The State of Pop Culture Naming (Harry Potter Edition)
November 25, 2015 § Leave a comment
We’ve talked before about how pop culture influences naming trends (try clicking here or here for more on the topic; and click here for some examples of when it sort of went the other way), but when it comes to some of the classical names used by author J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter series, it can be tough to tell how much influence the books really had, or whether those particular names hold their places on the list because, well, they’ve just been around for ages.
In any case, the linked article gives you some popularity rankings for many of the names used for characters in the series; some are more instantly recognizable as “Potterhead-influenced” than others, to be sure! (Bonus game: Can you remember the last names of the characters whose names made the list before you click through to learn more about the names themselves?):
“Harry Potter’s Influence on Baby Names”
For witches: Amelia, Arabella, Bellatrix, Ginny, Hermione, Lavender, Lily, Luna, and Minerva
For wizards: Cedric, Cornelius, Draco, Dudley, Godric, Harry, Kingsley, Lucius, Neville, Percy, Remus, Ron, Seamus, Severus, Sirius, and Viktor
Examples of Elongated Eponyms
November 23, 2015 § Leave a comment
Some folks prefer the simple, straightforward, short-and-sweet when it comes to names, but there is something to be said for the long-and-lovely names in this article, no? (As always, be sure to click through for more info!)
“25 Baby Names That Push The Character Count”
For girls: Alessandra, Alexandria, Clementine, Elisabeth, Evangeline, Guadalupe, Gwendolyn, Jacqueline, Katherine, Magdalena, Montserrat, Temperance
For boys: Alessandro, Alexzander, Broderick, Christopher / Cristopher / Kristopher, Demetrius, Francisco, Johnathan, Maximilian / Maximiliano, Remington, Zachariah
Popular Names: East Coast vs. West Coast
October 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
The linked article explores a bit how baby-naming trends vary from coast to coast, even within the boundaries of these United States. As always, click through for more info (including some really cool heat maps of each name’s popularity, state-by-state)!
– “These Names Are Trending More With East Coast Than With West Coast Parents”
– “Baby Names That Are More West Coast Than East Coast”
Girl names, East Coast: Adrianna, Camryn, Caroline, Gabriella, Gabrielle, Jada, Jaliyah, Kayleigh, Kyleigh, Laila, London, Londyn, Miracle, Nyla, Paris, Ryleigh, Skylar
Girl names, West Coast: Audrey, Audrina, Aylin, Daisy, Daphne, Dulce, Evelyn, Hazel, Jimena, June, Kendra, Kira, Lexie, Marilyn, Mila, Mina, Penelope, Perla, Ruby
Boy names, East Coast: Amir, Bryce, Cameron, Jayceon, Messiah, Michael, Nasir, Zion
Boy names, West Coast: Adrian, Alfredo, Damian, Dane, Dominik, Edgar, Gael, Gerardo, Isaac, Ivan, Joaquin, Leonel, Lincoln, Malakai, Maximiliano, Oliver, Orion, Ramon, Rodrigo, Romeo, Ruben
- BONUS! For those prepsters on the East Coast, or the few stragglers on the West, who are looking for something new and unusual for their future graduate:
– “49 Preppy Baby Names Destined For The Ivy League”
Preppy names for girls: Ainsley, Arabella, Bronwyn, Harper, Margaux, Poppy, Tilly
Preppy names for boys: Aldrich, Blaine, Bradford, Briggs, Brooks, Connery, Corbin, Davis, Digby, Graham, Hudson, Ingram, Keaton, Lennox, Merritt, Niles, Orson, Quincy, Roland, Teague, Thatcher, Thompson, Tucker, Vance, Whitaker, Yates
Preppy names for either: Addison, Aubrey, Blair, Darcy, Ellison, Emerson, Finley, Hunter, Kingsley, Leighton, Palmer, Preston, Reed, Sloane, Sterling, Tinsley
Some Single-Syllable Sobriquets
September 7, 2015 § 1 Comment
Longer, more classical-sounding names — for example, “Christopher“, “Elizabeth“, “Alexander“, or “Penelope” — have always had a place on America’s playgrounds, but there is certainly something to be said for the short-and-simple one-syllable names in this article, no? (Be sure to click through for more information — meanings, origins, popularity rankings, etc.)
For girls: Brooke, Claire, Faith, Grace, Hope, Jade, Jane, June, Kate, Paige, Rose, Ruth
For boys: Blake, Bryce, Charles, Chase, Cole, George, Jace, Jack, James, Joel, John, Juan, Luke, Max, Miles
For either: Bryn / Brynn, Quinn, Reese
A Selection of Heel Goed Dutch Baby Names
September 7, 2015 § 1 Comment
If you follow the link, you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about these fantastic Dutch names (although a pronunciation guide is not always included; you may have to look that up yourself!):
“20 Dutch Baby Names You’ll Want to Steal Immediately”
(Click here to find the French version.)
For girls: Adrie, Anouk, Danique, Evi, Fay / Faye, Lina, Marit, Noa, Tess
For boys: Bas / Bastiaan, Bram, Cas / Casper, Coen / Coenraad, Everhart, Hans, Joost, Lars, Pim, Sander, Schuyler / Skylar
Everything Old is New Again, Vol. III
August 30, 2015 § Leave a comment
Once again, we delve into the world of classic baby names rarin’ to come roaring back! (Here are the first and second installments; it’s interesting to see where these sorts of articles overlap and where they diverge, no?)
