Viola

One of The Very Best V Names around is Viola, of course! Taken from our previous article, this name is still a rarity but could potentially gain popularity in the coming years.

The name Viola means "violet" in Latin. If Violet is too popular for you (it ranked #67 in 2014), try Viola. It is very similar in sound but it is ranking well below the Top 1000 chart.

As you may know, the viola is a bowed string instrument. Wikipedia says that "it is slightly larger than a violin in size and has a lower and deeper sound than a violin. Since the 18th century it has been the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello."  This would be a great name choice for musical parents, specifically ones who may actually play this instrument.

The Viola is also a genus of flowering plants within the violet family of Violaceae. The name Viola would please not only musical parents, but those with an appreciation for nature. Additionally, literature lovers would recognize that Viola is the name of the heroine in Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night" (1602).

On top of all that, Viola can also be considered a vintage name since it was well-used a century ago and has the potential to come back into fashion again in the next few years if it can catch a ride on Violet's coattails.

What's not to love? She's a musical, literary, vintage nature name that happens to still be flying under the radar popularity-wise! Hollywood has an Emmy Award winning actress by the name of Viola Davis who has been helping to increase exposure to the name in the entertainment world recently.

Do you think Viola may start climbing the charts for modern babies soon? Viola has been in use in the US since 1880 when records began. It isn't very popular now but it once peaked even higher than the name Violet did. In 1918, there were 4,331 girls named Viola for a ranking of #59 (while Violet ranked at #83 in the same year.)

Since the 1920s, though, Viola has declined in popularity straight down the charts and out of the Top 1000 by 1973. While Viola remains uncommon, it is starting to inch its way back up. There were 192 girls given this name in 2014 for a rank of #1250.

Here are some sibling and middle name ideas for Viola:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Cecily, Coraline, Grace, Imogen, Lenore, Lucille, Rosalie
Brothers: Ambrose, Barnaby, Curtis, Henry, Leonard, Marcus, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Viola Camille
Viola Genevieve
Viola Hettienne
Viola Maren
Viola Rose

As a Middle Name:
Alice Viola
Belle Viola
Julianne Viola
Louise Viola
Tess Viola

What do you think of the name Viola? Or do you prefer Violet? What about Violetta?

The Very Best V Names for Boys and Girls

The letter V is trending these days within popular names like Ava and Evelyn for girls.

It's been a constant for boys in the name David. Both genders love Avery as the top unisex name.

What about names that start with the letter V?

Victoria still ranks well and Violet and Valentina are trending upward for girls.

Vincent is just outside the top 100 for boys with Victor not far behind.

Are you a fan of the letter V? If you are, surely you'll enjoy this great list of the 25 best V names for girls and 25 for boys.

 Did I miss any of your favorite V names?

Vale Valencia Valentina Valerie Vanessa Vanna Vella Velvet Venus Verity Veronica Vesper Victoria Vida Vienna Vincenza Viola Violet Violetta Virginia Viveca Vivian Viviana Vivienne Vrai

Vadden Valdemar Valentino Valor Van Vance Vander Vasily Vaughn Verne Vernon Vicente Victor Vidal Viggo Vin Vince Vincent Vincenzo Vinny Virgil Vitaly Vito Vladimir Voyer

Which of these names do you love most? Share your thoughts about this list below! Not a V fan? Check out the following links to browse names starting with other letters:

<-- The Very Best U Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best W Names for Boys and Girls -->

A Look Back At The Art of Naming's 2015 - A Year End Summary

We're at the end of the year 2015. Before we step into 2016, let's take a moment to look back at the names and articles we've discussed this year.

The main name series of the year took us on an alphabetical adventure. The plan was to fit all 26 letters into 12 months but it was a bit too jam-packed. As a result, the letter Z has been stretched out to March, but we have been able to explore most of the letters already. Below are all of the available links to view the Top 50 names per letter according to The Art of Naming:

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The featured name articles that have accompanied the alphabetical posts were originally meant to complement each other as if they were part of a big sibset of 26 kids from A-Z but there may be a few outliers that don't quite "fit" in the traditional sense of what one may perceive a sibset to be. Here are links to those articles:

Alistair Bridget Conrad Daphne Emmett Flora Graham

Honora Ignatius Juno Kai Luna Milo Nova

Oberon Phoebe Quincy Ruby Soren Tallulah Ulysses

The letters V-Z will be arriving shortly. I hope you've enjoyed this series so far.

