Ramsey

The name Ramsey was originally a surname. It comes from a place name meaning "wild-garlic island" in Old English. I came across this name as the name of a town on the Isle of Man. This month's World Wide Wednesday will focus on Manx names. Ramsey is also spelled as Rhumsaa in Manx.

According to Behind the Name, Ramsay is a variant of Ramsey. It is used mostly in Scotland as a surname. According to Nameberry, Ramsay is English and means "low-lying land" but Babynames.com says that Ramsay refers to Raven's Island. Clearly there are some meaning discrepancies around the internet, but despite these two names being so similar, it does appear as though they have different meanings.

The Baby Name Wizard says that Ramsay is a variant of Ramsey and that they are both Scottish surnames that originate from several different place-names. I already mentioned the town of Ramsey on the Isle of Man, but it is also said to come from either Hræm's Island, Ram's Island or Ramm's Island. If anyone has more specific information, do share!

The name Ramsey first appeared for American baby boys in 1894 with 7 births. It actually ranked at #933. It wasn't seen again until 1910 with 5 births and it became regularly used after that. Ramsey popped up on the girl's side in 1965 with 5 births and is still in use now with 55 births in 2012 for a ranking of #3059.

Boy Ramsey began gaining more popularity in the 1970s with its high point being in 1997 with 134 births and a ranking of #976. In 2012, Ramsey was given to 101 baby boys and it ranked at #1557.  It is very nearly a 2:1 boy:girl ratio. I never realized how unisex it is because I've always viewed it as a masculine name. I think Ramsey looks better for a boy and Ramsay would be cute on a girl, however there have only been 29 females named Ramsay in US history, and Ramsay is much less popular for boys than Ramsey. Just compare the two!

Which spelling do you prefer? What would you pair with this name?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Catriona, Elspeth, Fiona, Isla, Mackenzie, Moira, Paisley, Sophie
Brothers: Angus, Calder, Duncan, Finley, Keith, Lachlan, Malcolm, Ross

Middle Name Ideas:
Ramsey Alistair
Ramsey Callum
Ramsey Douglas
Ramsey Frasier

As a Middle Name:
Ewan Ramsey
Hamish Ramsey
Kenneth Ramsey
Stuart Ramsey

Baby Naming Challenge!

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

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?

Baby Names Straight from the Opera House

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

What are your favorite names from the list? Are there any that I should add?

Fletcher

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

Baby Names from Poetry

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.

Below this list, I have chosen my Top 5 favorites that I'd love to see on a modern baby and listed out potential sibling names and middle names. If you'd like to share what your favorite names are (or if I've missed any that should be included) please do so in the comment section!

Angelou Auden Baird Blake Bly Bogan Bronte Byron Campbell Carew Chaucer Corso Crane Cullen Dante Dickinson              Dove Dryden Dylan Eliot Emerson Fletcher Frost Giovanni Hardy Herrick Hugo Jarrell Keats Kenyon Kipling Landor Larkin Lorca Lowell

Lyric Macaulay Marlowe Marvell Merrill Merwin Millay Milton Mistral Morely Moore Morrison Muse Nash Neruda Oliver Owen Paz Poe Poet Quarles Riley Rumi Ruskin Shelley Spenser Sonnet Tennyson Thoreau Vaughan Verlaine Whitman Whittier Wyatt Yeats

My Top 5 Favorites:

1. Auden (Boy or Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Ada, Ella, Emory, Harper, Lennon, Maren, Rumor, Summer

Brothers: Asher, Emerson, Holden, Marek, Nolan, Reese, Sutton, Vance

Middle Name Ideas:

Auden Clark

Auden James

Auden Theodore

Auden Elizabeth

Auden Grace

Auden Scarlett

2. Dante

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Alena, Carys, Daphne, Gianna, Lilith, Ophelia, Stella, Vera

Brothers: Alec, Damian, Luca, Maxwell, Ronan, Sebastian, Vincent, Xavier

Middle Name Ideas:

Dante Alexander

Dante Merrick

Dante Oliver

Dante Theodore

Dante Vincent

3. Hugo

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Audrey, Cecilia, Estella, Imogen, Jasmine, Phoebe, Sabrina, Tabitha

Brothers: Andre, Felix, Hector, Ivan, Julian, Max, Oliver, Samuel

Middle Name Ideas:

Hugo Augustus

Hugo Conrad

Hugo Eames

Hugo Roderick

Hugo Wilder

4. Nash 

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Amara, Cora, Eliza, Fiona, Jade, Mabel, Riley, Tessa

Brothers: Beau, Cole, Drake, Ethan, Gavin, Joel, Maverick, Wyatt

Middle Name Ideas:

Nash Benjamin

Nash Carter

Nash Elliott

Nash Jameson

Nash Roland

5. Sonnet (Girl)

Sibling Name Ideas;

Sisters: Autumn, Bluebell, Felicity, Hope, Karys, Lyric, Soleil, Willow

Brothers: Bridger, Christian, Flynn, Jett, Keller, Mason, Parker, Stone

Middle Name Ideas:

Sonnet Alexandra

Sonnet Caroline

Sonnet Elizabeth

Sonnet Magnolia

Sonnet Olivia

What are your favorite Poetry Names?

Cordelia

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.

Source

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