The Art of Naming

This is essentially a game. Just for fun, try to come up with some amazing names for the following four hypothetical children:

Boy/Girl Twins:
Girl's first name starts with either A, C, E, or G.
Girl's middle name is either a botanical name or a quirky and unusual name.

Boy's first name starts with either B, D, F or H.
Boy's middle name is either an old-fashioned, vintage name or a literary name.

Girl:
Her first name starts with either I, K, M, or O.
Her middle name is either an ancient name or something virtuous.

Boy:
His first name starts with either J, L, N, or P.
His middle name is either an occupational surname or a colonial choice.


Feel free to post your names in the comment section below, on our Facebook page or just smile about them to yourself. :)

My names:
Alice Magnolia
Damian Barnaby
Isla Melisent
Jack Thaddeus

Have fun! Thanks for playing!

Leonora is the Italian short form of the name Eleonora or Eleanor. It comes from the Occitan name Aliénor which comes from the Ancient Germanic name Aenor. Its meaning is unknown. Check out the family tree to see which other names are related!


With boys names like Leo, Leonard, Leonardo and Leonidas starting to gain more and more popularity, could this feminine "leo" name follow suit? She is not related to these leonine names but she does start with the same three letters. Even if Leo is more of a boy thing, Leonora could go by Leo if she's tomboyish. It could also be spelled Leanora to get the Lea nickname instead. But the adorable nickname Nora is always a great option! With Eleanor making strides, I don't see why Leonora couldn't follow!

In line with this week's post about operatic baby names, Leonora is a distinctive choice. She has appeared in three major operas! She was a heroine in both Beethoven's Fidelio and Verdi's Il Trovatore. There was also an opera titled Leonora by William Henry Fry, and a ballad by Gottfried August Burger called Lenore which is another form of Leonora.  Along with a few novels with this name as the title and a few characters in film, Leonora is a great historical and cultured name.

Source

This name ranked in the Top 1000 US Names from 1880-1943 but has since lost its luster. As of 2012, there were only 29 girls given this name which ranks it at #4880. Leonora would be a beautiful and unique choice for a modern baby girl!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Antonia, Dorothea, Francesca, Gabriella, Josephina, Raphaela, Veronica
Brothers: Alessandro, Donovan, Florian, Giovanni, Maximilian, Richard, William

Middle Name Ideas: 
Leonora Camille
Leonora Celeste
Leonora Estelle
Leonora June
Leonora Sibyl

As a Middle Name:
Beatrice Leonora
Grace Leonora
Juno Leonora
Neve Leonora
Sylvie Leonora

What would you pair with this elegant name?

The Opera. What do you think of when you hear those words? I picture a magnificent stage surrounded by flowing red curtains. Rows and rows of seats and balconies high in the air overlooking the stage. The music and costuming are spectacular.

Everything about the opera is high-culture and high-class. That includes the baby names that are most frequently associated with the opera.  In fact, this list contains just that!   With such a wide variety of names to choose from, which is your favorite?

Abagaille                         Aida Alcina Altoun Andres Annina Basilio Bello Benoit Betto Bianca Boris Carmen Claudius Despina Drago Elena Elettra Elsa Elvino Ferrando Fiorello Floria Gilda Giovanna Giovanni Gunther Isolde Juliette Katisha Leonora

Lolette Lucia Maddalena Manon Marcellina Marcello Marguerite Micaela Mimi Musetta Nardo Nedda Ottavio Pamina Pizarro Ramiro Rocco Romeo Rosina Seneca Silvano Silvio Suzuki Tamino Tatyana Tonio Tristan Tybalt Valentin Violetta Zerlina

My Top 5 Favorites:

1. Benoit

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ameline, Colette, Elodie, Giselle, Juliette, Simone
Brothers: Aimon, Dashiell, Gervais, Lucien, Olivier

Middle Name Ideas:
Benoit Alexandre
Benoit Gaston
Benoit Macon
Benoit Rupert
Benoit Sebastien

