Graham

Today's featured name comes straight from our list of The Very Best G Names for Boys and Girls. It is a handsome choice that feels somewhat under-the-radar but is certainly climbing up the charts.

Graham is a Scottish surname which was derived from the English place name Grantham. This name is likely to  mean "gravelly homestead" in Old English.  There is a bit of a debate surrounding the pronunciation of this name but this mostly differs based on accents. Americans tend to say "gram" whereas those in the UK and elsewhere might say "gray-um". Both are correct, it just depends on where you live and what you prefer. How do you say it?

Graham first appeared as a surname in Scotland in the 12th century. It was worn by Baron William de Graham of Norway. Another famous Graham was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) who is credited with inventing the telephone.

While the name Graham has been in use since name statistics were first recorded in the US, it has really caught on with modern parents. Graham's first uphill climb on the popularity charts occurred around 1980. 2008 saw another boost in usage. Now in 2013, there were 1,876 boys named Graham for a ranking of #203. It may just break into the #100s in 2014.

Since this name has different possible pronunciations, it would also have different numbers of syllables. This would then have an affect on which middle names you might pair with it.  Gram or Gray-um? One syllable or two? What would flow best with each? Here are some ideas:

Gram:
Middle Name Ideas:
Graham Douglas
Graham Everett
Graham Riley
Graham Thomas
Graham Wesley

As a Middle Name:
Austin Graham
Jonathan Graham
Lincoln Graham
Oliver Graham
Vincent Graham

Gray-um:
Middle Name Ideas:
Graham Alexander
Graham Bennett
Graham Jasper
Graham Ross
Graham Theodore

As a Middle Name:
Eli Graham
Henry Graham
Noah Graham
Simon Graham
Robert Graham

Sibling Name Ideas for Either:
Sisters: Aria, Camilla, Elsie, Fiona, Lucy, Nora, Olivia, Vivian
Brothers: Asher, Duncan, Kenneth, Lachlan, Patrick, Reid, Trevor, Vaughn

What do you think of the name Graham? Is it on your list?

The Very Best G Names for Boys and Girls

If you're determined to find the perfect name that begins with the letter G, you've come to the right place. There's no need to browse through every G name in existence when the best of the best are listed right here for you! Below are 25 great G names for girls and 25 for boys, too!

If you were to name all of your children with a G name, which names would you choose? Are there any G names that you like more than these that you wish made the cut? Which would you remove from the list? Share all of your thoughts in the comments below!

Gabrielle                 Gaia Gemma Genesis Geneva Genevieve Georgia Georgina Gertrude Ghislaine Giada Gianna Gillian Ginger Giovanna Giselle Giulia Gloria Grace Greer Gretchen Guinevere Gwen Gwendolyn Gwyneth

Gabriel Gage Gaius Gareth Garrett Garth Gary Gavin Gentry Geoffrey George Gerald Gerard Gianni Gideon Giovanni Gordon Graham Grant Gregory Greyson Griffin Grover Gulliver Gus

If G isn't your letter, perhaps you'd enjoy one of our previous articles. Be sure to click the back arrow below to view A-F. Or you can wait until the next article comes out and features the best H names!

<-- The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls |||  The Very Best H Names for Boys and Girls -->

Haiku Poetry Sibset Name Game

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day! It falls on April 17th every year to celebrate this fun, beloved style of poetry. You most likely wrote a few of these in your school years. I know I did and they're my favorite!  I thought it would be exceptionally fun to write some "name haikus" to celebrate!

How does a name haiku work? Well, traditionally, a haiku poem consists of three lines. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 and the third is 5 again. So it is a poem with a syllable count of 5-7-5.

For the purpose of our little game here today, we will be making sibsets of 3.  Name three children. The first one will have a first and middle name combination that amounts to 5 syllables. The second's first and middle names will add up to 7 syllables, and the third child will have 5 syllables.

Does that make sense? I'll provide a format below and an example in the photo. Have fun with this! Try to use different naming styles for a themed sibset, or make the names totally different from each other! Make as many as you'd like and share them in the comment section below!!

Sibset Haiku #1:
Boy (5 syllables):
Girl (7 syllables):
Boy (5 syllables):

Sibset Haiku #2:
Girl
Boy
Girl

Sibset Haiku #3:
Girl
Girl
Girl

Sibset Haiku #4:
Boy
Boy
Boy

Sibset Haiku #5:
Boy
Boy
Girl

Sibset Haiku #6:
Girl
Girl
Boy

Enjoy! Don't forget to share your name haikus in the comments below!

Norah Bailey - (Birth Announcements!)

