Names From Adam to Eve

C-c-c-c-c-c-c-osima

2010-05-25T21:06:00.003+08:00

Well I brought up the subject in an earlier post 'Alphabet family" and it seems I was right! Claudia Schiffer continued on her 'C' themed name to call her newest bundle of joy Cosima Violet.

So there is Claudia (herself), Caspar, Clementine and Cosima!

I think the names flow beautifully together! Alot of people were not keen on the choice of names with the same letter, how do they feel about Schiffers choice?

Mandy

2010-05-18T13:00:00.003+08:00

I just stumbled on this blog while searching baby names, and thought maybe you could help me.I'm pregnant (due at the end of May) with our second daughter.

We're pretty sure her name will be either, Clover or Willa. We just can't decide between the two. I'm fine with waiting to decide until we actually meet her, but I'd love to hear your opinion on the names. We aren't sharing them with many people, so a fresh perspective would be nice.If we use Clover, we'll probably use Jane as a middle name (it's a family name). We have a very short, one-syllable last name, so I generally prefer a longer middle name, but for some reason, I like Jane with Clover.

However, if we go with Willa, I want to use Caroline as a middle name. My mom doesn't think it flows well. Thoughts?Oh, and we have an almost 3 yr. old daughter. Her name is Sadie Julianne.I should also mention that we aren't closed minded to other names; these are just the two that we like the most right now.

If it helps, we also like Zoey, Lucy, Maisie, Delilah (and those are just a few), but none of them are quite right for one reason or another.

Thanks Mandy

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Sorry Mandy for the late reply and hopefully we are not too late!
So first of all congratulations! Two little girls at home will be fantastic :D Busy but fantastic!

Your name choices, Clover or Willa. I’m leaning towards Willa.
I guess when I’m hearing Clover I think of Clove of garlic. Or four leaf Clover. But really is that a bad association? It fits in perfectly with the flower, and herbs names. So it really depends on your point of view. I have to say if you choose Clover, Jane makes an excellent Middle name. It continues the trend you set with Sadie Julianne, having a 1st name with and edge, followed by a modest but stylish middle name!

Willa. I just love the sound of it Will-Ah. Popular in the 1880s- 1940s its due for a come back! Caroline though is just sounding a little to long for it. So middle names, perhaps Rose, Lucia, Emmeline, Adaline, Kate, Charlotte, Madeline, Amanda, Alexis, Suzanne, Grace?

Other names I think could work well are
Arla
Poppy
Lyra
Ingrid
Claudia
Adelaide
Tabitha
Nina
Romily

I like Maisie and Lucy from your maybe lists, but if it doesn’t sound right I know from experience you can’t change your mind. Decide depending upon your gut feeling, and of course when you see your darling little girl for the first time!

Good luck and hopefully not too late!

Sophie Kinsella

2010-05-04T17:24:00.002+08:00

I was a little disappointed in her new babes name. Rex.

Her other children are Freddy, Hugo and Oscar.

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Update

What do you prefer, Sophie's children's names or the choice of children's names in Shopaholic?
Suze- Ernie, Clementine, Wilfrid
Rebecca- Minnie

Minnette

2010-02-20T15:47:00.002+08:00

MINNIE!!!

A variant of Mina the meaning of this name is LOVE. And I'm loving this name or rather Minnie as a nickname, of course (what is my obsession suddenly with nicknames!!)

I heard the name Minnie a few years ago when reading shopaholic (what a laugh!!). Becky Bloomwood calls her child this and to be honest then it was a bit of a let down (I wanted her to call the child something shopping related or some name out of this world to suit her personality!). I guess really I heard this name back when I was little, Minnie Mouse, who hasn't heard of her?

This name I think girly, pink, cute, wonderful!

As the name means I'm in love possibly,
but with most loves, for names I'm sure it will fade and their will be another one next week!
In my defence I'm still in love with the name Hester! :)

Saskia & Friends: A Dutch/Afrikaans Name for Merica

2010-02-10T00:58:00.009+08:00

Dear Laura & Sarah,

I am 20 weeks pregnant I am having a girl. I really need some inspiration on unique and unusual names. I am from South Africa and my first language is Afrikaans. Afrikaans is a Germanic language originating from the Dutch spoken by settlers in the seventeenth century. I really want to stick to an Afrikaans name even though I live in the UK. I like simple names but also biblical names or maybe longer unique names.

A few names I like of some of my family members and friends:

Klara

Fleur

Lou

Ava

Mischa

Beatah

Nel

Hildegard

Rosa

Friedel

I hope you can help me. Looking forward to hear from you.

Merica
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Hi Merica,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. It is such a special time in your life (especially if it is your first) so just enjoy it now whilst you can and I think it is admirable that you want to honour your heritage with an Afrikaans name for your little girl (when she comes). The only advice I have for that is to make sure that you are choosing a name because you love it. If there is a name you really, really love don't discount it just because it isn't Afrikaans. Likewise, don't choose an Afrikaans name that you aren't absolutely in love with.

From your list I am loving Fleur. She is so pretty and delicate - however french she might be. Perhaps you might consider choosing a name you love as the first name regardless of origin, and bestowing a middle name upon your little girl with origins in Afrikaans?

I have complied what I think is a pretty solid list of Dutch/Afrikaans names for your little girl. In fact, I might have to pinch a few of them for myself (Wilhelmina for example).

I hope you like them. Remember to tell us how you go - we love hearing how our posts influence naming decisions!!

Good Luck!

Saskia - Simply meaning "Saxon Woman". There is some flexibility in pronunciation. SAS-kee-ah allows you to fit into your English surroundings (ala Sarah, Sophia, Sascha) where as ZAS-kee-ah gives you that international edge. LOVE it!

Marieke - A biblical name with great nickname flexibility meaning "Bitter".

Petra /Petronella - Technically the Dutch feminine form of Peter is Peta, but Petra or Petronella adds that bit of femininity that come through all of the names you said you liked with a splash of international charm. Plus, Petronella is a really sweet way to get Nel.

Nelleke - Another sweet way to get Nel meaning "a Horn".

Geneva - Meaning "Juniper Tree" who in old Dutch/Afrikaans was "genever". Could easily shorten to Gen, Eva, Eve, Gene, Evie, Genny, Neve or Neva.

Evelein - I love the look of Evelein. She looks so bubbly and suave. This is the darling Dutch form of Evelyn meaning "Life".

Jan - Short, sweet and understated.

Minuit - A little Minnie would be just delightful. This french name means "midnight" but is also the surname of the 17th century Dutch explorer famous for buying Manhattan Island from the Indians. Would make a really cute middle name too. Think: Fleur Minuit.

Lieve - I really like this delicate little name. She would fit right into a crowd of Lily's, Lila's, Leah's and Layla's. She is the short form of Godelieve and a possible feminisation of Levi.

Lorelei - The German Mermaids known as Loreley were legendarily known for luring sailors into the rocks to ultimately meet their death. Whilst this connection may seem dark the Loreley were renowned for their beauty, as I'm sure so will your little girl.

Anja - a variant of Anne meaning "Full of grace"

Skylar - A Dutch name meaning "Fugitive" with a touch of hippie flair.

Adelheid - The Dutch form of Adelaide. Adelke is the diminutive form. However, Ada, Elke, Elka, or the cutesy Addie all vaild nicknames. For you, its seems like Ada combines the simpleness you like with the heritage to boot.

Aia - "Eternal Mother". Aia could be used as the diminutive form of many other names.

Betje - A biblical name meaning "Devoted to God". I think we are to see the return of Bet- names in the near future. You could be setting a real trend with this one.

Ottoline - I thought I might try and suggest this one and see whether or not she is the type of longer unique name you are after. I personally think Ottoline or Ottilie is an adorable name. She is, of course, the feminine form of Otto or Otis, meaning "Wealth, Fortune". Whilst Otto may conjure up images of the stoner bus driver from 'The Simpson's', Ottoline is prim and sophisticated.

Sybella - We have talked about Sybella here before. Since then, a friend of the family bestowed this appellation on her brand new baby. It means "oracle" or "prophetess".

Elspeth/Elsbeth - Both valid Dutch variations of Elizabeth

Wilhelmina - I LOVE this name. She was a front runner for Rosemary for a while. She perfectly fits into your category of longer, more unique names and is ever so regally girly. A little Wilhelmina would certainly stand out from the crowd and offers an abundance of the most perfect nicknames; Willow, Willa, Mina, Minnie or Billie. In my opinion, you would be CrAZy not to love this girly version of the German name Wilhelm, meaning "Helmet, Protection".

Arabella - Although popular, this flighty, happy-go-lucky appellation would add a bright and "Prayerful" aura to any girls day.

Rosalie - This could be a neat way to get Rosa. Needless to say, I love the name Rose. Be warned though, this has the potential to start riding its 'Twilight' fame and start rising on the charts.

Anika - Last but not least, Anika. A very "Sweet-faced"' name indeed.

Hope this helps. Get Back to us soon!

Pictured: Saskia in Pompous Dress

Elizabeth

2010-02-03T00:20:00.005+08:00

Sorry for the very extended break in posting on my part. I'm now setting my self a-post-per-week goal regardless of family vacations, children starting pre-primary or dealing with my precious 5-month old.

Speaking of which, They say at around 5 months little girls and boys start to recognise the sound of their own names and will respond when you call them. Well if this is the case, and it certainly was with Edward, my little Rosemary must be so confused.

She is Rose to her Mom and sometimes Flora, Remy to her Dad and brother, Rosa to her Nonna and Nonno, Romy to her Nanna, Rosemary to her Pop, Rosie to her Aunties and sometimes even Rory. She could also be Mary, Maria, Molly or Polly.

However confused she might be now, I do believe that the flexibility we have given her in her name will work to her advantage. Rosemary is a name that will take her places. It has enough formality and history to be taken seriously and lends itself to nicknames for appropriate for any situation. When she grows out of Remy she has plenty of choice.

Rosemary though, is not the Queen of versatility in nicknames. Oh, not even close. If you want choice for your daughter look no further than our most elegant Elizabeth.

Don't be put off by her popularity. Their is almost more choices in diminutives than there is Elizabeth's in the world. My favourite is Betsy. I just adore Betsy. Isobel and Isabeau are tied for second place.

Here they are in no particular order. What's your favourite?

Eliza
Elle
Liz
Ellie
Ella
Liza
Lisa
Beth
Bette
Betty
Betsy
Bess
Elsavetta
Elikapeka
Bessie
Lizbeth
Buffy
Elisabetta
Elsa
Isobel
Ilse
Else
Elka
Eilish
Ealish
Elsie
Elise
Elspeth
Isabella
Zabel
Bella
Izzy
Iz
Lisette
Isabel
Belle
Elisheba
Elisheva
Libby
Ilsa
Effie
Lizzie
Bettina
Lise
Lissy
Alyssa
Betta
Lib
Lil
Lilly
Lila
Lillibet
Lizbet
Isabeau
Beau
Bee
Bettine
Ailsa
Alzira
Liesel
Elsbeth
Lizina
Liseta
Liselot
Liselotte
Yzabela
Ysabel
Lisaveta
Isbal
Ysa
Lisen
Lilike
Liesa

Alphabet Family

2010-01-22T15:53:00.007+08:00

Claudia Schiffer has two children, Caspar and Clementine. She has used two "C" names. I'm wondering if will she follow this trend and have a third 'C' named child? This led me to think if I had to choose a letter what would it be? I started thinking about A.

Araminta, Arthur, August, Aurora, Aurelia, Atticus

Maybe I would follow Claudia's trend and use my own first letter "L".
Lucasta, Lyra, Leif, Lucas, Louella.

Its a really fun trend to try out, because there are so many names I love with the same letter.

"M" Maizie, Milla, Matilda, Miles.

I think my favourite currently though would be 'H'
Hester, Harriet (so that's Hettie and Hattie), Henry also, and maybe a Hazel.

If you had to choose a letter what would it be?

For Claudia Schiffer I'm hoping if its a boy she chooses Caspian, or maybe Cassius. And for a girl Claribel, Charlotte, Cordelia or maybe even Caitria. We shall just have to wait and see!

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Update: 12th Feb

I just thought of another Alphabet family though fictional, Charmed, the Halliwell sisters.
Prudence "Prue", Piper, Phoebe and Paige.
Their mother was Patricia "Patty" and grandmother Penelope "Penny".

Twitter

2010-01-19T14:04:00.000+08:00

You can now follow us on Twitter. Search nfate to find us!!

Maisie Middle Name Help

2010-01-17T14:52:00.009+08:00

Hi! My husband and I are trying to conceive our 2nd child. We have a 2 yr old son, Beckett Reed. My husband loves the name Maisie (if we ever have a girl). I like it too, if we can find a middle name that works with it! I like to use family names as middle names but have run out of ideas for Maisie....some family names: Anne, Jean, June, Kay, May (and any related to those). Can you help us please??
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Hi Jamie! Sorry how long it has taken to replying to your question! I have to agree with both of you on what a lovely name Maisie is. Its an adorable name, with loads of character. It is on my list too. And Maisie and Beckett sound superb together!

My favourite from the list of middle names would have to be Maisie Anne. It flows really nicely. Jean and June could also work but I would rule out Maisie May as both start with the same syllable.

So here are some of my suggestions for a middle name. From the list of family names I’m presuming understated, classical type names.

Eve
Evelyn
Camilla
Louise/ Louisa
Alice
Lucia
Emma
Adelaide
Violet
Claire
Elizabeth
Jane
Frances
Elspeth
Elinor
Pearl
Olivia
April
Georgia/ Georgina
Lynn
Grace
Joan
Ruth
Annette
Katherine/Kate
Elise
Ellen

(In bold are my favourite ones!)

An idea, if you are having trouble finding the perfect and most fitting middle name, is to call her Margaret, with the nickname Maisie? Or Mairead perhaps?

I hope the list helps, and good luck choosing! If you have any other name questions, perhaps boys, don't hesitate to ask. I love to know what names other people are mulling over!

A Book I'm Reading

2010-01-14T13:26:00.006+08:00

Alethea

Titus

Elizabeth

Camilla

Letitia (Letty)

Hermione

Georgina

Isabelle (Belle)

Fitzwilliam

Belinda

George

Aloysius

Norris

Emily

Penrose

Georgina

Lavinia

Harry

Meg

My favourite is Alethea (ah-LEE-thee-ah). It is of Greek origin, and its meaning is "verity, truth". Its a breath of fresh air!

Cadmium

2010-01-11T12:28:00.005+08:00

My favourite name for a long, long time was Saffron. I loved that it was a colour and a spice. Who knows why we love a certain name, but that name had a hold upon me. Two years later I hear Saffron and I think "Well... it's OK, I guess you could still, maybe, use it, and I'll love it".

Well, I stumbled across another colour name of which I am undecided upon, Cadmium.

While looking for a book I stumbled across "Saffy's Angel" by Hilary McKay. All four of the children have colour based names names (both parents being artists).
Cadmium or Caddy, Indigo, a boy, Saffron and Rose.

Saffron as I've already said, I've moved on from. Rose is a little to popular for me. Indigo, well the mistake would constantly be made for is it a boy or girl, and I feel I need something stronger for a boy.

And then I started brainstorming and thinking about Cadmium. I can see that it would not appeal to most people. Some maybe would say that it is masculine, but I think I like it. I love the three syllables and the sounds in Cadmium, its hard, but the more I say it, the more exotic it sounds to me. I'm a sucker for nicknames and find quite cute and non-quintessential.

Cadmium is a colour, yellow, adding to the exotic and vivacious feel. Its a mettalic chemical used in some batteries with the symbol is Cd and the atomic number of 48.

Its doesn't have a large history for name usage, especially here in Australia. Perhaps though I will introduce this name to someone who finds it as interesting and quirky as myself. Right now its on my maybes list but I will keep thinking about it, and get back to you on whether its going on my favourites lists. Right now I'm swaying to the favourites. And if that doesn't happen maybe I'll save it to use for a middle name, who knows, the possibilities are endless with Cadmium.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

2009-12-11T22:29:00.009+08:00

Lucy is if Latin origin and means light, the feminine form of Lucius.

I have to admit that Lucy has been a favourite of mine for a while. I love that it is so simple.

Scrolling through my list I noticed that I had a number of different forms of Lucy. Some of the names listed below I must admit, are quite far away from the original form of Lucy and all have different sentiments.

When I think of Lucy I see a sweet little daddies girl, with blonde hair, and doe eyes. Lucianna I start to think of a more outgoing dare-devil. Lucille is very strait laced. Lulu though, conjures up images of family pets.

My favourites are Lucinda and Lucia. Anyone have a particular favourite form of Lucy listed or unlisted for a girl or boy?

Girls

Lucy

Lucie

Luci

Lucille
Lucilia
Lucilla
Lucia

Lucinda

Lucetta

Lou

Luce

Lucette

Luciana/Lucianna

Lucida

Lucienne

Lucina

Lucine

Lusita

Lulu

Lucretia

Boys

Lucius

Luke

Lucas

Lucien

Lucio

Lucian

Luca

Hester

2009-11-30T18:23:00.010+08:00

Hess-ter

It's a new name I've started to think about and quite like, if not love.

