Savannah

To complement Tuesday's post regarding the best V names for girls, and last week's post about the best V names for boys, I chose to feature the feminine name Savannah which contains the letter V.

Savannah isn't just a city in the state of Georgia, USA. It comes from an English word that indicates a large, grassy plain. Originally, Savannah comes from a Taino (Native American) word zabana. Variants of the name include Zavanna and Savanna. It's a place name and a nature name.

Savannah gained usage as a baby name in the 19th century. It has also been on record in the US every year since 1880 but its usage was very minimal until it suddenly boomed in the 1980s. This increase in births-per-year is most likely a result of the 1982 movie "Savannah Smiles".

There were only 43 births in 1981, 118 in 1982 and in 1983, there were 434 Savannahs born. That means the name went from ranking in the 1100s to being #466 in just one year. The year 2000 had a record-high amount of Savannahs born. There was 7,097 of them for a ranking of #37!

Since then, the name has declined a bit in popularity. As of 2013, it still ranks at #37 but that only accounts for 5,192 births.

This name is very cute yet classy. It has a elegant vibe to it but it is also a nature name that gives you the image of a grassy plain. It is both sweet and strong and great for a baby, a teen and a woman.

Right now, Savannah feels as though it is a bit underrated. It isn't high on the popularity radar in the active online baby naming community even though it ranks #37 in the country. It ranks down at #207 on Nameberry, which is based on pageviews on their site. It is being used well but at the same time, it isn't being overly talked about which makes it ideal. Even though Savannah is technically popular, it would still be refreshing to hear on a baby today.

What do you think of this name and its cute nicknames like Savy, Sanna, Van, and Vanna? What middle names would you pair with it? What would you name her siblings? Here are a few ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Brooke, Gabrielle, Heather, Lucy, Madison, Mckenzie, Sydney
Brothers: Arlo, Dallas, Jacob, Levi, Oliver, Seth, Travis

Middle Name Ideas:
Savannah Alexis
Savannah Isobel
Savannah Jade
Savannah Lorraine
Savannah Paige

As a Middle Name:
Bailey Savannah
Chloe Savannah
Harper Savannah
Morgan Savannah
Riley Savannah

Aveline, Liv & Violet: The Best V Names for Girls

The letter V has a certain appeal to it that has been captivating modern parents, especially the Av- and Ev- names. This is a compilation of the best girl names that contain the letter V. It may seem long, but trust me, I narrowed it down quite a bit. There just happens to be a lot of lovely name options with a V in them! Which of these do you like best?

Alivia                 Alva Ava Avabelle Avah Avalee Avalie Avalina Avaline Avalon Avalyn Avalynn Avani Avari Avaya Ave Avelaine Avelina Aveline Aven Averie Averil Averley Avery Avia Aviana Avianna Avie Avielle Avigail Avila Avis Aviva Avonlea Avra Avrielle Avril Belva Bev Beverley Beverly Bevin Chava Chavela Chevaune Chevelle Chevonne Clavel Clove Clover Dava Davalyn Daveigh Daveney Davette Davia Daviana Davida Davina Devan Devanie Devany Devanya Deven Devere Devereaux Devin Devina Devlyn Devon Devona Devony Devora Devra Dove Elva Elvera Elvia Elvina Elvira Eva Evadne Evalie Evalina Evaline Evalyn Evan Evandra Evangelia Evangelica Evangelina Evangeline Evania Evanna Evanne Evanora Evanthe Evanthia Evany Eve Evelia Evelien Evelina

Eveline               Evelyn Ever Everest Everild Everly Evette Evgenia Evia Eviana Evianna Evie Evienne Evolet Evonne Evony Evora Evy Evyenia Flavia Gavriela Gavriella Geneva Genevie Genevieve Genevra Genoveva Geovana Giavanna Ginevra Giovanna Giverny Godelieve Godiva Guinevere Gwenevere Havana Havannah Haven Havilah Heaven Heavenly Isavella Iva Ivaleine Ivana Ivani Ivanka Ivanna Ivelisse Ivette Ivona Ivonne Ivory Ivy Javiera Jenavieve Jeneva Jenevieve Jovana Jovie Jovienne Keavy Keeva Keva Kiva Lavender Lavera Laverna Laverne Lavina Lavinah Lavinia Lavonda Lavonne Leven Levina Lieve Liv Livana Live Livia Liviana Livianna Livienne Livvy Louvenia Lovetta Lovette Lovina Lovisa Ludovica Luvenia Luvia Luvianna Luvinia Madeleva Maeva Maeve

