Popular Names for Girls Around the World
August 13, 2015 § Leave a comment
It’s always interesting how much variation there is in naming trends around the world, and this article explores that a little by seeking out some names which, while highly popular in at least one of the 15 countries researched, nevertheless ranked barely a blip on the U.S. charts. Click through to find out more (including pronunciations, origins and meanings, and which countries adore which names)!
“The Most Popular Girl Names Abroad”
Names included are: Aleyna, Anissa, Aoife, Cloe, Elif, Esmae, Estela, Gaia, Gema, Guilia, Indie, Ines, Iona, Isobel, Iva, Izabela, Lottie, Margaux, Mari, Marta, Milla, Mona, Naia, Neve, Nika, Nour, Pia, Rocio, Romy, and Tilly
“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.)
Marty
August 9, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Martie”, a diminutive form of “Martin”; or, for girls, diminutive of names like “Martha“, “Martina”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Ina, Maartje, Maata, Maddi, Maddie, Maddy, Madge, Marfa, Mart, Marta, Marte, Martha, Marthe, Marti, Martie, Martina, Martine, Martita, Martta, Martti, Martuska, Martyna, Mat, Matt, Matti, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Maudy, Midge, Morta, Tina, Tineke, etc.
For boys: Maarten, Mairtin, Marcin, Mars, Mart, Marten, Marti, Martie, Martijn, Martim, Martin, Martinho, Martino, Martinus, Marton, Martti, Martyn, Martynas, Mattin, Matxin, Merten, Morten, Mortin, Mortie, Morty, Tijn, Tin, Tine, Tinek, Tino, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marty Tourin, Lily’s more likable friend in her new neighborhood, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Marty Feldman (1934-1982), English actor, comedian, and writer.
– Marty Peretz (b. 1938), American editor, journalist, and publisher.
– Marty Robbins (1925-1982), American musician, singer, songwriter, and race-car driver.
– Marty Wilde (b. 1939), English singer and songwriter.
When Good Names Go Generic
August 5, 2015 § 1 Comment
When a brand name becomes the generic term for an item (as in kleenex, band-aid, aspirin, etc. — you can find a bunch of them here), we call that a “proprietary eponym”. But did you know that something similar can happen to people names as well? Perhaps you are familiar with wellingtons or wellies, the rubber boots named after the Duke of Wellington, or sideburns, the distinctive style of facial hair sported by Gen. Ambrose Burnside. But are you familiar with these names, which ended up in the dictionary as stand-alone words in their own right? Be sure to click through to the article for more information!
“26 First Names That Ended Up In The Dictionary”
Names included are:
Abigail, Andrew, Anna, Ava, Emma, Eric, George, Harry, Helena, Henry, Isabella, Jacob, James, Jesse, John, Luke, Matilda, Molly, Rebecca, Robert, Sam, Sarah, Steven, Toby, Tony, and Victoria
Everything Old is New Again, Vol. II
July 31, 2015 § 1 Comment
As in our first installment of “Everything Old is New Again“, here you’ll find an assortment of old-fashioned baby names which are poised to make a comeback. Be the first on your block / friends list to use one! (As usual, you can click through to the article for more information about the names):
- “25 Best Vintage Baby Names for Girls“
- “Classic Baby Names for Girls That Are Just Under the Radar“
- “10 Vintage Baby Names That Need to Make a Comeback“
- “11 Classic Baby Names That Are Ready for a Comeback“
- “Unusual Baby Names for Boys That Are Ready to Make a Comeback“
- “Vintage Boy Names: 9 Retro Choices Ready for a Rebound“
Names included are:
For girls: Adelaide, Agnes, Alice, Antonia, Aurelia, Beatrice, Betty, Clementine, Constance, Cora, Cordelia, Dorothy, Edith, Eleanor, Eliza, Frances, Harriet, Hattie, Hazel, Helen, Ida, India, Isadora, Josephine, Lillian, Louisa, Lucinda, Lula, Mabel, Marcella, Margaret, Margo, Marion, Mercy, Myrtle, Pearl, Penelope, Rosalind, Rosemary, Ruth, Susannah, Theodora, Winifred
For boys: Abner, Archie, Arthur, Augustine, Cormac, Cornelius, Denver, Ephraim, Ford, Francis, Frank, Gordon, Gus, Guy, Harris, Harry, Lawrence, Louis, Magnus, Martin, Milton, Nigel, Oscar, Otis, Patrick, Paul, Philip, Ray, Simeon, Stanley, Theodore, Walter
A Selection of Très Chic French Baby Names
July 29, 2015 § 1 Comment
If you follow the link, you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about these lovely French names (although a pronunciation guide is not included; you may have to look that up yourself!):
“20 French Baby Names You’ll Want to Steal Immediately”
(Click here for the Dutch version.)
