Vivian

Vivian is a vintage name that is currently popular for girls again. Since the middle ages, Vivian has also been used for males. Especially in modern times (or at least since 1880 in the US), this name is predominantly female despite the name still being given to boys here and there.

The name Vivian comes from the Latin name Vivianus which was taken from the Latin word vivus which means "alive". However, as a feminine name, Vivian is also said to be an Anglicized form of the name Bébinn  which means "fair lady" in Irish Gaelic. This form has been used by several women in Irish mythology including the goddess of childbirth.

The spelling Vivien was first used by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his epic Idylls of the King in 1859. It is said that he either based it on Vivienne, (which is the French form of Viviana which comes from Vivian), or it could have been a misreading of Ninian. However, the theory that Ninian leads to Vivian is uncertain. Click here to view the different family trees and possible origins of these names.

Somewhere around 1911 the name Vivian skyrocketed in popularity for girls. Vivian hit her popularity peak in 1920 with 4,128 births. It wasn't until the 1960s that this name began to lose its momentum, falling back to the same low levels previously seen pre-1911. Then suddenly, parents of the late 1990s and early 2000s began to see this name with fresh eyes!

By the latest records, 2012, Vivian was halfway back to her former levels of glory with 2,240 births for the year and an impressive ranking of #141. I suspect that this name will only climb higher as per the 100-year rule and hit a new peak somewhere before or around 2020.

The name Vivien is not currently ranked in the Top 1000. For a girl, it only had 189 births in 2012. This is the spelling used by Old Hollywood actress Vivien Leigh of Gone with the Wind fame. However, the French Vivienne is gaining popularity every year. She had 978 births in 2012 for a ranking of #322. Lovely Viviana ranked #478 in 2012 with 637 births while counterpart Vivianna had 156 births and did not rank in the top 1000. Which form of Vivian do you like the best?

Sibling Name Ideas: 
Sisters: Audrey, Eleanor, June, Liliana, Olivia, Serena, Valentina
Brothers: Benjamin, Edmund,  Lucas, Noah, Samuel, Trenton, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Vivian Celeste
Vivian Genevieve
Vivian Joy
Vivian Seraphina

As a Middle Name:
Abigail Vivian
Charlotte Vivian
Esme Vivian
Mabel Vivian

What would you pair with Vivian?

Girl Names of Old Hollywood

Old Hollywood was such a glamorous time! The female celebrities from "the golden era" are still admired for their beauty, grace, elegance, and poise. Even after all these years have gone by, somehow these celebrities still remain relevant and interesting in everything from their fashion sense to the classic films they starred in to their lovely names that continue to inspire parents to this very day!

There were so many beautiful celebrities with amazing names that I just listed the first one I came across with that first name, even though I know there are many more that may have also had that name. I hope I did not forget anyone but if I did, please let me know in the comments below!

Which of these Old Hollywood names are your favorites? Would you ever use one of them for a daughter? Have you already? Do share! These are listed by first (and last) name.

AGNES (Moorehead)                         ANNE (Baxter) ANITA (Page) AUDREY (Hepburn) AVA (Gardner) BARBARA (Stanwyck) BETTE (Davis) BRIGITTE (Bardot) CAROLE (Lombard) CLARA (Bow) CLAUDETTE (Colbert) CYD (Charisse) DEBORAH (Kerr) DONNA (Reed) DOROTHY (Dandridge) ELIZABETH (Taylor) ELSA (Lanchester) ETHEL (Barrymore) EVA MARIE (Saint) FAY (Wray) FRANCES (Farmer) GENE (Tierney) GERALDINE (Fitzgerald) GINA (Lollobrigida) GINGER (Rogers) GLORIA (Swanson) GRACE (Kelly) GREER (Garson) GRETA (Garbo) HATTIE (McDaniel) HEDY (Lamarr) HELEN (Hayes) INGRID (Bergman) IRENE (Dunne) JANE (Russell) JANET (Gaynor) JEAN (Harlow) JEANNE (Crain) JENNIFER (Jones)