Mava                 Maven Mavis Mavra Méav Megève Minerva Morven Myava Natavia Natividad Nava Naveena Navy Neva Nevada Nevaeh Neve Nevena Nieva Nieve Nieves Nineveh Nívea Nova Novalee Novalie Novara Novella November Novia Octavia Octaviana Oliva Olive Olivera Olivette Olivia Oliviana Olivié Olivienne Olivina Olivine Ottavia Ovelle Parvana Parvati Pavla Petrova Pravina Primavera Primeveire Raven Ravenna Raviva Reeva Reeve Reva Reveka Revel Reverie Riva River Rivers Riviera Rivka Rivkah Rosalva Savana Savanna Savannah Savera Savina Sevanne Seven Severa Severena Severina Sévérine Sevi Sevilla Sevina Shavon Shavonne Silvana Silver Silvia Silviana Sivan Stevie Sunniva Svetlana Sylvana Sylvette Sylvia Sylvie Tavi Tavia Tavie Tavora Teva

Tova Tovah Treva Truvy Tuva Vada Vaida Val Valarie Valda Valdine Vale Valencia Valentia Valentina Valentine Valera Valeria Valerie Valery Valia Valkyrie Vandra Vanessa Vanna Vannie Vanora Vella Velvet Venetia Venus Vera Verily Verity Verona Veronica Veronique Vesper Vespera Via Vianna Vianne Vicenta Victoire Victoria Victoriana Victorina Victorine Vida Vienna Vienne Vierra Vincenza Vinia Vinnie Viola Violet Violeta Violetta Violette Viona Virginia Virginie Vita Vitória Vittoria Viva Vivaldi Viveca Vivetta Vivia Vivian Viviana Viviane Vivianna Vivianne Vivica Vivien Vivienna Vivienne Viviette Vlada Vladimira Vrai Waiva Wava Waverley Waverly Wineva Xavianna Xaviera Yeva Yvaine Yvana Yvette Yvie Yvonna Yvonne Zahava Zayva Zinovia Ziva

Don't forget to check out last week's list of The Best V Names for Boys too!

Donovan

Today's featured name is a strong, handsome Irish name that I hand-picked from this week's blog about boy names that contain the letter V!

The masculine name Donovan comes from an Irish surname which ultimately came from the Irish Ó Donndubháin which means "descendent of Donndubhán". That name is basically Gaelic for "dark brown".

Donovan has been in use in the US since 1900 and it has nearly always been in the Top 1000, save a few years early on. It peaked in 2003 with 2,210 births and a ranking of #176. Now in 2013, it has fallen to a respectable #281 with 1,224 births.  It also ranks at #380 in France.

Since this name is on the decline, it'll only become more and more unique. There probably isn't a danger of it sounding dated since it has been solidly established since 1900. It also wasn't incredibly popular. If it had peaked in the Top 50 and then immediately declined, it would be a different story. As it sits, it's still receiving good usage without being unusual or overly popular.

As far as namesakes go, there is a Scottish singer songwriter named Donovan who was most popular in the 1960s. There are many famous people with Donovan as a surname and a handful with it as a first name. Take a look at the full list here.

Nicknames may include Don, Donny, Dono and Van. What middle names might you pair with Donovan? What would you name his brother or sister? If you know anyone with this name, what are their siblings called? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Here are a few ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alanna, Bethany, Delaney, Emily, Fiona, Keely, Maeve, Olivia, Tierney
Brothers: Aidan, Colin, Declan, Desmond, Logan, Oliver, Patrick, Rafferty, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Donovan Finley
Donovan Murphy
Donovan Reid
Donovan Riley

As a Middle Name:
Garrett Donovan
Levi Donovan
Michael Donovan
Neil Donovan

Everett, Liev & Vincent: The Best V Names for Boys

The letter V provides one of my favorite sounds within a name. It is a striking but attractive letter that is popping up in various trends across the baby naming community. In order to celebrate the beauty of this great letter, I've put together a collection of the very best boy names that contain the letter V.

If you were to give all of your sons a name with the letter V in it, which of the following names would you choose? Share your favorite names and first/middle name combinations in the comments below!

