P | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

“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

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.)

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):

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

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

Percy

May 24, 2015 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From an English last name, derived from a French place name, “Perci”, a small Norman village; or a shortened version of “Percival“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Parsifal, Parzifal, Perce, Perceval, Percevale, Percie, Percival, Percyvelle.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Percy Weil, a New York theatrical agent, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).

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!

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“

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.)

Some Names for Girls Inspired by Amazing Women from History

March 7, 2015 § Leave a comment

Names that made the list are:

Beatrice, Charlotte, Christina, Clara, Cleopatra, Daphne, Diana, Dorothy, Harriet, Mercy, Pearl, and Rose.

Want to know which Charlotte, Diana, Rose, etc. they’re talking about? Click through the following link to find out more about these wonderful women and why they’d be great choices to name your girl (person, pet, or character) after! And feel free to share any additions you’d make to the list!

12 Baby Girl Names Inspired By Groundbreaking Women

By Any Other Name: Behind the Initials

February 26, 2015 § Leave a comment

In this post, you’ll find a link to an article about the real names of some authors who are more well known by their initials, as well as some explanations as to why they may have preferred not using their given names. Click through for their stories (the one about C.S. Lewis is especially charming)! The authors included are:

– A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne, known for the Winnie the Pooh series.
– C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, known for The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters.
– E.E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings, known for his poetry, such as “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in“.
– E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White, known for Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, as well as for being the “White” in Strunk & White’s Elements of Style.
– F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald, known for The Great Gatsby .
– H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft, known for his horror stories, especially “The Call of Cthulu“.
– H.G. (Herbert George) Wells, known for The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds.
– J.M. (James Matthew) Barrie, known for Peter Pan.
– J. (Joanne) K. Rowling, known for the Harry Potter series.
– J.D. (Jerome David) Salinger, known for The Catcher in the Rye.
– J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien, known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
– L. (Lyman) Frank Baum, known for the Wizard of Oz series.
– L.M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery, known for the Anne of Green Gables series.
– P.G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse, known for his comic fiction, such as Carry On, Jeeves.
– S.E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton, known for The Outsiders.
– T.S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot, known for his poetry, such as “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock“.
– W.H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden, known for his poetry, such as “Funeral Blues“.
– W.B. (William Butler) Yeats, known for his poetry, such as “The Second Coming“.

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