Valentina

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I chose to feature the lovely name Valentina today! What else would have been more appropriate?

This feminine name comes from the Roman Valentinus or Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Already this name has a great meaning! What about namesakes?

The masculine Valentine was a 3rd century saint and martyr whose feast day corresponded with a fertility festival, thus forever linking Valentine's day with love. A modern day bearer of the name Valentina is that of Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. You may know her as the first woman to ever visit outer space in 1963. There is also Valentina Cortese, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a few celebrity children with the name.

In the US, Valentina is doing very well in the popularity department. It first appeared on record in 1897 but it wasn't regularly used until about 1910. It wasn't until 1994 that it entered the Top 1000. Now in 2013, there were 2,542 girls named Valentina with a ranking of #129.

If you map out the popularity of this name based on the number of births per year, you'll see the line go straight up starting in the 1990s. Something tells me that this name will continue climbing upwards and could possibly join the US Top 100 soon.

This name has usage in Italian, Spanish, Russian, Romanian and more which means that it has ranked fairly well around the world in recent years including #4 in Chile, #11 in Austria, #40 in Spain, #202 in the Netherlands and #340 in England/Wales among others.

What do you think of this name? Would you use Valentina for a girl or do you like Valentine more? What about Valentino for a boy? What would you pair with it? Here are a few ideas regarding siblings for Valentina and some middle name options:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Anastasia, Camilla, Emmeline, Lucia, Milana, Sabrina, Tatiana
Brothers: Augustus, Benedict, Dominic, Maximilian, Roman, Sebastian, Vincent

Middle Name Ideas:
Valentina Claire
Valentina Faye
Valentina Grace
Valentina Pearl

As a Middle Name:
Audrey Valentina
Hazel Valentina
Lily Valentina
Scarlett Valentina

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

Which Valent- Name Would You Sooner Use?

Valentine (boy)

Valentine (girl)

Valentino

Valentina

"Love" Names for Your Mini-Valentine

When I was doing research for "romantic" names relating to Valentine's Day, the range of applicable names was rather diverse.

There are the cutesy names that relate to gifts and love such as the following for girls:

Adore

Candy
Cherish
Desire
Diamond
Jewel
Lace
Lily
Love
Passion
Pink
Roma
Rose
Ruby
Serenade
Tulip

...and these for boys:
Card
Red
Teddy

But honestly, only a few of these actually make for a good, solid name.  Since today is generally a day of love, I instead decided to pick a few names that relate to love through their meanings or associations.

Valentine/Valentina/Valentino
Of course this name has to be first on the list. They honor St. Valentine who was a 3rd century Roman saint. He came to be associated with love, romance and devotion. The name itself means "strong, vigourous, healthy".

Amabel
This medieval choice comes from a Late Latin name meaning "loveable". Names like Annabelle, Arabella and Mabel are related. Amabel is a rare but beautiful name with a great meaning!

Amy/Aimée
Derived from the Old French name Amée, both spellings of Amy mean "beloved". Other related names include Amata and Amada.

Carys
A Welsh girl name that straight up means "love". It can also be spelled Cerys but both spellings are very rare in the US.

Desiree
Get right to the point with this lovely name that is taken directly from the French word meaning "desired". It is currently on a popularity decline but still ranks at #629 in 2013.

Esme
An Old French name, Esme means "esteemed" or "loved".  It is also sometimes associated with emeralds which would make for a lovely Valentine's Day gift.

Evelyn/Aveline/Evalina/Eileen
These names are all related to one another, coming from the ancient Germanic name Avila. They are said to mean "desired". Who doesn't want to feel desired, especially on Valentine's Day? Such lovely choices for a baby born today.

Freya
The Norse goddess of love and beauty, (but also of war and death), has a lovely name that is starting to gain some popularity in the US, ranking at #908 in 2013. It has done well in Britain since the early 2000s, too.

Venus/Aphrodite
With Venus being Roman and Aphrodite being Greek, these are the goddesses of love and sexual desire. While these associations may be a bit mature for a baby, they are lovely for a woman. Venus may be the easier-to-live-with name of the two though.

