Helena Mae - (Birth Announcements!)

Here are some real names from some real babies found on recent hospital birth announcements in the US. Which of these do you like best?

Girls:

Adalynn Rose
Alexis Ann
Amelia Grace
Anna Beverly
Bella Victoria
Cadence Faith
Clara Luna
Eliza Rain
Emma Mae
Hazel Mae
Helena Mae
Hope Ann
Kathryn Ethel
Lillien Emma
Margaret Lucille
Michaela Hailey
Olivia Grace
Quinley Marie
Samantha Joy
Scarlett Myrtle
Serenity Marie
Skylar Jasmine
Teagan Marie
Tessa Elizabeth
Valerie Brook

Boys:
Abel Vaughn
Aiden Robert
Benjamin Alexander
Christopher Charles
Colin James
Colt Thomas
Edward Gabriel
Elias Daniel
Elliot Wesley
Emerson Davis
Ezekiel Luther
Hunter James
Isaiah Sylvester
Jack Rowdy
Lincoln Thomas
Luca Daniel
Matthew James
Maurice Anthony
Patrick John
Preston Michael
Samuel Lawrence
Sylas Logan
Thomas Dominick
Weston Michael
Wyatt James

Alistair

Did you pick your favorite male A name from the previous post about The Very Best A Names for Boys and Girls? I did. And I will be featuring it right now. 

Alistair is the anglicized form of the name Alasdair which is the Scottish version of Alexander. See the similarities between the three names?  There are other brother-names drawn from Alexander like the Arabic Iskandar, the Finnish Aleksanteri, the Irish Alastar, the Russian Aleksandr and the Ukrainian Oleksander among many others. 

Alexander itself comes from the Greek Alexandros which means "defender of men". Of course, Alexander is a Greek mythology name (another name for the hero Paris) and a biblical name (found in the New Testament). The most famous bearer in history was Alexander the Great. It has also been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia and eight popes. 

However, the English Alistair doesn't have any big namesakes. There are many modern people who wear the name though, which you can read about here.  Alistair can also be spelled Alastair, Alasdair or Alister. It can be pronounced either al-uh-STARE or AL-iss-ter. Interestingly, there is a Scottish Clan MacAlister which is another cool name option. 

The featured spelling, Alistair still ranks outside of the Top 1000 names in the US. It was first used in 1956, then 1964 and not again until 1969. It has had a small increase in usage since the late 2000s and currently ranks #1305 in 2013 with 131 births.  However, it ranks fairly well in England and Wales.

Alister gained usage in 1982 and was given to 57 boys in 2013.  Alastair popped up in the US as early as 1922 but it didn't gain regularity until 1969. It remains the least-popular anglicized spelling with only 27 births in 2013 even though it was first used earlier than the other spellings.  The Scottish Alasdair is even rarer, popping up for the first time in 1989 before being inconsistently used. Only 20 boys received this spelling in 2013.

Overall, whichever spelling you prefer, Alistair is a rare name in the US which is a nice alternative to the ever-popular Alexander which ranks at #8 in 2013.  Alistair is very handsome and unique. What middle name would you pair with it?  Here's a few ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amelia, Cressida, Elizabeth, Fiona, Madeline, Rhiannon, Rosalind
Brothers: Bennett, Colin, Declan, Lachlan, Quentin, Tristan, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Alistair Caspian
Alistair Graham
Alistair James
Alistair Noble
Alistair Tavish

As a Middle Name:
Finley Alistair
Henry Alistair
Max Alistair
Robert Alistair
Vincent Alistair

Don't forget to vote for your favorite and share your thoughts in the comments below!:

Which do you like most?

Alistair

Alastair

Alister

Alasdair

Alexander

MacAlister

The Very Best A Names for Boys and Girls

Baby name websites have thousands of names in their databases. This can cause headaches for expecting parents to browse through.

How do you know which will be the perfect name for your little one? How can you sift through the unusual names from foreign cultures that you've never even heard of and don't know how to pronounce? After all, you just want a familiar, traditional name that will work well on a baby today.

