I’m a pretty big tennis fan, so I’ve been really enjoying the US Open for the past few days. Andy Roddick’s loss tonight was a bit of a heartbreak though. I was rooting for him to win the whole thing. Especially after that last Wimbledon match…C’est la vie. There’s always next year…
Now I think I’m going to put all my rooting power behind Melanie Oudin. How cool is she? Go Melanie!
I try not to miss any good baby name spotting opportunities and the US Open is no exception. I downloaded the US Open iPhone application and read all the player’s names so I could bring you my favorites. One thing I love about these International sporting events is that the names come from all around the world. So much fun!
Here is my list — I pulled out the names that I thought were most interesting. Let me know what your favorites are…
GIRLS’ NAMES
AKIKA
ALIZE
ALLA
ANGELIQUE
ANNA-LENA
ARANTXA
ARAVANE
ASIA
BETHANIE
BETINA
CATALINA
CHANELLE
COCO
CORINNA
DARIA
DINARA
ESTRELLA
FLAVIA
FRANCESCA
GALINA
GEORGIE
GISELA
HEIDI
JANA
JARMILA
JELENA
JIE
JORGELINA
KAIA
KAROLINA
KIMIKO
KSENIA
LENKA
LIEZEL
LILIA
LUCIE
MAGDA
MAI
MANDY
MATHILDE
NIKOLA
NOEL
PETRA
REGINA
RIZA
ROMINA
ROSSANA
SABINE
SEVERINE
SHAHAR
SINA
SLOANE
SORANA
TAMARINE
TATIANA
TIMEA
TOMOKO
VENUS
VESNA
VITALIA
ZARINA
BOYS’ NAMES
BRUNO
CAIO
CARSTEN
CHASE
DEVIN
DUILIO
FELICIANO
FLAVIO
GAEL
GIANCARLO
GILLES
GIOVANNI
GO
GONZALAS
HAREL
INIGO
IVO
JACK
JARKKO
JERZY
JESSE
JOHAN
JOSSELIN
JO-WILFRIED
JULIAN
JUNIOR
LEANDER
LLEYTON
LOVRO
LUKA
MARAT
MARCO
MARIN
MARINKO
MATTHIAS
MAXIMO
NIKALA
NOVAK
OLIVER
OSCAR
RAFAEL
RAINER
RAVEN
RENZO
ROBIN
ROGER
ROKO
RYLER
SANDRO
SANTIAGO
SCOVILLE
SHANE
TIAGO
WESLEY
Usually when I go through lists of names there are a few that jump out as possible favorites. Today, there’s no contest….I’m really loving the name TAMARINE. So pretty! Plus, it has that coveted quality of being unique without being weird. I’m not sure about nicknames though. I’m trying to think of something other than Tammy. Any ideas?
Other names I especially like from the list are SORANA, CATALINA and LILIA. From the boy’s side, I like MATTHAIS (cool alternative to more common Matthew), RAFAEL and MARCO.
Hands down the most dedicated, tennis-y name goes to junior player TENNYS Sandgren. With a name like that, there’s a little pressure to do well at a sporting event like the US Open. Good luck, Tennys!
As always, I love to hear your thoughts. Let me know what your favorites are — and if you have any cool nicknames for TAMARINE.
♥ 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.
For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
I love your name lists. When are you going to be back with more?
Thanks so much! I’m working on more as we speak…keep checking back!