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Amadeus
While it doesn't have a romantic meaning, Amadeus is partially derived from the Latin amare meaning "to love" (with deus applying the love toward God). Other Am- names that are said to have something to do with love include Amadea, Amara, Amy and the male Amias/Amyas.

Carwyn
This is a boy's name that means "blessed love" in Welsh. With a wonderful meaning like that, you can't go wrong! Even better, it's extremely rare in the US. It's only been used since 2012 for a total of 18 babies. Could be a cool alternative to similar sounding names like Carson or Carter.

David
This is a classic name with historical roots, both biblical and royal. It is a Hebrew name meaning "beloved". As of 2013, it still ranks at #18 in the US.

Erasmus
If you're looking a rare name, this is it. It's only had a total of 105 recorded births in the US since 1880. Erasmus comes from a Greek word meaning "beloved".

Eros/Cupid
While using Cupid as a baby name may be a little over-the-top, his Greek counterpart Eros  could actually make for a cool name! Eros is portrayed as the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and is the god of love, desire, attraction and affection in his own right. Cupid means "desire" and Eros means "love".

There are more names with similar meanings if you'd like to search more.

In my research, I also found many sites suggesting the use of the names of famous romantic couples, most of which were pulled from Shakespearean plays. But why stop at just Shakespearean couples? Plenty of romantic couples can be found throughout literature and history, even pop-culture! If you went that route in search of romantic baby names, you could add the following to the list, just to name a few:

Romeo & Juliet
Lorenzo & Jessica

Antony and Cleopatra

Heloise & Abelard

Tristan & Iseult/Isolde

Lancelot & Guinevere

Gatsby & Daisy

Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy

Jane Eyre & Edward Rochester

Catherine & Heathcliff

Scarlett O'Hara & Rhett Butler

There are countless more that could be added! However, while these couples may be romantic, not all of them have good stories or happy endings so read up on your knowledge of them before committing the name to the baby's birth certificate. Also, giving one of the above sets of names to boy/girl twins or even siblings might be a little strange since they are supposed to be "romantic" but I won't judge. 

What is your favorite romantic or Valentine's Day related name? Who are your favorite romantic couples in history and literature? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Bridget

Original post: 2/6/15
Revision: 5/14/17

The latest article featuring The Very Best B Names for Boys and Girls had such a great collection that it was difficult to choose just one. In the end, today's featured name is Bridget.

Anglicized from the Irish name Brighid, Bridget means "exalted one".  It has also been suggested that Brighid could be derived from the Irish brigh meaning "strength".

Other spellings include Brigid, Bridgette, Brigit, and Bedelia. Variations in other languages include the Danish Britta, the Dutch Brigitta, the Finnish Riitta, the French Brigitte, the Italian Brigida, the Manx Breeshey, the Polish Brygida, and the Welsh Ffraid among many others.  Were you aware that Bridget was so internationally used?

In Irish mythology, there was a goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom named Bridget or Brigid. It was also the name of Saint Brigid in the 5th century, a patron saint of Ireland.  This saint was so esteemed in Ireland that the name was viewed as sacred and was not used for children. It wasn't until the 17th century that it gained usage, and when it did, it was insanely popular, so much so that its short form Biddy became the generic name for an Irish any-woman. The Scandinavian version Birgitta became common because of the 14th century saint of Sweden by that name.

These days in America, Bridget has been in constant use since before 1880. It began gaining an increase in usage in the late 1940s and climbed even higher up the charts in the 1960s. Bridget peaked in 1973 when the name was given to 2,763 baby girls for a ranking of #112.

Since then, the name has declined in popularity. Bridget ranked at #523 in 2013 with only 564 births for the year. This isn't a bad thing though. If you love the name Bridget, you'll be glad to know that it is growing more and more unique every year and that your daughter would be less likely to have another girl with the same name in her class.

Revision: As of 2016, Bridget ranks at #594 for a total of 506 births.  That is a decrease from the previously mentioned statistics above.

