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
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).
Taylor
August 26, 2015 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Originally an Old English occupational name, meaning (unsurprisingly) “tailor”, from the French “tailleur”, meaning “cutter of cloth”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tai, Tailler, Tailleur, Tailour, Tay, Tayler, Taylour, Taylur, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Middle name of William Taylor Creighton (b. 1838), Jethro’s favorite older brother, “a big, silent man who was considered ‘peculiar’ in the neighborhood”, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Taylor Branch (b. 1947), American author and historian.
– Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), pen name of Anglo-American novelist Janet Taylor Caldwell, who also published as “J. Miriam Reback”, “Marcus Holland”, and “Max Reiner”.
– Taylor Mali (b. 1965), American humorist, poet, teacher, and voice actor.
– Taylor Mead (1924-2013), American actor, performer, and poet.
Travis
August 23, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Travis” is a variation of the English place name “Travers”, meaning “near a bridge or ford” (from the old French word for “crossing” or “to cross”).
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Trav, Travers.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Travis Burdow, the drunken young tough who caused the accident which killed Mary Creighton, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
A Bevy of Very British Names, Part II
August 20, 2015 § 1 Comment
Another series of links to articles on names throughout Great Britain (see Part I here). As you can see, there’s quite a bit of overlap, though it’s interesting to see where the popularity diverges. Click through for more info on the rankings, as well as on the names themselves! (Also of note is the c.1986 news video on an extremely indecisive couple who gave their daughter 140 names!)
Top 10 Baby Names for England and Wales, 2014:
For girls: Amelia, Ava, Emily, Isabella, Isla, Jessica, Lily, Olivia, Poppy, Sophie
For boys: Charlie, George, Harry, Jack, Jacob, James, Oliver, Oscar, Thomas, William
Most Popular Baby Names in Northern Ireland, 2014:
For girls: Amelia, Anna, Ava, Ella, Emily, Grace, Lucy, Olivia, Sophia, Sophie
For boys: Charlie, Daniel, Ethan, Harry, Jack, Jacob, James, Noah, Oliver, Thomas
Most Popular Baby Names in Scotland, 2014:
For girls: Amelia, Ava, Ella, Emily, Isla, Jessica, Lily, Lucy, Olivia, Sophia, Sophie
For boys: Alexander, Charlie, Daniel, Jack, James, Lewis, Logan, Lucas, Noah, Oliver
Most Popular Baby Names in Wales, 2014:
For girls: Amelia, Ava, Emily, Evie, Isla, Lily, Mia, Olivia, Poppy, Ruby
For boys: Alfie, Charlie, Dylan, Jack, Jacob, Leo, Logan, Noah, Oliver, Oscar, William
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.)
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 