LINKS | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

The Meanings of 62 Last Names

May 29, 2015 § Leave a comment

This Mental Floss video gives the meanings of 62 different last names, including the language or country of origin. Click through to find out what they are:

“List Show: 62 Last Name Meanings”

Names that made the list:
Adams, Allen, Anderson, Baker, Baxter, Becker, Brown, Campbell, Carter, Clark, Cohen, Cook, Cooper, Evans, Fox, Garcia, Gomez, Green, Hall, Hill, Hoffman, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Kim, King, Lee, Lewis, Li, Lopez, Lynch, Martinez, Miller, Moore, Muller, Murphy, Myers, Novak, Oleson, Olsen, Parker, Perry, Phillips, Roberts, Robinson, Rodriguez, Rogers, Russell, Schmidt, Schneider, Smith, Stewart, Taylor, Thomas, Thompson, Torres, Turner, Walker, Weber, White, Wilson, Wright, Young

On “Stealing” Baby Names

May 28, 2015 § Leave a comment

The linked articles discuss the etiquette of “stealing” baby names. Personally, I don’t think there’s any such thing. No one “owns” a name, and I don’t understand feeling affronted at the very notion of having more than one child of that name in your circle. You and your child are not such special special snowflakes that you get to claim ownership of words; come up with some nicknames and get over yourself.

(Also, parents who are hellbent on giving their children a “unique” name have apparently never spoken to people who have grown up with “unique” names. It’s not as delightful as you seem to think it is.)

“Etiquette Hell: Stealing Baby Names”

“Battle of the Baby Name: Dear Prudence advises a woman incredibly hurt that another couple gave their baby a name similar to her baby’s name.“

Most Popular Baby Names, 2014 (Canadian Edition)

May 24, 2015 § Leave a comment

Wondering which names made the top ranking for last year, eh? Wonder no more. The linked article lists ’em all, from #1 to #100. Did your name make the cut?

“Top 100 Baby Names in Canada 2014”

In alphabetical order (you’ll have to click through to the article for the rankings!), the names are:

For boys: Aaron, Adam, Aiden, Alex, Alexander, Alexis, Andrew, Anthony, Antoine, Austin, Benjamin, Bentley, Blake, Brayden, Caleb / Kaleb, Cameron, Carter, Charles, Chase, Christopher, Cole, Colton, Connor, Cooper, Daniel, David, Declan, Dominic, Dylan, Edward, Eli, Elijah, Elliot, Emmett, Ethan, Evan, Felix, Gabriel, Gavin, Grayson / Greyson, Hayden, Henry, Hudson, Hunter, Isaac, Jace / Jase, Jack, Jackson / Jaxon / Jaxson, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeremy, John, Jonathan, Jordan, Joseph, Joshua, Justin, Landon, Leo, Levi, Liam, Lincoln, Logan, Luca, Lucas / Lukas, Luke, Marcus, Mason, Mateo, Mathis, Matthew, Max, Michael, Muhammad, Nathan, Nathaniel, Nicolas / Nicholas, Noah, Nolan, Oliver, Owen, Parker, Riley, Ryan, Ryder, Samuel, Sebastian, Simon, Theo, Thomas, Tristan, Tyler, Victor, Vincent, William, Wyatt, Xavier, Zachary / Zackary, Zack

For girls: Abigail, Adele, Addison / Addyson, Alexa, Alexandra, Alexis, Alice, Alicia, Alyssa, Amelia, Anna, Annabelle, Aria, Arianna, Aubrey, Audrey, Ava, Avery, Beatrice, Brooke, Brooklyn, Camille, Charlie, Charlotte, Chloe, Claire, Clara, Coralie, Elizabeth, Ella, Emily, Emma, Eva, Eve, Evelyn, Faith, Florence, Gabriella, Gabrielle, Georgia, Grace, Hailey, Hanna / Hannah, Harper, Isabella, Isabelle, Isla, Ivy, Jade, Jasmine, Jessica, Julia, Juliette, Justine, Lauren, Layla, Lea / Leah, Leanne, Leonie, Lillian, Lily, Lucy, Mackenzie, Madison, Maelie, Maeva, Maika, Marianne, Maya / Mia / Mya, Megan, Melodie, Mila, Morgan, Naomi, Natalie, Nevaeh, Nora, Oceane, Olivia, Paige, Peyton, Rachel, Romy, Rosalie, Rose, Rowan, Ruby, Sadie, Samantha, Sarah, Savannah, Scarlett, Sofia / Sophia, Sofie / Sophie, Stella, Sydney, Taylor, Victoria, Violet, Zoe / Zoey

What Would Your Name Be If You Were Born in a Different Time?

May 13, 2015 § Leave a comment

This article contains a fun little interactive experience, using Social Security data, to determine where your name ranked in popularity in the year you were born, and determining what name held the same rank for every decade from now, all the way back to the 1890s.