Bridget is a spunky and cute name for a modern girl. Since it is less popular and was never truly overly used in a past decade, it isn't considered "dated". It would still be lovely and refreshing to hear it on the playground today.

Nicknames could include Bee, Biddy, Britt, Bridie, Bridey, Jet, Jetty, Bridgie, Birdie or Bree.  What would you name a sibling for Bridget? Or what middle name would you give her? Here are some ideas for you if you're considering this name:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Claire, Erin, Jessica, Katherine, Megan, Molly, Sarah, Vanessa
Brothers: Brendan, Christopher, Daniel, Jacob, Kevin, Michael, Patrick, Shawn

Middle Name Ideas:
Bridget Alaina
Bridget Genevieve
Bridget Juliana
Bridget Maeve
Bridget McKenzie
Bridget Riley

As a Middle Name:
Amelia Bridget
Caitlyn Bridget
Emma Bridget
Isla Bridget
Lillian Bridget
Shayla Bridget

What do you think of the name Bridget? Or do you prefer a different spelling or variation? Don't forget to vote for one below!

Which variation is your favorite?

Bridget

Bridgette

Brigid

Brigitte

Brigida

Birgitta

Britta

The Very Best B Names for Boys and Girls

When you are in need of an amazing baby name, where do you look? A baby name book? A website with a database full of names? Your family tree? ...A phone book?  All of these options will provide great names, I'm sure, but they may also be a bit overwhelming in size.

A book can be a couple hundred pages long with a few thousand names in it. Baby name databases online could hold 100,000 names or more!  How are you ever supposed to track down the perfect name for your child?

You're in luck! If you happen to be a fan of names that begin with the letter B, you may find a winner on the lists below.  I sifted through hundreds of B names to handpick 50 of the very best options available to you. There are 25 for girls and 25 for boys. I hope you'll fall for one of them!

Bailey                      Beatrice Beatrix Bellamy Belle Bernadette Betty Bethany Bianca Blair Blanca Blythe Brianna Briar Bridget Brielle Brinley Briseis Brittany Bronte Bronwyn Brooke Brooklyn Brynn Bryony

Barnaby Basil Bastian Baxter Beau Beckett Benedict Benjamin Bennett Bentley Blake Boden Bodhi Boone Bradley Bram Brandon Brayden Breccan Brennan Brian Brighton Brody Brogan Bryce

So? Which of the above names do you like the most? Have you found your match? If not, don't fret. There are plenty more names in store for you if you follow this series.

The Best Girl Names of 1950 and How They Rank Today

The baby girls who were born in 1950 are now grandmothers. They will turn 65 this year! It is safe to say, though, that a lot of their first names may not be getting passed down to their grand-daughters at the same rate that grandpa's name is probably being given to the boys.

While the boys have some solid classics on their side --even their more dated options like Jerry are well-used today-- the girl names have not survived the test of time as well. Take a look at how the top girl names of 1950 rank then and now and see if you don't agree:

Girls:             Linda Mary Patricia Barbara Susan Nancy Deborah Sandra Carol Kathleen Sharon Karen Donna Brenda Margaret Diane Pamela Janet Shirley Carolyn Judith Janice Cynthia Elizabeth Judy

1950:     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

2013:                        643 121 680 838 844 689 814 766 1617 664 882 416 1340 634 181 1841 1189 1253 1336 791 996 1270 499 10 1450

How many baby girls do you know with these names? Notice how 8 of the above names from 1950 have completely fallen off the Top 1000 chart in 2013! The names that still made the cut mostly rank in the lower half of the chart except for Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Karen and Cynthia. Compare that to the Top 25 boy names of 1950 and you'll see that all of the boy names still ranked above 600. Why is it so different for girls? Fashions seem to change faster for girls than they do for boys making many of these girl names feel somewhat "dated" as a result.

Let's take a look at the rest of the Top 1000 from 1950 and see which of those may be back on the rise today. I went through the list and picked out one name per 100 names that are either fashionable again today or that I think deserve to be used more. If you'd like to play along too, head over to the SSA's website and pick out your Top 10 names from the 1950 chart and post them in the comment section below!

