Some names only offer one or two simple, accepted spellings and very little room to be creative. Short names like Ruth or Hope are not easily tweaked, but other names like Caitlin, Catelyn, Kaitlyn, Katelynne , etc, can have many different potential spellings. The question is, which of these are easy to live with and which might only lead to confusion? If you think about it, the Top 1000 chart contains fewer than 1000 distinctive names. Hear me out. Take for example the name Madelyn . It ranks at #59, which is even higher than the more standard spelling of Madeline (#90). However just within the Top 1000, there is also Madeleine (#301), Madilyn (#315), Madelynn (#415), Madilynn (#497), Madalyn (#570), and Madalynn (#685) which are all essentially the same thing. They sound alike but they are spelled differently. Those add up to making the overall name much more popular out-loud than the data suggests on paper. While all of these spelling variations are leg...
An excellent resource for expecting parents. The Art of Naming has an expert consultant ready to help you find the perfect name. Can't decide what name to choose? Can't agree with your partner on the right name? Need an unbiased party to offer you name suggestions and help you narrow down your options? This blog offers name education and statistics that can inspire your naming process.