Recently, name wise, I've been in a bit of a rut. All my old names I used to love, I'm now close to deleting from my name list. In the hours in between, when my kids are sleeping, or my husband has taken them out to wear down their energy levels, I discovered (or rather re-discovered) Hester. I really took notice of it for once. At first I simply loved the name Hettie.

I'm a big nickname person currently. Loving names like Minnie, Lottie and Artie, but I'm a firm believer that a nickname cannot possibly be the first name. By all means, call them Minnie at home, but allow them to have some sort of choice of their name in, for example, their professional lives. They may prefer for their boss to call them Minerva and to friends and family to call them Minnie. Its always hard however, to love the name the nickname comes from isn't it? You see Minerva, makes my face scrunch up. Hester however is a breath of fresh air. I think teemed with a jazzy middle name Hester could be just right!

Hester "Hettie" Violet, Hester Louise May, Hester Lucille, Hester Tallulah Rose? I'm not sure about the middle names, I'm still mulling them over!

What is also important is the meaning! I love the meaning of names, I've always found my own name's meaning rather boring "Laurel Wreath" while people, like Sarah's name (especially special when a child) means "Princess". When I was smaller I was very angry at this boring meaning. Hester's meaning is "Star", it is of Greek Origins and a variant of the name Esther.

Another variant is Hestia. If my hubby didn't like Hester, I think I would then move on to convincing him to like Hestia, the Greek Goddess of the Hearth. Now, it's funny when I looked up Hetty it had a different meaning again, this time 'Myrtle Leaf', 'Star' (as was Hester) and 'God Rejoices'.

There have been many famous Hester's over time. Hester Prynne is the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlett Letter". I haven't read it but I'm hoping shes a good, gracious and strong willed Heroine.
Hester Thrale was a British diarist, author, and patron of the arts. Her diaries and correspondence are an important source of information about Samuel Johnson and eighteenth-century life.
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope is remembered by history as an intrepid traveller in an age when women were discouraged from being adventurous.

Hester is also a place in Western Australia, named after a settler, Edward Godfrey Hester. There is Hester Street in Manhattan. It is a symbol of Immigrant history, used in the 1975 film 'Hester Street'

I'm going to continue thinking about Hester and Hettie. Its close to the top of names I like. But then again on my list there are hundreds of names, especially for girls. I had better keep mulling it over and get back to the children, bed night stories, perhaps I'll get some inspirations from them for middle names, or other names to add to the never ending maybe list!

Austen Names

2009-11-14T10:52:00.012+08:00

Elinor

Marianne
Margaret
John
Fanny
Edward
John Willoughby
Charlotte
Robert
Lucy

Elizabeth
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Jane
Mary
Katherine "Kitty"
Lydia
Charles
Caroline
George

Emma
George
Frank
Jane
Harriet
Phillip
Augusta
Anne
Henry

Catherine
Henry
John
Isabella
Frederik

My favourites are Harriet, Edmund and Henry. I love Kitty as nickname for Katherine. It's so much cuter than Kate or Katie! Lucy and Marianne are also lovely!

Austin and Olivia's Brother

2009-11-11T21:55:00.008+08:00

I found you through the baby name snob's website. Maybe you can help us!
We're expecting our 3rd child, the second boy, in as few as 5 weeks. We've been looking at names for months, and this child does not have a name. Our other children's names are Olivia and Austin and our last name starts with an A.

We prefer names that are "normal", but not super trendy. We tend to like the status of Austin's name on the charts. Not too popular, but not unheard of.

More than likely, the baby's middle name will be Daniel, after my little brother. But, we're stuck on the first name. Some we like, but aren't sold on are:

Simon
Isaac
Mac
Weston (didn't know if this was too close to Austin)
Max

Any advice or thoughts on our name list?
Thanks! Tracy

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Hi Tracy

I'm loving your brainstorming. My favourite from your list would be Max, but what about the long version Maxwell or Maximilian.

From your brainstorming I think that Isaac, Olivia and Austin go great. The names really flow and Isaac Daniel sounds great.

I don't think that Weston is to close to Austin, but it doesn't seem to blend as well with Olivia as the other names do.

Some of these names I love and thought you might too. I'm going to list a few though just in case they are too popular I have included their current ranking

James (17)
Lewis (640)
Zachary (47)
Jordan (48)
Nathan (29)
Sean (83)
Cameron (53)
Dominic (93)
Evan (38)
Richard (181)
Aidan (59)
Colin (201)
Murdoch
Braden (293)
Mason (35)
Timothy (183)
Jonathan (26)
Andrew (12)
Paul (155)
Adam (72)
Nicholas (29)
Victor (111)
Ian (80)
Jackson (32)
Sawyer (424)
Merrick
Garrison (890)
Pierce (507)
Owen (58)
Lawrence (427)
Anton (832)
Angus (980)
Beckett (480)
Benson (995)
Conrad (758)
Fergus
Russel (888)

My favourite combinations:
James Daniel (Austin,Olivia, James)
Timothy Daniel (Austin, Olivia and Timothy)
Jonathon Daniel (Austin, Olivia, Jonathon)
Pierce Daniel (Austin, Olivia, Pierce)

Make sure you get back to us, with any other name ideas, or names your thinking of.

Good Luck!

Paper Names

2009-11-07T16:54:00.010+08:00

Here are some of the births this week from Perth.

The Girls:

Saskia Gina
Catalina Isabella
Summer Mazkenzie
Eleanor Christina
Indyana (Siblings Moses and Samson)
Lexie Alice
Layla Matilda
Lilly Benita
Phoebe Ann
Eliana
Elspeth Lucy
Ruby Peggy May
Charlotte Valentine

The Boys

Luca Antonio
Theo George
Jed Tiger
Blake Kevin
Darcy Ryder
Jarvin Francesco
Oliver John
Lachlan Martin
Jacob Harry
Stirling Reuben
Romeo Giovanni
Eli Peter
Cruz William

Melbourne Cup

2009-11-06T10:02:00.005+08:00

In Australia we had the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 2nd of November. It's a big day of racing and on!

Well any child (Gunner, Apple, Story) should glad they didn't get any horse for a parent. Who knows what there names could have been. They are defiantly very crazy. I thought it would be fun to see, if you had to choose one of these names for your child which would it be?

Shocking

Crime Scene

Mourilyan

Master O'Reilly

Harris Tweed

Alcopop

Viewed

C'Est la Guerre

Kibbutz

Newport

Daffodil

Munsef

Gallions Reach

Leica Ding

Ista Kareem

Allez Wonder

Capecove

Basaltico

Zavite

Spin around

Roman Emperor

Fiumicino

Warringah

I'm thinking "Roman Emperor"? Maybe Daffodil for normality's sake. Daffofil could be acceptable within botanical themed names.

Beatrix Potter

2009-10-27T17:47:00.006+08:00

As a mother, you read thousands of books to your children. Exciting, fun books, goodnight books, time to relax kids!

A childhood favourite of both my children and mine is author Beatrix Potter. We've all read them (I hope). Famous Peter Rabbit is my favourite. As a quick post, I thought that I would point out how cute some of these names were.

Well lets start with the author herself - Helen Beatrix Potter. Helen or Helena are beginning to come into use. Beatrix or Beatrice are names which continue to grow in popularity (though not too much). Its sophisticated and fun, and you have to love the nickname Bea!!

Jemima Puddle duck also has a lovely name. Jemima is a favourite of mine at the moment. Its oh so British I would say. Its great as a first or middle name.

She uses, in her books, distinguished boys names such as Peter, Tom, Benjamin and Samuel aswell. These are names which last through the ages, and can easily be teemed with a lively middle name, if you wish, to jazz them up such as Kingston, or Leif, or maybe Rafael?

What do you think?

Sweet Sibset

2009-10-13T18:57:00.005+08:00

Of course people know about Pearl Lowe, singer in the 1990's. Her daughter's paternity revealed to be Gavin Rossdale's. Its a gossip guru's dream story.

Of course when I hear Pearl the first thing I think of is "Fantastic name!!!" but I have to say that I find her children's names to be even more adorable. They are probably totally opposite to anything I would use but they are cute English, nicknamey types of names with loads of character!

The names are Daisy, Alfie, Franky and Betty! Adorable or what?

Lou Sulola

2009-10-13T18:01:00.007+08:00

Heidi Klum (soon to be Heidi Samuel) and Seal Samuel's awaited fourth child has arrived, Lou Sulola.

Lou is certainly short, sharp and cute and goes with her choice in nickname for daughter Leni.

I thought why not use Lou as a nickname and call her daughter Louise, Louisa, Louella, Eloise, Lois, or even Louisiana.

Her other children as follows:

Helene "Leni"
Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu
Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo

She's used less middle names for little Lou but this goes in accordance with Leni's lack of middle name I suppose. There's not much on the name Sulola. It is an african name to honour Seal's heritage and like the other children's middle names it has personality!

Lou Sulola is a pretty adorably name! The family can even lengthen it to Loulou! One thing for sure Louise or Lou will increase in name popularity after Heidi and Seal have used it.

Congratulations guys!

Baby Lo

2009-10-05T12:35:00.010+08:00

A reader, Karin Marie has a little girl named Amerie Lynette and is looking for a girls name for baby number 2 - "Lo".

Her favourites are Eloise, Rosemary/Rose/Rosemarie, Harlow, Opal, Pearl/Perla, June, Marigold, Aurora, Jainey, Estelle/Estella, Rene/Renee, Iris, Isla, Hazel, Esme, Mariella, Wrenn, and Fern.

And wants to incorporate a family name such as Ann, Francis, Carol, Coral, Poppy, Betty, Jane, Ruth, Mary or Marie.

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Sorry for the very very very late late late reply but little Rosemary has been keeping me on my toes.

Firstly, can I just say that you have fantastic taste and it goes without saying that I think Rosemary is a super little girls name! Eloise too was on our final girls list - and it gives you your nickname Lo. Poppy and Jane are also beautiful. But please, please don't put her in the middle spot.

I think any of the names you like could work really well. Isla, Esme and Hazel are stylistically symmetrical with Amerie. Though I would discount Fern and Wren, which for me, are a bit too..."hippie" for Amerie's sister.

I'm liking the idea of Caroline. Perhaps Coraline? You get the family meaning, as well fitting in perfectly with Amerie's name in an unexpected way. Come to think of it a Caroline could easily shorten to Lo.

Frances, for the family meaning and the sound, could work smashingly. Frances has the "F" element of Fallon as well as the "Ann" sound. And its Grandpa's middle name! But if your after something a bit more feminine why not Francesca?

Speaking of Ann, it seems to be that you have your heart set on a version of Ann. Though I would not recommend Annette. Lynette and Annette are both lovely names but the "-nette" theme might be a bit over doing it.

I have suggested a few other "Ann" names below to put in the middle spot (or otherwise if you change your mind about the a's).

Hope you like the names I have suggested. Good luck with your little girl. She must be coming soon (if she isn't already here)!

Annabel

Annika

Anita

Annora

Anneliese

Annarose - A soft name that honour's both your sister and Nanna Carol Rose

Angela or Angelina or Angelica - my fave's Angelica

Anastasia

Nancy - My favourite Ann-Spin-off. She's so perfectly vintage and sooo due for a comeback!

Betsy - Love it! In honour of Nanna Betty. I suspect this one will be coming back real soon.

Jeanine - This could be another way (outside of Janet) to honour Jane

Rosanna

Rosabel - another darling way to get Rose and honour Auntie Carol

Dolores - I can almost see you looking straight over this one without considering it. But think of the nicknames. Lo, Lolita and Dolly are all beautiful. Dolores has really started to grow on me and you are guaranteed she will be with only one in her class.

Penelope (Poppy is a logical diminutive, Lo is too and I LOVE this name SO MUCH!)

Hermione

Dorothy

Aurelia

Fiona

Flora -just darling, my Rose's sweet middle name and another way to get Lo.

Camilla/Camille

Fleur

Iona

Theodora

Phoebe - a smashing sister for Amerie! Adore them together!

Pictured: The Linnet Bird for baby Amerie Lynette.

Celebrity Babies on the Way

2009-09-26T14:37:00.008+08:00

It seems tis' the season for celebrity babies. Just in the past week or so we have seen an innumerable amount of Celebabies enter the world.

Ellen Pompero welcomed a baby girl with a name out of this world (excuse the pun) -Stella Luna

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prince Jnr. dubbed their baby girl Charlotte Grace

Ms Heigl-Kelley adopted Naleigh, and we will just have to thank god she is really Nancy Leigh. Though does any one else wish she was a Nancy Lee instead?

Jude Law's illegitimate baby girl was christened the incredibly popular Sophia

Juanes and wife Karen welcomed Dante

and Amanda Beard named her baby boy Blaise Ray.

Oh and lets not forget the outrageous Sparrow James Midnight! A perfect fit with Harlow Winter Kate in my opinion. But I seem to be one of the few that dislike her (meaningless and entirely ridiculous) name.

Celebabies due in the upcoming months are sure not to disappoint in the name department.

Hiedi Klum and Seal are expecting a baby girl to join siblings Leni, Henry and Johan. I'm so looking forward to this one. I'm expecting something short, sweet, and familiar but uncommon.

Kedra Wilkinson and Hank Basset are expecting a their first, a baby boy. I have a feeling she might be having Hank the Tripp. But who knows? I could be wrong.

Marcy Rylan, from her show Guiding Light, and husband Don Money are expecting their first, and she has been calling it a he.

Ashely Jensen, who's BFF with Rebecca Romijn, hasn't found out the sex of her baby. Her and her husband Terence Beesley are due in October.

Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen is one of the many Victoria's Secret Angels expecting. Her baby boy, who she has announced will be Gabriel will join half brother John Edward Thomas from her husband Tom Brady's previous marriage.

Fellow Victoria's Secret model Karolína Kurková is pregnant with her first. The sex is unknown to her.

Jenna Elfman is expecting a sibling for brother Story Elias. I'm hoping its a girl simply because I'm curious what the female equivalent of Story is. India perhaps? Maybe Ever or Sage? We will just have to wait and see.

Maya Rudolph is expecting a sibling for the fantastically named Pearl. What a breath of fresh air this baby's name is going to be.

Scrubs' Judy Reyes is expecting a baby girl.

Another Victoria's Secret Babe is expecting a babe of her own. Adriana Lima and husband Marko Jaric are due in December.

Leelee Sobieski and husband Adam Kimmel are keeping the sex of their first baby a surprise.

Days of Our Lives actors Arianne Zucker and Kyle Lowder are due is December

Kourtney Kardashian has already said she will not be using a K name. Something tells me this little one has got more chance of being a Diamante or a Wynter than it has being an Elizabeth or a Charles.

Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey are excited to give little curly-haired Levi a little brother or sister.

Lastly, Jillian Reynolds of Good Day LA will welcome her first in January.

Told you it was the season for Celebrity Procreating.

Also, she may not be a Celebrity but you may remember Marilyn. Marilyn was looking for a name for her 4th. As it turns out Marilyn recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl with a lovely name - Daisy Aurora. Isn't she a doll?

Our Baby Girl

2009-09-18T17:57:00.015+08:00

Edward Peter Nole is so happy to finally be a Big Brother and can't stop showering his little sister with kisses and cuddles. I can see why too, our baby girl is so beautifully delicate and is so terribly loved.

And to me, her name is the most beautiful name yet.

Rosemary Flora Claire enterted the world on the 6th of September a couple of weeks earlier than we anticipated and like her, her name is adored.

'Remy' gets her name from her Great Great Grandma Mary, her Great Grandma Victoria Mary, both of her Great Auntie Maria's, her Great Great Nanna Elizabeth Mary Royal, her Great Great Aunty Claire and her Great Great Auntie Rosina.

Rosemary is perfectly settled into the world already. When she isn't sleeping peacefully, playing happily with her big brother or eating plentifully she has her eyes wide open looking around her new home.

The Trend Continues

2009-09-12T18:04:00.006+08:00

I guess you can cite it the "Twilight Trend", the trend of combining the names to create a truly individual name for your child used by Bella and Edward when naming Renesmee Carlie Cullen.

I'm personally not a big fan at all. The latest (not sure whether I should say victim or perpetrator) 'couple' to choose this method is Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley. They are adopting a daughter from Korea and naming her Naleigh after her mother Nancy and Sister Leigh.

Tell me would you ever use this method? Do you have to select individual names which mix right? Can we stop creating and prevent our children from having out of wack names. Naleigh its not a bad name but what's next?

Just Arrived!

2009-09-08T19:48:00.009+08:00

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that on Sunday the 6th of September Sarah and Nathan had a gorgeous little girl, a sister for Edward Peter Nole and a beautiful Fathers day present for Nathan!!! Both mother and daughter are healthy and happy.

I went to visit Sarah today and her daughter is just adorable. I'll let Sarah tell you all about the perfect name they chose. I'm sure shes dying to tell you all!