The following list contains fifty of the best names that start with the letter A, twenty-five names per gender. The goal was to include something for nearly everyone.

Since I'm based in the US, these names lean more toward current American styles but I'm sure some of these work internationally too. Take a look and let me know which you like best:

Girls: Aaliyah                                    Abigail Adelaide Addison Adriana Ainsley Alana Alexandra Alice Alyssa Amara Amelia Anastasia Annabelle Anne Arabella Aria Ariel Athena Aubrey Audrey Aurora Autumn Ava Avery

Boys: Aaron Abel Achilles Adam Adrian Aiden Alan Alaric Alexander Alistair Amadeus Ambrose Amos Andrew Anthony Apollo Archer Arlo Arthur Asher Atlas Atticus August Austin Axel

Are there any names on the list that you don't think deserve to be on it? Or a name that's missing and should have a spot? If you had to remove one from each list, what would you replace it with?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Seraphina

There are so many lovely 4+ syllable names for girls; narrowing it down to one was difficult but I decided on beautiful Seraphina.

Seraphina is the feminine form of the Late Latin male name Seraphinus. This name comes from the biblical, Hebrew word seraphim meaning "fiery ones" and referring to an order of angels that had six wings each. The Seraphim were described by the prophet Isaiah in the bible. 

Seraphina was also the name of a 13th century saint from Italy who was known for making clothing for the poor. 

As a name, Seraphina was never really favored in the past. However, it is starting to take off as an usual but pretty name. Actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner named their second daughter Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck in 2009 which put the name on people's radars more, but yet it still remains mostly unused.

The celebrity endorsement bumped Seraphina from having only 50 births in 2008 to having 88 in 2009 and 107 in 2010. However, it has still only reached as high as 168 births in 2013 for a ranking of #1373. It may not popular, but that isn't a bad thing. Since it still lingers below the Top 1000 chart, it is actually quite a beautiful and rare gem, which makes it a great, unique name.

Sister-name Serafina (with an F) has surprisingly had more usage! Serafina first appeared on American babies in 1901 whereas Seraphina didn't pop up until 1981.  Serafina had 117 births in 2013 ranking it at #1751.  The spellings Saraphina (18 births) and Sarafina (25 births) are even less popular, but still viable options if you want Sara as a nickname.  Other possible nicknames could include Phina/Fina, Sera, Fifi, and Sephy. 

Why do you think this name is so unheard of? Do parents shy away from the association with angels? Putting that aside, Seraphina sounds and looks so beautiful and elegant, it's a wonder it hasn't caught on yet. Perhaps it makes a better middle name and has more usage in that spot. Any thoughts?

If you are considering using Seraphina or Serafina, here are some potential sibling and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:

Sisters: Anastasia, Arabella, Evangeline, Francesca, Gabriella, Genevieve, Madeleine, Penelope, Vivienne

Brothers: Alexander, Augustin, Elijah, Gabriel, Maximilian, Raphael, Sebastian, Theodore, Valentino

Middle Name Ideas:

Seraphina Alexis

Seraphina Grace

Seraphina Maeve

Seraphina Rose

Seraphina Wren

As a Middle Name:

Audrey Seraphina

Daphne Seraphina

Harper Seraphina

Lily Seraphina

Violet Seraphina

I think Seraphina and Evangeline would be beautiful for sisters since both have a nod toward a biblical association. What do you think? Perfect or too much?

Beyond Elizabeth: 4+ Syllable Girl Names

In the past, I wrote an article about Elizabeth and her consistent popularity since 1880: she has always ranked within the Top 30 as a first name.

As a middle name, she's also a popular choice because of how extremely well Elizabeth flows with most first names.

I listed four specific reasons why Elizabeth has remained so popular and works so well with other names. I also listed other 4 syllable names that might also work well as a middle name.

If none of those strike your fancy, you're sure to find a great selection in the following list of 4+ syllable girl names.