As a Middle Name:
Armand Benoit
Edward Benoit
Henry Benoit
Laurent Benoit
Remy Benoit

2. Elsa

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabel, Brigit, Freya, Kirstie, Lena, Sophie
Brothers: Alfie, Daniel, Gunnar, Ian, Leif, Ragnar

Middle Name Ideas:
Elsa Catherine
Elsa Dagny
Elsa Maren
Elsa Penelope
Elsa Sigrid

As a Middle Name:
Briar Elsa
Clare Elsa
Hetty Elsa
Lillian Elsa
Rosamund Elsa

3. Micaela

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alexandra, Cordelia, Hannah, Natalie, Olivia, Rebecca
Brothers: Andrew, Daniel, Gabriel, Jackson, Matthew, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas:
Micaela Breanne
Micaela Grace
Micaela Jane
Micaela Louise
Micaela Wren

As a Middle Name:
Cecily Micaela
Elise Micaela
Hazel Micaela
Piper Micaela
Violet Micaela

4. Ottavio

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alessia, Bettina, Cosima, Fiorella, Katarina, Natalia
Brothers: Delano, Giovanni, Lazzaro, Massimo, Raffaello, Vinicio

Middle Name Ideas:
Ottavio Anthony
Ottavio Benedict
Ottavio Dominic
Ottavio Marcellus
Ottavio Vincent

As a Middle Name:
Amadeus Ottavio
Calvin Ottavio
Florian Ottavio
Miles Ottavio
Silas Ottavio

5. Rocco

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Bianca, Gianna, Isabella, Leonora, Rosina, Sophia
Brothers: Alfredo, Cassius, Luca, Maximilian, Roman, Sebastian

Middle Name Ideas:
Rocco Alastair
Rocco Dominic
Rocco Isaiah
Rocco Nicholas
Rocco Sterling

As a Middle Name:
August Rocco
Barnaby Rocco
Evan Rocco
Julius Rocco
Silas Rocco

Fletcher is originally a surname that refers to a person who fletches arrows as their occupation. It is a Middle English name meaning "arrow maker" which comes from the Old French flechier. It is a surname but it has a tough, masculine feel to it with a bit of unique quirkiness added in.


Following this week's post about names inspired by poetry, there was a poet named Thomas Fletcher (1666-1713) who was also a priest of the Church of England.  John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright (1579-1625) who took over Shakespeare's role as the house playwright for the King's Men. Click here to view many more famous namesakes including several fictional characters named Fletcher.

This name has been in regular use since 1880 in the US. It had a boost in popularity in 1914 that lasted through the early 1950s before it declined again. However it was in the top 1000 names from 1880-1971, and 1985-1986. The year 1998 saw another boost, catapulting the name back into the Top 1000 in 2003 at #991.  In 2012, Fletcher saw 283 births which put the name at a ranking of #791.

It fits right in with other occupational surnames like Carter (#36), Hunter (#45), Tyler (#50), Parker (#80) and Cooper (#82).  Fletcher currently ranks at #220 in England/Wales.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Audrey, Charlotte, Macy, Piper, Sophia, Willow
Brothers: Bennett, Holden, Jack, Nathan, Oliver, Tobiah

Middle Name Ideas:
Fletcher Augustus
Fletcher Benjamin
Fletcher Daniel
Fletcher Miles
Fletcher Reid

As a Middle Name:
Adam Fletcher
Ethan Fletcher
Gabriel Fletcher
Owen Fletcher
Vincent Fletcher

Source

There is something about the surname of poets that just happens to be, well, poetic. Not only do they have a way with words, but these poets have also left us some amazing baby name options to choose from!  Whether you studied poetry in school or just secretly love it, these names might just be what you're looking for!  There are also a few words included that are related to poetry.

The girl name Cordelia is a lovely, elegant and unique option! With nickname possibilities like Cora, Della and Lia, it is both cute for a baby and beautiful for a woman.


The name Cordelia comes from Cordeilla which is a Celtic name with unknown meaning. However, the name is often associated with the Latin word cor or cordis which means "heart". Some sites also say that it means "Daughter of the Sea". So I suppose you can take your pick of meanings!