#57 - Alice
This happens to be my grandmother's middle name so I tend to like it.  It seems as though I'm not alone in that since it is on its way up the charts! It ranked very well from 1880 through the 1960s but declined a bit in usage after that. In the past 5 years or so, Alice has become fashionable again. It ranked at #107 in 2013 and I think it'll break back into the Top 100 soon.

#178 -  Clara
This lovely vintage choice was once a Top 20 name in the 1880s and 1890s. By the 1950s it was heading down the charts. It wasn't until the 2000s that parents began to find this name stylish again. Clara ranked at #131 in 2013. I think it'll continue to gain popularity in the near future!

#219 - Hazel 
This spunky, vintage name seems to be a new favorite lately. It ranked in the Top 100 for years in the distant past, but most recently, it has spent time outside the Top 1000, only returning in 1998.  Now in 2013, it's inching its way toward the Top 100 again with a ranking of #157. It seems posed to continue climbing higher and higher!

#342 - Eloise
This is another name that is making quite the splash! In just 6 years, this name has gone from ranking beyond the Top 1000 to reaching #338 in 2013. That's impressive since it hadn't been in the Top 1000 at all since 1965. This is one to keep an eye on!

#458 - Sadie
If you're familiar with chart movements, you might have heard that Sadie made quite the impressive leap this year. It ranked down at #458 in 1950 and fell out of the Top 1000 for a while in the 60s and 70s. In the past couple decades, though, Sadie has become a favorite. It jumped from #119 in 2012 to #50 in 2013. I think it could be headed for the Top 10 soon!

#547 - Mabel
This is a name that I'm excited to see used. It was very popular from the 1880s through the 1930s but began declining in usage. By 1950, it was down to #547. It dropped out of the Top 1000 in 1965 and stayed out until 2013! It now ranks at #707 and I'd be thrilled to see it gain even more popularity! It's one of my new favorites.

#659 - Leila
My great grandmother's name has always had decent usage but it has gradually declined over the years until the 2000s started and parents started to fall in love with it again. A lovely, vintage name that is now fashionable again, Leila ranked at #215 in 2013. I'd like to see it continue to inch its way up the chart!

#752 - Delilah 
This biblical moniker belonged to a woman who could be described as "a dangerous temptress" who caused Samson's downfall. Despite this, Delilah's popularity as a name has boomed lately! Having never been popular before, it has been experiencing quite a bit of usage since the mid-2000s. It has climbed its way up to #135 in 2013 and will probably keep going! Would you use it?

#823 - Adeline 
I can't help but love this name lately. Many parents seem to agree but they're using variants like Adelyn a little bit more. This sweet name did well around 1918 but quickly declined in usage. In 1950 it ranked down at #823. In the late 1990s, parents rediscovered it and it has climbed straight up the charts again. It has reached #232 in 2013 and will probably continue upward!

#910 - Margot
This is a name to watch! It has been around in the US since 1894 and it has never been popular but I think that could change soon. It might just be the latest undiscovered gem that everyone discovers at once. It hadn't been in the Top 1000 since 1966, but as of 2013, it has popped on the chart at #944. I imagine it will be making waves toward the top soon!

All of these names that I've highlighted here have the same vintage-but-fresh vibe going on. They're all old-fashioned names that have circled back around to being fashionable again! They belong to a similar "style" of names. Which of these names do you expect to be the next big thing first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

The Best Boy Names from 1950 vs 2013

Let's take a look at the past! The year 1950 was smack dab in the middle of the century. Babies born that year will celebrate their 65th birthday this year. Many of them are grandparents now and may even be lending their own names to their grandchildren.