JOAN (Collins) JUDY (Garland) JUNE (Allyson) KATHARINE (Hepburn) LANA (Turner) LAUREN (Bacall) LILLIAN (Gish) LINDA (Darnell) LORETTA (Young) LOUISE (Brooks) LUCILLE (Ball) MABEL (Normand) MAE (West) MARILYN (Monroe) MARION (Davies) MARLENE (Dietrich) MARY (Pickford) MAUREEN (O'Hara) MERCEDES (McCambridge) MERLE (Oberon) MIRIAM (Hopkins) MYRNA (Loy) NATALIE (Wood) NORMA (Shearer) OLIVE (Thomas) OLIVIA (de Havilland) PATRICIA (Neal) RITA (Hayworth) ROSALIND (Russell) SHIRLEY (Temple) SOPHIA (Loren) SUSAN (Hayward) TALLULAH (Bankhead) TERESA (Wright) THEDA (Bara) VERA (Miles) VERONICA (Lake) VIVIEN (Leigh)

Don't forget to take a look at the list of Boy Names of Old Hollywood as well!

The Many Character Names of Cary Grant

The late Hollywood film actor Cary Grant was actually born as Archibald Alexander Leach in 1904. He was best known for his dashing good looks and his transatlantic accent. As one of classic Hollywood's leading men, he had many roles over his 34 year acting career.

It is worth noting that since his career spanned from 1932 to 1966, many of these names are rather traditional to the era but they are fun to browse nonetheless!

First and last names will be listed but occasionally they could make for nice first and middle name combos! Which of the following character names is your favorite?

STEPHEN Mathewson                           CHARLIE Baxter NICK Townsend ROMER Sheffield JEFFREY Baxter HENRY Cocker ACE Corbin JACK Clayton MALCOLM Trevor PORTER Madison III MAURICE Lamar JULIAN De Lussac GERALD Fitzgerald KEN Gordon MICHAEL Andrews ANDRE Charville ERNEST Bliss CHARLIE Mason JIMMY Hudson GEORGE Kerby JERRY Warriner JOHNNY Case GEOFF Carter

ALEC Walker WALTER Burns MATT Howard DEXTER Haven ROGER Adams LEOPOLD Dilg PATRICK O'Toole JERRY Flynn MORTIMER Brewster COLE Porter MADISON Brown HENRI Rochard EUGENE Norland Ferguson BARNABY Fulton CLEMSON Reade NICKIE Ferrante ANDY Crewson PHILIP Adams TOM Winters ROGER O. Thornhill VICTOR Rhyall, Earl PETER Joshua WILLIAM Rutland

[Note] This is not a complete list. Since it was so long, I took the liberty to omit character names that did not have a last name, and a few that just weren't very interesting (i.e. I just didn't like them.) View Cary Grant's official IMDB page if you'd like to see his entire filmography. This is about the baby names!

My favorites are Malcolm, Dexter, Leopold, Mortimer and Barnaby. What do you think of this list? Shall I do more for other celebrities? If so, who?

Clark

The masculine name Clark originally comes from the Old English word clerec which actually referred to a priest. Later it became an English surname that means "cleric" or "scribe". It could also refer to a clerk and is associated with the occupational name for a clergyman cleric in a religious setting. Because of these meanings, the name gives the impression of a good and intelligent man.

Famous Clarks include Superman's iconic alias Clark Kent who has been personified by numerous actors and voice talents since its comic book days. There's also Old Hollywood actor Clark Gable best known for his role as Rhett Butler in 1939's Gone with the Wind opposite Viven Leigh. Another association is the American explorer William Clark who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition across America in the early 1800s. Between these three strong, handsome and adventurous namesakes, modern parents are starting to see the appeal of this short but powerful name.

The name Clark has been in regular use since 1880 in the US.  It got its first popularity boost around 1912 and gradually climbed higher and higher until hitting its peak in 1961. In that year, 877 boys were named Clark for a ranking of #268.

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After that, the name saw a decline in usage. It has held steady in the lower half of the Top 1000 since then and is rising once again. In 2012, the name was used 467 times for a ranking of #554.