For girls: Anaelle, Aveline, Coralie, Elize, Fleur, Marielle, Solene
For boys: Bale, Cabot, Danton, Henri, Janvier, Landry, Luc, Mathis, Montgomery, Olivier
For either: Bellamy, Jorden, Remi
Manny
July 12, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Almanzo”, “Emmanuel”, “Manuel”, “Manfred”, “Manning”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Manel, Mano, Manu, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Manny Rubell, head counselor in charge of Camp Ava, where Lily spends a miserable summer, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Manny Farber (1917-2008), American critic, painter, and writer.
Morris
July 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Medieval English variation of “Maurice”; ultimately from Latin, meaning “dark-skinned”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maurey, Mauri, Maurice, Mauricio, Maurie, Mauritius, Maurits, Mauritz, Maurizio, Mauro, Maurus, Maury, Maurycy, Meuric, Meurig, Mo, Moe, Morey, Moric, Moris, Moriz, Morr, Morrie, Morrissey, Morrison, Morry, Morse, Mory, Moss, Muirie, Muiris, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Morris Snezak, co-owner (with his wife, Anna) of AnaMor Towers apartments, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Endangered or Extinct First Names
May 31, 2015 § 1 Comment
Here we have a couple of articles talking about first names which are disappearing (click here for some articles on endangered or extinct last names). Maybe it’s time to stage a renaissance? At the very least, these are some good resources for anyone looking for a name which has classic appeal, but is nevertheless unique in today’s world. As always, click through to the articles to see rankings, popularity peaks, and other information on the names!
“25 Names That Are Going Extinct”
“We started by crunching the numbers to find a list of baby names that were at least somewhat popular in 1950 (more than 1,000 per 1 million babies). Next, we tracked which of those names had nearly vanished by 2013.”
“Baby Names on the Verge of Extinction”
“These 15 names were given to only five babies each in 2013, the lowest number counted by the Social Security Administration. Once usage dips below that, they become the dodo birds of baby names.”
“Cecil, Bertha and Gertrude — Britain’s ‘Endangered’ Names Revealed”
“Many of the nation’s most traditional names are at risk of dying out according to a report released today by family history website Ancestry, which reveals forenames that have virtually disappeared over the last 100 years and many more that have become ‘endangered’.”
“Baby Names on the [Australian] Extinction List”
“Mums and dads, will you take one for the country and name your kids any of these to keep them from extinction?”
Names that made the various lists:
For boys: Arnold, Bernard, Bill, Bruce, Cecil, Clarence, Clifford, Cyril, Donald, Elmo, Ernest, Fred, Gary, Harold, Herbert, Horace, Ian, Icarus, Inigo, Leslie, Llewellyn, Neil, Nigel, Norman, Percy, Remus, Roland, Rowland, Sherwood, Sydney, Trevor, Waldo, Walter, Willie
For girls: Alpha, Ann, Barbara, Barbra, Bertha, Blodwen, Carol, Cathy, Cheryl, Claudine, Debbie, Debra, Dianne, Dolores, Doris, Dorothy, Edna, Ethel, Eveline, Fanny, Freda, Gail, Gertrude, Gladys, Glenda, Gwendoline, Helen, Hilda, Irene, Jackie, Jane, Janet, Janis, Jeanne, Jennie, Jill, Judith, Kay, Leslie, Lilian, Lizzie, Lynda, Marcia, Margaret, Margery, Marjorie, Marion, Marsha, Mary, Maud, Maureen, Mildred, Muriel, Nanette, Nellie, Pamela, Phyllis, Rhoda, Rhonda, Roberta, Sandra, Sandy, Sheba, Sheryl, Sondra, Sue, Thisbe, Vickie, Wanda, Winifred, Zelma
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
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 