Jeremy

We took a look at all the names ending with the letters -my in the previous post. Today we'll pull one of those from the list and get to know it better. I chose Jeremy,  which may feel a bit dated to many of you but it still deserves usage today.

Jeremy comes from the name Jeremiah, it is the Medieval English version of it. Jeremiah comes from the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmiyahu) meaning "YAHWEH has uplifted". Jeremy was occasionally the form used in England in place of Jeremiah since the 13th century. It wasn't until the Protestant Reformation that Jeremiah gained more common usage.

Interesting related diminutives include Jez, Jezza, Jem, Jemmy, Jere and Jerry.  Other languages and cultures offer interesting choices such as the Finnish Jorma, Jarkko, and Jarmo; or the Biblical Greek Ieremias, the Biblical Hebrew Yirmiyahu, and the Biblical Latin Hieremias.  The French favor Jérémie and the Spanish use Jeremías.

Jeremy itself works internationally without being "translated". It has ranked at #445 in France recently, #390 in the Netherlands, and #497 in England and Wales. Canada, Australia, Belgium and Switzerland also have the occasional love for Jeremy.

In the US, Jeremy didn't gain usage until 1923, but was nearly always in the Top 1000 after that, starting in the 1940s. It peaked in 1977 in the US, which may make Jeremy feel most associated with the 1970s and 1980s. That's a valid feeling because it was suddenly very popular for only that short amount of time. It only had 641 births in 1968 but received a high of 21,012 by 1977 which labeled it as the 15th most popular name in the country.

Today, it is still finding itself ranked at a respectable #174 as of 2015, which means 2,380 boys were named Jeremy in that year. It is a solid, "alternative classic" name. It is biblical-based and very versatile over multiple languages which means Jeremy will always be around, even though it isn't as popular as it once was.

What do you think of this name? Do you know any children named Jeremy? If you're considering it, here are some sibling name ideas and middle name ideas:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amanda, Bethany, Danielle, Lydia, Nicole, Sabrina, Tabitha
Brothers: Aaron, Gerard, Joshua, Mitchell, Ryan, Samuel, Zachary

Middle Name Ideas:
Jeremy Brian
Jeremy Daniel
Jeremy Noah
Jeremy Oliver
Jeremy Tobias
Jeremy Zachariah

As a Middle Name:
Andrew Jeremy
David Jeremy
Ian Jeremy
Matthew Jeremy
Seth Jeremy
William Jeremy

Which  names would you pair with Jeremy? Share your thoughts below!

Happy Name Nerd-oween! The 2016 Baby Name Stats Are Here!

As you may know, the Social Security Administration has released the list of 2016's most popular baby names. It covers the Top 1000 in the site, but more names beyond that are also available for download.

Emma has ranked at #1 four times now. The first time was in 2008, and now she's been ruling the chart for 3 years straight (2014-2016). Will Emma continue her reign again next year? If not, which name will steal the crown? I think Olivia will rise to the top in the next year or three.

As for the boys, Noah replaced the long-running Jacob in 2013. This is Noah's 4th year in a row being #1. How much longer will it remain at the top? If it dips next year, which name would replace it? My bet is on Liam.

What do you think of the top 2? Here's the rest of the Top 20 as well:

Source

Names on the rise include:

One notable thing is that Elijah joined the Top 10 for the first time ever. Other names to watch include Oliver, Charlotte, Amelia and Evelyn.

• Oliver is up 7 ranks, It didn't join the top 100 until 2009 and now it is on the verge of breaking into the Top 10. It ranked at #12 in 2016, so I would guess that it will land at either #9 or #10 next year. (With sister name Olivia taking #1 for the girls). What do you think?
• Charlotte which is up by 2 ranks over 2015 and is definitely on the rise. Charlotte could be a contender for the Top 3 in the next few years.  
• Amelia has been steadily rising since joining the Top 100 in 2004, hitting #11 now in 2016. 
• Evelyn once ranked at #10, but that was way back in 1915. At #12 in 2016, she could make a run for the Top 10 soon.

Names on the decline include:

Boys:

Aiden (down 3 ranks)

Jacob (down 3 ranks)

Alexander (down 3 ranks)

Girls: 

Madison (down 4 ranks)

Beyond the Top 20:

Every year, there are names that suddenly have major popularity boosts from one year to the next. These are fascinating to look at, but they don't always result in becoming "the next big name". However, if you want to avoid following the trends, it's good to know which names are being most-used by the masses. Here are the Top 10 names that climbed the most ranks:

Source

And going the opposite direction, there are also names that lose favor in mass. Here are the Top 10 names that declined the most from 2015 to 2016:

Source

Clearly America has grown tired of the Caitlin/Katelynn crowd. What do you think of those?

What other interesting stats did you see? Share any information that stood out to you the most! 

Names Ending with the Letters "-my"

We're halfway through our collection of names ending with the letter -y. We've seen plenty of common and rare names along the way as we've cruised through the alphabet.

Next we will explore the few but interesting names ending with the letters -my.

This series doesn't always feature a plethora of name options since these endings are more on the unusual side, but that's the beauty of it. How often have you stopped to think about names ending with these specific letters? Perhaps never.

However, if someone is looking for that exact sound or letter combination with a sentimental purpose behind it, this list is sure to help.

Take a look at the list below and share your thoughts in the comments. Can you think of any names that could be added?