As always, click through for more info:
Names included are:
For girls: Alba, Alma, Anastasia, Annie, Beatrice, Clara, Cora, Dorothy, Felicity, Florence, Frances, Gemma, Hattie, Hazel, Helen, Hilda, Ingrid, June, Leona, Lola, Lucy, Mabel, Mae, Margaret, Margot, Marjorie, Maude, Mercy, Millie, Olive, Pearl, Penny, Rosemary, Rosie, Ruby, Ruth / Ruthie, Sadie, Selma, Thelma, Veda, Vera, and Winifred.
For boys: Albert, Amos, Arthur, August, Augustine, Calvin, Cassius, Charlie, Clarence, Clyde, Enoch, Ephraim, Everett, Felix, Finn, Florin, Francis, Frank, Franklin, Frederick, George, Gilbert, Hank, Harry, Harvey, Henry, Jasper, Julian, Lionel, Oliver, Otto, Owen, Ralph, Reuben, Roland, Samson, Silas, Thaddeus, Theo / Theodore, Truman, Uriah, and Walter.
The State of Pop-Culture Naming, 2015
August 30, 2015 § 1 Comment
People have no doubt been naming their children after pop-culture trends since there’s been anything to consider culture — from saints to royalty to favorite characters. Modern-day pop-culture names reflect some of our most-loved films and television shows (or, for purists, the books they may have been based on). Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?
- “16 Pop Culture Inspired Baby Names You’ll Probably Be Hearing Everywhere in 2015“
- “Game of Thrones and Downton Inspire British Baby Names“
- “Should We Be Worried That a Lot of People Are Naming Their Babies After Darth Vader?“
Some of the pop-culture names and sources mentioned are:
For girls: Amelia (possibly inspired at least in part by Doctor Who); Arya, Daenerys, Khaleesi, Maisie (after one of the actresses) and Sansa (from the A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones series); Cora, Edith, Rose, and Violet (from Downton Abbey); Elsa (from Frozen); Hazel (from the popular YA book The Fault in Our Stars); Katniss (from The Hunger Games series); Luna (from the Harry Potter series); Natasha (from The Avengers movies); Piper (from Orange is the New Black).
For boys: Anakin (from the Star Wars franchise); Archer (from the animated series Archer); Benedict (after the star of Sherlock); Emmet (from The Lego Movie); George (the royal family still influencing popular trends!); Gus (from the popular YA book The Fault in Our Stars); Jesse (from Breaking Bad); Kristoff and Olaf (from Frozen); Loki (from The Avengers movies); Theon and Tyrion (from the A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones series).
“I Named My Baby That Before It Was Cool”
August 11, 2015 § Leave a comment
Today I have a link for you to an article about hipster baby names. Fair warning: the author of the article is not a fan of hipster baby names, and pulls no punches when it comes to mocking them. If you intend to use one of these names — for your baby, for your character, for yourself — prepare yourself for complaints (some of them, let’s face it, well-deserved . . . especially if you decide to saddle an infant with a name like Salinger) like these:
“The List For Hipster Baby Names Is Out And It’s As Bad As You Imagined”
For girls: Briseida, Farrah, Inez, Liora, Minnie, Odette, Pandora, Romy, Suzette, Tessie, Wren, and Zola
For boys: Auden, Byron, Enoch, Gulliver, Ignatius, Lennon, Murray, Nico, Orson, Roman, Salinger, and Zane
(Related: “20 Baby Names That Will Become Overused in the Next 100 Years”
Would-be hipsters, beware! Use of these names will instantly out you as being bandwagon-jumpers rather than the cutting-edge trendsetters you aspire to be!
Addison, Aiden, Ariana, Audrey, Ava, Avery, Brooklyn, Caden, Carter, Chloe, Emma, Elijah, Jackson, Jayden, Leah, Logan, Mason, Noah, Sophia, and Zoe.)
Barry
August 7, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Anglicized version of the Irish “Bairre”, ultimately meaning “fair-haired”, or “Berach”, meaning “sharp”; or from Welsh, meaning “son of Harry“; or possibly from the French place name “Berri”; or a diminutive of names like “Barney“, “Barrett”, “Bernard“, “Beruch”, “Finbar”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bairrfhionn, Barrfind, Bairre, Barney, Barra, Barrie, Bary, Baz, Bazza, Bearach, Berach, Bernard, Berri, Berry, Beruch, Finbar, Finbarr, Finnbar, Finnbarr, Fionnbarra, Fionnbharr, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Barry, the name of more than one of the boys Lily dates, who perhaps not-so-coincidentally often have names which rhyme with her long-absent father, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Bonny
August 4, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Bonnie”, from the Scottish word, meaning “pretty”, derived from the French word for “good”. Also a diminutive of names that start with “Bon-“, such as “Bonita”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bon, Bona, Bonne, Bonni, Bonnibel, Bonnibelle, Bonnie, Bonita, Buena, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bonny, Lily’s beautiful and beloved pet cocker spaniel, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Bonny Hicks (1968-1997), Singaporean model and writer.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 