Laura

Perdita

2009-08-26T17:58:00.007+08:00

I was curious about this name. I heard this name and am quite taken by it! Pronounced per-DEE-tah, its got a fantastic sound to it - I love the 'Perrrr'!

With a fantastic sound the meaning is even better! As many of you will probably be aware, it was created (as quite a few names were) by Shakespeare! A young heroine in "The Winter's Tale" was named so. Her father abandoning her as he thought she was not his daughter. Rescued by a Shepherd she later fell in love with a Shepherd. Of course ending with a happily ever after! It was therefore used for its meaning: Lost.

Some other occurrence of this name include:

The name of a sky ship in Neil Gaiman's Stardust in which the main characters travel
The adult female Dalmatian in the 1961 Disney animated film 101 Dalmations
A minor satellite of the planet Uranus
A type of American native bees
Perdita Felicien Canadian track athlete
Perdita Huston women's rights activist

Names which sound like it include Perlita. Pearl is becoming an astoundingly popular middle names, and it is a variant of Pearl.

And Perita, a Hebrew name, a variant of Peri. It has the meaning Result or Outcome.

These are a few cute names which I hope interest you! They're defiantly quirky, feminine and unused. Get your hands on the names before they get used :D

Rachel Griffith & Clementine

2009-08-20T15:58:00.007+08:00

About a month ago Rachel Griffith had a daughter. Sarah and myself were deadly curious what she was going to call her baby, as so far all of the names have been dead Australian. She had Banjo Patrick and Adelaide Rose. Banjo, of course, is the Poet and writer Banjo Patterson and Adelaide is the city. We were talking about names she might use (as said in an earlier post) such as Perth, or Melbourne. Matilda was a possibility for a girl. So we were surprised when she called her daughter Clementine Grace. There is no doubt that its a beautiful name- meaning 'my merciful'. But this brings up the whole issue of sticking with naming patterns by default of your first child. In my opinion if two are at least in the 'theme' then the rest should follow. For example Jamie Oliver, whose children all have botanical related names. (Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Petal Blossom Rainbow). For each name it is the parents choice and I don't think names should necessarily be decided by themes. My children certainly couldn't be more different- Kirsty, Aurora and Blake- but it never was an issue. I guess what ever pleases the parent!

Namesakes?

2009-08-16T15:35:00.003+08:00

Some loves are a little irrational. Maybe even all loves. And sometimes, beyond all reason, you can fall passionatly and irrationally in love with a name.

To you Chloe is the perfect name. You dont care about popularity. It dosent matter that your cousin had a Chloe last year nor that your sister's name is Zoe. It dosent really compliment your last name. You dont really care for Cornelius and Chloe as a sibset - to you they are hardly within the same style and you absolutely hate matching initials. Your worried that your husbands family would struggle pronouncing it with their strong accents. And he also dated a Chloe for 3 years back in college. But every time he says "How about Amelia?" you have to hold back the tears.

Its not your fault really. Its beyond your control. You daughter will be Chloe.

Well I might have developed a bit of an irrational love. You could try an tell me that this name is probably a bit too "Star Baby" and far too flighty for Edward's little sister.You could try and tell me about how silly it sounds with our long Italian surname. It wouldn't matter.

So whats stopping me from declaring my love for her with a beautiful perfectly-named daughter in 6 weeks time? (if it is a daughter)

Just one problem. Can I, Sarah, really name my daughter Seraphine?

According to some, yes.

I went to school with an Elizabeth. Her Mom, Beth, named her so without even realising she was naming her daughter after herself. And rightly so. Elizabeth's named fitted in beautifully with those of her siblings, Alexandra, Josephine and Christopher.

I ran into Liz recently to discover that she has 2 little girls, Isabella and Alyssa. "How sweet
" I said. "All the girls in your family are all Elizabeths". And apparently this was news to her.

The diffence between me and Beth or Liz is that I am not oblivious to Seraphine's resemblence to my own name. Ignorance is no excuse so it is most definate that I will not be having a daughter called Seraphine in 6 weeks time.

Flapper Boys Names

2009-08-16T15:16:00.003+08:00

We did the girls - now its time for the boys!

Boys names seem to fluctuate less than girls name so some of them are still quite popular today. They probably always will be. But there is nothing wrong with that. Classic names are well liked by everybody. Even those that opt for ultra-modern names tend to resort to these timeless favourites in the middle spot. And they come with an abundance of nicknames. I mean how cute is a little Alby from Albert!

There are also others that are due for a comeback. But all of them have the touch of sophistication to boot.

Otis and Henry are my favourites aside from the obvious Edward. In fact you might see me posting about a small one of these in about 6 weeks time.

Enjoy!

George

Richard

Edward

Donald

Frank

Harold

Paul

Raymond

Walter

Henry

Kenneth

Arthur

Albert

Eugene

Clarence

Earl

Ernest

Warren

Theodore

Frederick

Clifford

Glenn

Calvin

Milton

Everett

Otis

Emil

Cornelius

Sterling

Truman

Wilfred

Ferdinand

Ambrose

Anthony

Help for Angela

2009-08-11T17:55:00.009+08:00

Her children:

Selvin Alexander

Mishel Nahomi

Hadassah Grace

Avalon Laura

We won't be finding out the sex so need to come up with two names. Our youngest daughter we finally agreed on a name the week before she was born and I have a feeling this one will be no easier. I don't want very trendy, cute or made up names so any suggestions would be so very welcome. I love the names Isla, Willow, Anja, Shepherd, Oliver and Makai.

The girls:

Saskia: Of Danish and Old German Origins this name means 'the Saxon people'.

Arissa: Meaning best it is a variant of Arista.

Narissa: Variant of the Greek name Narine it means 'sea nymph'.

Ayelet: I have to say I am in love with this name. It is a very delicate and feminine name meaning

Raphaella: The meaning of this name is "God Heals". If its Raphaela or Rafael its an adorable name, which would suit a chubby cherub.

Evedene: This name is a variant of such names as Eve, Evaline and Evelyn. It means life animal. An unusual name I see it working with your other children's beautiful names.

Morganne: Is a virtually unused name, meaning 'brightness', if used for a first or middle name I think it brings character into any name.

Havannah: I hadn't heard of this name before and am quite taken with it! Its a place name of course being the capital of Cuba.

Roshelle: A delightful french name which I of course class with the name Gisele. Meaning little rock it can be shortened to Elle or Ellie.

Helena: Decreasing drastically in popularity over the past 10 or 20 years I think this name could use a revival. Helen has been a name for many beautiful and intelligent women, of course Helen of Troy. Meaning 'Shining Light"

Lilia: Lilly is currently such an overused name as it Leila. So its no suprise it means Lilly the flower.

Linnea: Of Scandinavian origins it means lime or linden tree. It is also the name of a mountain flower which is small and pink. All little girls of course love the name pink so make sure to tell her if choose it!

Pilar: Pronounced PEE-La this is a Spanish name meaning pillar. I thought I would include some Spanish names due to the choices of your other children names.

Preah: Preah Vihear is a place in Cambodia, located near the border of Thailand. I'm forming a bit of a crush on 'P' names!

Evita: Variant of the Hebrew name Eva its meaning is life.

Isleta: A variant of ever popular name Isla I love the sound of this name. Isleta comes from the Spanish language and means "Little Island."

Malaya: A place name it means the state of Malays. It was named by British settlers. Also has been used for naming a boat HMS Malaya, a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the Royal Navy.

Maribel: A modern blend of Mary and belle this was a highly popular name in the 1960s however is hardly used currently. Its a more original name that those of Claribel which is highly popular.

Olive: As you liked the names Willow and Isla and think this is right up your street. A variant of Olivia it means Olive tree.

The boys:

Paxton: Of old English origin it is a place name It is also derived from the Latin "pax", meaning "peace", and the Old English "tun", meaning "settlement".

Arlon: An Irish/ Gaelic name and meaning Promise. Its a beautiful name which would be easy to team a middle name with.

Soren: Variant of Severus meaning apart.

Loudon: The German name means low valley. It has a fantastic sound!

Ezekiel: Of Hebrew origins it means strength of God. In retrospect however it is part of the increasingly popular biblical baby name trends.

Micah: We have heard of the cute girl name MEEKA on this blog but there is also a masculine variant. Again of Hebrew origins it is a variant of Michael.

Niklas: variant of Nicholas I love this funky spelling. It means victorious person.

Arden: I have a love of A names and this is no difference. Meaning great Forrest it is the surname of a Shakespearean character. It was popular in the early 1900s.

Ramiro: Portuguese and Spanish origins it means renounced counsellor. Its an upbeat fun name.

Salomon: This name means peace. You can alternatively use Solomon, depending on how you feel about the spelling.

Olivander: You liked the name Oliver so I wasn't sure if you wouldn't like this alternative. Its definatly got style. It means olive tree.

Levander: A Mediterranean name with alternatives including Evander.

Cute Coraline

2009-08-05T17:45:00.005+08:00

So I'm sure everyone with young kids keeps up with movies or T.V shows. A little outing to take your precious children to have a little bit of a break in the dark quiet cinema. Well Coraline the movie is coming out in Australia I couldn't help but think what a cute name! Its got a bit of a tropical edge to it but I don't think it would be out of whack with other trendy names. Its actually quite a normal name. So I thought I would explore a bit about this name.

So Coraline is a variance of Coral a nature name being natural sea growth, often deep pink or red in colour. While Coral was popular in the 1990s Coraline is an un-ranked name so you don't have to worry about popularity issues.

The 3D fantasy film is based on Neil Gaimans novel Coraline and focuses on a child who finds her way into a parallel world.

Nicknames include Cora, Corrie, Lina, Lynne/Lin.

Different spellings and similar names include Coralyne, Coralline, Koraline, Coralie.

I'm adding this name to my list, I'm quite taken with it!

Octavia

2009-08-01T22:56:00.006+08:00

I stumbled across this name when watching a Roman documentary. I have to say the Roman's had some great choices in names. Octavia Minor was the sister of the first Roman Emperor Augustus (also known as Octavian). She was also the wife of Mark Antony.

Octavia, of Latin origins, of course means eight and was often given to the eighth child of a family during the Victorian Era in England. It is the feminine version of Octavius.

This name is feminine and I believe quite stately. A strong name which should not be used lightly. I think I could see this name used in a family with Petrova's or Edwards, perhaps even used with a Darion (a favourite of mine lately).

Variants or similar names to Octavia include Octaviana, Octavianne, Octavie, Octiana, Octoviana, Ottavia, Tavia, Tavie and Tavy.

In my opinion I'm not to fond of the nicknames of Tavie or Oct. Tavia is not bad as they go. Hope your also keen on the name. Let me know your thoughts!

Octavia

Baby name question

2009-07-26T13:15:00.009+08:00

I am expecting baby #3 in September and am getting very stumped for a boy's name. We have a son Cason Nathaniel and a daughter Mira Ashlyn. If this one is a girl we are thinking either Camille or Holland, but the boy name has really left me searching and searching and coming up with nothing! Our last name is one syllable starting with M, so we are avoiding one syllable first names. After naming our son Cason I have some small regrets about how it falls in with all the trendy Caden/Aidan kids now, so I am extra leery of anything that might even turn out to be trendy later. For this baby, I have thought of Simon, Rueben, Bowen, Sullivan, etc... but nothing really thrills me. I guess, like a lot of parents, we want something uncommon but also not weird. Help!

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First of all we apologise for how long it has take to return your question. I hope that the pregnancy is going well and that name ideas are going strongly. I love Camille as a girls names. Its very feminine and gentle. I also love your children's names of Mira and Cason. There fantastic names not to off beat but not to popular that you can think of hundreds of others with the same name. I hope that this post is helpful in choosing a boys name. Make sure you let us know when you have the little angel, we also love to know what people decide in the end.

Kieran - This is an old Irish name with plenty of charm! Its meaning is black. It is only ever so slightly popular decreasing currently as people go for more off the track names.

Keaton - This has a fabulous meaning House of Hawks. Used as a last name Its is of old English Origins.

Konrad/ Conrad- Virtually an unused name this is of German and Polish origins meaning a bold advisor. Conrad is however a common Last name so may if your not to keen on popular last names this may be a miss.

Titus - This is a bit off the track from your brainstorming ideas like Simon and Reuben but I think it could work with Mira and Cason. Meaning defender it was the name of a Roman Defender. Loads of Characters and heaps of history.

Cameron: This was a popular name in the 1980s and 1990s. It means crooked nose. I tell you some name meanings are just so wacky! It is most popular in Scotland.

Beckett- A girls or boys name (though i much prefer it in masculine context) it is of English origins meaning Beehive or bee cottage. This is an unused name.

Lincoln - This is such a strong masculine name. It just oozes strength. Of old English origins it means Lake Colony. Nicknames like Link.

Seamus - Of course an Irish name, this is a cute name full of character. I can just imagine a cheeky toddler with this name! This is variant of Hebrew name James (I didn't know that).

Pierce - Quite a suave name of course everyone knows it from Pierce Brosnan. It means rock. Unused its peek in popularity in 2004.

Garrett- Or if you wanted Gareth means gentle one. It is an uncommon first name though popular last name. It is currently ranked 124.

Darion -Of Greek Origins it means Gift. Ranked 804 in American Baby names.

Atticus - I have to say i have quite a name crush on this name. Of course known through to Kill a Mockingbird. It means from the Athens. It is thought to be the name of the first publisher in the Roman Empire. It is currently ranked 683

Campbell - Of Scottish and Gaelic origins it means crooked mouth, here we go with the strange meanings again. It is not ranked in the top 1000 baby names.

Leonard - This means lion strength and is of German origins. Popular in the early 1900s it is a rare first name today.

Gregor/Gregory - Meaning watchful and vigilant this is an old name used marred by shortenings such as Greg. I prefer Gregory however for its strong sounding masculine name.

Remus- Its a charming old name this one being the Latin word for oar. Not ranked in the top 1000 its got loads of character as it off the beat from current trends.

Hamon/Hammond- Is an old German name meaning home Protector. With its quaint meaning and and fabulous sound whats not to love? It is a surname also.

From this list my favourite choices would be Atticus, Darion, Keaton and Remus. If you have any other ideas for names make sure to comment back! We would Love to know how name brainstorming is going! Good luck!

New Arrival

2009-07-25T12:07:00.004+08:00

Roger Federer, tennis world number one and his wife Miroslava "Mirka" Federer have had twin girls. Born on Thursday the girls are called Myla Rose and Charlene Riva .

Myla pronounced MYE-lah means merciful and is the feminine version of Myles.

Charlene pronounced Shar-LEEN is the feminine version of Charles meaning a free man.

While Myla has grown in popularity since 2005 Charlene has decreased in popularity since the 1990s. The middle name choices of Rose is of Latin origin the flower a symbol of the Virgin Mary while Riva is the short version of the Hebrew name Rebecca as well as being French word for shore.

I especially like Myla out of the choices. Myla is quite new age while as Charleen is quite a 50s throw back name. I'm a bit disappointed also on their choice of Rose. It seems a too easy choice what with Eve also. I'm glad however they teemed Charleen with a more upbeat middle name Riva to for go the past.

Congratulations Roger and Mirka!

Coming Up!

2009-07-22T00:56:00.002+08:00

Sorry to all those waiting to have their baby name emails and comments answered in a post yet(I think there is about 3 of you now). I promise Laura and I are going to set some time aside to do them soon. In the meantime, you can look forward to whats coming up in the next month:

The 1920s Boys Names Post is coming up soon as a follow up for the Gourgeous Girls I posted about a few weeks ago.
The Botanical Girls Name Post is also well overdue as the follow up to the Beautiful Boys from about a million years ago.
There will be, at this stage, 3 posts for readers that have requested a little helping hand with choosing names.
And you know those Name Crush Posts I sometimes write? Well, they are going to be turned into a regular once a month thing. Look out for our new Name of the Month posts.

Greeks Gods and Goddesses

2009-07-06T19:59:00.015+08:00

Often people look for names with a certain sound, a certain ere, a certain letter. If you want a name with a fantastic meaning behind it and history Greek Gods and Goddesses may be just the place to start looking. Some of these names previous I had not heard of and am truly falling in love with.

Olympian Gods:

Zeus (Zoo-s)is the god of the sky and ruler of all the Olympian gods. Lord of the sky, the rain god his weapon is a thunderbolt. The name Zeus means living.

Hades (Ha·des) is the the brother of Zeus and was Lord of the Underworld ruling over the dead. He is also God of wealth due to the precious metals and jewels underground.

Hestia (Hes-te-a) is the sister of Zeus and is the God of Hearth, a symbol of the house. In cities there were fires dedicated to Hestia never allowed to be extinguished. This is so children would enter the house and family safely.

Hera (HARE-ah) wife of Zeus she is the Greek Queen of Heaven, due to her husbands infidelities was often names goddess of marriages.

Aris (A-Ris) is the son of Zeus and is the God of War, disliked by both his parents. He was thought of as blood stained and a coward.

Athena (a-THEE-nah) is the daughter of Zeus and Greek virgin Goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She was Zeus's favourite child and so was permitted to use his thunderbolt. She is also supposed to of invented such instruments as the bridle.

Apollo (Ah-POH-loh) is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister being Artemis. He is the God of music and the god of healing, teaching man of medicine. He is also the God of truth and light. He drives the sun chariot across the sky.

Aphrodite (Af-ro-die-tee) is the Goddess of love, desire and beauty. She was said to have been born from the sea foam so Aphrodite also translates to mean 'foam'.

Hermes (HER-mees) was the most intelligent of Olympus Gods and was the messenger for them. The fastest of all Gods he was the son of Zeus and Maia. He is also the god of thieves and commerce, the guide also for dead in the underworld.

Artemis (AR-te-miss) is the goddess of chastity, virginity, hunting, the moon, and the natural environment. She is the daughter of Zeus and her twin brother is Apollo. She is protector of the young presiding over child birth. In contemporary society Artemis may also be a boys name.

Titans

Gaea (GAY-ah) is the Goddess of Earth and mother of all the Titans.

Rhea (REE-ah) was the wife of Cronus. He swallowed all their children. She however tricked him into swallowing a rock saving her son Zeus. Lucky escape! Her names means flowing.

Phoebe (FEE-BEE) is the titan of the moon. The feminine version of Phoebus, meaning bright.

Thea (THEE-AH) is the goddess of whom light derives from. She is the mother of Helios (sun), Eos (dawn), and Selene (moon).

Atlas (AT-LESS) was forced to hold the world upon his back as he supported Cronus over Zeus. Holding the world was a punishment by Zeus. His names therefore has connotations of strength and power.

Metis (MEE-Tis) was the titan of the fourth day as well as planet mercury, presiding over the power of wisdom and knowledge. Zeus ate her as it was heralded that her second child would replace him. This name has also be known to be a boys name.

Other Gods

Demeter (dih-mee'-tur) is the goddess of corn and grain, overall the earth, fertility and agriculture. Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped, she therefore put a curse on earth to make the plants die. It was agreed Persephone would spend six months in the underworld, during this time her mother grieves for her- winter.

Persephone (per-SEHF-ə-nee) is the daughter of Demeter and is the goddess of spring time. She was abducted by Hades into the underworld where she became queen of the underworld for six months a year.

Eros (E-Ros) the son of Aphrodite is the God of Love. His weapon the bow and arrows, stunning coups into uncontrollable love.

Eris (E-Ris) the Goddess of Discord was often snubbed by other Gods. She followed her brother Aris into battle with son strife. The Trojan Horse was a result of of not inviting Eris to a wedding.

Pan the son of Hermes and Penelope was the God of Shepard's. He is perceived as merry and happy frequently dancing with nymphs

Girls Names of the Roaring 20's!

2009-06-29T22:25:00.013+08:00

You know how you keep seeing flapper dresses in the shops now? Well they're coming back! And guess what. Baby Names from the 20s are too. They have been for a while and will undoubtely keep coming back.

Need Proof?

Olive is back in the top 1000. Julia Roberts named her starbaby Hazel and SJP just had Marion Loretta. And speaking of starbabies lets not forget about the growing popularity of Violet. Rose has become a staple middle name next to Grace who has also hit the popularity stakes for first names. Lillian and Evelyn are now American favourites with their fellow top 100 members Audrey and Charlotte. And Ruby is close on their tails sitting just outside the top 100.

All of these names are 1920's favourites.

Though you may be a little too late to use these if your are looking to stand out of the crowd we have plenty of other 20s favourites for you to choose from that are equally dazzling and are destined for a comeback. As a sucker for vintage names (I did name my son Edward) Ithem (just perhaps not Fannie, Dorcas or Fairy). My faves are the red.

Agnes

Barbara

Beatrice

Belinda*

Bess

Betsy

Betty

Billie

Clementine

Delores

Donna

Dorothea**

Dorothy

Eleanor

Eulalia

Flora

Florence

Gwendolyn

Harriet

Helen

Henrietta

Louise

Lucy

Mabel

Margaret

Mary

Maudie

Mavis

Mildred

Millicent

Minnie

Nancy

Opal

Pansy

Regina

Roberta

Rosemary

Thelma

Theodora**

Wilhelmina

Wilma

Winifred

*I love this with the darling little nickname Bindi

** It is my ULTIMATE fantasy to have twin girls called Dorothea and Theodora!

Up-to-Date Royal Names

2009-06-24T16:27:00.004+08:00

My mum loves reading all the Hello's which have the Royal on the front with titles like "Is William engaged to Kate" etc etc. There are always stories about monarchs from across the globe and some of the names are quite all right! Princess Beatrice is even popular. So here's a taste of what the rich and traditional call their children with some cute nicknames. Tell me what you think!

England:
-Elizabeth and Phillip (Lizzie, Liz, Phil)
-Charles and Camilla (Charlie, Milly)
-William (Wills, Bill)
-Henry (Harry as he is commonly called)
-Andrew (Andy)
-Beatrice (Trixie, Trix, Bea)
-Eugenie

Spain:
-Juan Carlos and Sofia (Sofie)
-Filipe and Litizia (Fil, Lettie
-Leonor (Nora)
-Sofia (Sofie)
-Elena (El, Ellen)

Monaco:
-Albert II (Al, Bert)
-Caroline (Carol, Carry, Car)
-Andrea (Andy)
-Pierre
-Charlotte (Lottie)

Denmark:
-Margrethe (Marg, Margery, Maggie)
-Frederik and Mary (Fred, Freddie)
-Christian (Chris)
-Isabella (Bella, Issy, Belle)
-Joachim

SJP twin girls

2009-06-24T15:48:00.005+08:00

(SJP and James)

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick twin girls have arrive and their names are as sweet as ever!

Her first child names James Wilkie now has twin sisters Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge. Elwell and Hodge are family names.

Marion is of English origin, a variant of Mary and meaning 'star of the sea'. And of course is well known because of Maid Marion of Robin Hood.

Tabitha is of Aramaic origin and means 'gazelle'. I of course have always loved this name from the show Bewitched, Samantha's daughters name.

I think overall James, Marion and Tabitha goes well together.

Congratulations and all the best to them!

Another Name Crush

2009-06-24T01:24:00.008+08:00

Its 13 weeks to go! And we thought it was about time to stop making the decision harder for ourselves by continuously adding names to our lists and sit down and nut out our top 10 girls and boys.

I don't know if you have ever tried to choose you favourite name in the world out of I don't a Billion. Its harder than you might think - but we did it. It took the better part of our Sunday but we did it. We now have a top 10 (well 11 for girls) and I think we might be a the right track - no more names that are unusable (like September with Edward for example) and no more names we can't both agree on.

All was well until we turned on the TV. Some renovation competition was on. Just as well we couldn't find the remote (we are so sick of renovations) because one of the judges names caught our attention.

Isn't it a lovely name! It is a variant of Sybil which I'm not too keen on for my own use but don't mind at all. It means 'prophetess, oracle' and is from Greek origins.

What do you think?

Is it worth it spending hours convincing Nathan to get her on the list?

Or do you think that perhaps she is middle name material?

I would LOVE to know.

A Late Helping Hand

2009-06-07T21:20:00.009+08:00

Many moons ago we received a question by a reader to help us name her 4th child. And I'm so sorry it has taken so long to get back to Marilyn. You see, we are renovating at the moment to make way for our new baby and it is all a bit stressful.

My first instinct when I got this question was to get my baby name books and have a flick through but this does leave me a limited supply. I think my second instinct might have been a bit more on the money. I don't like to poach ideas from other blogs for originality's sake but my fellow blogger Lola from Lola's Onomastic Fits seems to have quite similar tastes to this reader. So I requested her help to answer this question. Please welcome her as our guest blogger and please visit her blog! This will be a very long and concentrated post!
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I've been asking this question to all the great name-people I can find, so hopefully you have some ideas for me! We're expecting our fourth baby in August and not finding out the gender. I'm looking for girl and boy name ideas that fit well with our current three boys: Abraham Thomas (Abe), Sebastian Dane (Sebby or Seb), and Malachi Norris (Ky). I like names that can be dignified but I also like nicknames that allow a little flexibility/casualness.For girls names, I love nature names like Violet (Lettie)---but is that getting too popular? I also love Daisy but wish I could use it as a nickname for a longer name (Marguerite is one idea, but I think it would confuse people). I like Indigo, Juniper, Calla, and others---but don't know if they fit with my boys' names? I'm not set on a nature name; I also like Jemima and Josephine and many others.So---any ideas?? I would appreciate any feedback you or your readers have. :) Thanks!!
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Lola writes:
Marilyn,
This is indeed a challenge; your boys have fabulous names, one & all, and I'm sure we'll find something equally fabulous for their sibling!

Firstly, I'm not entirely sold on Marguerite, nickname Daisy being confusing. I mean, the French word for Daisy is Marguerite! And while it may confuse a few, I'd consider it a learning experience for those few. Hey, give them a chance to learn something new, right? :) Marguerite is elegant enough to sit well with your boys. And It is sprightly and feminine, to stand apart well. There are also plenty of other nickname options for Marguerite, if she so chose, too. Maggie, Meggie, Maya, Rita. But daisy is my favorite nickname option too.

Now, you also mentioned Violet (Lettie) and wondered if that was getting popular. I'm a Yank and Violet here is leaping up the charts. Violet now stands at 184 of 1000 and that's pretty spectacular to me. Violet didn't chart but sporadically between 1971 & 1998! Spectacular rise here. Makes me wary of it myself.

Now, you also mentioned Jemima & Josephine which completely makes me smile. Josephine is my 5 year old and Jemima is my #3 name for a potential sister. Jemima in particular would be spectacular with your boys. Biblical, naturey (Jemima means Dove) and absolutely beautifully feminine, Jemima would easily be *my* choice if I had your boys.

Indigo is a bit out of step with Abe, Seb & Ky and Indy is quite masculine a nickname to me (I think Jones & 500 right off the bat).

Juniper feels a bit off too, more naturey, not as elegant, and June is a lovely nickname option (as is Juno) but I'd rather see Juno right off with June as a possible nickname. Juno's awesome and feels far more elegant alone than Juniper or June. How awesome is the queen of heaven (according to Roman Mythology), the protectress of women & marriage and the goddess of finance too. Really, just all around strong & elegant!

Calla works too, tiny, elegant and naturey but in a line, Abraham, Sebastian, Malachi & Calla? I want to sing "One of these things is not like the other ones, one of these things just doesn't belong..." like on Sesame Street.

But some other random thoughts:
Oliver - Ol, Ollie
Gabriel - Gabe
Henry - Harry
Raphael - Rafe, Rafa, Ralph
Simeon/Simon - I have one, he goes by Sim fairly often. I still wish I'd gone with Simeon. So much snappier! He could also go by Sy.
Atticus
Dominic - Dom
Phineas - Finn, Finny
Edward - Ed
Demetrius
Jasper
Absalom
Julian/Julius - With your boys, I think Julius fits better but you may prefer the more modern feeling Julian.
Gideon
Barnabas - Barnaby
Edgar
Ephraim (ef-ram)
Moses
Linus
Adrian
Solomon - I've been thinking "Sol is pretty neat" myself.
Samson - Sam

Jemima - Jemma, Jem, Mimi, Mim
Sarai
Josephine - my daughter's name, she goes by Josie, Posy, Poppy, Fifi Effie & Jo. Talk about options!
Solange - Ange, Sol
Chaya
Lillian - Lilly
Miriam - Miri
Zipporah - means "dove" just like Jemima.
Angelina - Ange
Valentina - Val, Tina
Lucia - Lucy
Noemi
Magdalena - Maggie, Lena
Salome
Cecelia - Cecily
Audrey
Phoebe
Susannah - Susie, Sukie, Lily, Rose (Susannah means rose but earlier, meant lily)
Genevieve - Gen, Evie, Eve
Dinah
Esther
Beatrix - Bea, Bee, Trix, Trixie
Elspeth
Amira

But my top 3 for each (for you): Josephine, Jemima & Susanna/h (I prefer Susanna, most people prefer Susannah) with Marguerite a runner up. Raphael, Simeon/Simon & Solomon (with Phineas a runner up).

I hope that at least gives you a starting place, Marilyn (I LOVE your name, too!) and if you need any other thoughts, ideas or just general feedback, feel free to ask, I'd love to help some more!
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NFATE writes:
We are very sorry it as taken this long to get a reply out of us but hopefully the what we lack in punctuality we make up for in quality of our responses.

I really like the names you mentioned. Calla is 100% divine! I think as you have only had boys so far I think you could probably get away with just about anything if its a girl, especially considering the difference in styles of Sebastian, Malachi and Abraham. If I were you I would be considering something quite long though. Perhaps Calla could be used as a nickname for Calliope (Cal-Eee-Oh-Pee) or Calantha?

Violet too is wonderful. I don't think she is getting too popular either. As you might have seen I did a post on her popularity in Australia. Even if she is 'too popular' I think that if you truly love it then you should just go ahead and use her. If your a yank your more likely to run into a little Karen, Jacqueline, Jillian or Angel, and how many of those do you know?

So here are my suggestions. Instead of doing things in the way we usually do them round here (a name then a little bit of information about it) I think for consistencys sake I might just do a big list with nicknames like Lola.

The boys:
Kenneth - Ken
Wesely -Wes
Theodore - Theo, Teddy, Ted
Phillip - Philo, Phil,
Graham - Grey
Declan -Dec
Arthur - Art, Artie
Everett - Rhett
Walter - Walt
Russel - Russ
Ernest - Ernie (Oh I just adore this name! I have been dying to sugest him for ages!)
Gilbert - Gil
Augustus - Gus
Angus - Gus
Callum - Cal
Alistair/Alasdair - Ali
Clifford - Cliff (One of my favourite books of all time is Lady Chatterly's Lover)

The Girls:
Persephone (per-sef-uh-nee)
Anais (ahn-na-ees) - Annie
Matilda - Mattie, Tilly, Tilda
Rhiannon - Rhi
Constance - Connie
Viola - Vie (just incase you want an alternative to Violet)
Giselle - Elle
Aurora - Rory (Laura's beautiful little girl)
Georgia - Gia, George, Georgie
Gwendolyn - Lyn, Gwen, Wendy
Sylvia - Sylvie, Via (on my list)
Ayelet (eye-let or ah-yeh-let) so its like Violet with out the V
Seraphina - Sera, Fifi
Iolanthe - Io
Diana-Di
Ophelia-Fifi
Alice -Ali, Al

Pretty Petrova

2009-06-04T13:21:00.016+08:00

I came accross the other day the name Petrova and have decided that I really like it. Though I love (and many names on my lists are flowery, girl names) girly names I like this name because it is strong dignified and very classy in my opinion.

Pronounced Peh-tro-va This name is derived from the name Petra- A greek name meaning stone or rock.(I said it was strong :D).

Petrova is also a Russian name however. In Russia it is a last name and therefore culturally it cannot be used as a first name (only in Russia though). Celebrities with this last name include russian tennis player Nadia Petrova. Petrova or Petrovna is also a feminie Russia name in relation to the Apostle Peter.

Anyone who loves quaint, cute literature perhaps you have read "Ballet Shoes" by Noel Streatfeild- a classic childrens book. (Adapted recently into a movie)

Petrova in this book is one of the adopted Sisters (The Fossils). Her sisters being Posy and Pauline. Using all 'P's' I like Posy but am not sold on Pauline.

But I'm loving Petrova so stop by and tell us what you think :D

A Violet Opportunity

2009-06-03T09:35:00.010+08:00

Violet Affleck out with Mom and Dad

I was talking to one of the moms from Edward's kindy the other day who has 3 kids and is expecting again. After general chitchat about both our pregnancys I asked her about names. She said "We are looking for something quite uncommon, just like our other kids names". And what are her other kids names? Harrison, India and Summer.

I told her that Edward might have indeed been a Harrison if it had been solely up to me but that Nathan thought it was just too popular. He was in the top 50 names for the year Edward was born (I checked now and he was ranked 24th) so we opted for the unranked Edward. She didn't seem to know that Harrison was such a high flyer.

I also mentioned that Summer and Sienna are amoung our (evergrowing) favourites when she asked. Her response was "I loved Sienna for Summer but we just couldn't have an India and then a Sienna." I checked the stats for my state for the year her little daughter was born abdSummer ranked 23rd, Sienna 8th. What!?!?!?! Since when did 15 places count for all that much? Summer even outranked Sarah at 29, Sophia at 30, Elizabeth at 33, Kate at 47 and ALL the variants of Caitlin! So much for unpopular.

Even the least common of her kids names, India, bears great correlation to the very popular Indiana, who now sits at 47 for us West Aussies.

Tut, Tut, Tut. Why won't people do proper research? If your looking for an uncommon name I would very strongly suggest having a long hard look at the trends and stats. Otherwise you just might find your 'rare' choice isn't rare at all.

So I had a good look at all the names on my list. The habit we have been getting into recently will either be our making or our breaking. We write any names that take our fancy on a white board I put in the lounge, next to the TV, so we have too look at it every day when we flick on the news. Its great! It gives me something to look at during the add breaks plus, we have a big pool to pick from. But anyways, I picked my favourites and had a look at their rankings. It was the best thing I could have possibly done to educate myself. I got some pleasant and some not so pleasant suprises.

For the Boys:

Did you know that Christopher didn't rank at all in West Aus. !? And his name-cousin Christian ranked 76. I think its safe to use him don't you?
Oliver was ranked 4th which is sad because he was a big favourite of mine though Olivia was 11th so that might be usable with the nickname Olive.
Not many more surprises with my boy favourites except for Alexander. He ranked 26th. Yes! I'm happy about this one - just when he cracked it into the top 10 in the States!

For the Girls:

Madeline didn't rank (but they do only do top 50 occurances). And even if she did,most people pronounce her like mad-e-lin, whereas I prefer mad-e-lie-n (rhyming with crime).
His favourite girl, Phoebe, ranked 49th.
My beautiful Imogen is 24th. I shed a tear or two over this one.
No Isabel's Isabelle's Isabell's or Isabele's appeared anywhere! Which is fantastic because I am just enamoured with scottish Isobel (with a definate 'Oh' sound) and fellow -bel ender Claribel. Though, predictably, Isabella its hot stuff at rank 8.
One of our strongest honarary middle name possibilites, dissapointingly, was 10th on the charts, Matilda.

And one last one that really took me by surprise:

Sweet little Violet didn't chart in the top 50 occurances in West Aus. nor in the national statistics. This was quite a shock for me. I always thought, perhaps a little biasedly, that Australia usually, was a bit ahead on the baby name trend front. I did a post a couple of weeks back detailing all the little darling names Aus. has in our top 100 that have escaped popularity in the US. Well since that post, it appears that the US had taken our lead and added a couple of those Australian Favourites to their top 1000, like Gemma and Callum for example. Well it looks like you Yanks have beaten us to this one. I think I might bump Miss. Violet up my list after this discovery.

Shows the importance of doing research, I guess. But I know all you reading this all ready know that. That's why your reading this of course.

-Oh Ending Names Part II, The Girls.

2009-05-30T23:28:00.011+08:00

I did the first part of this "Ending in Oh" boys name post a long long time and stupidly forgot to do the Part II girls names! So here they are. I just LOVE Willow. I know one little Willow, another classmate of my 6 year old cousin. She is such a beautiful little girl and she adores Edward.

Shiloh - Yup the name of Little Miss Jolie-Pitt. And since her birth hasn't it rose to popularity. She never ranked until 2007 when she appeared at 804. In 2008 she charted in at 650. I love the name Shiloh. She is so soft and gentle.

Willow - I know I always say this but Willow happens to be in my top 5 if we have a girl. Star babies with the name Willow include Sarah Palin's girl in addition to Jada Pinkett and Will Smith's girl.

Harlow - Nicole Richie's little girl wears this name to honour Jean Harlow. Jean Harlow was a platinum blond bombshell, a screen sensation of the 1930s. Patricia Arquette's daughter wears this name as well.

Cleo/Clio - Cleo is the short form of Cleopatra. The Egyptian Queen. And Clio is the variant spelling. I much prefer the variant spelling of Clio. Both are derived from the Greek kleos meiang glory or fame.

Calypso - This one gets the big thumbs up from me. Pronounced ka-LIP-so, it is of Greek origin, and its meaning is she who hides. Mythology places her as a nymph who held Odysseus for seven years. It is also a West Indian style of singing. She has always been on my lists.

Callisto - This name may be a bit unheard of by itself but it lends to the more common nickname of Cally. Variant of Calista. Meaning of Calisto is fairest or most beautiful.

Indigo - I know we mention this name all the time. I know of 5real Indigo's actually. One is a male advertising consultant, one is the daughter of a teacher who used to teach me in high school, I have seen 2 brand new Indigo's in the paper over the last couple of months, a boy and a girl and the other is this little cutie from his mommy blog on wordpress.

Juno - This name has the most beautiful meaning ever. It means Queen of Heaven. That meaning speaks for itself. This understated name is perfect for the parent who wants something unusual but not silly or frilly.

Lilo - Ever seen the cute little cartoon Lilo and Stitch? Lilo is the main character and the girl in the picture up the top. She has a lovely name. This name meets the current trends of -oh ending names and the obsession with L names such as Lilly, Lila, Liliana, Lyra, and Lola. It means Generous one in Hawaiian.

Margot/Margaux - The short form of Margaret which means Pearl. I'm not sure about this one. It feels a bit like a highschool nickname given to Margaret by the like of Johno, Jacko, Macko or Cammo.

Yoko - This one has a pretty memorable namesake. Yoko Ono. The famous wife of passed Beatle mister John Lennon.

Meadow - This one caught my eye when I was looking through the baby name statistics for 2008. I wouldn't have expected this one to rank at all, let alone at 859. I does have such a beautiful sound and meaning.

Coco - The first name of Miss Number 5, Coco Chanel as well as Courteney Cox and David Arquette's daughter. You know what would be worthy of a giggle. If someone had a set of boy girl twins and named them Coco and Milo!

Isabeau - With the popularity of Isabella and variants if your looking for an alternative this might be the go. Whilst Belle is usually the feminine and Beau the masculine this is an exception.

Cielo - Meaning Sky in Spanish. For some reason this name gives of musical vibes to me. I

guess I could see this one fitting in with Sienna and Sierra. Or perhaps Siella might be an appropriate variant.

Rosario - This is pronounced roe-ZAR-ee-oh. In the Roman Catholic faith this name has traditionally been given to those born of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the first Sunday in October as it has the meaning of rosary in Latin.

Baby Name Question

2009-05-29T15:32:00.007+08:00

Hi, I am expecting my first baby, hopefully, on October 2nd and I kind of need help with a name. I have already been thinking about names and have come up with a few with the help of my mom, but I am a little worried that they are too out there. I want my child to have a unique name, but also a name that I love.

The names I have thought of so far are:
Thaine Weslin (Th aye n pronounced like blaine but with a "th" sound and Weslin is pronounced Wes lynn) Thaine is my grandmas name, Thelma Lorraine, combined. Weslin is my grandpas first name, Wesley, and my great uncles middle name, Franklin, combined.

Leota Dalin (pronounced Lee Oh Tah Duh Lynn) Leota was my stepdads moms name and Dalin is my biological das name, David, and my moms name, Linda, combined.

Josephine Ryelle (pronounced Rye elle) Josephine/Josie is the female version of my stepdads name Joseph and Ryelle is my partners sisters name, crystal and my sisters name Michele combined.

I really like the name Thaine, and if its a boy, which I think it is, that will definitely be his name. Im not too sure about the other names, except Ryelle, which I love that as a middle name. I guess what I need help with is a middle name that goes with Thaine for a boy.

I am also wondering if the names that I like, and have posted are "too out there." I am interested in unique names, American Indian names, and older names such as Lorraine. Im not sure if this will help, but the baby is black/white/souix/cherokee.
I am not fond of Jaedyn, Aiden, Aaliyah, Caden, or names like that. I love the name Denae and Kailyn. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you in advance!!
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Thank you so much for your question and sorry about the late reply! It is always interesting to hear what other people are choosing to name their children and how they come up with their ideas.

You have I noticed gone for a 'twilight' decision in choosing names. Renesme chosen by Bella to cherish both her mother and mother in law. I think it will be a growing sentimental choice for deciding mothers and fathers.

I like the name Thaine (meaning landholder). I don't believe that it is to out their as names like "Blaine" "Shane' - ane/ain names- are becoming quite popular and it is actually a real name. Weslin and Leota have character also which is important in choosing a name. These names which you have combined are real possible choices with added sentiment that they are derived from family members. I don't believe these names are too out there compared with some other parents choises. I think it is good to go for multicultural names also which are unique but still plausible. Here are some ideas for names I hope that you like!

Girls:

Kaila : From Hebrew and Hawaiian origins this name means Laurel Crown. It has slight popularity pronounced KAY-lah

Maya: Spanish/Hindi/Russian Origins- It means Dreams or Illusions a beautiful meaning for a beautiful name

Raina: This name means Queen and is often used for short version of Lorraine

Heloise: This is a variant of Louise from old German origins. Heloise means famous warrior

Lenora: This is a bright name with bright meaning of sun- sky- light and compassion. It is an old name which was highly popular in 1910.

Leola: Also popular in 1910 means loyal and Lion. A strong name which with popular variants such as Lola and Leyla may come back in to popularity.

Lorralie : pronounced Lor-a-lee it is a variant of Lorelei a German name. It is a very rare first name.

Briar: Meaning brambles it is a great sounding name with plenty of potential

Boys

The name Thaine you like can also be written as Thane or Thayne

Ashwin: Is of Hindi Origin and is a calender month. It is a very rare name not ranked in the top 1000. Its cute with nicknames possible of Ash

Marsden:Of old English Origin it means swampy valley- theres no muck on this name though which is very well defined and original

Curtis: A surname or first name used in Middle ages to describe a courteous person. Its popularity curving it still has potential.

Kiran- Of Hindi and Sanskrit origin means beam of light. It has two variants Kieron and Kyran.

Keegan: Irish and Gaelic origins it translates to mean small flame. Though growing popularity this is still slight.

Clarence: The duke of Clarence- this name was created for a 14th century prince who married a girl from the Clare family.

Carnell: Meaning defender of the castle a strong name with its only ranking in the 1940s.

Eldrick: A variant of Elderidge a German name it means sage ruler and tiger.

I hope that these names are helpful- if not don't hesitate to comment back if you come up with any other types of names you like or are thinking of. Goodluck!

How to get: Finn

2009-05-25T12:00:00.002+08:00

You may have noticed the picture. Finn is such a beautiful boys name regardless of fishy accociations. And it is becoming increasingly popular in the states and has been very popular here in Australia for the last year or two.

But what if your not a fan of nicknames as first names but you love Finn as a nickname possibility? Then you've come to the right place.

I too love the nickname possibility of Finn, but with Edward it feels a bit too informal. So I have been searching and I think I might have it down to pretty much every Finn name there is - or at least all the ones I could find. If you know of any others please leave us a comment.

Phineas - Used by Julia Roberts for her little boy. Although she opted for an alternative spelling - Phinnaeus. A pleasing meaning too. In Greek mythology it means Oracle.

Griffin - From the fabled Welsh monster Griffith or Gryphon. They have the head of a hawk and the body of a lion.

Finnegan - This gem means Fair or White in Irish. Famous namesakes include James Joyce's last novel entitled Fineegan's Wake.

Finley / Finlay /Findlay- This name means Fair warrior in Scottish but could also be considered a place name as Finley happens to be a subarb in New South Wales, Australia.

Finn - Yup, just plain old Finn. I know one little Finn. He is a friend of my younger cousin and is just the most gorgeous boy you could ever hope to meet. The meaning of the name Finn is Fair and it's origin is Irish. It is also a Nordic name meaning Man from Finland.

Finbar - Believe it or not their is actually a canonised St. Fionnbharr. Finbar is just the anglicised form of this Gaelic name. The Saint was a prominent bishop who kept the Catholic Church alive in Irelan during the 7th and 8th centuries.

Phintan - An Irish name meaning From Finn Town. Cute.

Sibset Name Crush.

2009-05-23T12:33:00.009+08:00

I was at my Mothers house yesterday. She was talking about this movie she had seen. The main character's names are just delightful! They were sisters:

Gertrude and Myfanwy!

Isn't that just precious! They could go by Gertie and Miffy when they are young and grow up to be Trude and Myf.

I understand they might not be everyone's cup of tea - perhaps Gertrude is a little clunky for some people. And the spelling of Myfanwy might put some people off. (Just so you know its Mif-A-Nee not My-Fan-Wee). But I think they are the most darling baby names ever. And yes, I do think they would be beautiful baby names, not old lady names.

Gertie and Miffy. I might just love it!

PS. Little boy in the births section of the paper today. The 2nd in about 3 months that I have seen in the paper with this first name. He is to go by Indigo Macleod Lewis. We have mentioned Indigo countless times. I wonder if parents have been reading this?

UNIsex and UNIque baby names

2009-05-17T12:07:00.013+08:00

I LOVE your blog!! You always have such great ideas. I'm really hoping you can help me and my hubby find the perfect name for our daughter (due in Aug). We have a daughter named Evan Susanna. I absolutely love her name...and I came up with it very quickly. This baby is stumping us though. Here are some names we're throwing around (but none of them are standing out like Evan did):

Catherine "Cate"
Quinn
Finley
Mallory - horrible meaning though
Larkin
Leah
Erin - although I'm not too sure I want both girls' names starting with E.

For middle names, it will either be Catherine, Mae, or some form of Marianna / Marianne/ Maria. All family names. I can't decide if this baby girl should have another unisex name or could we give her a more traditional name. We do not like super common names. Any ideas??? Thanks in advance!

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Thanks for you email and we are so pleased to hear that you enjoy reading our posts - it's for people like you that we write them for. Congratulations on your baby, we are more than willing to help you with a name.

In this case I think it would be best to steer away from classical names, you wouldn't want to have one of your girls to feel envious of her sister's trendy name when she got the classical choice or vise versa. However, I don't think you are bound by unisex names. I have suggested some unisex and some exculsive names for girls. I like this list favourites include India, Paige and Yael.

Enjoy!

Jordan - A lovely choice for a boy or a girl. I personally prefer it on a girl. It's a Hebrew name meaning to flow down. But it's also a place name as well as the name of a river. Spelling variations include Jordyn, Jordin, Jorden and Jordon. I think Jorden is the more feminine of the lot.

Brody - This name just screams fun-loving to me. Quite a popular choice for boys at 70 and ranks below Evan at 38, but remains still unranked for girls. If current trends are any indication this one should climb up the girls ladder any time soon. You might be on the edge of a big trend here.

Peta - This fits so perfectly within the style of Evan's name. These classical masculine names turned modern feminine names are perfect for you. Seen as the feminine version of Peter this name also means Golden Eagle in Native American.

Asha - This name has the most beautiful meaning. It means Hope or Wish in Indian and also means Life in Swahili. If your looking for something unisex then this might be the go. She is unranked for girls but Asher ranks 208 for boys. Along with the popularity of Ash- girls names this is the perfect harmony between popularity and obscurity.

Scout - If 341 people we allowed to name their sons Atticus in 2008 then why not Scout? She is a darling little character in Harper Lee's to kill a mocking bird.

Elliot(t) - I have always felt that this was a little soft for a boy. For a girl however, I find it very appealing. Many male start babies behold this name, as well as Ava Elliot, Hugh Jackman's little adopted girl. I think perhaps Erin might be a little bit close to Evan whose sound is really only one letter apart. Elliot on the other hand sounds very different regardless of the beginning E sound.

Kellen - A gorgeous little boys name - on my list for any brothers Edward might have. However, on a girl it lends to the quite highly ranked Kelly (at 248) as a potential nickname. Meaning Descendant Of The Bright headed One how could you possibly go past this one?

Killian - Think Jillian with a K. Another ranked boys name that has unisex potential. It means Church or Monk's Cell. And like many popular names like Riley, Aiden, Brianna, Caitlin, Connor, Quinn, and Finley it is of Irish origin.

Yael - Pronounced exactly like the Ivy League school - Yay-el. I adore this. Probably my favourite out of these suggestions. Yael means Strength of God. A distinguished Yael's is Yael Dayan, an Israeli parliament member and author.

Paige - Before you pass of Paige as being too popular consider this. Evan is ranked 38 whilst Paige is ranked 88. This could also be seen as unisex in a way, Paige, is derived from Page Boy. This another that is fairy high ranked on my very very long list.

Presley - Meaning From The Priest's Field this on maybe a long shot with your other names but still a possibility. Is there any chance your an Elvis fan?

Harper - Recently used by David Groul for his new baby girl. This one has soared into popularity for girl since 2004 to her position at 297. This strong name has added appeal thanks to Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Ayla - I love the end in -la names and by the looks of things so do the new American parents. This name fits in perfectly with the "Ay" sounds popular in names like Aidan, Kayla, Taylor, and Ava as well as the 2 syllable nature of Evan. Very pretty meaning as well. It means Oak Tree in Hebrew and Moon Glow in Turkish.

Logan - The first Logan I ever met was a little girl. She is a stunner too. This Irish name means From The Hollow. This might be a little too highly ranked though, for boys he was ranked 19 in 2008 and for girls 430. But if you find this appealing then I wouldn't let anyone else stop you from using it.

Harlow - It's that sweet little "Oh" sound at the end. It adorable. I also like the combination Harlow Catherine. Its a nice marriage between funky and modern with timeless and classical. And unless you have been living under a baby name rock recently then you must know that Nicole Richie and Joel Madden gave their little girl this darling little name.

Pearl /Perla - We have mentioned Pearl about 100 time now. It is the middle name of Laura's little princess, Aurora. Perla however, hasn't yet been mentioned. It means Pearl in Spanish. Pearl's are often used as a metaphor for treasure in the Bible. This has to be my favourite middle name of all time. I would love too see it up front too.

Campbell - That -bell ending could be seen as feminine although all the Campbell's I have met have been boys. In 2008 this ranked 762 for girls.

India - I just adore this name. If I have a girl then at this stage, she is very very likely to be an India. I fell in love with it after reading Gone with the Wind. India and Evan are a gorgeous sibsit. What do you think of India and Edward as a sibset?

What do think? Anything grabbing your attention? If nothing we have suggested jumps out at you please feel free to tell us and we can suggest some more names that might better suit. Until we hear from you good luck. Hope we have been of assistance.

07 Australia vs. America - 2 Opposite Sides of the Baby Naming Globe

2009-05-08T17:22:00.007+08:00

I have had this posted ready to roll for a while but never got around to actually posting it so sorry for its out of date-ness. It would have been current if the 2008's American top 1000 hadn't been released yesterday. However, it still is a current as possible with the Australian top 100 records still a bit of a quite inconsistent mystery. Anyways, I'm posting it quick smart before it comes any more irrelevant.

I have noticed through my little time as a baby name blogger that the baby naming trends between my beloved Australia and the home of the vast majority of baby name sites, America, are so incredibly different. I mean how is it possible that Lachlan has never ranked over there?!?!? And that Isla is considered unusual!?! I know 5 Imogens - you Yanks would be lucky to know 2.

So I thought, maybe, just for fun, I might have a look at the 2007 top 100 Australian names and compare them with the top 1000 American names. Hopefully all the American readers can get a good look at some the trendy Australian names for their own use - they would be quite unusual over their too. As for the Australians, we can forgive them for forsaking some of these little gems.

Here they are - the ones in the brackets are the Australian rankings in 2007 and the ones outside are the American rankings. I have stayed away from the American top 200 as a general rule and not included names that I felt were a bit too close together in ranking.

Have fun!

Lachlan (2) Never
Charlie (20) 339
Harry (38) 578
Mitchell (44) 304
Taj (46) Never
Toby (48)566
Angus (51) Not since 1920s at 848
Callum (57) Never
Declan (63)349
Kai (66) 254
Will (67) 558
Jamie (68) 661
Hamish (70) Never
Brock (74)259
Finn (75)387
Flynn (76) Never
Jett (81)532
Lincoln (84) 224
Darcy (88) Not since 1960s peak at 946
Ali (89) 386
Jay (90) 397
Rhys (92) 809
Archie (93) Not since 1980s at 795
Tyson (94) 269
Jai (98) Never
Nate (99) Never
Zane (100) 232

Holly (26) 339
Chelsea (33) 209
Matilda (34) Not since 1950s at 914
Imogen (37) Never
Tahlia (44) Never
Zara (50) 711
Phoebe (52) 338
Amelie (58)758
Lara (61) 941
Evie (66) 806
Monique (69) 774
Klara (72) Never (although Clara currently sits at 228)
Jorja (74) Ranked only once in 2006 at 969 but Georgia ranked 296 in 2007
Tia (82) 737
Gemma (88) Never
Tara (92) 632
Claudia (93) 404
Ebony (95) Not since 2005 at 963
Isla (98) Never
Alice (99) 346
Poppy (100) Never

Flower Power - Part I Boys

2009-05-05T14:54:00.001+08:00

Botanical names are often chosen for both their sound and there meaning and have been chosen virtually since the dawn of naming. On boys, yes they are a little unexpected but some of the most popular names like Oliver and Bailey have botanical meaning.

PS. Don't you just love Fraser's meaning! Fancy naming a boy strawberry - Just precious! As well as the nickname Huck for Huckleberry. And Oleander makes me think of the wand maker from Harry Potter but still another fave.

Ackley - meadow of Oak Trees in Middle English.

Axel - small oak tree in German.

Bailey - berry in Old English.

Derry - oak tree in Welsh.

Fabian - bean in Latin.

Fraser - strawberry in French.

Jared/Jarrett - rose in Greek.

Oliver - olive tree in French.

Orrin/Orris - tree in Hebrew.

Perry - pear tree in Old English.

Purnal - pear in Latin.

Alder- From the Alder Tree in Old English. Nickname - Al

Ash/Ashton/Ashley- From the Ash Tree in English.

Basil- Nickname - Baz

Briar- Shrub or small tree in English. Nickname - Brye.

Linden -From the Linden Tree in English. Nicknames - Lin, Denny

Oleander- An ever green tree in Greek. Nicknames - Olly, Lee, Ander, Andy

Saffron- The Yellow Crocus from Russia and Europe. Nickname - Ron

Sage- Herb or Prophet in English . Wise man.

Thorne/Hawthorn/Thornton- From the thorn bush in English. Nickname - Thor.

Cedar - From the Cedar Tree in American.

Jonquil - Reed in Latin. Nicknames - Jon, Johnny.

Aspen - Quaking Tree in American. Nickname - Penn

Rowan - Rowan Tree in English. Nickname - Row.

Burnet - Of the Basil Plant in Indian.

Thyme - Thyme Herb in English. Nickname - Tye

Valerian - To be Strong in Italian. Like the Herb. Nicknames - Val, Ian

Forrest - Of the Woods in English.

Reid/Reed - Like the Reed in English.

Rush - Dweller of the Rushes

Huckleberry - Sweet Berry in American. Nickname - Huck

Ogden - From the Oak Valley in Old English. Nickname - Denny

Sylvester/Silvio - From the Forrest in Latin.

Vernon - Alder Tree in English.

Selby - From the Willow Farm in English.

Tamar - Palm Tree in Hebrew.

Glen - From the Wooded Valley in Scottish.

Moss - Variant of Moses which means Saviour but is also the Plant.

Heath - untended land where flowering shrubs grow in Middle English.

Dalber - taken from a tropical tree called Dalbergia Oliverii

Birch - Birch Tree in English

Expecting

2009-04-29T14:41:00.005+08:00

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are expecting their second and third child with twin girls via a surrogate mother. Already having one child, six-year-old son James Wilkie, I will definitely be excited to know what they will choose to name their girls. Other celebrities expecting include Rachel Griffiths. Sarah and I are very curious to see if she will continue with the Aussie theme and if so what names.

When choosing twin names some choose same letters, similar meaning or complete opposite. Judging by their first child a conservative first name and wild or alternative middle name are likely choices.

Names I'm thinking are...
Charlotte
Louisa
Rose
Lucinda
Anna
Elizabeth

These names very standard mixed perhaps with some alternative middle names.

Congratulations SJP

Another Name Crush

2009-04-28T11:22:00.017+08:00

Edward was watching playschool the other day when a name of one of the dollies caught my ear. No, it wasn't Jemima, it was Meeka. She is the dolly in the photo. Isn't she lovely! So young and cute! I can imagine her used on an older person as well. She's adventurous whilst sounding familiar and I just love her.

So I have had a bit of a look into her background. She is pronounced exactly how she looks. That is; me(e)-ka. She is a variant of the French or Latin Dominique and means 'lord'.

Whilst she might not have ever ranked in the top 1000 in America but her close relative Micah has been a popular choice for both boys since the 1960's and girls since the 1980's. For both boys and girls Micah currently sits at 126 and 772 respectively.

She is also a cross cultural choice. Her variants stem back to a number of origins. Micah is the Hebrew. Miki is both Japanese and Hawaiian. And Dominique is the French or Latin. Mika as a variant of the Hebrew Micheal was famously worn by Mika, known for his hit song Grace Kelly in 2007.

So that is her background. I have fallen in love with her. Hope you will to!

Brooks Allen

2009-04-22T12:21:00.005+08:00

I have an update!

A week or so ago I answered an naming question for Stacey. I just received an email from her with this update.

Stacey writes;

Hi Sarah, Just wanted to give you an update. Brooks Allen F*****man was born April 15th. After going through every name possible, my husband finally decided that Brooks had grown on him. I got lucky! Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions!

Lovely name! Brooks and Brody go so nicely together. I hope you don't mind that I stole a picture from your blog. He is an adorable little boy with a darling name. Good Luck!

Happily ever After

2009-04-19T18:04:00.005+08:00

Once Upon a time…

When choosing a name inspiration can come from anywhere. I love the name Aurora, a name I always relate to the princess in Sleeping Beauty of course. (Loving AU names currently :D). Thinking about this name I thought perhaps other people might gain some inspiration and enjoy reliving the tales of their childhood through these names. Hope you enjoy.

Aurora – Sleeping Beauty
Briar Rose- Sleeping beauty
Jasmine- Aladdin
Alice- Alice in Wonderland
Ariel – Little Mermaid
Cindy “Cinderella” – Cinderella (nn also Ella)
Gretel – Hansel and Gretel
Belle – Beauty and the beast
Wendy – Peter Pan
Esmeralda - Hunchback of Notre Dame
Tiger Lily – Peter Pan
Tinkerbelle – Peter Pan
Melody – Little Mermaid
Flora- Sleeping Beauty
Nala- Lion King
Charlotte- Charlotte's Web
Marian- Robin Hood

Pan- Peter Pan
Peter- Peter Pan, Narnia
Aladdin- Aladdin
Sebastian – Little Mermaid
Hansel – Hansel and Gretel
Robin- Robin Hood
Edmund- Narnia Chronicles
Aslan- Narnia
Triton- Little Mermaid
Eric- Little Mermaid
Stefan- Sleeping Beauty
Phillip- Sleeping Beauty

Perhaps these names will help you achieve you perfect ending in finding the perfect name. Briar especially is different name not used regularly. Unusual it’s got a bit of a kick in it? My favourite girl name would be Ariel and Aurora and favourite boys name Pan and Triton. There different, original and quite cute.

And they all lived Happily Ever After

Biblical Baby Names for Ella and Brody's Brother.

2009-04-11T19:00:00.011+08:00

Hi,
I am due in April with our third child who is a boy. We have a 4 year old girl named Ella Lee (Lee after my mother) and a 15 month old boy named Brody Louis (Louis after my husbands middle name).
Our last name is F*****man. We had a very hard time with our first son's name and are having an even harder time with this one. I want a name that is not too common or too trendy, and does not end in -on, -en, -in.
Names I like are Brooks, Bennett (Ben), and Decon. I love Cade, but it's too popular now. We also both like Cole but have a friend with a son Cole. My husband doesn't like any of my names and wants a name that is strong and not so different that he hasn't heard it before. He likes Joel and Eli.
We both like Joel but his mother's side of the family is Hispanic and will most likely (even just to annoy me) pronounce the name Joe-el which will drive me crazy. We thought about using a different spelling like Jole but are afraid that it would be pronounced Jo-lee. I also thought about Johl, but am not sure if it looks too odd and one of the reasons we like Joel in the first place was because it was a biblical name.
Eli is too close to Ella. I am thinking that we will be using Robert, Allen or Taylor for a middle name after family members. We are stuck and have no names on our list so any suggestions would be great! Thanks for your help!
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Congratulations! It must not be long to go for you. If your still waiting that is.

Sorry about our late reply. I have suggested more names than we normally would to make up for this. Most of them are biblical as you said you were attracted to that quality. But I have broken the rule a number of times and suggested non-biblical names. I have tried to combine the Biblical factor with the breezy light "prep" feel of names you like like Brooks and Bennett.

I really hope you both like them. My favourite is Fletcher (on my very very long list).

Seth - The 3rd son of Adam and Eve and derived from the Hebrew sheth which means appointed. Seth maybe the compromise between obscurity and familiarity you are looking for. He peaked in popularity at 81 in 2003 due to his exposure as one of the main characters in the OC released in the same year.

Gabe - The short form of Gabriel. Gabriel is derived from the Hebrew gavrīēl meaning God is my strength. Gabriel was one of the seven archangels and was chosen by God to tell the virgin Mary she would mother God's son. Another unpopular yet familiar sounding name. He hasn't been in the top 1000 since the 1890's.

Silas - He has always been in the top 1000 in the US and has been making a steady comeback since the 1960's. His current ranking is 346. Derived from the Aramaic sh'īlā meaning asked for. In the bible he was one of the first members of the church of Jerusalem. as far as modernly used biblical names he rates as one of my favourites.

Nate - The short form of the greatly popular of the Nathaniel which means Gift of God. One of the disciples of Jesus who appeared after the Resurrection. I love Nate. I especially love Nathaniel. I would use him if I hadn't married a Nathan. I guess I will just have to be content for other people to use him.

Fletcher - I did stray from you biblical rule here but I think its worth it. Surname names are big however this one is currently not ranked very high. At 976 in 2007 I think he is a much preferred choice to Avery or Campbell. He reached as high as 315 in the 1890s but still remains a relatively obscure choice. I think he has the same sort of vibe as Bennett and Brooks. He is probably around number 4 on my boys list!

Griffin - I broke the biblical and -in rule with this one. Here is a name that I predict will shoot into the top 100 within the next 2 years. Griffin is from obscure origins. Some believe him to be the Welsh form of Rufus while other believe him to originate from the Old Welsh Grippiud meaning prince. With the darling nickname Finn, I doubt your partners relatives would manage to get his pronunciation wrong.

Asher - I love the meaning of this name; Happy and Blessed. In the bible he is the eighth son of Jacob. He first entered the US rankings in the 90's and has risen steadily upwards since then. I love him paired with the names of your other children; Brody, Ella and Asher!

Axel - The middle name of Tiger Woods new son, Charlie Axel and currently ranked 287. This is a little far in style and sound from your other listed names, but he is incredibly up and coming. Axel is a cognate of the biblical Absalom, which is derived from the Hebrew ‘abshālōm meaning the father is peace.

Mitchell - A variant of the biblical name Michael which is derived from the Hebrew mīkhā’ē‘l meaning Who is like God. In the bible Michael is the closest archangel to God and is responsible for carrying out God's Judgements. Mitchell's popularity has been quite inconsistent but since the 90's he has become less and less popular till his current position at 304.

Declan - Declan's deviations are uncertain. There is an Irish saint who was canonised St. Deaglán. Declan has been quite popular in Australia for a while now but he hasn't quite cracked into the top 100 in the US yet. He sits at 349.

Benji - The short form of the timeless Benjamin. Whilst Benji has never ranked Benjamin had never been outside of the top 200 in the US. Benjamin is derived from the Hebrew binyāmīn meaning son of the right hand. In the bible he is the son of Jacob.

Cain - You said strong and not too popular were you prerequisites so I think Cain meets both of these. Cain also shares a similar sound to Cade and Cole yet despite the popularity of these types of names he has never ranked in the top 1000 in the US. Cain is also biblical. He is the first son of Adam and Eve. It could also be spelt Cane.

Zeke - The short form of the dorky Ezekiel. Ezekiel Derived from the Greek Iezekiēl, a name derived from the Hebrew yehezq'ēl meaning God strengthens. This short happy fun name goes nicely with your chosen middle names. Ezekiel also has his own book in the Bible. Ella, Brody and Zeke - perfect!

Tate - And finally Tate. From an English surname which was derived from the Old English given name Tata. I love the meaning of this name; Cheerful. Tate is another name that has risen to popularity after no appearances in the top 1000 until the 1970s. He sits comfortably at number 406. I know a little Tate and he is the most darling little boy. I like the combination Tate Taylor.

Normally I would say to go ahead and use Joel regardless of what your family will pronounce it like. But I can understand what it is like to have to put up with mispronunciations. We spelt Noel like Nole for that very reason. But if you really love Joel and want to use it I would suggest using the traditional spelling. Johl may be pronounced right by your partners family but to the rest of the world it should be spelt Joel. And the rest of the world has more people in it than your partners family.

Hope all goes well with your delivery and name! Be sure to check in and tell us what you think.

Super sweet Saffron

2009-04-09T22:33:00.005+08:00

My favourite name for a long time has been Saffron. My inspiration from a book I read a long time ago which has stayed with me. I love the sound, the cute nickname of Saffy. Like a lot of people I love the 'S' names like Sienna and Sierra but moving away from these names I love Saffron because of its fun meanings and added lack of popularity. Lack of popularity now. I can defiantly imagine a little Saffron and perhaps September too :D Hopefully you love Saffron to and helps some people find a fun name!Here are all the reasons to love Saffron.

Saffron is a colour, a bright orange-yellow (Monks of Eastern Religions where Saffron coloured robes)

Saffron is a spice which can be used as a dye

Saffron is a flower

Saffron is a place... in Pokemon apparently :D

And Saffron has been used by celebrities Saffron Burrows and Saffron Aldridge

Nick names for Saffrons include Saffy, Saf

Alternative spelling Saffran, Saffren, Saffronia and Saphron
And If you really like the name but not for a little girl it can be used for a boy also.

Olive

2009-04-06T21:37:00.008+08:00

We have mentioned Olive a number of times on our blog. I quite like her. Shes sensible but still cute and feminine. And she has spunk!

All these times we have mentioned Olive in our post we inevitably mentioned Olive Cohen, the daughter of Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen. But we forgot to mention one famous Olive!

Olive Oyl - Popeye's girlfriend!

She certainly got the best name in her family (her brother name is Castor Oyl).

Do you think that a little Olive or Olivia would go nicely with Edward. Perhaps an Oliver?

Sibsets

2009-04-05T14:07:00.009+08:00

A acquaintance of mine recently had a little baby boy. His parents are quite the modern couple so I was curious to see what they would name him.

His older brother is Xavier and was to be called Rainbow if he had been a girl. I was hoping for something quirky and fresh as Xavier's brother, maybe a bit alternative. But I was utterly disappointed with what they called him. As soon as I heard his name I thought "If I had had one guess that would have been it, first and middle name"

Xander

Xander and Xavier don't exactly rate on my list but they are perfectly paired! As well as Blue and Storm!

Couldn't they have chosen something a little unexpected? I bet if Xander had been a girl he would have been called Xanthe! But wouldn't it be lovely to have Xavier and Ingrid for example. Over matching sibsets don't do it for me.

What would you have called Xavier's brother?

Name Crush

2009-04-02T16:15:00.003+08:00

I love the name Edward. I really do. Which may seem obvious, I did choose it for my son. However, when I chose it I didn't realise that I was setting up a pattern of names for all future children.

You see, I have found the perfect name for a girl but I can't use it - its far too wild.

September

She is so free spirited. I would so LOVE to use her. But I can't! Edward cannot be the boring brother of September and I simply cannot imgaine him as anything but an Edward!

Oh well, I can suggest her to all you readers and hope she gets her due.

Name Trend

2009-03-29T10:56:00.005+08:00

I'd bet my bottom dollar that this name will appear in the Australian top 100 for this year. I'm seeing it every where. In the paper there is at least one a week.

Now I doubt in America her popularity will rise to as greater heights as in Australia due to the state. But I might be wrong - how many little Dakota's are there?

Indiana

She is a unisex American name meaning land of Indians and is famously worn by everybodys favourite George Lucas character Indiana Jones. I don't mind it - I prefer it on a boy though. That's probably because of Indiana Jones. Regardless, its use on girls has become vastly popular here in Perth.

Time

2009-03-28T13:35:00.009+09:00

Months, birth stones and now even days of the week. Time is becoming increasingly popular for parents choice in names. All you need to say now is "Sunday" and everyones mind strays to Sunday Rose (more commonly known as Sunday Roast), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urbans first child together.

Months have been commonly used, as has foreign spelling of month names. Here are some of the most commonly used Month names.

April
March
May
June
August
Avril- French April

I haven't included this name but another month name I heard used recently was January. I guess if your using March, April, May why not add another month. I wonder if soon February, October and also December will be used as names. I guess anythings possible

Birth stones
With obvious relation to months boyfriends often use their knowledge of their girlfriends birth month to buy thoughtful gift. Thank god my birth stone is a diamond :D

Garnet/Garnet- Dark red gemstone of January
Amethyst- Purple jewel of February
Ruby - Red gem of the month December
Opal - October
Topaz- November

Seasons (even this title "season" is used) are growing popular as baby names. Celebrity Summers including O.C character played by Rachel Bilson, and Winter, recently used by Nicole Richie as Harlow Winter Kate.

Summer
Winter/Wynter
Autumn

As stated previously days of the week are also growing popular.

Sunday - Sunday, the day of rest, used by Nicole Kidman
Friday – Harry Friday- definitely individual this was used by Simon Baker for his boy

Mythological usage

Marcella- Roman God names March was named after

Maia - nymph mother of Hermes, month of May named after her

Star signs:

Leo- the lion of course which is the star sign of July 24-August 23

Aries- March 21- April 20

Sorry there mostly girls but if you have any more names to add please drop us a comment.

Names in the Papers This Week

2009-03-15T19:27:00.007+09:00

Saturday's paper is the perfect time to share with the world birth notices and are often used to thank friends and family and doctors and congratulate those closest to you. Within these birth notices we see the trends and rising names. Here are some of the names this week

Boys names

Riley/ Ryley x5

Archer x2

Maximillian

Tomas

Harrison 2x

Malachy

Girls names

Ryley x3

Grace x2

Mia

Sionne

Lucinda

Autumn-Lilly

Bliss

Lilly- Lillian x4

The names appearing with boys as always it a mix between new, old and strange. Riley/Ryley for girls and boys is so so so popular. For me though it will always be associated with a horse of my cousins who threw me off and starting crazily cantering around and around the field with me on it aged 10 at the time. I'm not liking the change in spelling of the classic "Thomas" for me it should be spelt with a 'h' it looks strange and uncouth as if they just don't care. Malachy now this is definitely different if a tad strange. It is an Irish saint though and went with Hamish (Hamish Malachy) so i guess we can take a punt and guess there Irish and let it slide. I'm liking Archer though and can see its rising.

Girls names seem to be using allot of hyphenating to throw 2 names together the parents love. I don't mind it but often the names don't mesh and sound like first and middle name. I'm loving Lilly and thinking Lucinda is quite cute with the nickname Lucy. Grace is very popular one family not even wanting the their daughters nickname to stem form grace and going straight for Gracie- sorta cute but when older wouldn't it be nice to have the option between grace and Gracie?

Gone with the Wind!

2009-03-08T20:17:00.008+09:00

I was going to do a post on my favourite literary names until I realised that pretty much all the names I liked came from Gone with the Wind. Not your typical literary names. No Edward's or Catherine's for a start. I do like Catherine though and I obviously love Edward enough to use it for my own son.

So here they are. All the best Gone with the Wind names and a little background into the characters and their names. My favourite is Ashley on a boy - On the list.

Scarlett O'Hara - The strong willed protagonist is known for her beauty and is the daughter of the Tara Plantation owners Gerald and Ellen. This name has become rather popular of late, Mel C from the spice girls recently used this name for her baby girl.

Melanie Hamilton Wilkes - Ashley's good-hearted wife. Meaning black and originating is Greece this little name doesn't rank in the top 100 in America. She is a sweet obscure little choice with just enough familiarity.

Prissy - The short form of Priscilla. Such a cute name! In Gone with the Wind Prissy is the lie-prone slave at the Tara Plantation. This girl little name matches the style of some of the most popular names of today.

Bonnie Blue Butler - Her real name is Eugenie Victoria and she is the beautiful and pampered daughter of Scarlett and Rhett. An appealing choice. It literally means 'Pretty Girl' and too me this just adds to the appeal.

India Wilkes - I love this name! Right at the top of my list. Whist India Wilkes isn't a favourable character in the book you must agree she had a gorgeous name. India is Ashley's sister who bitterly hates Scarlett for sabotaging her relationship with Stuart.

Honey Wilkes - Honey is Jamie Oliver's youngest daughters middle name and is sister to Ashley and India in Gone with the Wind.

Rhett Butler - Scartlett's third husband and a little bit of a rebel. He is at times, a loving father and husband but pride prevents him from showing his affection. To me this has a bit of a hippy vibe whist maintaining a classical feel.

Ashley Wilkes - Yes, that is on a boy. Believe it or not Ashley is a BOYS names. This one is definitely on my list. Ashley is the handsome and chivalrous love interest of Scarlett's. Please Oh Please don't feminise this name!

Wade Hampton Hamilton - Scarlett and Charles Hamilton’s shy, timid son. Wade has English origins and means Traveller. I think Wade would be a nice choice for Chase's brother.

Jonas Wilkerson - This Hebrew name means dove. He was the father of Emmie Slattery's illegitimate baby. This name was recently used for one of the octuplets.

Beau Wilkes – Melanie's and Ashley's lovable son, delivered by Scarlett. I love the meaning of this name; Handsome or Beautiful. Could be used as the short form of Beauregard or Beauchamp.

Other Gone with the wind names:
- Gerald
- Ella
- Will
- Belle
- Emmie
- Careen
- Suellen

No frills - Classic yet unusual.

2009-03-06T17:14:00.010+09:00

Hay there! So I'm searching and searching and I still just can't find the right name. We've toyed with like so many names like Shiloh (its a girl), Clementine, Zelda and now we are thinking Seraphine. The middle name has to be Lucia because its a name passed down. Cheers!

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Thanks for your inquiry. I have gathered a couple of little gems that I think capture the no frills, classically rare style I saw in your other names. Good luck with your pregnancy and hope you like the names. Remember to tell us what you think?!?

Ottilie - O-til-lie is of french origin. I have been hearing this one alot lately and I think I quite like it.

Beatrix - Trixe, Bea, Trix, Bee, the nicknames are endless. Beatrix Lucia sounds just adorable!

Lavender - Whenever I heard this I think of Mrs Lavender Irving from the Anne of Green Gables Series.

Portia - Shakespearean names are pretty cool I reckon and this ones a fave of Laura's.

Cordelia - I have loved this since Anne of Green Gables. Same vibe as Clementine and Seraphine

Iolanthe - Strong, Classic, no frills. If you like Xanthe but find it a bit too made up this is perfect.

Zephyrine - Meaning west wind and originating in Greece. This is a name that is bound to stand out. Pronounced Zef-r-ine.

Olive - Another no fuss little name. A version of the highly regarded Olivia and recently used by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Yes We Look Different!

2009-03-05T18:20:00.006+09:00

Thanks to Belle & Boo for the gorgeous artwork! What do you reckon? Cute as?

I think so.

The girl is Patience. Lovely; girly yet strong. On my list.

The boy is nameless. I think I like Christopher for him. I love this name! But the nickname of Cris is so... "Teenage Drama Show" (The OC comes to mind). Maybe in the middle spot?

So make Patience and Christopher welcome!

Aussie Aussie Aussie

2009-03-03T11:11:00.012+09:00

Well we've just finished the labor day weekend here in Perth and recently myself and Sarah have been debating over some Australian names for babies. Whether you love them or hate them there are a lot of "Aussie" baby name choices out there, so if you want to go down under with your name choice here are some names derived from people and places.

Adelaide is cute girls name which has been used by Aussie Actress Rachel Griffith. This of course is the name also of the capital city of South Australia.

Victoria is a state within Australia its capital being Melbourne. Victoria as well as being a state is widely used by Royalty in England (Queen Victoria).

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and is a male name. Its been used by Prime Ministers (Stanely MELBOURNE Bruce pm from 1923-1929)

Sydney is a common enough boys or girls name and a city within Australia. Such monuments associated with Sydney include the Sydney harbour bridge. It can also be spelt Sidney or Cydney

Banjo of course is listed here because of the poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Patterson and is also used by Rachel Griffith for her sons name (really continuing Aussie spirit :D). He was a poet and author stylistically renounced for his bush culture stories such as the Man from Snowy river.

Edmund Ive put this name here because it is the name of the first prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton. And is not that bad a name. A variant of the ever so popular name Edward.

Billy This is a variant of William which is popular in Australia. It reflects the larikkin and playful identity of Australia. Also was the nickname of a controversial p.m William "Billy" Hughes.

Dingo an Australian animal which is also able to be a male name also. Would defiantly not be my first choice but every ones different

Matilda though of German origins this has become as "aussie" name through the song Waltz sing Matilda. Nick names being Tilly or Tilda this name has been used by celebrities such as Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams and constantly graces the pages of birth announcements.

Australia and to be totally unoriginal if you really want an Australian name for your daughter why not choose Australia? they will definitely get the message.

If there are any other names you love which are Australian let us know!

Number Names

2009-02-27T12:32:00.012+09:00

In a recent post the name Primo was suggested as a name for your first child. Now while I'm suggesting that it wouldn't be the best idea to called your second child Secondo, I thought that it would be a fun to suggest a number of number names.

1. Primo - First born in Italian

2. Banji - 2nd born of Twins in African

3. Tripp - yes this is Sarah Palin's grandson but it is a credible name. Meaning the 3rd it originally was a nickname given to those with the suffix III in America. Either love it or hate it. I think I might sit on the fence with this one.

4. Arbela - An English name meaning four Gods.

5. Quentin - 5th in Latin

6. Jackopa - Six in native American. I imagine that would be seen as a variant of Jack.

7. Nana - Japanese name meaning 7 also meaning different in Indian.

8. Octavia -8th in Latin

9. Isaiah - Okay so this has no significant 'nine' meaning but it was the 9th born child of the famous Octuplet mom Nadiya Suleman.

10. Decima - The 10th in Latin

Tom-Girls Update.

2009-02-21T11:03:00.005+09:00

What did I say about girls with boys names again?

This week,

Emmerson Jane
Emmerson May
Isla Rose Peter

Hate to say I told you so!

Some Exciting News!

2009-02-17T20:49:00.002+09:00

I have some rather exciting news to share with you all but I don't know how to say it to make it suspenseful!

I started this blog with the intention of bouncing ideas of Laura and our readers purely for fun. I did not start it with the intention of helping me gather names for any expectant children, although a few I have come across as a result of this blog have made it to my personal list.

However, in recent times I have been paying more attention to the names that have been mentioned, but not for any particular reason. As it turns out my subconscious self must have known that soon there would be a reason for me to be paying more attention.

Yes, you may have even guessed it by now, I am expecting a child. I am about 8 weeks pregnant - yes a little new years eve baby! Nathan and I are over the moon!

We only found out about a couple of weeks ago (I am a bit lazy like that) and I wanted blog about it straight away. However, I felt it was only right that friends and family knew first.

So here are the details, we are due on about the 22nd of September and have decided already that we don't want to know the gender until he or she is born. We haven't talked about names yet, we probably won't for a while if Edward's name is any indicator. I think it was 2 months to go before we talked about it. We haven't got a clear birth plan yet or any of those details yet. For now I am just enjoying growing a little human being inside of me!

Now I think about it the timing couldn't be more perfect - I was starting to get a little lonely with Edward at school.

I will keep informed!

Oh My! Darling Little Names that End in Oh

2009-02-16T18:46:00.005+09:00

What is it about short little 'Oh" ending names that makes them absolutely adorable!

On boys especially I can't resist them!

On girls to they are adorable! I love the name Shiloh -not just because of Brangelina but because it is a lovely name. If I weren't to worried that people would immediately associate it with little miss Jolie-Pitt I would use it.

So now a list of Darling Little O names; inspired by Laura's suggestion of Rio.

Rio - A darling little name. It is supposed to be unisex but I say its masculine. Meaning river and originating in Spain I am definately putting this on the list for future children.

Theo - The short form of the more classical sounding Theodore. With simmilar qualities to the oh so popular Max I think thisname is one about to climb the ladder.

Leo - Leo, Cute, Short, Sweet. Literally means the Lion.How special willit be when your little Leo grows up to watch playschool and hears that song! He really will be the King of the Jungle!

Ringo - Any beatles fans? It means Apple in Japanese. NeedI say anymore?!?!!

Banjo - For the Aussie's - Banjo Patterson wrote the man from Snowy River. It was chosen by Rachel Griffiths for her little boy. I might be biased, being an Aussie and all, but I love it!

Mateo - Meaning Gift of God in Spanish as a form of Matthew this name is ranked 283 on the most recent American Social Security List - a name on the rise.

Indigo - Okay this is the third time we have suggested this name. But why not - my experience of this name is that it grows on you the more you hear it. Indigo, Indigo, Indigo, Indigo, Indigo, Indigo.....

Milo - The short form of Miles. This named peaked in the 1910s when it was ranked 408th. However, it is making a come back and was ranked 548 last year.

Cairo - Yes the capital of Egypt. I'm undecided but what do you think?

Romeo - This just rolls of the toungue. Romeo Oh Romeo! Give your little boy this name and he is sure to become a romantic like his namesake.

Cosmo - Forget the cocktail, and the magazine, and the seinfield character, and the Jeston's character, this name has a long history prior to these accociations. This name has barely cracked the Top 1000, briefly appearing in the years 1913, 1921, 1925 and 1926 before returning to obscurity. A daring choice.

Orlando- Mr Bloom. Use this name and hopefully your son will turn out to have half hi charm.

Marlow - This ties in with the whole surnames as first names trend. A much preffered version to the modern Harlow It doesn't remind me of harlot for a start and it reminds me of my favourite character in the book "Cold Mountain", Ada's father Munroe.

Diego- Yes I came across this name while Edward was watching TV. It's Dora the Explorer's brother. Diego is the spanish version of James and cracked into the top 100 ranks in 2002. I like it for its adventurous vibe!

Munroe- as previously stated Munroe is my favourite character in cold mountain. Originating in Ireland this name means 'mouth of the river'

Primo - So maybe this is a little over done. It might be usable as the name of the first son. A deriviatve form of Primus which was sort of like calling someone Junior today (Hey Peter Andre and Jorden did it!)

Bruno - a very masculine choice. It simply means "brown" ans was chosen bu Nigella Lawson for her son.

Marco - a little more mainstream for you. Not as chart topping as Aiden perhaps but its up there. Last year it ranked 209th in the US.

There you go! Did I more than make up for my lateness!

Charmed Again

2009-02-12T18:25:00.005+09:00

Hi its me again (Amalia) and I'm still pregnant!!! Through these months I've been brainstorming ideas though I'm still in love with Wyatt i also love the name Spencer. Can you think of any other names similar to Spencer or Wyatt. I also like Cole from charmed but my partner doesn't like it. Don't worry about a girls name because I've already found my favourite girls name :D Thanks xxxxx Amalia

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Hi Amalia!

We are really happy for you and hope that we help you with your name choices!

Well i think your names choices are very individual and hopefully our suggestions will also capture that. Our name choices (drum roll :D)

Jacob: a Hebrew name i think its simplicity recommends it.

Indigo: indigo the deep blue, purple colour is deep and adorable like the name Wyatt.

Romeo: a romantic name which means citizens, this ties in with Roman which also means citizen as both come from the Latin word Romanus.

Leo: Leonardo or Lenard (nickname or name). Leo meaning lion is rough tough and going with the roman theme :D was a common name during the roman era. and another charmed name!!

Archer: this name like Spencer is a last name meaning bowman from medieval times.

Rio: this name is short and sweet from Spain it means river.

Rowan: going with a bit of an R theme aren't we. Meaning little red head this cute name goes great with Roman.

We hope that these names help and if anymore help is needed for middle names or if more names are needed we are only a click away. What girls names have you chosen we always love to know???Hope to hear from you soon!

Under Construction

2009-02-11T22:47:00.002+09:00

Sorry that we haven't made a serious list of names in a while but I know I have been busy, (Edward has started Kindy!) as has Laura.

I am working on a nice long post for you guys which should be up for the weekend. Plus a bit of news I would like to share with you all.

I promise from now on their will be at least one nice long post for you per month from now on. I also promise you will love the news!!!!

Untill then,
Sarah and Laura @ NFATE

Victorian Bushfires

2009-02-11T18:38:00.004+09:00

On behalf of names from Adam to eve we send out all our prayers and thoughts to those who have been affected in the Victorian bush fires.
A tragedy which has affected the whole of Australia we hope that the toll stops now and all those who have lost loved ones and have been affected find comfort though nothing will ever be the same.

Laura and Sarah

Tom-Boys? Are masculine named girls the next big thing?

2009-02-01T16:00:00.011+09:00

I try as hard as I can to keep up with new or possible naming trends. And for a while now, it seems to me that the new thing in naming is boyishly named girls.

I was hoping this might trend might fizzle out before it could get as popular as I fear it is about to become. But no, much to my dismay little Tom-Boys are popping out all over the place.

Now this is no cutting edge trend. Parents of young girls have been pinching names from the parents of young boys for.....I'd guess about 3 generations.

Courtney
Leslie
Addison
Avery
Peyton (sorry to all those who like this name but it has to be my least favourite name EVER!)
Ashley
Lindsay

And what do these names have in common? They are all originally masculine names and now, never in a million years would parents choose these old favourites for their sons.

However, it is my opinion that it has only been in recent times that parents are taking this uni-sex name thing to the next level. Last week in the Perth births and deaths section there was a Thomasina. And this week some unlikely names for girls have appeared.

-Tyler Rose
-Chelsea Hunter
-Ava Cruz
-Eliza Ivy John

Also, recently the name Jagger Joseph Blue was voted the worst celebrity baby girl name of 2008. Yes this name was for a girl. What were they thinking!?!?!?! These are all boys names!

And it's not just in the younger generation that names like the above. Obama's mother's given name is Stanley because her parents wanted a boy.

Sorry to say I just can't get into this trend. To me boys names are for boys, girls names are for girls and unisex names can be used for either. A girl whose name includes John doesn't work for me. Don't even get me started on Hunter! I hate this name for a boy or a girl! There are more way to achieve a name that is a bit more unusual than Jane Doe than by submitting to this trend. Please tell me that the general population has more sense than that!

Stuck in the Middle

2009-01-26T15:43:00.005+09:00

I really like the name Rose. It is strong, yet pretty and elegant at the same time. I would love to use this name if I ever have a girl.

AS A FIRST NAME.

You see I can't help feeling that Rose is becoming such a throwaway middle name. Every little girl I meet now is Lilly Rose, Abigail Rose, Sienna Rose...

And with all these little Whoever Rose's around I can't help feel that people are taking the name Rose for granted.

Sure it conveys a certain pattern with most names but by using it as a middle name all the time I think it looses its meaning. I don't think "Oh Rose what a lovely choice for a middle name" anymore. I think "Oh another girl with the middle name Rose! How original!".

In fact Rose as a middle name has become entirely meaningless for me. People aren't choosing Rose because it is a lovely name. They are choosing it simply because it compliments their chosen first name.

I now group it with Anne, Louise, Jane, Marie, May, Eve and Grace. Which are all lovely names in their own right. Don't force them to wind the stage curtain for your chosen first name - Let them Shine!

So, New Rule; If you wouldn't use it as a first name and absolutely love it - Don't use it as a middle name!

A Trend Arising

2009-01-10T19:09:00.004+09:00

So I was ready an article in some out-dated trashy magazine whilst waiting for the doctor the other day when I happened to come across an equally tasteless photo in which new baby girl clashed terribly with Peter Andre and Jordan's fake tans.

Name: Princess Tiaamii.

Nothing wrong with this name. I Don't like it but obviously Peter and Jordan do otherwise it would not have been chosen.

In fact I do believe I have suggested Tiarmi on this blog before. It is in fact a Maori name.

However, that's not why this article had me captivated. Tiaamii was chosen by Mum and Dad because it is a combination of their mothers names Thea and Amy.

The practice of combining the first names of the grandparents of the child is not a new concept. It was first introduced to us in Twilight where Renee and Esme were combined to create Renesmee.

And my forecast is that this practice will become the new Ava and Aidan's.

I just hope that not all of these combinations will be so unusual. Hopefully somewhere Beth's son will have a baby girl with Eliza's daughter. Or the children of Will and Liam will bring a little boy into the world.

Elizabeth and William that is by the way. Just in case classic names have become a foreign language.

Are your sure?

2009-01-09T14:32:00.004+09:00

Are you sure you really want to name you child that? A name which will stay with them for their entire life? I'm referring of course to celebrity names.

I've heard original names, I've heard strange names and recently I've heard names which i swear are not even names just words substituting as a name.

I recently heard a very strange name used by a minor celebrity. The name is Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. Different huh? I think the name says it all!!

Here are some more different names adopted by celebrities

- Hopper by Sean Penn (b)

- Pilot Inspektor by Jason Lee (g)

- Jermagesty by Jermaine Jackson (b)

- Moxie CrimeFighter

these are just a few strange names out there. Sarah and I when searching some websites found some very strange suggestions for baby names which made us literally laugh out loud.

- Tranquility

- Peacefulness

- Humbleness

Names which are nouns, places, verbs everything seem to be on the rise. I just wonder what names are going to be used next to trump the other celebrity names. I think for sure we can say that in the media there is a fight between all celebrities to trump each other for weirder wackier and more "original" names. Continue i say it gives us all a bit of a laugh and some gossip to discuss with our friends!!!

Upholding Tradition, A sister for Logan and Brianna.

2009-01-04T22:59:00.009+09:00

Hi! I have enjoyed reading your naming blog and I'm wondering if you can give us a second opinion. I'm six months along with a baby girl. We like traditional names with traditional spellings, nothing too unique or creative. We have a son named Logan Andrew (2 years old) and had a daughter named Brianna Dawn who only lived a short time after her birth this past Valentine's Day.For this baby, we are considering the names Emily Kate and Audrey (don't have a middle name for Audrey yet) ... we prefer a girl name that doesn't end in "ana" to be a very different name from Brianna. It's so hard to pick another girl name -- Brianna was a favorite name. Can't decide if Emily is too popular... although we don't know of many in our area. Any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
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Hi Kim, we are happy to hear about your pregnancy. However, it is also sad to hear about the loss of Brianna. Valentines day will now be even more special as a result of your little angel. Best of luck with it all :). Also sorry this took a while to compose.

Oh, and glad you like our blog! Hopefully you will like it even more after we answer your query.

As for name advice for the name of your third child we would be delighted to help. I think Emily Kate is beautiful name for a little girl and I wouldn't be concerned about Emily being too popular (its for a reason you know). It is a gorgeous name and if you really love it then it is one hundred percent right to use it. Don't let what the crowd is doing effect your choice.

Audrey is also a darling name. It makes me think of Diamonds! It also shares its meaning with Brianna. They both mean Noble. Entirely appropriate. I really like the variant Aubrey too and would like to suggest a few possible middle names. Any of these name could also be sweet little first names. But in my opinion Audrey Kate does have that ring doesnt it?

Clarice- I really love the meaning of this name, Illustrious, as well as the sound. It just feels elegant. A perfect match with Audrey which is often associated with the epitimy of elegance Ms. Hepburn. Even if it is Jodie Foster's character in the Silence of the Lambs Audrey Clarice radiates class. My favourite :D!

Celeste - Another C name that puts the usual choices for middle names to shame. This Latin name meaning Heavenly kicks the pants off Audrey May!

Pearl - I have suggested this name before but for good reason, it is a really sweet middle name. I hope that Pearl will catch on as a middle name as names such as Rose, Grace, Louise and Marie have done now.

Elise - The short form of the name Elizabeth which I think, has an innocent cutesy quality to it perfect after Audrey.

Grace - A popular middle name that seems to convey rhythm with ninetynine percent of first names.

Hope you like them! Do tell us if you would like some more suggestions or advice.

Hello there 2009!

2008-12-31T12:58:00.003+09:00

Happy New Years Everybody!

From Sarah and Laura at Names from Adam to (New Years) Eve

Festive Names! - Part II Boys

2008-12-25T12:33:00.007+09:00

I am so deeply sorry it has taken so long to finish the rest of the Christmas names but I have been so busy cooking Turkeys and Fruit Mince Pies while trying to pick the perfect presents for everybody, and have them wrapped by Christmas Day.

So here they are, even if I didn't manage to get them done in time for Christmas (or new year), the most gorgeous set of Christmas boys names hitherto.

Nicholas - You have to admit that he is every body's favourite saint. And why wouldn't he be. Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Pere Noel and Papa Noel among others) has invoked the much embraced tradition of gift giving at Christmas. And his name means Victory Of The People which I think is entirely appropriate given the way Saint Nicholas wore it.

Noel - Okay this is obviously my favourite of the boys Christmas names. It's sort of my son's middle name. Just spelt differently from my Edward Nole. This name, which is pronounced like Joel, means born on Christmas day but can also be used as a nickname for Nolan.

Klaus - Klaus is a gorgeous little german name which was originally a diminutive form of Niklaus. It also represents one half of the name of our dearest Santa Claus. Sort of.

Casper - This name was once donned by one of the three kings who visited the Christ child in the bible. No need to be religious to use this name either. It also makes me think of Casper the Ghost which I think makes Casper an even more likeable name.

Festive Names! Part I - Girls

2008-12-23T16:46:00.005+09:00

So its one more sleep until its my favourite time of year again. Decorations (This year I have organized to have a snowman and snowflake painted on my toes!). That Christmas-sy cinnamon-ny smell. Over eating. Over Drinking. And of course presseeenttss!

So in the spirit of Christmas I have decided to post a few appropriate names for this ever so jolly Christmas.

Noelle - An obvious choice for a little Christmas girl. Sweet.

Holly - A gorgeous name for a little girl. I love the link to Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's. And according to the Christmas carol the holly wears the crown.

Natalia - Meaning born on Christmas day and originally from Italy Natalia is a classy choice especially for Van Morrison fans.

Carol - OKay so this one may have been used by the generation before us but I still think it is a nice strong name. And it's likely you know someone you can honor by using this name.

Neva- A gorgeous little name meaning snow and is originally from Spain. This is my favourite of the Christmas names. It just sounds so feminine and pretty.

Eira-Another name which means snow. But even if your a southern hemisphere-er and don't have the whole white Christmas thing this Welsh name is a beautiful chioce for bubby girl.

Atalya - This is another form of the above name Natalia from America and thus shares it's meaning. Cute.

So for now, at least untill I brainstorm boys names, Merry Christmas!

Tradition, choices and the name Joseph

2008-12-16T15:29:00.007+09:00

Hi Just a quick question for you. I'm weeks away from having my first born and my husband (Joseph) has informed my that all male first borns in his family are called Joseph. I did know about it before but i thought we would choose another name as a mutual decision you see I'm not very keen on the name "Joe". I know this is different to your other questions but do i keep with tradition or start a new one??Elissa
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Congratulations on your upcoming birth!!
This is a very tricky situation and therefore here are some options which will hopefully help you!!

1. Discuss with your husband!!! The choice of a name for your child is a MUTUAL decision. Tell your husband your ideas and feelings as well as allowing him to express his own. Talk it over and hopefully come up with a decision on whether to use or not use Joseph for your son.

2. Use Joe as a middle name so that the name is still present and tradition partially upheld.

3. A two name first name. For example Joseph-Louis or Ryan-Joseph

4. Use a variant of Joseph. For example Giuseppe is the Italian variant of the Hebrew name Joseph. Other variants include José (Spanish), Josef (different spelling), Iosef (Russian), Jessop or hay even Joey :D

5. Don't use the name Joseph and possibly risk alienating the family. If you do however i suggest sitting down with the in laws to explain your reason (if a mutual decision is made not to use Joseph). Be kind and try not to risk hurting there feelings.

6. Use Joseph as a first name complete with a fabulous middle name of your choice that you love.

Compromise.
Open mindedness.
Love.
A great variety of names.
and Time.

Use these five things to your advantage and I know a decision will be made which will make both hubby and you happy!! Good luck Elissa for the upcoming birth and choice of name!!!

Peonies for Suze - The Queen of Flowers and Names

2008-12-14T22:04:00.006+09:00

Hey Sarah and Laura, First of all I would like to thank you for giving me a little something to read every once in a while I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts. Second of all I have a little question regarding the name of my soon to be bubby. I adore peonies! They are my favourite flowers and I would love to incorporate this into the name of my child somehow. However, I am not an advocate of 'made up' names and I would hate for Peony to be categorised with names such as Apple. I would be really appreciative if you could suggest names that have some correlation to my favourite flowers! Thanks, Suze

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Suze, as per usual congrats on your pregnancy and we are glad be of help in your process prior to choosing a name for your baby. As you haven't specified the sex of your baby I will suggest names for both genders which should be a whole lot fun :D! I think this will be our best project yet!

Botan-This boys name means Peony and originated in Japan. I suspect that, due to its similarity to some of today's more popular names, you might start a trend with this one.

Carl-I have taken this name from the most famous lover of Peonies Carl Weinberg. Weinberg's Peony Garden on Ann Arbor's west side was one of the city's notable beauty spots from 1920 until 1952.

Bobby-Bobby Faust was Weinberg's own nephew who was loved so dearly that the botanist named one of his created Peonies after him. This particular peony is white in colour.

Jefferson-The name of one the the streets that bound Weinberg's Peony Garden.

Pierre- Artist Pierre Auguste Renoir was famous for painting the stunning flowers.

Henri- Associated with the artist Fantin-Latour who is also famous for his paintings of Peonies.

Joseph- Sir Joseph Banks was responsible for importing the Peony into Europe.

Flora- Paeonia lactiflora is the name of the species of peony that are most common.

Summer-The flowering season of the Peony and such a cute name! I can just see a little girl called Summer in a pretty little dress picking flowers and skipping merrily. Remind me to stick this on the list if I ever have a little girl.

Peony- I know you said that you didn't feel that this name has merit as a name but I beg to differ. Peony is a Greek name that means flower. But if you still feel that this name sounds a bit "made up" then why not use it as a middle name.

Alice-Alice Harding wrote The Book of the Peony in 1917 and its smaller companion volume, Peonies in the Little Garden, in 1923. She is also responsible for the creation of many peony hybrids. Weinberg was known to have bought a Ms. Harding Peony for $250, a highly inflated amount in those days!

Eleanora - A double white peony which was named after Weinberg's wife, Eleanora, by Weinberg himself.

Philantha- A name which means lover of flowers in Greek. It also sounds similar to Philomèle which a major variety of Peony.

Penny-Okay this name isn't directly related to Peonies but it does sound the same. Maybe you could use Penny as a nickname for Peony or Penelope.

Ann - A classic timeless name. It also happens to be part of the name in the district in which Weinberg grew his Peony Garden, Ann Arbor. Spell it this way or with an 'E' if you happen to agree with Anne Shirley and feel that the extra 'E' adds femininity.

I also would like to thank you for asking such an interesting question. It was a challenge at first but when I got started I just couldn't stop! Any of these appeal to you? (please say no - I would love get even more carried away than I already have :) )

Sarah.

PS. I too adore peonies! ( I had them in my wedding bouquet ) They were used for medicinal purposes in the early days of medicine and components of the flower make up some modern medicines. They are also said to ward off bad spirits in China- maybe if you use one of my suggested names it might do so for your child.