From the scholarly and religious meaning to the image of a seemingly ordinary reporter suddenly becoming "the man of steel" and flying through the sky, Clark is a winning name choice! Parents today seem to be flocking to the shorter names. The most commonly searched and viewed page on The Art of Naming is by far the One Syllable Boy's Names list. While this is just one little blog, it does suggest that short names are in whether they're being used in the first name spot or in the middle. What do you think of this "short name trend" theory? What do you think of the name Clark?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Audrey, Ella, June, Leah,  Ruth, Sybil, Tessa
Brothers: Archer, Grant, Henry, Max, Noah, Owen, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Clark Alexander
Clark Benjamin
Clark Nathaniel
Clark Sebastian

As a Middle Name: 
Andrew Clark
Jackson Clark
Mason Clark
Samuel Clark

Clark is one of those names that works as a middle name for many names.  I would just avoid a first name that already has a strong C/K sound. Also make sure it is at least 2 syllables.  What would you pair with Clark?

Boy Names of Old Hollywood

Old Hollywood is sometimes referred to as the golden age. It ranged from about 1927 to the early 1960s. In regards to cinema in particular, Hollywood had its own very specific style that produced some of the greatest films ever! True classics! There was such a glamorous vibe in those days that is still admired even today. The celebrities of that time are well known for their elegance, style, poise and even their amazing names!

If you are a fan of this time in our history, I'm sure you will love this list of celebrity baby names for boys! The girl's list will be posted next week!

First (Last) ANTHONY (Quinn)                           BASIL (Rathbone) BUSTER (Keaton) CARY (Grant) CHARLIE (Chaplin) CHARLTON (Heston) CLARK (Gable) CLAUDE (Rains) DAVID (Niven) ELVIS (Presley) ERROL (Flynn) FRANK (Sinatra) FRED (Astaire) FREDRIC (March) GARY (Cooper) GENE (Kelly) GLENN (Ford) GREGORY (Peck) HAROLD (Lloyd) HENRY (Fonda) HUMPHREY (Bogart) JACK (Lemmon) JAMES (Cagney) JIMMY (Stewart) JOHN (Wayne) KIRK (Douglas) LAURENCE (Olivier) LIONEL (Barrymore) LON (Chaney) MARLON (Brando) MICKEY (Rooney) MONTGOMERY (Clift) ORSON (Welles) OLIVER (Hardy) PETER (O'Toole) PAUL (Newman) RICHARD (Burton) ROBERT (Mitchum) ROCK (Hudson) RONALD (Colman) ROSCOE (Arbuckle) RUDOLPH (Valentino) SEAN (Connery) SPENCER (Tracy) STEVE (McQueen) TYRONE (Power) VINCENT (Price) WILLIAM (Holden) YUL (Brynner)

First names from Last Names: Autry Brando Cagney Crosby Connery Cooper Dean Douglas Flynn Ford Grant Harris Holden Howard Hudson Keaton Kelly Lewis Marx Olivier Powell Quinn Rooney Stewart Valentino Wayne

Please let me know if I missed any of your favorites!

Aurora

The feminine name Aurora is the Latin word for "dawn" so naturally Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). It is said that she would renew herself in the morning and fly across the sky to announce the rising of the sun.  In Astronomy, the northern lights are also known as the Aurora Borealis. It is a natural light display in the sky mostly seen in high latitudes.  They named this celestial phenomenon after the goddess.

Beyond astronomy and mythology, though, Aurora has one of the longest Wikipedia pages that I've ever seen for a name. Aurora has so many associations across a variety of subjects like colleges, all sorts of entertainment from films to novels to song titles, fictional characters like the Disney princess from Sleeping Beauty, geographical locations all around the world, sports and forms of transportation. If you're considering this name for a daughter, I would recommend browsing through this list of namesakes.

As a baby name, Aurora is definitely gaining popularity. Parents find the appeal of a goddess and a princess to be the most attractive and of course the beautiful northern lights come into play as well. This name has an elegance about it unlike any other name. Radiance and sunlight and morning dew come to mind which can all feel romantic, mystical and poetic. However, if your little princess turns out to be more of a tom-boy, the spunky nickname Rory definitely has that covered which makes this name feel rather versatile for modern parents.

