Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse-Dictionary of Baby Names

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Creative Spellings of the Most Popular Baby Names…What Do You Think?

Published

Amanda Barden

on December 8, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists

. 2 Comments

clevercupcakes

In today’s world many parents place a value on “uniqueness” when choosing a name. For some parents that means that if other parents are choosing a name they like, they cross that name off their lists. For other parents, they keep the name like, but make it “unique” by spelling it differently.

Don’t believe me? I have proof! Here’s a list of names from the Social Security Top 1000 most popular names that show up more than once with different spellings.

The varied spellings are listed in order of popularity.

AALIYAH

AALIYAH, ALIYAH, ALEAH, ALIYA, ALIA

ABIGAIL

ABIGAIL, ABBIGAIL, ABAGAIL, ABIGAYLE

ADDISON

ADDISON, ADDYSON, ADDISYN, ADYSON, ADISON

AIDAN

AIDAN, ADAN, AYDAN, AEDAN

ALLISON

ALLISON, ALLYSON, ALISON, ALLISSON, ALYSON, ALISSON

AUBREY

AUBREY, AUBREE, AUBRIE

BAILEY

BAILEY, BAYLEE, BAILEE

BRIANNA

BRIANNA, BRIANA, BREANNA, BRYANNA

BRAYDEN

BRAYDEN, BRADEN, BRAYDON, BRAEDEN, BRAIDEN, BRADYN, BRAEDON

CADEN

CADEN, KADEN, KAYDEN, CAYDEN, KAIDEN, CAIDEN, KAEDEN

CAMERON

CAMERON, KAMERON, CAMRON, CAMREN, KAMRON, CAMRYN, KAMREN

CARLY

CARLY, KARLEE, CARLEY, CARLIE, CARLEE, KARLIE, KARLY, KARLEY, CARLEIGH

CARSON

CARSON, KARSON, CARSEN

CHEYENNE

CHEYENNE, CHEYANNE, SHYANNE, SHYANN

COLTON

COLTON, COLTEN, KOLTON, KOLTEN

CONNOR

CONNOR, CONNER, CONOR, KONNER, KONNOR

EMILY

EMILY, EMELY, EMILEE, EMILIE

HAILEY

HAILEY, HALEY, HAYLEE, HAILEE, HAYLIE, HALEIGH, HAILIE

JASMINE

JASMINE, JAZMIN, JASMIN, JAZMINE, JAZMYN

JAYDEN

JAYDEN, JADEN, JAIDEN, JAYDON, JAEDEN, JAYDIN, JAIDYN, JAYDAN

JAYLEN

JAYLEN, JALEN, JAYLIN, JAYLON, JAYLAN

JASLENE

JASLENE, JAZLYN, JAZLYNN, JAZLENE, JASLYN

JORDAN

JORDAN, JORDYN, JORDIN

JORDAN

JORDAN, JORDEN, JORDYN, JORDON

KAITLYN

KAITLYN, KATELYN, CAITLIN, CAITLYN, KATELYNN, KAITLYNN

KAYLEE

KAYLEE, KAYLEIGH, KAILEY, KAYLIE, CAYLEE, KALEIGH, KAILEE, KALLIE, KAYLEY, KALEY

LANDON

LANDON, LANDEN, LANDYN, LANDIN

LAYLA

LAYLA, LAILA, LEILA, LEYLA, LAILAH, LAYLAH

MADELINE

MADELINE, MADELYN, MADELEINE, MADILYN, MADALYN, MADELYNN, MADALYNN, MADILYNN

MADISON

MADISON, MADDISON, MADISYN, MADYSON

MACKENZIE

MACKENZIE, MCKENZIE, MAKENZIE

MAKAYLA

MAKAYLA, MIKAYLA, MICHAELA, MCKAYLA, MIKAELA, MICAELA, MAKAILA

MCKENNA

MCKENNA, MAKENNA, MAKENA

MILEY

MILEY, MYLEE, MYLIE

OLIVIA

OLIVIA, ALIVIA, ALYVIA

PEYTON

PEYTON, PAYTON, PAITYN, PAYTEN

REAGAN

REAGAN, RAEGAN, REGAN

TRISTAN

TRISTAN, TRISTEN, TRISTON, TRISTIN, TRISTIAN, TRYSTAN

What do you think about creatively spelled names? Some love them and some hate them…I’d love to hear what you think!