The most popular boy names in 1950 were James, Robert, John, Michael and David. How did these names rank 63 years later in 2013? Well, most of them are classics that don't fade very far down the charts. In fact, James, Michael and David are still in the Top 20 today. Here's how the 1950's Top 25 names rank in 2013:

Boys:          James Robert John Michael David William Richard Thomas Charles Gary Larry Ronald Joseph Donald Kenneth Steven Dennis Paul Stephen George Daniel Edward Mark Jerry Gregory

1950:     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

2013:               13 62 27 7 18 5 140 61 57 578 477 403 20 415 187 136 455 198 252 157 10 145 184 450 299

As you can see, all of the boy names that were in the Top 25 in 1950 are still within the Top 600 in 2013!  I found it interesting that even though some of these seem very dated, they're still hanging around and being used. Specifically, I was a little surprised to see Gary, Larry, Ronald, Donald, Dennis and Jerry still ranking as high as they do. Do you know any babies with these names? I'd wager that many of them are named after a relative but perhaps not all of them!

Next, I went through the Top 1000 names of 1950 and chose a single favorite per 100 names. These are names that are either fashionable and climbing the charts today, or names that I'd like to see get more usage! If you'd like to play along, browse the chart at the SSA website and in the comment section below, post your favorite names, one per every 100 names!

#99 - Theodore
The nickname Theo seems to be a big draw lately. This name ranked #99 in 1950 but has declined in usage since then. In the past decade, though, it has started regaining some popularity, ranking at #170 in 2013. This is one of my favorite classic names but I tend to love it more in the middle name spot!

#165 - Wesley
My grandfather's middle name is Wesley so I always thought of it as an old man name. Now that I'm older, I see the charm it has. I'd like to see this one used a bit more today. It ranked at #165 in 1950 and is actually doing even better than that today, ranking at #139 in 2013.

#287 - Edmund
I haven't been able to pinpoint why I love this handsome, classic name so much, but modern parents don't seem to feel the same. While it ranked at #287 in 1950, it isn't even on the charts today! It ranked #1192 in 2013. I find it much more handsome than Edward. Edmund would be my Eddy of choice. I'd like to see it get more love!

#371 - Woodrow
You may think me a bit nutty for this one, but there's something appealing about Woodrow. Perhaps it's just Toy Story and Cheers nostalgia because of the nickname Woody. This name spiked majorly around 1918 because of President Wilson, but it's been off the charts since then. In 2013, it ranked way down at #3314. I doubt it'll ever come back, but I like it anyway.

#468 - August
It is no secret that this name is zooming up the charts today. Overnight, everyone and their grandmother seemed to suddenly love the name August. It was big in 1915 but fell mostly out of sight since then. It ranked at #468 in 1950 but fell even lower than that afterward. It wasn't until recently that it's climbed again. Now in 2013 it is up to #319 and I imagine it'll keep on going!

#588 - Bennett
Parents seem to love surname names these days. A new trend of names ending with -et is growing for both genders, too. Bennett ranked down at #588 in 1950 but it has been in an upward trajectory since the 70s. It is up to #194 in 2013 and will probably continue gaining popularity.

#627 - Fletcher
This is another surnamey, occupational name that is rising quickly today. Fletcher seems to be a new favorite lately. It ranked at #627 in 1950 but it nosedived off the charts thereafter. Only recently have people rediscovered it. It's now up to #790 in 2013 and has the potential to be the next big thing soon.

#702 - Benedict
This is a love of mine. It seems to be a bit polarizing though. Some think it isn't usable today and some really like it. It ranked pretty low in 1950 and has only gone lower. It hasn't ranked in the Top 1000 since 1968! I think it deserves a little better than a ranking of #1482 in 2013 but maybe that's just me.

#847 - Leonardo
Like Theo, Leo is becoming a go-to nickname. Leonardo ranked down at #847 in 1950 but it has actually been climbing the charts since then. DiCaprio gave it a boost after 1997 and today it ranks at #131 in 2013. I don't see it leaping up the chart but it'll definitely keep inching its way toward the top.

#967 - Jarvis
Jarvis is a cool choice. It feels old but new at the same time. And that stylish V doesn't hurt! A cool namesake is that of Iron Man's advanced computerized helper J.A.R.V.I.S which stands for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System".  The name Jarvis ranked way down at #967 in 1950, spiked in 1989 and has declined in usage again today. It is down at #1238 in 2013 but I think it deserves more love. 