Alvaro                  Alvin Arvel Averett Averill Avery Avett Avi Avory Avraham Avram Avrian Belvin Benvolio Bevan Bonaventure Brevin Brevyn Calvary Calvin Carver Cavan Cavell Cavin Chevalier Chevy Cleve Cleveland Clive Clovis Cordovan Corvin Cove Covington Davian David Davide Davin Davion Davis Davison Davy Delvin Denver Devan Devereaux Devin Devlin Devon Devonte Donovan Draven Elvin Elvis Ervin Estevan Evan Evander Evandro Evangelos Everard Everardo Everest Everett Everette Everton Evram Favien Feivel Flavio Garvey Gavin Gavino Gavriel Gervase Giovani Giovanni Giovanny Glover Granville

Grover             Gulliver Gustav Gustave Gustavo Harvey Haven Hervé Hervey Hoover Irvin Irving Istvan Ivan Ivanhoe Ivar Iver Ives Ivo Ivor Janvier Jarvis Javan Javier Javion Javon Jayven Jovan Jovani Jovanni Jovanny Jovany Jove Jovin Jovis Kalvin Kavin Kelvin Kevin Kiev Lavern Laverne Lavin Lavonte Lev Levar Levente Leverett Levi Leviathan Levin Leviticus Levon Liev Livingston Lovell Lovino Ludovic Ludvig Marvel Marvin Maven Maverick Melville Melvin Mervin Natividad Navarone Navarre Navarro Naveen Nevan Neven Neville Nevin Niven Norval Nova Novak

Octavian         Octaviano Octavio Octavius Olav Olivander Oliver Olivier Oliviero Orval Orvil Orville Orvin Osvaldo Ottavio Ovid Ovidio Pavel Pavlos Pavol Percival Raven Reeve Revere River Rivers Roosevelt Salvador Salvatore Saviero Savion Seaver Seven Severiano Severin Severn Severo Severus Silvan Silvano Silvanus Silverio Silvestre Silvio Sivan Stavros Steve Steven Stevenson Stevie Sullivan Sven Sverre Sylvain Sylvan Sylvester Sylvestre Sylvio Tarver Tavian Tavin Tavion Tavis Tavish Tavon Tevin Tolliver Traver Travis Travon Trayvon Trevin Trevion Trevon Trevor Treyvon Vadden Valdemar Valdino Vale Valen

Valente Valentin Valentine Valentino Valerian Valerio Valor Van Vance Vander Varren Vasil Vasile Vasili Vasilios Vasily Vassily Vaughan Vaughn Verdell Vergil Verle Vern Verne Vernell Verner Vernie Vernon Vernor Versilius Vester Vian Vicente Vickery Victor Victoriano Victorino Vidal Viggo Vikram Viktor Vilhelm Vin Vince Vincent Vincenzo Vinicio Vinnie Vinny Vinson Vinton Vinze Virgil Virgilio Vitaly Vito Vitorino Vittore Vittorio Viviano Vladimir Vogel Von Voyer Waverly Weaver Xaver Xavi Xavier Xzavier Yovanni Yuval Yvan Yves Yvon Zavian Zavien Zavier Zavion Zevan Zeven Zevin

Don't forget to stay tuned for next week's post featuring The Best V Names for Girls!

Casper

I chose to feature the name Casper this week because of its well-known association with "the friendly ghost" who is an animated character that's actually been around since 1939. It felt appropriate since today is Halloween and ghosts are a spooky staple of the holiday.

Beyond the ghostly association, though, resides a really fabulous family of names.  Casper is the Dutch and Scandinavian form of the name Jasper which comes from the ancient Hebrew word Gizbar meaning "Treasurer". Gaspar was traditionally the name of one of the wise men who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus Christ.  Other related names include Caspar, Kasper, Jesper, Gaspard, Gaspare, and Gazsi.

Casper is not an unfamiliar name to the ear in the US. However, it isn't being used all that often. It has been consistently used since records began in 1880, but it has never been popular. It was once ranking in the bottom half of the Top 1000 chart, but it fell off of it in 1933. That means it hasn't been high on parents' radars in at least 80 years!

There were 89 baby boys named Casper in 2013 for a ranking of #1665. There were only 15 given the hardly-used spelling of Caspar. Jasper, on the other hand, has had quite a bit of popularity lately, ranking at #248 in 2013 with 1,443 births for the year.

Casper is rather popular overseas, though! It has recently ranked #49 in Sweden, #87 in Norway, #90 in the Netherlands and #346 in England/Wales. I think if old-man Jasper can be stylish again in the US, the cool Casper can be relevant too now that the ghostly image is beginning to fade with time.