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

Baby Names Soaring in Popularity

Published

Amanda Barden

on December 5, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Naming Tips, Celebrity Baby Names and Celebrity Names

. 0 Comments

: kashyap_hc

A topic that comes up over and over again with readers is how to choose names that aren’t going to be too common. I’ve blogged in the past about ways to prevent choosing a name that will be popular in the future.

Here’s another great tool from Social Security to help parents. They’ve put out a handy ranking of the names that moved up the chart the most in the previous year. The 2009 stats aren’t due out for another couple months, but here is the data from 2008.

These are the names that showed the biggest increase in popularity from the previous year. What can this information tell you? In the post I mentioned earlier about predicting what names are going to be popular, one of my tips is to avoid names that are quickly rising on the popularity chart. This list helps you figure out what those names are!

So, if you’re looking for a name that will be unique, avoid the names on this list because they might be destined for even greater popularity in the years to come. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a trendy or stylish name, you might want to use one of these names.

No matter your goal, this is a list you need to know about.

Here goes…the top 20:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

KHLOE

MARLEE

MARELY

AUDRINA

MARLEY

DANNA

JASLENE

LILAH

PAISLEY

MILEY

LYLA

HARPER

DAYANA

VALENTINA

LONDON

MYLEE

JIMENA

LYRIC

KAYDEN

EMERY

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

JACOBY

KANE

BECKETT

PAXTON

KALE

AUGUST

BRAYLON

RYKER

KINGSTON

KOLTON

ZAYDEN

BRYCEN

RIVER

MILO

LANDYN

ALIJAH

CASH

ALVIN

JUDE

BYRON

What jumps out at me the most is that on the girl’s list there are three spelling variations of the name MARLEY and two variations of MILEY. These are names to avoid (no matter how you spell it) if you want to avoid popular names.

There’s some celebrity inspiration on this list — obviously MILEY Cyrus. We also have AUDRINA — it’s a beautiful name brought into the spotlight by Audrina Patridge of The Hills fame. No surprise that it caught the attention of parents. PAISLEY may be inspired by Brad Paisley (quite a creative baby namer himself with sons Huckleberry and Jasper).

On the boy’s side we have CASH — the snazzy name of Jessica Alba’s husband, Cash Warren. KINGSTON is the name of Gwen Stephani’s oldest son and it’s probably no accident that his name made it onto this list.

Follow the trends… the –en/-on sound at the end of boys’ names is quite hot and this list shows that loud and clear. There’s PAXTON, BRAYLON, KINGSTON, KOLTON, ZAYDEN, BRYCEN and LANDYN. That’s a little more than a third of all the names on the list.

Another trend we see represented here is the popularity of location names with LONDON on the girl’s list. Ditto for KINGSTON on the boy’s list.

Other names that made the list that may increase in popularity next year:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

AUDREY

CORA

DELILAH

FIONA

LILA

MALIA

PENELOPE

PEYTON

STELLA

VIOLET

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

EASTON

ELI

ELLIOT

FINN

GRADY

GRAYSON/GREYSON

HOLDEN

HUDSON

JASPER

KELLEN

LEVI

MADDOX

WESTON

WYATT

What names dropped in popularity? Here are the 20 names that took the biggest slide:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

ANGELIQUE

YOSELIN

JADEN

KIRSTEN

ANAHI

ALISSA

JULISSA

ASHLEE

MEREDITH

PAULINA

DAYANARA

DIAMOND

JAIDEN

RACHAEL

JOSELYN

ABRIL

PARIS

MEGHAN

JADYN

RYAN

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

ALDO

BRANDEN

OSVALDO

LELAND

BILLY

NOE

RODNEY

JAYLIN

FELIPE

TOBIAS

CAMRON

NATHANAEL

ORLANDO

TERRANCE

JALEN

JADON

CYRUS

SCOTT

JESSIE

CARL

We see some celebrity backlash here (which always happens eventually) — ORLANDO, CYRUS, PARIS, ASHLEE, JADEN/JAIDEN/JADYN.

Now it’s your turn! What do you think?

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, name trivia, interesting names I come across and so much more…don’t miss out! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

DOUBLE FIRST NAMES: Part 2, Double Names with a Modern Twist

Published

Amanda Barden

on December 3, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Naming Tips and Celebrity Names

. 0 Comments

D. Sharon Pruitt

Yesterday, I posted a list of celebrities who use double names (i.e., SARAH MICHELLE Gellar and SARAH JESSICA Parker). Today, I have a list of up-to-date double name options, for those parents who think that two names are better than one.