Which of these are your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Abilena           Abriana Abrianna Abriella Abryanna Acadia Acelina Adelaida Adelia Adelina Adelita Adriana Adrianna Aemilia Afrodite Agostina Agustina Albertina Alejandra Alejandrina Aleksandra Alessandra Alessia Alethea Aletheia Alexandra Alexandrea Alexandria Alexia Alexxia Alicia Alivia Aloisia Altagracia Amalia Amaranta Amarantha Amarilla Amelia Amelina America Analia Analilia Analina Anamaria Anastacia Anastasia Anastasija Anastassia Andromeda Angelia Angelica Angelina Angelita Anjelica Annabella Annalia Annaliese Annalina Annalisa Annamaria Annamarie Anneliese Annelise Antigone Antonella Antonia Antonieta Antonina Aphrodite Arabella Araceli Aracely Araminta Aranzazu Arcadia Arcelia Argelia Argentina Ariadne Ariana Arianna Ariela Ariella

Artemisa           Artemisia Aryana Aryanna Astoria Atalanta Aubriana Aubrianna Aubriella Audriana Aurelia Avelina Azalea Azalia Azaria Azucena Belladonna Bibiana California Calliope Calogera Camelia Candelaria Carmelita Carolina Cataleya Catalina Catarina Catharina Cecelia Cecilia Celestina Christabella Christiana Christiane Clementina Cleopatra Coralina Cordelia Corinthia Dayanara Delgadina Delphinia Deyanira Domenica Donatella Dorotea Dorothea Edelmira Eduwiges Ekaterina Eleanora Elenora Eleora Eliana Elidia Eliora Elisabeth Elizabella Elizabelle Elizabeth Eloisa Emelina Emilia Emiliana Emmalina Emmanuelle Enedelia Enedina Enriqueta Epiphany Erendira Ernestina Esmeralda Esperanza Estefana Estefani Estefania Estefany Estibaliz Eugenia Eulalia Eurydice Eusebia

Evangelina           Evangeline Evanthia Evelina Eyana Fabiana Fabiola Feliciana Felicidad Felicitas Felicity Filomena Florentina Floriana Frederica Gabriela Gabriella Galilea Gavriella Genoveva Geraldina Giuliana Gladiola Gloriana Graciana Graciela Gratiana Guadalupe Guillermina Henrietta Hermelinda Hermione Hilaria Honoria Ilaria Ileana Iliana Inocencia Iolanthe Iracema Irasema Isabela Isabella Isabelline Isadora Israella Izabella Jesenia Josalina Josefina Josephina Juliana Julianna Julieta Julietta Kalliope Kamaria Katarina Katerina Katiana Lavinia Leocadia Leonarda Leonora Leticia Liboria Liduvina Lieselotte Liliana Lilliana Lillyana Lilyana Liselotte Liviana Livianna Louisiana Luciana Madalena Maddalena Magdalena Magnolia Mahalia Marcelina Margarita

Margherita Mariamne Mariana Maricela Mariela Mariella Marietta Marinella Marisela Maryellen Maximina Mehitabel Meridian Miabella Milania Miroslava Monalisa Natalia Natalina Natividad Nicolasa Nicoletta Noelani Octavia Octaviana Olimpia Olivia Oliviana Olympia Orabela Orabella Oriana Orianna Panagiota Patricia Penelope Persephone Petronella Petronilla Philomena Rafaela Raffaela Raffaella Raphaela Refugio Rosabella Rosaleah Rosalia Rosalicia Rosalina Rosalinda Rosamaria Rosangelica Rosario Samaria Sanjuanita Serafina Seraphina Serenity Severina Shenandoah Tatiara Teresita Theodora Thomasina Urania Valencia Valentina Valeria Verenice Veronica Veronika Victoria Viridiana Viviana Vivianna Wilhelmina Xenobia Xiomara Yesenia Yessenia Ysabella Zenobia Zinovia

Whew! That's quite a list!  If you're looking for the complete opposite, short names, I can help with that! Here is a list of One-Syllable Girl Names and also Four Letter Girl Names.  Don't forget to check out last week's list of 4+ Syllable Boy Names too!

