboriginal names to rare-in-the-US choices like Imogen and Lachlan, Australia has some great baby names!

I don't know about you, but I'm always fascinated by other countries. Which of the above names would you like to see gain some popularity in the States?