Girls:
Aemy

Alchemy
Amy
Bellamy
Cammy
Emmy
Emy
Jemmy
Jessamy
Jessemy
Keimy
Kimmy
Kymmy
My
Naomy
Nomy
Remy
Romy
Stormy
Tammy

Boys:
Barthelemy
Bellamy
Jeramy
Jeremy
Jeromy
Jimmy
Ptolemy
Ramy
Remy
Sammy
Timmy
Tommy

Be sure to check out the rest of this series, too! You never know when you may need a specific name with a specific sound.

Penelope

This name is a fast-rising modern Greek name for girls. It was featured in this week's list of gorgeous Greek names and we will learn more about it here.

The usage of the name Penelope dates back to Homers Odyssey. In the story, she was the wife of Odysseus who had to stand strong against suitors while he was in Troy.

As far as the origin and meaning go, it was possibly derived from the Greek  πηνελοψ (penelops) which refers to a kind of duck. However, it is also possible that Penelope is taken from  πηνη (pene) which means "threads" and  ωψ (ops) which means "face" or "eye". With those combined, Penelope is sometimes listed as meaning "weaver".

As a name in America, Penelope has been in use since records began in 1880 but it wasn't steadily used until 1909. It ranked well from 1935-1975, but left the Top 1000 until 2001. It was majorly trending upward from then on, hitting the Top 100 in 2013. As of 2015, it ranks as the 34th most popular name in the country.

If this is a name you are considering, here are some middle name ideas and some sibling name ideas for Penelope:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Amelia, Camilla, Delphine, Lydia, Olivia, Theresa, Veronica
Brothers: Anthony, Damian, Evander, Lucas, Orion, Reuben, Theodore

Middle Name Ideas: 
Penelope Catherine
Penelope Hazel
Penelope Kate
Penelope Joy
Penelope Sybil

As a Middle Name:
Anna Penelope
Diana Penelope
Iris Penelope
Thea Penelope
Zoe Penelope

What middle name would you pair with Penelope? Share your thoughts on this name in the comments below.

Gorgeous Greek Names for Girls

Last week we took a look at boy names that are either diminutives of ancient Greek names, or have had their spellings more Latinized or modernized over the years.  Now it's time to look at the feminine name choices. Many of these have been in use for a long time whether or not the wearers realize their Greek origins. Greek names tend to be very versatile. They easily cross bridges into several cultures and languages, allowing nearly anyone to use them in one form or another.

Here are some of the best Greek names I could find that would work beautifully on modern girls. Which of these do you like best?

Althea
Anastasia
Ariadne
Calista
Calliope
Cassandra
Catherine
Chloe
Cleo
Daphne
Delphina
Diana
Dorothy
Elaina
Ellen
Esmeralda
Eugenia
Eulalia
Evadne
Helen
Helena
Hermione
Iris
Isadora
Kyra
Lydia
Lysandra
Melanie
Melissa
Oceana
Odessa
Olympia
Ophelia
Penelope
Persephone
Phaedra
Philippa
Phoebe
Selene
Sophia
Sybil
Thalia
Thea
Theodora
Theresa
Veronica
Xanthe
Xenia
Zandra
Zoe

Can you think of any other names that would fit this category? Share your favorites!

Damian

One of my favorite Greek names is Damian, which comes from the Greek name Δαμιανος (Damianos).  This name was listed on the Great Greek Names for Modern Boys list posted earlier this week.

Damian is ultimately derived from the  Greek δαμαζω (damazo) meaning "to tame".  There was a saint by this name from the 4th century who was martyred with his twin brother Cosmo in Syria. There was also an 11th-century saint named Peter Damian who was a cardinal and theologian from Italy.

In the US, Damian was first used on boys in 1912. It also gained a minimal amount of use for girls in 1968. For boys, this name gained momentum in the 1970s, peaking in 1977 before dipping a bit again. By the 1990s, it began an upward trajectory of usage. It actually cracked the Top 100 in 2012-2013 at #98 both years. Even though it has dropped again to #116 in 2015, Damian is a solid name with great usage.

There's also a few spelling variations associated with different languages and cultures. The French Damien is also doing well in the US at #254 in 2015. Other spellings include Damon (#427), Damion, Damiaan, Damiano, Damianus, Damyan, Damijan and Damjan.

If you are thinking about using this name, here are some middle name ideas and some sibling name ideas that work well with the name Damian:

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alyssa, Diana, Helena, Juliet, Lucia, Sophia, Veronica
Brothers: Andrew, Dominic, Elias, Lucas, Raphael, Theodore, Xander

Middle Name Ideas:
Damian Benedict
Damian Christopher
Damian Lysander
Damian Phillip
Damian Timothy

As a Middle Name:
Atlas Damian
Evander Damian
George Damian
Nicholas Damian
Silas Damian

What do you think of this name? Which middle names would you pair with it?

Great Greek Names for Modern Boys

Greek names are fascinating, however, many of them are too wrapped up in archaic spellings to be considered usable today. But over the centuries, some of those names developed diminutives or were passed through a process of modernization to make them easier on our ears today. 

Here are some of the most usable Greek boy names around! Which do you enjoy most?

Alexander
Andrew
Apollo
Atlas
Calix
Christopher
Damian
Demetrius
Erasmus
Evander
Flavian
George
Gregory
Hector
Isidore
Jason
Jericho
Leander
Leonidas
Lucas
Lysander
Maximos
Memphis
Nicholas
Odysseus
Orion
Peter
Phillip
Phoenix
Sebastian
Stephen
Thaddeus
Theodore
Theon
Thomas
Timothy
Titus
Troy
Xander
Zacchaeus
Zander
Zephyr

Are there any other traditionally Greek names that you could consider using on a modern boy?