Also in 2015, we explored the following name lists:

• 4+ Syllable Boy Names | 4+ Syllable Girl Names
• Boy Names from 1950  | Girl Names from 1950
• Valentine's Day Names | Presidential Names
• Double-Letter Boy Names | Double-Letter Girl Names
• Numerical Names |  Rainbow Color Names
• Unisex Boy-to-Girl Ratios | Top Unisex Names
• Uncommon Alternatives to Top 10 Names: Boys | Girls
• Word Names for Boys | Word Names for Girls
• Whimsical Boy Names |  Whimsical Girl Names
• Names Written in Cursive | Haiku Poetry Name Game
• Boy Names Ending in "Uh" | Girl Names Ending in "Oh"
• Latinate Boy Names |  Colonial Virtue Names
• Surname Names for Boys | Surname Names for Girls

As always, if you are expecting a child soon and find yourself at a loss for names, I have naming services available to help you! You can visit my Private Naming Services page to learn more about how I can help you find the perfect name in a professional, private and personalized manner.

Thank you for following my articles this year. Next year will bring several new series of name articles. I look forward to sharing more names with you in 2016 and beyond!

Happy New Year!

-Kara @ The Art of Naming

I Want To Change My Name! Where Do I Start?

Changing your name can be tough. It requires that you really know yourself and what you want. 

You would need to browse through name lists and pick out the ones that jump at you. Maybe you’ll find something that instantly speaks to you, but most likely it’ll take a while and names will need to grow on you. You’ll need to try them on and wear them to see if they’re a fit.

You could go about it in many different ways but it would depend on if you want to keep a connection to your old name or abandon it completely. Here are a few of the many possible methods for choosing a different name for yourself:

1. Stick to similar sounds: Maybe you dislike your name Carolyn but you find yourself liking the similar sounding Coraline instead.

2. Find a related name: You don't want to stray too far but Heidi just isn't you. Try sister name Adelaide from the same root name Adalheidis.

3.  Do the complete opposite:  If you have a common name, go for something unusual like Rafferty or Xenia. If you already have an odd name that gives you trouble, you might opt for a more classic choice like James or Elizabeth.

4. Simplify it: If your name is needlessly complicated, you could find a simpler spelling. For instance, change Abbygayle to Abigail or Xzayvier to Xavier.

5. Scramble the old, create the new: You could rearrange the letters in your old name to come up with something else:  Alice -> Celia. Include your middle name and even your maiden name or surname if you're changing the entire thing.

6. Meanings are everything: You could find a name with the same meaning as your old one to subtly link your new self to a piece of your old self.

7. Borrow from the past:  You could pick something from your family tree like your great grandmother’s maiden name or an uncle's middle name. Explore your ancestral options, maybe you'll find something you like more than your own. Honoring a late relative would be a great bonus!

8. Random name generator:  You could look up name popularity statistics for your birth year and see where your name ranked, then choose whatever name ranked the same for 2014. Or 1920. Or 1957. Whatever year means something to you.

9. Swap it out: You could look at your birth year and find a different name that ranks within the Top 1000 so you would still fit in with your age group. (Some names that are popular and appealing now were not used at all until recently so you’d seem out-of-time if you used it.)

10. Find something shiny and new: The most likely option will be that you simply find something that feels right with no strings attached to your old name. Only you can know if the name will suit you. Trust your instincts and don't be afraid to be bold with your choice if need be. Being happy with your name is very important for your self identity.

No matter what approach you take to finding a new name for yourself, it takes research, self-meditation and trial and error. Introduce yourself with a name you like and see how it feels. Practice writing it and see if it seems natural or odd. It’s a complicated process but it is completely possible with enough thought and determination!

If you've ever changed your name or if you're considering it, share your story with us in the comment section below! 

Ulysses

Names that start with the letter U aren't always favored very highly but Ulysses is a great exception that deserves more usage.

The masculine name Ulysses is the Latin form of the excellent Greek mythological name Odysseus. Odysseus is said to be derived from the Greek οδυσσομαι (odyssomai) which means "to hate, wrathful". While that isn't the greatest meaning ever, both of these names are strong and interesting.

In Greek legend, Odysseus was a hero of the Trojan War. Homer's The Odyssey, follows Odysseus's journey back to his kingdom and his wife Penelope.