Jeremiah

After looking at all of the 4+ syllable boy names available, I wanted to pick one that was legitimately 4 syllables on its own as opposed to a name that earned 4 syllables by adding an -o to the end of a name that is usually 3-syllables. With this criteria, it was actually rather tough to find a good one that hasn't already been featured. I settled on the biblical Jeremiah.

Jeremiah comes from the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmiyahu) meaning "Yahweh has uplifted". In the bible, he was one of the major prophets in the Old Testament who wrote the Book of Jeremiah as well as the Book of Lamentations. He lived in the 6th century BC during the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.

In England, the Protestant Reformation brought about the usage of a lot of names that were later carried to Colonial America with the pilgrims. Jeremiah was one of those names. However, the shorter variation Jeremy was sometimes used since the 13th century in England.

Overall, Jeremy has had much more usage in the US than Jeremiah, but currently, their roles have swapped. Jeremiah has climbed the charts to #58 in 2013 while Jeremy's popularity of the 1970s-1980s has declined. Jeremy ranked at #159 in 2013 whereas it once ranked as high as #14 in 1976.

Jeremiah had a small peak of popularity in the late 70s during Jeremy's heyday but it is currently seeing its highest numbers ever, even though it has been in solid usage since 1880.  Possible nicknames could include Jere/Jer, Jerry, Jem, Jeremy, Miah.

What do you think of Jeremiah? Or would you prefer Jeremy? If you're in the market for some sibling or middle name ideas, here's some I came up with:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Elizabeth, Hadassah, Leah, Michaela, Ruth, Simone
Brothers: Benjamin, Ezra, Isaac, Jonathan, Malachi, Noah

Middle Name Ideas:
Jeremiah Blake
Jeremiah Carter
Jeremiah James
Jeremiah Parker
Jeremiah Robert

As a Middle Name:
Colton Jeremiah
Henry Jeremiah
Lucas Jeremiah
Tyler Jeremiah
Wesley Jeremiah

What middle names would you pair with Jeremiah? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Beyond Alexander: 4+ Syllable Boy Names

Say you're looking for a long name for your baby boy and you can't think of much beyond Alexander or Maximilian.

Fear not! Let this be your handy resource for long boy names!

Every name on this list is 4 syllables long or more. There are definitely plenty of interesting, unusual choices and some international ideas borrowed from origins around the world.

Which of these names are your favorites? Can you think of any that could be added?

Share your favorites in the comment section below!

Abelardo                     Adalberto Agapito Aleczander Alejandro Aleksander Alessandro Alexander Alexandro Alexzander Amadeo Amadeus Ambrosio Anacleto Ananias Aniceto Antonino Antonio Apolinar Archimedes Aristides Arsenio Bartholomew Bartolomé Bartolomeo Calogero Candelario Casimiro Catarino Cayetano Celestino Cipriano Ciriaco Constantino Constantinos Cornelius Damarion Deangelo Demetrius Dionisio Domitilo Dumisani

Ebenezer                   Eleazar Eliseo Emanuel               Emiliano Emmanuel Epifanio Espiridion Estanislao Eugenio Evaristo Everardo Ezekiel Federico Feliciano Filiberto Florencio Florentino Fortunato Gamaliel Geronimo Guadalupe Heriberto Hipolito Horacio Horatio Ildefonso Inocencio Isidoro Jedidiah Jeremiah Jeronimo Joselito Josemaria Juventino Leonardo Leonides Leopoldo Liborio Macallister Malaquias Marcelino

Margarito Mauricio Maximilian Maximiliano Maximillian Maximino Moctezuma Napoleon Natividad Nehemiah Nicodemus Obadiah Octavian Olajuwan Oleander Omarion Patricio Policarpo Porfirio Primitivo Refugio Rigoberto Rosalio Rosario Salvatore Santiago Saturnino Silverio Teodoro Teodulo Thelonius Theodoric Theophilus Tiberius Timoteo Valentino Victorino Vittorio Zacarias Zachariah Zebediah Zechariah

If you're looking for some shorter names too, I got you covered! Here are some One-Syllable Boy Names as well as some Four Letter Boy Names!  Next week, we'll explore long girl name possibilities!