Aurora has been in use since the Renaissance. It has been around within the US since records began in 1880. It received a brief popularity bump from about 1920 to the mid-1930s which resulted in a high-rank of #349 in 1929. Since then, the name remained in the lower half of the Top 1000. By the year 2000, Aurora climbed past the #500s for the first time in 50 years! In 2006, the number of births per year hit the 1,000 mark for the first time. And 2012 saw 1,890 births for a record-high ranking of #166. I predict this name to continue climbing and eventually be a staple of the Top 100.

Revision:  My prediction was accurate. Aurora continued to climb and, as of 2016, ranks at #66! That is 3,963 births for the year. I think she still has a bit more room to grow, too! What do you think?

There's also the French version Aurore but it is nearly nonexistent in the US with less than 20 births since the 1940s. It did have a bit of usage from 1884-1938 though. I think this would be adorable as a middle name to a long, elegant first name.

What do you think of the name Aurora? Would you use it? If you have, what middle names and sibling names do you think best fit with it? Here are some ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Athena, Cecilia, Iris, Minerva, Scarlett, Valentina
Brothers: Atticus, Conrad, Julian, Leander, Miles, Tristan

Middle Name Ideas:
Aurora Charis
Aurora Ivy
Aurora Katherine
Aurora Sable

As a Middle Name:
Daphne Aurora
Lily Aurora
Madeline Aurora
Xanthe Aurora

Throw some more ideas at me!

Original Post: 2/21/14
Revision: 5/14/17

Disney Names for Girls

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Most of us grew up watching these beloved Disney characters in movies and reading books about them. For some kids, Disney is a huge part of their childhood and the theme parks can certainly bring awe and magic into their young lives.

Perhaps you visited one of these parks as a small girl and can remember the day that you got to hug Alice in Wonderland or Princess Jasmine. Maybe you've even been in love with the names Alice and Jasmine since that very day!

From popular choices like Abigail, Charlotte and Jennifer to the more unique names like Attina, Fauna and Nala, which of the names on this lovely list of female Disney characters is your favorite? Would you ever use one of these for a child? Have you already done so? Do share your thoughts in the comments below! Are there any that I've missed?

Abigail (The Aristocats) Adelaide (The Aristocats) Adella (The Little Mermaid) Alana (The Little Mermaid) Alice (Alice in Wonderland) Amelia (The Aristocats) Anastasia (Cinderella) Andrina (The Little Mermaid) Anita (101 Dalmatians) Anna (Frozen) Aquata (The Little Mermaid) Ariel (The Little Mermaid) Arista (The Little Mermaid) Attina (The Little Mermaid) Audrey (Home on the Range) Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) Babette (Beauty and the Beast) Belle (Beauty and the Beast) Bianca (The Rescuers) Calliope (Hercules) Charlotte (The Princess and the Frog) Cinderella (Cinderella) Cleo (Pinocchio) Clio (Hercules) Daisy (Daisy Duck) Drizella (Cinderella) Ellie Mae (The Rescuers) Elinor (Brave) Elsa (Frozen) Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Eudora (The Princess and the Frog) Faline (Bambi) Fauna (Sleeping Beauty) Flora (Sleeping Beauty) Georgette (Oliver & Company)

Giselle (Enchanted) Helga (Atlantis: The Lost Empire) Hera (Hercules) Jane (Tarzan) Jasmine (Aladdin) Jennifer (Oliver & Company) Kala (Tarzan) Lilo (Lilo & Stitch) Marian (Robin Hood) Marie (The Aristocats) Mary (Peter Pan) Megara (Hercules) Merida (Brave) Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty) Minnie (Minnie Mouse) Myrtle (Lilo & Stitch) Nala (The Lion King) Odie (The Princess and the Frog) Olivia (The Great Mouse Detective) Peg (Lady and the Tramp) Penny (101 Dalmatians) Perdita (101 Dalmatians) Pocahontas (Pocahontas) Rapunzel (Tangled) Rita (Oliver & Company) Sarabi (The Lion King) Sarafina (The Lion King) Thalia (Hercules) Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) Tiger Lily (Peter Pan) Ursula (The Little Mermaid) Wendy (Peter Pan) Wilhelmina (Atlantis: The Lost Empire) Willow (Pocahontas) Winifred (The Jungle Book)

Don't forget to take a look at last week's list of Disney Names for Boys too!