As an example, yours truly might have been bestowed the following sobriquets through the decades:
1890s – Adelaide Amelia
1900s – Birdie Lizzie
1910s – Amanda Rosie
1920s – Leola Jennie
1930s – Winifred Vera
1940s – Bettye Clara
1950s – Iris Norma
1960s – Cheri Maureen
1970s – Christie Kristine (were all the names in the 1970s just variations on “Christine“?)
1980s – Kelley Beth
1990s – Cara Crystal
2000s – Guadalupe Kelly
Today – Lilly Annabelle

“Find Out What Your Name Would Be If You Were Born Today“

Some New Names for a New Millennium

May 12, 2015 § Leave a comment

The article linked in this post talks about some names that just plain weren’t on the radar before the year 2000, but which shot up in popularity after the turn of the millennium. Names that made the cut include:

For girls: Adalyn, Arabella, Arya, Brynlee, Isla, Jaylah, Khloe, Londyn, Lyla, Mila, Nevaeh, Norah, Paisley, and Vivienne
For boys: Beckett, Bentley, Brantley, Cash, Gael, Jax, Karter, King, Kingston, Maddox, Riker / Ryker, and Zayden

For more information on these names, where they ranked, when they hit the big time, and some commentary on the contributing trends, click through to the article!

Some Modern Baby Names That Will Confuse Future Generations

May 10, 2015 § 1 Comment

Trends in naming are hugely influenced by popular culture, and are often inspired by books, movies, television shows, or events that your little Hashtag’s or Bridgegate’s or Renesmee’s own grandchildren won’t understand at all. Be careful when bestowing names, lest your up-to-the-minute selection quickly deteriorate into a creaky historical relic! And check out this article’s list of some guaranteed head-scratchers for future generations to ponder:

“5 Real Baby Names That Won’t Make Any Sense in a Few Years”

The Decade’s Trendiest Baby Names

April 24, 2015 § Leave a comment

Following is a link to an article about the 15 trendiest baby names in the U.S. (those which have shown the fastest increase in popularity). If you’re looking to stay on top of fashion, or are hoping to avoid blending in with the crowd, this is some handy information, here.

Names included on the list are: Aria / Arya, Aubree (alternate spelling of “Aubrey”), Bentley, Easton, Harper, Jase (shortened version of “Jason”), Jaxson (alternate spelling of “Jackson“), Khloe (alternate spelling of “Chloe”), Lincoln, London, Mila, Paisley (side note: I cannot believe people actually name their children after a print fabric!), Penelope, Scarlett, Violet

Click through for more information (like when the names first hit the charts, and how long their rise to popularity has been coming):
“Today’s Trendiest, Fastest Rising Baby Names“

Some Declining U.S. Baby Names

April 24, 2015 § Leave a comment

Here you’ll find a link telling you all about the decade’s 15 fastest-declining baby names (names which are falling out of favor the quickest.) Will these be the next generation’s old-fashioned duds, like “Wilbur” and “Mildred” are today?

Names included are: Amanda, Amber, Danielle, Erin, Haley / Hayley, Jada, Jenna, Jennifer, Jessica, Jordan, Leslie, Marissa, Megan, Seth, and Shelby
Honorable mention: Cody, Courtney, Devin, Sean, and Trevor

Click through for more info about the names (like when they first became popular, and how high in the rankings they reached before their fall from grace):
“The Decade’s Fastest Dropping Baby Names“

Everything Old is New Again

April 5, 2015 § 2 Comments

I’ve long been of the opinion that there are many classic names that are long since due for a revival. I’d like to see more Olivers and Theodores and Maudies and Candaces and even Victorias running around. Apparently, I’m not the only one, as these links illustrates (click through for the whys and wherefores):

For girls: Adeline, Alice, Alma, Amelia, Aubrey, Blanche, Clara, Cora, Edith, Effie, Evelyn, Florence, Hattie, Hazel, Leah, Lillian, Lucy, Maggie, Naomi, Nora, Olive, Ruth, Sadie, and Stella
For boys: Alfred, Bernard, Charlie, Eli, Everett, Henry, Harold, Henry, Isaac, Jack, Jasper, Leo, Max, Oliver, Oscar, Owen, Raymond, Samuel, Silas, and Warren

What other names do you think should make a comeback?

More Than 100 Years of the Most Popular Girls’ Names in the U.S.

March 19, 2015 § Leave a comment

The video shown in the linked article is a fascinating graphic representation of the most popular girls’ names in the U.S., year by year, since 1880, and includes interesting statistical analysis as well as historical context. A running list shows the top ten for each year, and how they change, while the bubble graph includes all of the most popular names for the year. Click through the link to see what names ranked where in popularity:

The names which have made the top three since 1880 include:

Alexis, Amanda, Amy, Anna, Ashley, Barbara, Betty, Brittany, Deborah, Debra, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Hannah, Heather, Helen, Isabella, Jennifer, Jessica, Karen, Kimberley, Linda, Lisa, Madison, Margaret, Mary, Melissa, Michelle, Olivia, Patricia, Ruth, Samantha, Sarah, Shirley, Sophia, and Susan

What do you think? Did your name make the list, and if so, where and when? Any particular trends that caught your eye? (For me, I think it was interesting to see Emma make it back onto the top three after a hundred years or so! Everything old is new again, I suppose.)

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