What do you think of Casper? Do you like one of the variations better? What middle names would you pair with Casper? Here are a few random ideas that I came up with:

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Alice, Delilah, Iris, Lucy, Pearl, Sabrina, Zelda

Brothers: Atlas, Chauncey, Dempsey, Emmett, Linus, Porter, Watson

Middle Name Ideas:

Casper Blaine

Casper Edmund

Casper Louis

Casper Owen

As a Middle Name:

Ellis Casper

James Casper

Milo Casper

Nicholas Casper

Is the "friendly ghost" association too much still? Share your thoughts on this name in the comment section below!

Spooky Baby Names

If you are expecting a baby this week and you still aren't settled on the perfect name, perhaps one of these timely choices will jump at you. From the sweet and sugary candy names to the spooky, ghoulish and bewitched options, you're sure to love this list, especially if Halloween is your favorite holiday.

Some of these may not be very obviously tied to Halloween, but upon inspection of their meanings or their associations to certain legends or myths, it will all make sense. Some of these names may be a bit on the questionable side of things so I'd recommend doing your research before signing the birth certificate!

Girls:

Autumn

Blair
Buffy
Candy
Carrie
Cat
Circe
Coco
Elvira
Endora
Eve
Glinda
Harlow
Hazel
Hermione
Isis
Lilith
Lolly
Luna
Maeve
Morrigan
Morticia
October
Oriole
Persephone
Raven
Reese
Regan
Rosemary
Sabrina
Samantha
Selene
Tabitha
Tarot
Tempest
Trixie
Tootsie
Wanda
Wednesday
Wendy
Zena

Boys:
Addams
Bram
Casper
Chucky
Crane
Damien
Darth
Draco
Edgar
Frank
Freddy
Griffin
Hannibal
Horus
Ichabod
Igor
Jack
Jason
Jett
Leaf
Lucifer
Norman
Osiris
Phoenix
Poe
Rune
Salem
Storm
Treat
Victor
Wolf
Zephyr

I'm sure there are plenty more options that could be categorized as somewhat spooky. Can you think of any more that I missed?

Austin Ford - (Birth Announcements!)

This month's set of birth announcements started out somewhat unusual as I began building the list, and as I continued, the names got a bit more traditional.  However, they are all mixed together because of being placed alphabetically.  Once again, the middle name choices seem to be very common or old-fashioned for most of the babies below. There are a few interesting exceptions like Yaamach and Kapri.

I wonder why so many parents choose "safe" middle name options. I feel like the middle name, since it is mostly tucked away, provides the perfect opportunity to use guilty pleasure names or the highly unusual.  Instead, there are more unusual first names being used such as Alithia, Zyanya, and Kipper. What thoughts spring to your mind as you browse through the following list?:

Girls:

Adele Grace
Alithia Brooke
Aliza Bethany
Allison Marie
Amy Rose Lei
Annabelle Rose
Ara Fae
Ariauna Danielle Linn
Athena Jene Leann Irene
Aubrey Faith
Aurora Kapri
Belle Madelyn
Carissa Faith
Eleanora Yaamach
Emma Rose
Grace Catherine
Hailee Mae
Hannah Marie
Hazel Jane
Isla Rose
Katy Rae
Kaylyn Elizabeth
Kensi Jean
Kylie Adele
Laney Rose
Laryssa Joyce
Lorelei Mae
Madelyn Grace
Makenna Lynn
Marleigh Ann
McKynlee Jean Carolynn
Megan Ann
Paisley May
Presley Ann
River Rae
Roselyn Geraldine
Sydney Joy
Vivian Fae
Willow Annette
Yoselin
Zyanya Emma-Rose

Boys:
Aiden Daniel
Alexander James
Austin Ford
Brayden Alexander
Carl Andrew-Leon
Carlos Alberto
Chase Alexander
Bryce Allen
Collin Anderson
Colten Lucas
Connor John
Declan Joseph
Dominic Elijah
Eithyn Ryen
Eligh Ivan
Evan Samuel
Gerald Fred
Gunner Joseph
Jayden James
Jonathon Davidd
Joseph Brandon
Josue Saul
Kade Samuel
Kingston Parker
Kipper Hayes
Kobe Lee Lucas
Lachlan Clyde
Mason Lynn
Nehimiah Alexander
Rylan James
Shelton Wayne
Spencer Reid
Tanner Joseph
Tanner Lee
Terry Archer
Trevor Ellerson Daniel
Tyler Logan
Wyatt Steven
Zackery Allan

Which of these names do you like most? least?