What do you think of my Top 10 picks from 1950? What would you have chosen? Share your thoughts in the comment section below! Thanks for reading! 

Get to Know!: Anna from "Waltzing More Than Matilda"

Since Australia Day is being celebrated on January 26th, I thought we would take a moment to learn more about Australia's best baby-name blogger Anna from the blog "Waltzing More Than Matilda."  If you aren't Australian, don't worry, she explains exactly what the title of her blog really means.

Anna is a wonderful blogger with great insight into names. She always has interesting and informative articles complete with opinion polls. If you enjoy voting for your favorite names, Anna provides plenty of opportunities for that on her blog!  She often shares names from local birth announcements and she also keeps up with celebrity baby news from Australian stars and footballers.

Read below to learn more about Anna, her favorite names and her thoughts about the differences between names in Australia and names here in the US.

What are your first and middle names?

Anna Vivian.

Do you like your name, or would you ever want to change it?

When I was younger, my biggest problem with my name is that the names Anne and Mary are traditional in my family. Being an Anna whose mum was Anne, and sister was Mariana, with a cousin named Anne-Marie, second-cousins named Annette and Anita, and a Great-Aunt Annie, sometimes it felt like my name had just been chosen to be part of a pack. But now I'm older, I appreciate being part of a family tradition a lot more.

My middle name has already been changed; I chose it myself when I was twelve, with my parents' encouragement (they didn't like the middle name they picked for me).

If you had to change your name, what would you choose?

My preference would be for Alice – simple, sweet, and enough like Anna to not be a hassle. Unfortunately, my husband has a traumatic association with the name, so I couldn't do it. Every other name that seems suitable either clashes with my surname or a family member's name, or is the name of someone I know well, so it would seem like weird creepy “name stealing”.  I guess I'm not going to change my name any time soon.

When did you first become interested in names?

I think almost as soon as I understood what a name was, I was fascinated, and names had a very powerful effect on me. My interest was surely given impetus when my parents allowed me to help name my younger brother, which I have written about.

Our family dictionary had a section on the meanings of common names at the back, and I remember getting terrifically excited to find that names had meanings. From the age of around seven, I read that dictionary section until it practically fell to pieces.

Why did you begin a blog?

I loved reading name sites and name blogs, but wished I could find one from an Australian perspective. Eventually I realized this mythical Australian name blog was never going to materialize, and if I wanted to read it, I would have to write it myself.

What do you try to accomplish with your blog?

I try to give full and accurate information on featured names, to the best of my ability, and to do my own research. I try not to sugarcoat names, and to point out any potential problems attached to them, even if I don't think the issues are a big deal. I always swore I would never be a “real estate agent” type name blogger that sold people names that I thought were great, but I'm afraid I have got a bit too enthusiastic in some cases and foisted them on people as if I was pushing door-to-door mobile data plans. So I haven't always lived up to my ideals.

Where can we find your sites? 

As well as waltzingmorethanmatilda.com, you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

What is the significance of your blog's title?

"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's national song, rather like an unofficial national anthem, and an immediate signifier of Australian-ness. The title of the song is a slang term: to "go waltzing matilda" means to go for a long walk carrying your belongings. In the same way, I planned to meander my way through the landscape of Australian names, accompanied by my own cultural "baggage".

I have heard people use the phrase "more than Waltzing Matilda" in several ways, often vaguely, always humorously:

1. to provide more than the basics, to make a big effort ("They will be putting on a major event, it will be more than Waltzing Matilda").
2. to provide something other than what might have been expected, a possible surprise - not always a good one! ("If you keep behaving like that, I'll give you more than Waltzing Matilda to think about").
3. to indicate that something questionable is taking place ("I think he had packed a bit more than Waltzing Matilda for the trip").

Likewise, I planned to cover more than the standard or stereotypical Australian names, but with a certain amount of ambiguity as to what that might mean.

What are some of the biggest differences in naming styles between Australia and the US?