As for the name Ulysses, it was used as the title of a book written in 1920 by Irish author James Joyce. This story was loosely based on The Odyssey and was adapted into a movie in 1967.

The most famous man named Ulysses in American history is Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War. He later became the 18th President of the United States from 1869-1877. His full name was actually Hiram Ulysses Grant.

This was also the name of George Clooney's character name in the Coen brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Other forms of the name include the feminine Ulyssa, the French Ulysse, the Italian Ulisse, the Portuguese Ulisses and the Spanish Ulises.

Ulysses has been used as a name in the US since records began in 1880. It has always ranked within the Top 1000 up until the mid-2000s. It received the most amount of births in a single year in 1999 which was 272. Currently, Ulysses ranks at #1109 in 2014 with 171 births.

If you're considering this handsome, strong name, here are some middle name ideas and sibling name ideas that you may enjoy:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Antonia, Athena, Aurora, Eugenie, Lavinia, Octavia, Xanthia
Brothers: Fabian, Felix, Horatio, Octavian, Percival, Titus, Virgil

Middle Name Ideas:
Ulysses Benedict
Ulysses Clark
Ulysses Matthew
Ulysses Theodore
Ulysses Raphael

As a Middle Name:
Barnaby Ulysses
Dominic Ulysses
Henry Ulysses
Julian Ulysses
Victor Ulysses

What do you think of the name Ulysses? Does it deserve to rejoin the Top 1000? Or should it remain uncommon?

The Very Best U Names for Boys and Girls

Imagine an alternate universe where the alphabet was arranged differently. I surmise that people love the letter A so much because it is #1, but what if it wasn't?  What if the letter U came first?

What if there were an abundance of favorable baby names that began with the letter U? What if common A names had their spellings changed to start with U and everyone loved them?

If that is hard to imagine, perhaps you should take a moment to stop and smell the U-scented roses. There is a surprising amount of lovely names that begin with this under-appreciated letter. I narrowed it down to the best I could find.

Here are the 50 best boy and girl names that start with the letter U:

Ujana Ulani Ulla Ulyana Ulyciana Uma Umay Umeko Umi Umika Ummi Una Unique Unity Ura Urania Uriela Urja Ursa Ursula Usra Utari Uttara Uva Uzuri

Uba Uchenna Uday Udell Ugo Ulmer Ulrich Ulysses Umberto Umed Umi Unique Uorsin Upton Urbain Urban Urbano Uri Uriah Urian Uriel Urijah Usher Usman Uttam

Which of these do you like best? If U isn't your letter, use the links below to explore 25 others.

<-- The Very Best T Names for Boys and Girls  |||  The Very Best V Names for Boys and Girls -->

Surname Names for Girls

Surname names aren't anything new. There are countless surnames that could work as a given name for a boy, but did you know that there is also an increasing amount of surname names for girls?

This list ranges from the more unisex options like Morgan, Parker and Carson that are also popular for boys to the interesting, feminine ones like Ayala, Miranda and Valencia.

Do you have a favorite surname to use as a girl's given name? Perhaps you'd use your maiden name or your grandmother's maiden name for a daughter.

Browse the list below and let me know in the comments if there are any other surname names that you can think of that I've missed.

Adair Addison Ainsley Aniston Arden Arlington Ashley Astor Avery Avila Ayala Bailey Bardot Bell Bellamy Bettany Blair Blakely Caldwell Callan Cameron Campbell Carlisle Carrigan Carrington Carroll Carson Carter Chandler Connelly Darby Darcy Delaney Ellery Ellington Elliott Ellis

Ellison Embry Emerson Emery Everly Fifer Finley Garcia Gracen Greer Hadley Haley Hanna Harlow Harper Hayden Holland Hollis Hollister Hope Jordan Karter Kelly Kennedy Kensington Kerrington Kim Landry Lane Lara Larkin Lexington Lindsey Luna Mackenzie Madden Madigan

Madison Mara Marley Matlin May Mckenna Mckinley Miranda Monroe Mora Morgan Paige Parker Phoenix Presley Quinn Reese Riley Rivera Rose Sailor Santana Sawyer Sayer Sheridan Sinclair Sloane Sutton Taylor Tierney Valencia Valentine Whitney Windsor Winslet Winslow Wylie

Do you know any girls with any of these names? Which is your favorite?