Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Mountain-y Baby Names

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Amanda Barden
on March 29, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and My Life
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I escaped city life for the weekend and headed to the mountains for a little R&R. What I’ve learned so far is that you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl. I wasn’t here 30 minutes before checking my email…and now here I am updating my blog! But all this mountain air got me thinking about “mountain-y” baby names — names that have “mountain” in the meaning. There are a few obvious picks, but quite a few that you wouldn’t suspect at all.

All these names can be found with their meaning and origins in my Geography, Topography & Locations and On The Map chapters. Drop me a note and let me know your favorites, least favorites, best tips for mountain living, anything you want to share…Here’s the list I came up with:

GIRLS

 Aspen, Glenna, Mineko, Olympia, Parvati, Zaltana

 

 BOYS

Beaumont, Berg, Everest, Glen, Huntley, Huxley, Kip, Kiri, Knox, Lamont, Landon, Orestes

 

 GIRL OR BOY

Fuji, Himalaya, Kenya, Montana, Nevada, Vail

 

I think I’ll take a walk down to the lake now and enjoy the rest of my vacation.

♥  Amanda

St. Patrick’s Day Baby Name Parade

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Amanda Barden
on March 17, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Celebrity Baby Names
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In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I laid out my favorite green sweater so I wouldn’t forget to put it on in the morning and I put together a list of names that pay homage to the holiday and all things Irish. Before I get to that though, a few words on the Baby Name of the Day — PATRICK, of course.

Patrick has been a steady favorite over the years, but has never reached uber-popularity, like Jacob. According to the Social Security website, in the last 70 years Patrick has maintained a spot in the top 100 list of names for boys — ranking as high as 32 and as low as 89. These stats make it a good choice for those parents who want a well-known name that isn’t too trendy or overly popular. For those parents who like the idea of Patrick, but want something a little farther off the beaten path, consider the more traditional Irish version Padraic or the stylish French version Patrix.

Ok, on to my list of lucky names…

 

IRISH GIRLS’ NAMES

ERIN

IRELAND

KELLY

CLOVER

RIONA

RHIANNON

GENEVIEVE

KEIRA

 

 

IRISH BOYS’ NAMES

LIAM

AIDEN

FINN

DONOVAN

DUFF

KIERNAN

 

 

IRISH UNISEX NAMES

SHEA

RORY

DEVIN

KEEGAN

MARCH

KERRY

LUCKY

JOSS 

 

 

For more, check out Baby Name Made Easy. It’s full of Irish names and even has an entire chapter devoted to names that mean good fortune and good luck — one of my personal favorite meanings for a name!

 

 

♥  Amanda

 

If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.

Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.

 

 

CELEBRITY BABY NAME ALERT: Anne Heche & James Tupper

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Amanda Barden
on March 12, 2009
in Celebrity Baby Names
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Actress Anne Heche and partner James Tupper had their first baby this weekend. They named their little boy ATLAS. It’s a Greek mythology name that means, “to bear, endure.”

 

You can read more about this unique name in the Strength and Mythology chapters of BABY NAMES MADE EASY.   

 

How do you like mythology names? Post your opinion!

 

♥  Amanda

 

If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com. Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.

 

 

 

 

 

American Idol Top 13 Name Survey

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Amanda Barden
on March 10, 2009
in Celebrity Baby Names
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I’m curious to know what name you think is most worthy of the American Idol crown. Vote and let everyone know your favorite!

Click Here to take survey

Baby Names Made Easy: American Idol Top 13 Edition

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on March 10, 2009
in Celebrity Baby Names
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The American Idol competition really gets started tonight with the debut of the Top 13 performers! In honor of this, I thought it would be fun to have a look at their names and their meanings. Maybe it can give us insight into who’s going to be the next American Idol…

TOP GUYS
Several of the guy’s names have a common religious theme. We have Kris, which means “Christ-bearer,” Matt which means “God’s gift,” Michael which means “who is like God?” and Danny which means “God is my judge” (watch out Simon, it looks like you’ve got some competition!). Adam is the name of a famous Biblical figure, but means “earth; man, mankind.” You can find it in both my Nature and Feminine & Masculine chapters. Scott literally means “a Scot” and Jorge means “farmer.” What about Anoop? I’m not sure what Anoop means, but I know I like his singing. If any readers out there know the meaning, write and let us know. I can tell you that I have Anoop on my list of additions for the next edition of my book.

TOP GIRLS
What about the girls in the Top 13? Their names don’t fall into any common themes—they’re as unique as the girls themselves. As you might guess, Jasmine means “jasmine.” Megan means “pearl” and you can find it in my Jewels, Gems & Precious Things chapter. Alexis is a feminine version of Alexander and means “man’s protector.” You can find Allison in two different chapters, Kindness & Goodness and Royalty, Rulers & Regal Things — it means “noble, kind.” Finally, we have Lil Rounds. I did a little Internet snooping to see if I could find any information on her name. There are two main theories out there. Some people say that Lil is a nickname similar to Lil’ Kim or Lil’ Wayne. Others say it’s short for Lillian or Lily. Until Lil tells us, I don’t think we’ll know for sure. Here’s hoping Ryan asks her…inquiring minds want to know!

 

UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE - April 7th

On tonight’s episode, Lil decided to clear up the confusion about her name and we learned that her full given name is actually “Lil.” She was named after her grandmother, Lily. Her mom liked the name and decided to shorten it to the first three letters. Mystery solved!