What do you think about when you look at a list of birth announcements? Of course you'd remember that these all belong to an actual child somewhere in this country, but if you were take a step back and look at these names at face value, do you picture anything in your mind? Do you automatically start to rate the names? Would you borrow one of the pairings and add it to your own name list? Sure, why not?

These are meant as inspiration for those in the process of finding a name, and to enlighten the rest of us as to what sort of names are actually being used. Most of all, since these are anonymous, you're meant to enjoy the names and have a bit of fun. So what would you say if I asked you to pick and choose your favorite first/middle combinations as they are and create a sibset with them?

Using the following names, share with us in the comment section what you would name twins: girl/girl, boy/boy and boy/girl. I'll share my picks below! 

Girls:
Adara Helaina

Alanna Lynn
Annabelle Lynn
Astrid Emily
Aubrey Lauren
Brynn Elizabeth
Carissa Beth
Cecilia Faith
Eleanor Carole
Eloise Frances
Elsa Nichole
Gabriella Kathryn
Gianna Rose
Isabella Marie
Jocelyn Elise
June Marlene
Kinley Jo
Kira Elizabeth
Lucy Carmella
Mabel Grace
Madeleine Joyce
Norah Bailey
Penny Christine
Savannah Jo
Sydney Denae

Boys:
Anthony Michael
Bernard Matthew
Callan James
Charlie Daniel
Chase Richard
Colton Steven
Damon Anthony
Dominic Aiden
Donavan Michael
Easton Thomas
Gavin Wyatt
Isaiah Lee
Jace Timothy
James David
Landon John
Lucas Brandon
Micah James
Milo Christopher
Murphy Everett
Myles Carter
Samuel John
Sawyer Franklin
Sebastian Noah
Vaughn Douglas
Vincent Ryan

Twins:
Alissandra Katherine-Jean & Brady Christopher-Allen
Isaac Anthony & Joshua Wesley
Chloe Lynne & Colt Justice


My chosen twins from the boy/girl lists:
G/G: Carissa Beth & Aubrey Lauren
B/B: Milo Christopher & Sebastian Noah
B/G: Vincent Ryan & Annabelle Lynn

Don't forget to share which names you'd choose for this naming challenge in the comment section below! Thanks for playing!

Flora

The beautiful, feminine name Flora is brought to you today in light of our previous post that featured The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls.

As a name, Flora has been in use since the Renaissance era in France. Diminutives of the name include Flo, Floretta, Florrie and Floella. In Dutch, Flora is known as Floor or Floortje. The French call her Flore and Florette, Hungarians say Flóra while the Welsh use Fflur.

Flora could be used as a nickname for Florence but the two aren't actually related since they come from different roots. Another similar name is Fleur which is French for Flower; there's also Fleurette, a diminutive of Fleur.

Flora

It's no surprise that this lovely name comes from the Latin word flos meaning "flower".  Flora was the goddess of flowers and the season of spring according to Roman mythology. She was the wife of Favonius, who was the west wind and bringer of light spring and early summer breezes. This couple's Greek equivalent is Chloris and Zephyrus or Zephyr.

The goddess Flora had her own festival called Floralia that would take place from April 28th to May 3rd in celebration of the renewal of life during springtime. Flora achieved more prominence during the Renaissance era than she ever did in ancient Rome.

Flora has ranked recently at #404 in England/Wales, #178 in France and #29 in Hungary. In the US, Flora has been in constant use since 1880. She enjoyed a popularity peak from roughly 1913-1931 before usage declined. This name fell off the Top 1000 chart in 1972 and remains there today. It ranked down at #1513 in the year 2013 when 144 baby girls were given the name. The good news, though, is that this name fits the 100 Year Rule.

According to that rule, old-fashioned names become fresh again and experience a revival of usage roughly 90-110 years after their initial peak of popularity. In this case, Flora did its best in 1920 with 1,566 births. In the next 5 years leading up to 2020, Flora may just receive a small boost in usage. However, it could take another ten years or so to see a definite rise since this is just an approximate and theorized timeline. There is always a chance that it may not occur at all. Either way, Flora has the potential to rejoin the Top 1000 names chart.

What do you think of the name Flora?

If you're interested in this lovely, under-the-radar, vintage name, perhaps these sibling and middle name ideas would also be helpful:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Ada, Caroline, Hazel, Leona, Olive, Sylvie, Viola
Brothers: August, Calvin, Ferdinand, Hugh, Julius, Milo, Rupert

Middle Name Ideas:
Flora Cecily
Flora Mae
Flora Lucille
Flora Vivienne

As a Middle Name:
Elizabeth Flora
June Flora
Penelope Flora
Serenity Flora

Know anyone with this name? Share your thoughts on the name Flora in the comments below!

Source | Source
Photo: Primavera- Flora, the goddess of flowers and the season of spring.
Artist: Sandro Botticelli. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence - circa 1482

The Very Best F Names for Boys and Girls

You have been searching for the perfect baby name for months now. Your little one is due soon and remains nameless. You've been through the name books and you've browsed endless webpages and yet you cannot settle on a name.

It may feel a bit funny to finally focus on a specific letter, but I figure if you found your new favorite name on a fresh list like this, you'll finally feel free to move forward and be satisfied with your perfect name find! Forgive me. Fact is, I'm fascinated by the letter F!

Here are some fabulous names that start with F! 25 for girls and 25 for boys.  I hope you fall for a favorite! 

Share your thoughts on these F names in the comment section below! Which do you love most? 

Fabiana                        Faith Fallon Farrah Fatima Fauna Faustine Fawn Faye Felicia Felicity Fern Fernanda Finlay Finola Fiona Fiorella Flavia Fleur Flora Florence Frances Francesca Frederica Freya

Fabian Farrell Felix Ferdinand Ferguson Findlay Finley Finn Finnegan Finnian Finnick Flannery Fletcher Florian Flynn Ford Forrest Fox Francis Francisco Franklin Fraiser Frederick Fritz Frost

Find a winner? If not, don't fret. Remember that this is a 26-part series, if F isn't your letter after all, there are plenty more names to come!  Use the links below to browse all the featured letters!

<-- The Very Best E Names for Boys and Girls |||  The Very Best G Names for Boys and Girls -->

Annabelle, Juliette & Tessa: The Best Double-Letter Girl Names

Naming traditions come in a variety of forms. Perhaps everyone in your family has a name with double-letters within it and you're looking for a name that hasn't been taken yet. There are hundreds of names out there that will fit this criteria but to simplify the process, this article lists up to ten of the best names per letter.

Below are some of the most attractive names for baby girls that contain double letters. Be sure to follow the links below for a list that's even more extensive than this one.

Which of the follow names do you like the most? Do you have a favorite double letter?

A:
Aaliyah

B:
Abbey, Abbigail, Abby, Bobbie, Debbie, Gabby, Libby, Robbin, Tabby, Tabbitha

C:
Accalia, Becca, Rebecca, Ricci, Toccara

D:
Addalyn, Addie, Addison, Edda, Haddasha, Haddie, Hedda, Maddalena, Maddie, Siddalee

E:
Aimee, Cathleen, Desiree, Eileen, Greer, Jubilee, Leela, Maureen, Reese, Teegan
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-E names for girls!

F:
Buffy, Effie, Ffion, Fflur, Raffaela, Saffron, Steffany, Tiffany

G:
Maggie, Meggan, Meggie, Peggy, Reggie

K:
Mikki, Nikki, Onekka, Rebekka, Rikki, Vikki

L:
Annabelle, Calliope, Estella, Gabrielle, Isabelle, Jillian, Lilly, Molly, Raphaella, Willow
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-L names for girls!

M:
Cammie, Emma, Emmanuelle, Emmeline, Emmylou, Fiammetta, Gemma, Jemma, Summer, Tammy

N:
Arianna, Cheyenne, Georgianna, Hannah, Julianne, Lucienne, Rhiannon, Susannah, Vienna, Yvonne
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-N names for girls!

O:
Brooke, Brooklyn, Moon, Noor, Oona, Rooney, Sookie, Zooey

P:
Apple, Filippa, Guiseppa, Pepper, Philippa, Pippa, Poppy, Sapphira, Tzipporah, Xanthippe

R:
Arrietty, Carrigan, Farrah, Harriet, Kirra, Lorraine, Sherry, Sierra, Sparrow, Terra
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-R names for girls!

S:
Alessandra, Alyssa, Cassidy, Cressida, Hadassah, Jessica, Larissa, Odessa, Tessa, Vanessa
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-S names for girls!

T:
Antoinette, Cosette, Elisabetta, Henrietta, Juliette, Loretta, Mattea, Ottilie, Scarlett, Violetta
Click here to view a more extensive list of Double-T names for girls!

V:
Evvie, Livvy, Vivviana

X: 
Alexxia

Z:
Azizza, Azzurra, Clarizza, Dezzy, Izzy, Jazzlynn, Jazzmin, Kezziah, Kizzy, Lizzie

Which of the above do you like best? Can you think of any that could be added? Don't miss the previous article regarding The Best Double-Letter Boy Names!