Based on the legendary Queen Cordeilla, she was a character in Shakespeare's play King Lear written in 1606. He altered the spelling from the original Cordeilla to the modern Cordelia. In the play, she was the youngest of King Lear's three daughters and the only one that remained loyal to him.

Another literary reference to the name comes from the heroine of Anne of Green Gables who said "I would love to be called Cordelia. It's such a perfectly elegant name."

This name has been in regular usage since 1880 in the US. It received a small boost in popularity from 1915-1927 before slowing down a bit through the rest of the century. Right around 2002, the name once again gained a slight boost. In 2012 there were 204 baby girls given the name which puts it at a ranking of #1196.  The name has not been in the Top 1000 since 1950.

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So while this name is familiar, it is still in unranked territory which makes it delightfully underused. Your child would be unique among her peers but also have plenty of history behind her name. I would call this name adorably elegant.

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Annabel, Beatrice, Cecily, Eleanor, Juliet, Matilda, Sabrina, Violet
Brothers: Alistair, August, Charles, Elijah, James, Jasper, Sebastian, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Cordelia Eve
Cordelia Jane
Cordelia Maeve
Cordelia Pearl
Cordelia Ruth

As a Middle Name:
Alice Cordelia
Mabel Cordelia
Phoebe Cordelia
Scarlett Cordelia
Zoey Cordelia

Source

The term "literature" covers a grand spectrum of novels. Most of these names come from the classic masterpieces that have touched the hearts of readers for decades. While I cannot possibly list every name of every character in every book ever written, this is definitely a pretty good list to start with if you're in need of a literary moniker.

Below this list, I have handpicked my favorites that I think would be darling for a modern day girl. Then I went one step further and paired them with a couple middle name ideas and listed a few potential sibling name ideas to help you decide if you'd truly want to consider adding said names to your short-list. After all, that's the whole point of a list like this: to help you find the perfect name for your child!

If you'd like to join in the fun, please feel free to choose your favorite names from the list and share a few middle name options that would make you fall in love with the name as a whole. And do tell if you already have any of these on your shortlist!

Alabama Alhambra Alia Alma Amaryllis Amoret Arabella Aravis Ariadne Atalanta Aurora Bathsheba Bella Bennington                   Blue Brett Briana Briony Calixta Calliope Catalina Catriona Charity Charmian Clarice Clarissa Clea Clelia Cordelia Cosette Cressida Dahlia Daisy Denver Desdemona Domenica Ellis Eloise Emma Esme Evangeline Fancy Faunia Feather Fig Fleur Ginevra Guinevere Hana Haydée Hermione Hester Honora Honoria Hyacinth Isadora Isolde Jacy Jadine Juliet Juniper

Juno Kiki Kinsey Lavinia Lolita Lucinda Lux Maisie Malta Mamie Marigold Marin Matilda Melanctha Mercy Narcissa Nenna Nerissa Ninetta Niobe Octavia Orleanna Pansy Pecola Petal Peyton Pilar Pleasant Portia Prairie Precious Rain Ramona Remarkable Romola Rosamond Sai Scarlett Scout Serafina Sethe Sheba Sidda Snow Flower Sugar Sula Sweeney Sylvie Tamora Tamsin Temple Thea Thisbe Undine Velvet Verena Vida Viola Viviette Zenobia Zora Zuleika

As a side-note, I'm not very well-read so I wouldn't know if any of these names belong to dastardly and despicable characters or not. Please do your own research before fully committing to a name. It is always a good idea to know who your child's main "namesakes" are and what the general opinion is of said characters.  If I had a bit more time in my daily life I would love to research these thoroughly but that may lead to hours and hours of Wikipedia page hopping. You know how it is. It would end up being faster to read each novel individually. ;)  At the moment, I am simply choosing these names because I think they are beautiful in sound.

Don't forget to check out the list of Boy Names from Literature too!

My Top Ten Favorites: