New parents should be fully aware of current trends in American baby naming.
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 1: THE MICK CLAN
When John F. Kennedy was running for president in 1960, he had two things against him: he was Catholic, and he was Irish. The prejudice against the Irish is a distant memory now, with parents across all cultural backgrounds and socio-economic strata turning to Mc-names for their children. It began with Mackenzie Philips of “One Day at a Time” fame in the 1970s. Her birth name, Laura Mackenzie Philips, became forgotten as this troubled teen rose to become a household name. Then in the 1980s we were exposed to the adorable black-eyed Spuds Mackenzie, spokesdog for Bud. The popularity of MacDonald’s probably has something to do with it too. When “Home Alone” swept the nation in the 1990s with Macauley Culkin as its star, babynamers were doomed. The Irish Mackenzie and the Italian Michaela became unlikely partners in crime when together the two spawned a whole host of a new kind of name: McKayla, Makayla, McKenna, Maklynnzey. What is it about these kind of names that makes parents gaga? And for that matter, isn’t the letter M getting more than its fair share of attention with Madison, Madesyn, Madeleine, Madalynn, and Madigan? My belief is that the letter M is still very much worthy of consideration, as are genuine Irish monikers. I am however, a bit tired of the McCraze. Here are my McSuggestions:
Macaria (Spanish)
Maeve*
Maireed*
Mairin*
Madeleine, Madeline (French, English)- These two spellings only, please
Margaret (English)- Margaret is eternally classic and boasts some of the best nicknames ever: Daisy, Maggie, Maisie, Meg, Molly,* Pearl, Peg, Peggy,
Marina (Ancient Roman, Bulgarian, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish)
Marianne (French)
Matilda (English)
Maura*
Micaiah (Hebrew)
Michaela (Hebrew) -Still usable in this form
Michalina (Polish)
Mika (Finnish)
Muriel*
*Starred names celebrate Irish heritage. Other Irish Beauties: Aislinn, Aoife, Brighid, Ciara, Catriona, Dymphna, Eithne, Fiona, Honora, Oona, Roisin, Siobhan, Niamh, Nuala
**Incidentally, one of my name heros, J.K. Rowling (who’s ruined some fabulous names due to the popularity of her children’s books), has a daughter name Mackenzie.
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 2: SURNAME NAMES
This trend came about from a few different converging movements. Primarily, we may credit Southerners, who have been using family surnames for their sons and daughters for generations. This lead to a perception that certain surnames conveyed a moneyed image and would help a child escalate the ladder in life. In the 1990s, parents gave their daughters “unisex” names in droves because they thought that not knowing a person’s gender, a name would scew male and give the girl an edge in the job market. This may have actually backfired, for names like Taylor, Mackenzie, Madison, Avery, and Haley are now almost exclusively female. Many celeb babies are also donning the surname, from Gwen Stefani’s Kingston (think they vacay in Jamaica? It’s a place name to boot), to Nicole Richie’s Harlow (a la Jean), to Brooke Shields’ Greer (female).
According to babynames.com, these are today’s most popular names on that site:
- Addison
- Charles
- Sophia
- Landon
- Valentina
- Hayden
- Avery
- Hannah
- Madison
- Grace
I thought this represented an extraordinary cross-section of naming styles and trends. FIVE of the ten choices are surnames, so clearly this post is prescient! Below is what I culled from the top 200 in the U.S. born last year:
Boys:
Ryan (16), Logan (17), Tyler (21), Dylan (29), Brandon (31), Jackson (33), Mason (37), Austin (48), Landon (49), Cameron (50), Connor (55), Hunter (57), Cole (84), Blake (88), Carson (90), Brady (93), Cooper (95), Devin (101), Brody (105), Parker (108), Riley (109), Preston (114), Colton (117), Ashton (124), Peyton (125), Nolan (133), Tanner (149), Gage (150), Maxwell (153), Conner (159), Grant (161), Garrett (162), Travis (169), Spencer (174), Trenton (177), Bryson (179), Bradley (194), Wesley (195), Donovan (198).
Girls:
Madison (5), Addison (11), Ashley (13), Hailey (23), Taylor (24), Allison (46), Avery (48), Riley (52), Mackenzie (65), Aubrey (69), Haley (76), Bailey (83), Jordan (100), Kennedy (110), Peyton (121), Leslie (127), Jordyn (140), Reese (150), Payton (152), Reagan (156), McKenzie (161), Kendall (166), Skylar (171), Makenzie (178), Hayden (195)
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the girls’ list rounds out at 25 and the boys’ is only slightly larger at 39 count. There are repeats on the ladies’ side and exceptions made for the letter Y so as to be included here. The majority of boy’s names are two syllables and end in N or R, most with Irish or English heritage. Most of the surnames deemed girl’s names are two or three syllables and end in N or the ever feminine “ee” sound. Offshoots of these include many made up names of the Railey/Emersyn/Shyler variety. Our advice: stick to actual surnames with the original spelling, and look to your own family tree for possible candidates before turning to somebody else’s. Lastly, we’d love to see people put a halt to giving their daughters names that incorporate “son.”
Fresher Sounding & Culled from the Phonebook- Genders Subjective:
Adair, Adler, Auden, Barnett, Beck, Beckett, Byrd, Clancy, Clark, Connolly, Cormac, Dietrich, Duncan, Ellery, Finnegan, Flannery, Gardner, Garner, Garrison, Gauthier, Giles, Harper, Haydn (“Hi-den”), Hollis, Holloway, Jamison, Keane, Keats, Langston, Larson, Lowry, Messina, Monroe, Quincy, Redmond, Reid, Roarke, Rosen, Rowan Rowley, Royston, Smythe, Sullivan, Vaughn, Wallis, Whitman, Wylie
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 3: ADVENT OF AIDAN
About five years ago, many of the young women I knew in a small hippie town began having babies. I noted three Aidans born within months of each other. There would have been more, had one of the town’s prominent musicians not been named Aidan (“we love it, but it would be weird” explained one friend). I recall this because it’s fascinating to note Aidan’s widespread appeal: From agricultural hippie parents to suburban neocons to jetsetting urbanites, everyone seems to just LOVE Aidan. What’s not to love: he’s kind, stalwart, and capable, much like his designer carpenter character on “Sex and the City.” It’s not the name Aidan itself that we find troubling, though it has had its day. It is his myriad rhyming brothers who are taking over. This is part of a broader trend of two-syllable boy’s names that end in N, which I will address in a subsequent post.
Here is an A-Z list of names parents are considering today. I did not make these up. Someone else did. WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
Aidan- Gaelic, means “fiery.” The original.
Brayden- Similar to Brandon, yet reminiscent of a donkey’s bray
Caden- Not quite Cade, not quite Aidan. Hmm.
Dayton- Ohio
Eden- A new Biblical favorite for girls
Fenton- I suppose you could do Faden, but I actually know a boy with this name.
Graydon- Mr. Carter, Editor-in-Chief of “Vanity Fair.”
Hayden- Surname getting a lot of love on the girl’s side
Ioden- OK, I’m streching here.
Jaden- Thanks to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, this was one of the first. I actually like it for their family.
Khaden- A city in Iran. Alternate place name?
Leighton- Leighton Pierce is a highly regarded experimental filmmaker
Maiden 
Hee Hee
Nathan- Hebrew for “giver”
Odin- Old Norse meaning “rage, frenzy”
Phaedon- Greek
Quadon- For the gaming crew
Rayden- I saw someone contemplating this one for her child
Shayden- Another woman was considering this on the same day
Theoden- From Lord of the Rings, for the die hard fan
Upton- OK, this one doesn’t really rhyme. What was I suppose to do- Udon, like the noodles?
Vaden- Suggested to a new mother (Thanks, MJ)
Wheaton- like the college. Pronounced “Wheet-un”
Xaden- Put an X in it and it feels sci-fi
Yarden- Y was hard.
Zaden- For the Z sibset.
You get the point. Here I can’t resist borrowing Laura Wattenberg’s gorgeous wave charting Aidan’s meteoric rise from her blog, www.babynamewizard.com. According to Wattenberg and her analysis of the social security administration data, of boys born in 2007, 1 in 25 has a name that rhymes with Aidan.
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 4: HELLA ELLA
Yes, you’ll find a hella lot of Ellas leapfrogging and hopscotching with Bella, Hayden, and Peyton. Do kids even hopscotch anymore? Maybe they’re texting. Anyway, as an alternative to Emma, Ella is one of the top “fresh-sounding” choices for new moms these days, as its sound is simple, lithe, and feminine. In fact, Ella is SO feminine, it actually means “her” in Spanish and is pronounced “A-ya.” Her French counterpart is Elle (“her”/”she” as well), also very popular amongst the under 5 set. Ella and Elle’s Italian cousin could be said to be Bella, which literally means “beautiful.” You won’t be finding any Ellas in Barcelona or Bellas in Bologna, but there are enough of them being born right here in the United States to go around.
How is that possible? You’ve checked the stats, and while Ella is on the rise at 21, it’s still not top 10? Bella is all the way down at 159, and Elle and Belle don’t even make an appearance on the top 1000 list. Please don’t refuse to believe me when I tell you all “ell” names are running a muck. How many Isabellas do you know? Isabelles? Any of them go by Bella or Belle? I bet almost all of them. There’s also Annabelle, which is on the rise at 196, and that’s not even counting Annabel, Anabel, Anabelle, and Annabella. Stella is bringing up the rear at 244, which is not insignificant. Ella, Ellie and Elle may conveniently be derived from any name containing “el”– Elizabeth, Eliza, Eleanor, Ellen, Elena, Ellery, Elliot, Ellison, Gabrielle, Gabriela, Danielle… which gives credence to my claim that it’s better to name your daughters Elizabeth than Elle (bias aside, of course).
Among trends, Elle is the most appealling. Other than meaning “her”, her only offense is to bombard the ear with oversaturation. If you’re in love with Ella and Bella but would like something a bit more distinctive for you daughter, the choices below come highly recommended:
Adela, Adele
Amélie
Antonella
Aurelia
Belén
Belinda
Christabel
Cicely
Cybele
Eleni
Eliana, Eliane
Elke
Elodie
Eloise
Elspeth
Emmanuelle
Estella, Estelle
Fenella
Fiorella
Giselle
Hannelore
Mabel
Marcella
Marianela
Marielle
Marisela
Mirabel, Mirabella, Mirabelle
Raffaella, Raphaela
Rosabel
Zélie
Aaah, those are beautiful options, if I do say so myself!
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 5: K KRAZE
Forgive me for spelling “Kraze” with a K.
Remember Kwik Mart and Circle K? Of course there’s still Kmart kicking around. Just today, I kid you not, I passed by a store called “Bubble K” (??!?@#*&??). The letter K appears so rarely in the English language (fewer than 1% of English words contain the letter K), that it was used as a marketing tool to grab attention. So too it is in names, although people are more likely to glaze over and ignore K-anything than take notice at its originality.
As a testament to its rarity, English scrabble contains only one K and that garners you 5 whopping points. The only letters that rank higher are J (8), X (8), Q (10) and Z (10). Ks are used frequently in Greek, Dutch, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish, Russian, and Malaysian. Yet the K does not originate inany Romance language (i.e. French, Spanish, Italian…), it simply does not exist save for imported words.
In the 50s and 60s, K denoted strength and masculinity. Kyle, Keith, Jack, Mike, Chuck, Clark Kent, Captain Kirk. I propose that K has done an about face, and now connotes quite the contrary: femininity (orfemaleness). From just plain Kay, to Karen and Kelly, to Kayla and Kaitlyn and Kylie and Kamryn, Ks are no longer distinct. The letter K is being inserted where a C should be, and being smashed together with other familiar syllables and called a name.
Here’s a smattering of bonafide babes born in 2006 and 2007:
Kadence, Kaely, Kailei, Kaileigh, Kailey, Kaitlin, Kaleigh, Kaley, Kali, Kaliyah, Kamora, Kamryn, Kara, Karla, Karlee, Karlie, Kasey, Katelyn, Katelynn, Katlyn, Katy, Kayden, Kayla, Kaylah, Kaylea, Kaylee, Kaylen, Kaylie, Kaylin, Kaylyn, Kaylynn, Kealy, Keegan, Keely, Keeton, Keira, Kelsea, Kelsey, Kendall, Kendalyn, Kenia, Kenna, Kenzie, Kerrigan, Keyla, Khloe, Kiana, Kiara, Kiera, Kileen, Kiley, Kimberly, Kinley, Kinsey, Korina, Kyla, Kylah, Kylan, Kylee, Kyleigh, Kylie, Kyra, Kyton
& BOYS: Kade, Kaden, Kaeden, Kai, Kaiden, Kale, Kaleb, Kalton, Kamden, Kameron, Kamron, Kane, Karter, Kasen, Kasey, Kason, Keegan, Kelan, Kelton, Keenan, Kellen, Kendall, Kenny, Kenyon, Keshawn, Keven, Kody, Kolby, Kole, Kolton, Konner, Konnor, Korbin, Kyler
What’s the unifying element here? Kutesiness. K, L, and Y in random combination also appear to be alive and well. Yes, once worn on a person, a bunch of letters do become their name. Yet there are so many delightfully intriguing historical names both that begin with K and that contain K, that I cannot help but want to steer people in that direction. I propose not to abandon K, but to return to K’s exoticism, the way she was intended to be. Why not draw from Estonia and India?
Here are my suggestions for genuine K names:
Kadri- Estonian, “pure” (Katherine’s cognate); Turkish, “value”
Kalani- Hawaiian, “the heavens”
Kalina- Bulgarian, “rowan tree”
Kallista- Greek, “most beautiful”
Kalliope- Greek, “beautiful voice”; Goddess of epic poetry, one of the nine muses
Kamala- Sanskrit, “lotus”
Kamaria- Swahili, “moonlight”
Kaori- Japanese, “fragrant perfume”
Karolina- Polish, “warrior”
Katarina- German, Swedish, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Lithuanian, “pure”
Katelijne- Dutch, “pure” (cognate of Katherine)
Kassandra- Greek, “shining”, mythological soothsayer
Kasumi- Japanese, “clear flower”
Kazuko- Japanese, “harmonious child”
Kelila- Hebrew, “laurel crown”
Kerensa- Cornish, “love”
Keturah- Hebrew, “incense”, Abraham’s second wife
Keziah- Hebrew, “cassia tree”, one of Job’s daughter’s
Khalida- Arabic, “immortal”
Klara- Scandinavian, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Polish, Slovene, Latvian, “clear, bright”
Kleio- Greek, “glory”, one of the nine muses, goddess of history and heroic poetry
Klementyna- Polish, “merciful, gentle”
Kristjana- Icelandic, “Christian”
Ksenia- Polish, “hospitality”
Kumiko- Japanese, “beautiful child”
Kyriaki- Greek, “of the Lord”
Suggestions for the Little Man in Your Life:
Kai- Hawaiian “sea”; Japanese “forgiveness”; Scandinavian “Earth”, Welsh “keeper of the keys”
Kalidas- Sanskrit, “servant of Kali”
Kasimir- German, “peace” or “destroyer of peace”, depending on the source; I’ll keep looking into this
Kaspar- German, “treasurer”
Keane- English variant of Celtic Cian meaning “ancient”
Kemen- Basque, “courage, vigour”
Kemp- Old English, “champion”
Kermit- Celtic, “free man”
Khalil- Arabic, “friend”
Kichiro- Japanese, “good luck son”
Kieran- Celtic, “little dark one”
Kiyoshi- Japanese, “pure”
Knut- Old Norse, “knot” (silent K, pronounced Noot)
Konrad- German, Scandinavian, Polish “bold counsel”
Konstantin- German, Hungarian, Serbian, Russian, Bulgarian- from the ancient Roman Constantinus, “constant, steadfast”
Kwasi- West African, “born on Sunday”
Tucking K away as a surprise later on: Agnieszka, Aleksandra, Annika, Anouk, Ekaterina, Elke, Franciszka, Marika, Naoki, Oksana, Rebekah, Saskia, Ulrika, Valeska, Vibeke, Viveka, Yuki
Boy K: Akio, Barak, Daisuke, Farouk, Enok, Haakon, Henrik, Iskender, Joakim, Luka, Oskar, Yanick, Whitaker
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 6: SUBSTYTUTES
The letter Y is inciting the modern American baby naming imagination like no other. Y is currently enjoying a disproportionate renaissance, and is being inserted at random to make a name one’s own. From Alyvia to Zoey, Alyxandra to Zsophya, people are taking perfectly beautiful classics like Olivia, Zoe, Alexandra, and Sophia, and creating invented forms by using Y as a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, and now Y more than ever). Revisiting my list of common K names, let’s try trading the K for other popular letter combinations (see www.youcantcallitit.com/2008/05/26/the-seven-deadly-trends-part-5-k-kraze). We arrive at Shayley, Jayla, Braylin, Rylie, and Myleah. Sound familiar? The letter Y replaces Is and Es, and is being made to rhyme with I and E as well. Confusion arises. Not only are spellings no longer intuitive, but pronunciations aren’t either. Let this be clear: misspelling a name, be it with a Y or otherwise, in no way makes a name unique. It will make your child part of a greater trend in which Americans are distancing themselves from the English language, from “ur” instead of you’re/your, to “gr8″ in lieu of great. Remember that a child’s name belongs on a diploma, not just in an instant message.
Y is for the most part, but not exclusively, being relegated to girls. According to Roy Feinson in The Secret Universe of Names, girls are thirty times as likely to have a name beginning with a Y than boys. Whether it begins, ends, or is within the name, Y bestows a youthful feel, which can sometimes border on the infantile. If the Greek i itself is what you’re after, the Greeks and the Welsh have a plethora of more sophisticated traditional Y names to choose from.*
Here’s a List of Possible Alternatives:
Ayla- Turkish, “moonlight, halo”
Betrys- Welsh form of Beatrice, “blessed voyager, bringer of joy”
Bronwyn- Welsh (traditionally this name is spelled Bronwen, but this version has entered common usage), from bron ”breast” and gwen ”white, fair, blessed”
Bryony- BRIE-uh-nee. English, a type of flowering vine.
Carys- Modern Welsh, “loved”
Delyth- Modern Welsh, “pretty”
Euphrosyne- Greek, “myrth, merriment”, one of the three graces
Gwyneth- Welsh, “fair, blessed”
Hyacinth- English, from the flower; also derived from Greek mythology
Lydia- Greek, biblical place name
Maëlys- Breton, “chief”
Mireya- Spanish, “miraculous one”
Myrtle, Myrtille- English and French, respectively; from the plant
Nerys- Modern Welsh, related to “lord”
Olympia- Greek, from Mount Olympus
Sylvia-Ancient Roman (Silvia), “wood, forest”
Yasmin- Persian, “jasmine”
Yayoi- Japanese, “spring”
Yelenys- Hispanic rare form of Helen, “light”
Yseult-French form of Isolde, meaning “beautiful”
If It’s the Buoyant “ee” Ending is What You Want, Why Not Try:
Amelie- French, from the German Amalia, meaning “hard work”
Aurelie- French, from Ancient Roman Aurelia, “golden”
Bryony (see above)
Calanthe- Greek, “beautiful flower”; a type of orchid
Calliope- Greek, “beautiful voice”
Cecily- English, from Ancient Roman Caecilia, meaning “blind, hidden meaning”
Coralie- French, “coral”
Elodie- French, from Alodia meaning “foreign riches”
Emily- English, from the Latin, “industrious”
Eulalie- French, from the Greek “well spoken”
Eugenie- French, from the Greek, “of noble birth”
Hermione- Greek, “messenger”
Hiromi- Japanese “beauty”
Ianthe, Iolanthe-Greek “violet flower”
Leilani- Hawaiian, “heavenly flowers”
Lucy- English “light”
Marjani- Swahili, “coral”
Mary- English, ultimately deriving from the Hebrew, Miryam. Disputed meaning, “sea of bitterness” or “wished for child”
Naoki- Japanese “honest tree, joy”
Naomi- Hebrew “pleasantness”; Japanese “honest beauty”
Noemi- French, Italian, and Czech form of the Hebrew Naomi
Ottilie- German variant of Odilia, meaning “wealth, fortune”
Penelope- Greek, “weaver, webbed eye”
Phoebe- Greek, “bright”
Ruby- English, from the red gemstone
Silvie- French form of Sylvia (see above)
Thisbe- Greek, from the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe
Yuki- Japanese, “happiness”
This list does not take into account darling nicknames like Maisie and Millie, as I limited the list to full names recommended for the birth certificate. A fun nickname thread will be forthcoming!
*For more musings on the letter, please check this out: http://www.4geeks.net/blog/2007/10/10/the-plight-of-endangered-letters/
THE SEVEN DEADLY TRENDS, PART 7: GEOGRAPHY 101
There was much debate as to what the Seventh Deadly Trend should be. First, I had it slotted for misspelled names, but those were largely covered in Parts 5 and 6 with the K Kraze and Substytutes. It was suggested to me by several of you to tackle boys’ names on girls. While I may write about this in the future, I think for me it’s not qualifying as a Deadly Trend for three reasons. The first of which is that primarily, most of the boyish names chosen for girls these days are either originally surnames, like Dylan and Cameron (or Kamryn), and so qualify in Part 4, the Surname Names post, or they are names like Charlie and Sam (not your finest stroke, Tiger), and so fall into the Nickname Names category addressed in Why John and Katherine Are Better on the Birth Certificate. Lastly, I understand the philosophy behind wanting to give a daughter a truly gender-neutral name. Those same parents might not want to dress their daughter in pink or give a little boy Transformers to play with.
So, after much soul-searching and deliberation, I bring to you the Seventh Deadly Trend, geographical baby names. Like Aidan and Ella, it’s not so much the individual names themselves that gore me, but that society is turning to these names en masse.
When David and Victoria Beckham named their first child Brooklyn, I was appalled. For one, I associate this name with a particular place, and while it has sentimental value for me as well, it is not a particularly glamourous or savory namesake. More galling still was the fact that this name was chosen in commemoration of the baby’s CONCEPTION. Not only that, but the whole world will think about poor Brooklyn Beckham’s conception each time they think about his name, which is just kind of sad to me, not to mention, gross for a kid. This spawned a host of female Brooklyns across the nation, often spelling it as a contraction of Brooke and Lynn, such as Brooklynn. While I can see how people might view this name as pretty, I cannot endorse it as anything other than a place to call home.
Many “place name” names were, in fact, originally given names. The state of Georgia honors King George; Charlotte and Carolina, King Charles. Equally irritating as names that draw solely from a particular place, are accusations that names used historically as given names are only after a particular place. Orlando comes to mind. Sure, we all think of Disney World, but is noone familiar with Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf?
Asia, China, and India all have a long, established history on little Caucasian and African-American girls. India and China arose out of a love affair with the Far East during the British Empire. Asia is often seen on African-Americans, perhaps because it both has a lovely sound and has an exotic flair. Still, does it strike anyone else as strange?
Among young children, I have heard of or come across Abilene, Alabama, America, Aspen, Chelsea, Holland, Hudson (after the river), India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kingston (in addition to Master Rossdale), London, Milan, Montana, Roma, Savannah, Seoul, Trenton, Utah. There is also a rising trend embracing Biblical place names, among them Eden, Zion, and the infamous Nevaeh, or heaven spelled backwards. :-[
If honoring a heritage is important to you, please consider given names used in the country in question. If you do choose to home in on a place itself, there are certainly many lovely cities, counties, countries, and topographical possibilities. I completely respect and understand wanting to remember where you and your spouse met or honeymooned. Just please don’t commemorate a child’s conception. They will forever have to live with that image emblazoned on their impressionable little mind. If you do, just don’t tell anyone that’s why you chose the name.
What a terrific column! So comprehensive and insightful. I clicked over from the Baby Name Wizard site (I’m an avid NE who reads Laura’s blog every week!) and I’m glad to find another intelligent source of naming goodness.
I’ll be a faithful reader.
Thanks!
Thanks so much Caren, welcome!
The internet is such a wonderful resource for we name addicts/aficionados. It’s thrilling to actually have a community of people to get into the nitty gritty of this somewhat fringe topic.
I’m thrilled to see that my son’s name doesn’t appear on the list of deadly surnames as first names!
I think it goes a lot further back than southern USA though – looking back through the Scottish branches of my family tree, I see wives’ maiden names being used firstly as second/third names, then moving up the list – names like Hay, Marshall, and Campbell stand out from mid-1700s onwards.
On my husband’s side the same thing has happened, which is how we end up with the gorgeous name Fraser (not to mention it goes beautifully with our surname, starting with H ending with S, two syllables)
Great blog, btw – using you for inspiration as we hunt for names for our second!
Um, could you be anymore biased? When Campbell Brown uses her middle name, it’s wonderful! When Shep Smith does (which he chose to do himself, as he found David Smith too plain when going to jobs) it’s some sort of devious marketing ploy by us darn conservatives! Ridiculous double standard, anyone?
Get over yourself.
Michele, you misread the post. “I prefer Alma” does not imply that “Campbell is wonderful”, as you claim, nor did my questioning of when the shift occurred for Mr. Smith’s name imply political bias. I question the overall trend, and think that all media are capitalizing on it.
I love this list! It’s hilarious and true. It named all my top pet peeves when it comes to baby names these days.
This is absolutely brilliant. You managed to put my thoughts into words more eloquently than I could have hoped. I have made many of these suggestions to others in forums for the last few years, but in small chunks, and probably not as clearly.
I’m glad to see that most of the names I love are in your “suggested alternatives” lists, not the “oh God, please don’t” lists.
I chose my teenage daughter’s name before I had any way of knowing it would become popular (it has inched into the top 100 now, to my amazement), but Charlotte is a classic just the same. Now I am naming my son who is due in July Asher Theophilus (family name/Mozart reference), and I was trying very hard to avoid the overly popular names, or anything made up, while still finding something I loved. Now I worry that Asher will jump in popularity and become the next Aiden, but I’ll take my chances.
One suggestions I might give to any of your readers who love the Will & Jada Smith “made up” name of Jaden, try JADON, which is a legitimate Biblical name meaning “thankful.” Same pronunciation, same number of letters, and almost the same spelling—but far less popular, and much older, and with a nice meaning.
Gulp…you got me with the Ellie’s. Our DAUGHTER’S name is Elliott. Yes, daughter. and we call her Ellie or Elliott (or Smelliot, thanks to her big brother.)
When we named our daughter Avery 3 years ago, we knew no other children with that name. It was nowhere near the SS top 10 list. Suddenly it’s everywhere. Which is incredibly frustrating. In three years it’s gone from a fresh, quirky little name to trendy. It makes me very nervous about naming the baby I am currently gestating.
I just wanted to inform you that the name Mika is a boy’s name in Finland. I know there are girls named Mika, but their names must be of an other origin. The Finnish Mika is a short form of Mikael (Michael), and was extremely popular in the 1970s.
I have been reading your blog for a few months and just wanted to say that I really enjoy it. This post was especially fabulous as I found it to be so true. I love your taste in names and your common sense when it comes to naming a child. Thanks and I look forward to your future posts!
Every point is so true. Re: sin #7: I regularly hear of people who want to name their children Jersey, Camden, or Trenton. I suppose I could almost (and only almost) understand it if you are from there and there is sentimental value. However, if you aren’t… have you ever been to Camden? I live near there. It is a murderous hellhole. Why name your child that? Or people who want to name their kid Riker. Like the prison? I don’t think that they even make the connection. Same with Hudson. Whenever I first ran across a little Hudson, I would end up saying something like, “Oh, like the river?” The mother’s response would inevitably be a quizzical look. And sin #6: I was calling out names as a part of my work once, and the next form read: “Krystyn.” I knew that it had to be pronounced like “Kristen” or “Kristin,” but I still had to pause for a moment and take it in. That day Krystyn blew my mind. And not in a good way.
This was amusing to read, especially the dawn of Aidan.
This isn’t one of those Ima Hogg stories, I actually went to school with a Cambodian family with two girls called Mississippi and Hawaii, respectively.
I went to college with Shephard Smith and was close friends with his step sisters. He was Shep then to them and Shephard to most everyone else, and the same before college. He hasn’t changed much from those days, name or style.
6 degrees!
Thank you so much for answering this question, Heather. I wrote this post over a year ago, but it actually just crossed my mind again last week.
Anybody go to school with Campbell?
Actually, the post about Campbell Brown was what caught my attention first-my 4 year old son is named Campbell Calvin. It’s a family name that dies out with a favorite uncle and we really liked it as a first name. But we’re southern, so you nailed it. Who Campbell Brown went to school with, I haven’t a clue. Campbell doesn’t show up on BN Wizard or anything…yet. But I’ve heard of a few kids, boys and girls, sporting it recently. And my son had a Cam signed up for his preK3 class (of 12) last fall, but was a no-show. Others in his class-Ryan, Austin, Ashtyn, Christian (2 of them), and Morgan. So Campbell was a breath of fresh air.
Also have to add I love the name you chose for your baby girl, fresh yet recognizable and just lovely. Congrats on the name and the baby!
Thanks Heather! She’s settling into her name nicely.
I like Campbell a lot too. It’s a family name for us as well and I was sincerely hoping a cousin of mine would choose it for her baby boy. Alas, no. Calvin is also a favorite of mine. Another family name?
Yes, of course! My husband and I both have a lot of great old family names and named our son for great uncles on each side that did not have any children, thus ending the line for their names. Plus, they were both favorite uncles for us. Mine was Stewart Calvin, and several other cousins had used Stewart already for the same reason, so I opted for Calvin. I was almost named Stewart myself, which would have been odd for 1968-Heather Stewart. Other family names we considered were Frederick, Harmon, Theron, Charlotte and Helene or Helena. Campbell wears his name well, is a happy-go-lucky little boy that is rarely serious-he is Campbell Scramble when he’s giggling and dancing around.
I do agree that Southerners tend to use surnames as first names: One of my close friends was named Porter, after his mother’s maiden name. (I think it’s a good idea if the maiden name truly is considered a real first name, but horrid otherwise.) Another friend of mine was Kennedy. There was also that Davis in my third grade class, the Campbell in my fourth grade class, the Miller that was my friend’s friend, and many, many more. (I found/heard/saw all these names during my live in North Carolina.) I’m a bit new to this blog, and WordPress in general: Congrats on the baby! What, pray tell, is her name?
FYI that Kalani is a boy’s name, not a girl’s name.
When I was 16 I came across the name Kaden and fell in love with it. I decided right then that my first child would be a boy and I would name him Caden.
Seven years later, at 23, I gave birth to my first child (a boy) and named him Caden Reese. Although the Aidan fad was going strong and I know that he is going to be swarming in a sea of other Caden’s, Aidan’s, Brayden’s, etc…when he gets into school. But, his name was set in my heart and mind for so long I just couldn’t think of him as anyone else. It stinks that it became very popular at the same time I decided to have a child!
My Daughter’s name is Annabelle and I was cringing when I read the “Elle” section. It is so true. I named my daughter Annabelle because I loved the name “Annie” and I have a great aunt Annabelle. Still, I hate to be trendy. Now I’m searching for a sibling name. Charlotte? Julia? Faye? I want to stay classic–I consider Annabelle a classic name. I don’t want to feel the same remorse–I still wish I would have spelled my daughter’s name “Annabel.” Yikes! this is hard!
Annabelle is eternally lovely, please don’t fret. I do think Charlotte is the perfect timeless complement. Know that by the numbers, there are more Charlottes than Annabelles. I never tire of Julia. Faye is unexpected but rather abrupt next to the melodious A. I might save it for a middle.
Annabelle and
Charlotte
Julia
Juliet
Iris
Lydia
Cecilia
Delia
Genevieve
Marina
I never see the name Blythe on any lists. I am considering this for my upcoming daughter. Is this name not even close to being on the top 10,000 list for a bad reason? Is it a good name or not? I think it sounds timeless and melodic… Blythe…. Perhaps I am just trying too hard? Suggestions for middle names to go with? Or should I scrap this name altogether. My other daughter’s name is Fiona. If that helps.
Blythe is gorgeous, perfect, simply divine.
What about a longer middle?
Blythe Alexandra
Blythe Cecilia
Blythe Estelle
Blythe Rosalie
Blythe Penelope
Blythe Isadora
Blythe Wilhelmina
Blythe Juliet
??????? Any family you’d like to honor? What about your maiden name?
How helpful you are! I was thinking…
Blythe Viletta
Blythe Velore
Blythe Veloria
Blythe Merlot (like the wine)
or
Blythe Amaryllis
Our last name starts with ‘S’.
Thank you for the input!
I have just come across your site – I am a 55 year old single mum of six teenagers (no twins), live in Wales, and have been nuts about names for as long as I can remember (I think it all started with my cut-out paper dolls, circa 1960!) I have lots of old books on the subject – my most precious is a Victorian tome by Charlotte M. Yonge published in the 1860s – and have been scanning birth announcements for the past forty years.
So coming across all these fantastic name sites and blogs on the web is the most wonderful thing! I could spend my entire day here (were it not for the six teenagers, two jobs, one evening class, six cats, all that laundry etc)
I will be back!
Ailsa
X
PS Although I am Welsh, my mother must have foreseen the future (I married a Glaswegian and lived in Scotland for fifteen years raising the children) as Ailsa is Scottish Gaelic, and is the name of a tiny uninhabited island off Mull, called Ailsa Craig (Ailsa Rock). But I am sure you all know that already.
Back again — Once more on surname names, I’d like to add in that I just read My Sister’s Keeper, and Anna’s lawyer is Campbell Alexander. At their first meeting, at the end, she looks at him and says, “Does it bother you that you have a backwards name? Your first name is a last name, and your last name is a first name.” That stuck with me, my name-nerd self!
Of the Elles, you have many of my favorites on the list: Adela, Amélie, Elodie, Eloise, Estella, Hannelore, Mabel, and Maribel among them. Considering my great aunt is named Elaine, my sister’s middle name is Louise, and my brother-in-law’s middle name is Louis, (coincidentally, said sister and brother were both born on the same day) Eloise may become a very viable choice as a middle.
Hi! It’s Annabelle’s mom again. Annabelle’s nm is Annie. We have it narrowed to three. Hoped you could give us your take on these.
Jillian Sarah (mn after my sister)not fond of nm Jill
Charlotte Sandra (mn after my mother)
Margaret Nell (mn grandmother) nm: Maggie or Maisie
I have always loved a lot of names for both genders that begin with F but I’m not so in love with the letter itself (how it looks written out). Is this strange?
I read a couple of your posts and decided to respond to this because I am seeking advice on some not very popular but are they actually genuine F names. What do you think of:
Fauna
Faustine/a
Filia
Fletcher
Ford
Finley
Are the boy names a sin of the surname names? Are the girl names too out there for an American? Thank you so much for all the helpful posts!
my daughters’ name is Fiona. Everone loves it… Filia is also beautiful… the hebrew word ‘philea’ means love so, it is a good meaning too… pronounced Fai-lee-uh i presume.
Well…I do like this article. But, unfortunately, a few of my top favorite names fall in one of these categories. Aiden, for a boy and Brooklyn, for a girl.
:’(
One other Aiden name you don’t have is Thaden. I know someone who was considering this.
This is hilarious and informative. I really like browsing your site, and find it endlessly entertaining, even though I have committed one of the deadly sins – I have a Ramsey in my house! He is actually named after his great grandfather, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is, in fact, a surname. Doesn’t help that our last name is a common first name for an older generation, either. Oh well! We love his name anyway!
Thanks again!
How did I miss your announcement Janie?? Congrats! I love the name Blythe so.
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Blythe Violette or Blythe Violetta would be to die for. I also love Blythe Amaryllis. I’d avoid Merlot though. It sounds like you were having too much fun drinking the wine!
All the best. Let us know what you decide.
Well, here i am now holding my newborn girl whom i have named Blythe Velouria…Everyone seems to love it! Thanks for your help