The Art of Naming

I was recently asked to do an interview on another name blog, Waltzing More Than Matilda , and it was just published today! Here's a couple of the questions that I answered, but you'll have to visit their site to view the whole interview! This is a chance to get to know a little more about me! What inspired you to begin a name blog? Once I discovered that I was somewhat good at forming first and middle name combinations, (or I at least really liked doing so), I began frequenting forums to help parents find the perfect name. Then I decided to focus all of that into one place and help people on my own turf. It’s been over a year since I started the blog and I’ve helped many people, which is why I started it to begin with. What are some of your favourite names? Some of my favourites that I won’t be using include girly names like  Magnolia ,  Freya ,  Coraline ,  Esme ,  Lavinia ,  Aveline , and  Amara . For boys, I like  August / Augustus...

As we look at celestial names this week, there's no better name to look at than Atlas. Atlas was the titan of astronomy and navigation in Greek mythology. After the Titans were defeated in war with the Olympians, Zeus condemned him to the western edge of Gaia, or the Earth, where he was then forced to hold the celestial spheres on his shoulders. There are many depictions of Atlas "carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders". There's plenty of history that can be learned about Atlas, but we're here to talk about the name itself. You can read more about the mythological figure here. A golden statue of Atlas As a name, some of the etymology is uncertain, however, the ancient Roman poet named Virgil was the one who defined Atlas. He regularly translated etymologies of Greek names and combined them with appropriate adjectives. In the case of Atlas, he was given the adjective durus which means "hard, enduring". Therefore, the name Atlas has ...

From stars, moons and planets to comets, satellites and even the names of iconic scientists, here is a wonderful list of all things celestial. If you're into astronomy or astrology or you're simply a fan of the night sky, you're sure to find inspiration from this dazzling list of baby names. However, I don't have the space to define each of these. If you're unfamiliar with one of the names, be sure to research it before writing it on a birth certificate. :)  Which of these names do you like best for a boy? Acamar                             Aegir Aquila Altair Apus Ariel Atlas Beid Brooks Caliban Cassini Castor Caelum Celestin Cepheus Cetus Copernicus Corvus Crux Daniel Donati Dorado Draco Fenrir Ferdinand Finlay Fornax Francisco Galileo Hercules Herschel Holmes Hubble Indus Jupiter Keid Kepler Leo Lupus Mars Mercury Miram Montani Naos Nash Neptune Newton ...

These real baby names were taken from birth announcements listed on the website of a small California hospital from earlier this year! I found this compilation to be quite diverse; from the more proper names like Abigail Virginia and Ronald Richard to the more fun and creative names like Tymberlyn and Bodee.  What do you think of this list? Which is your favorite? Girls:  Abigail Virginia Addyson Marie Allison Cena Angelic Grace Milagros Aspen Lynn Arielle Alicia Aubrey Skylar Braelynn Rene' Brynn Rose Chloe Lane Copelynn Eleanor Eden Beverly Ella Marie Emelia Ava Emmalynne MacKensie Evangeline Marie Harper Joan Heidi Rose Isabella Adelina Jewell Janet Kathlynn Katelynn Michelle Ann Kelcie Louise Makayla Lynn Maryann Josephine Paylin Rae Saige Kimberlee Sophie Ann Elyse Tymberlyn Ellie Jean Boys: Aeden Ivan Anthony Rolla Arturo Joseph Austin Paul David Bodee Wilson Braydon Charles Caeden Izaak Chance Williams-Ray Chester Landon Lee ...

The last piece in this week's World-Wide Wednesday segment on Welsh names is the lovely girl name Carys. Pronounced ka-RISS or KAH-ris in Wales and sometimes CARE-iss in the US, it comes from the Welsh word caru which means "love". In the stream of time as far as names go, Carys is actually somewhat modern. It has only been in use since the middle of the 20th century in Wales. The most recent stats I can find rank the name at #239 in England/Wales. Carys has only been used in the US since 1991. It never received more than 16 births in a year until it suddenly got a boost in 2003 with 106 births. The cause of this increase is most likely because of Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and her husband Michael Douglas choosing the name for their daughter in 2003. Since 2003, the name has consistently continued to receive at least a hundred births per year but it hasn't had more than 200. In 2013, there were 122 girls given the name for a ranking of #169...

Beaumaris Castle Anglesey Wales United Kingdom Welsh baby names are very interesting. Traditional names have their own rules that may make the names complicated to pronounce for those who are not familiar with them. I've found a website that studies Welsh names from medieval times and breaks down specific elements within the names. It was actually a bit over my head but I definitely want to share those links if you're interested in more of the etymology:   Link #1  | Link #2   |  Link #3 Let's start with a bit of information about surnames in Wales. From the 15th century onward, families adopted a fixed family name. Before that, they used a patronymic naming system in which a "surname" was derived from the child's father's name. This kind of naming was especially telling for the male line throughout the generations. Typically, a person's baptismal name would be linked to their father's baptismal name by the letters ap or ab (son of) for a b...

In this month's World-Wide Wednesday, we'll be visiting Wales and examining their baby naming traditions! To kick things off, let's take a look at a Welsh boy name: Rhys. Rhys is pronounced like Reese and is the name that Reese and Reece spring from. Many girls are given these variations but it is originally a masculine name. In fact, there have been several Welsh rulers named Rhys. In Welsh, the name is said to mean "enthusiasm" or "ardor" which is a great, positive meaning to have in a name! In Wales, the name has quite a bit of history as well as modern usage. It ranks in the Top 100 in England/Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland making it a popular choice for boys! However, in the US, Rhys isn't quite as popular. It has definitely been gaining some attention though. Rhys was first used in 1929, then 1941. It wasn't until 1946 that it gained some more regular usage. Very slowly it began to gain favor with parents. In 2004, R...