There aren't massive differences, but we tend to be fonder of British-style names, especially Scottish and Irish ones. Hamish and Maeve are more popular here than in the US, for example, and we're maybe a bit more likely to choose a nickname as the full name. The trend for “boys names on girls” isn't as pronounced here, although definitely gaining steam. And we don't have a big Hispanic population, so Spanish names aren't nearly as common here (we tend more towards Italian ones).

Can you think of any names that are popular in Australia but less common in the US?

Boys: Angus, Archie, Billy, Campbell, Darcy, Fergus, Finlay, Fletcher, Flynn, Hamish, Harry, Harvey, Heath, Koby, Lachlan, Lenny, Lewis, Louie, Luka, Nate, Sam, Theo, Toby, Tom, Zac

Girls: Adele, Allegra, Amelie, Amity, Annika, Asher, Billie, Bonnie, Bronte, Charli, Estelle, Evie, Florence, Frankie, Freya, Harriet, Imogen, Indiana, Indie, Indigo, Lara, Matilda, Milla, Millie, Neve, Pippa, Poppy, Tahlia, Tilly, Zahra

Are there any popular American names that you'd like to see used more often in Australia?

Camden for boys – it's quite rare here, yet Camden is a rather nice semi-rural area in Australia, and it would make a great alternative to Cameron or Campbell. And Nora for girls: it's almost unheard of here, yet it's so hip and on trend.

Favorite girl names in US Top 1000? 

Astrid, Coraline, Esme, June, Lilia, Magnolia, Margot, Nancy, Paloma, Virginia

Favorite girl names on Australia's Top 100?

Audrey, Elsie, Harriet, Hazel, Lucy, Matilda, Phoebe, Rose, Ruby, Violet

Favorite boy names in US Top 1000?

Alfred, Apollo, Conrad, Duncan, Ephraim, Harold, Jericho, Magnus, Thaddeus, Winston

Favorite boy names on Australia's Top 100?

Angus, Felix, Gabriel, Harry, Henry, James, Jasper, Jude, Oliver, Sebastian

How would you describe your naming style?

I've come to realize that deep down I prefer sensible, wholesome names for girls, and something slightly more romantic and flamboyant for boys. I tend to like girl's names to be gender-specific (I'm often not even that keen on girl's names based on male ones), but don't mind unisex names on boys. As a result, I've found it relatively easy to get my husband to agree to my ideas on girl's names, and very difficult indeed to reach consensus on boy's names. If we ever have a boy, we have agreed to choose from classic, retro, and family names to avoid arguments.    

Which names did you choose for your children? How did you make the decision?

Elizabeth and Rosemary – they both have family names in the middle. Elizabeth was something of a compromise choice between my husband and me (we both had a “favourite” name that the other vetoed), but we ended up mutually loving it. My husband picked the name Rosemary, and almost at once I thought it was perfect too.

If you were suddenly adding boy/girl twins to your family, what might you name them? 

If we were being sensible, I think they would be named something like George and Adelaide (two names we've managed to agree on that sound quite nice together), but we might go a bit mad with the excitement and choose our “guilty pleasure names”, so they would be Harold (nicknamed Harry) and Lavender.

Do you have any naming pet peeves?

My perennial complaint – not enough name data in Australia!

Are there any current trends that you enjoy or dislike?

Favourite current trend would be for retro and vintage names, and I like that parents are being more adventurous now (also a throwback to times past, I believe). A modern trend I'm not getting on board with is names created from initials, like Emjay or even just MJ. Nothing wrong with it, but with so many names in the world, it puzzles me why you would need to just pick initials.

What advice would you give to expecting parents who are trying to find the perfect name?

Probably to stop searching for the perfect name. Often the name that seems perfect on paper isn't really right for you, and you might end up crossing off an awesome name you love because it breaks some “rule” you made up.
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I want to thank Anna for graciously allowing me to interview her. Take a look at my interview on her website from August 2014!  Be sure to show Anna some love by visiting her blog and social media pages! Thanks for reading!