It took me quite awhile to come up with these options. I tried to stay away from the traditional second names like Ray, Lee, Sue, Lou and Jo(e).

The boys’ names were especially hard because many options tended to sound that a first and last name instead of a complete first name.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for double names! Leave a comment with your recommendations.

FEMALE DOUBLE NAMES

ABIGAIL PAIGE

ALLISON IVY

AMY CLARE

AUDREY ELLA

AVA MAY

BIANCA BELLE

CHARLOTTE SKYE

CHLOE WINTER

CORA LYNN

ELIZA JUNE

EMILY KATE

EMMA GRACE

ISLA ROSE

LANDRY KATE

LILY JADE

LYDIA BAY

MAYA PAIGE

NORA JANE

PRISCILLA JOY

RUBY BELLE

SADIE CLARE

SAVANNAH ROSE

TESSA GRACE

WARNING:

EMILY ROSE might sound like the perfect match and it is lovely. However, it’s also the name of a horror movie about an exorcism. If you don’t like the association, you might want to choose a different name — EMMA ROSE and EMERSON ROSE are nice alternatives.

MALE DOUBLE NAMES

ETHAN EVAN

HENRY ELLIS

HENRY SCOTT

JACK HENRY

JACK MASON

JACKSON COLE

JACKSON GRAY

JEREMY WYNN

JOHN THOMAS

JONAH ELLIS

JOSHUA GRANT

LEVI WEST

LUKE WYATT

MILO MOSE

PARKER JAMES

WILSON CLAY

ZACHARY TY

BEN WILLIAM

BABY NAME ADVICE…

One thing to think about are names that are also words with other meanings, like Drew. If you name your son JACK DREW it’s going to sound like a sentence and leave people who overhear you calling his name wondering just what Jack drew. I’m not saying not to do it, but I don’t want you to do it by accident.

Here are some names that also double as verbs:

MAY

DREW

WADE

WILL

BILL

Can you think of any others?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about double names. Love them? Hate them? Also if you have any suggestions, post a comment and share!

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

DOUBLE FIRST NAMES: Part 1, Celebrities with Double Names

Published

Amanda Barden

on December 2, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Celebrity Names

. 1 Comment

thejonoakley

Some parents do double duty on first names and choose two names instead of one — a double name. For example, ASHLEY Olsen has one first name, but her twin sister MARY KATE Olsen has two.

Double names are nothing new. The names that usually come to mind are names like MARY JO, PEGGY SUE and MARY JANE. However, most parents today would probably think these names sound a little out of date for a new baby.

Give it a few decades and they’ll sound fresh again…But in the meantime, parents who like the idea of using two first names need some up-to-date alternatives.

For some inspiration, let’s start with celebrities who have two first names. Here’s my list — feel free to add to it!

FEMALE DOUBLE NAMES

ANNA NICOLE Smith

BILLIE JEAN King

CARRIE ANN Inaba

CARRIE-ANN Moss

CATHERINE ZETA Jones

JAMIE LEE Curtis

JENNIFER JASON Leigh

JENNIFER LOVE Hewitt

JO DEE Messina

JULIA LOUIS Dreyfus

KATHIE LEE Gifford

KRISTIN SCOTT Thomas

LEE ANN Womack

LISA MARIE Presley

MARY ELIZABETH Mastrantonio

MARY KATE Olsen

MARY LOU Henner

MARY LOU Retton

MARY LOUISE Parker

MARY STUART Masterson

PENELOPE ANN Miller

RACHAEL LEIGH Cook

SARAH JESSICA Parker

SARAH MICHELLE Geller

SOLEIL MOON Frye

TIFFANI-AMBER Theissen

MALE DOUBLE NAMES

ANTHONY MICHAEL Hall

BILLY BOB Thornton

DAVID ALAN Grier

DAVID LEE Murphy

DAVID LEE Roth

EDGAR ALLEN Poe

HALEY JOEL Osment

JAMES EARL Jones

JAN MICHAEL Vincent

JERRY LEE Lewis

JOHN MICHAEL Montgomery

JOHN PAUL Jones

JONATHAN RHYS Meyers

JONATHAN TAYLOR Thomas

KEENAN IVORY Wayans

LOU DIAMOND Phillips

MALCOLM-JAMAL Warner

NEIL PATRICK Harris

PHILLIP MICHAEL Thomas

SEAN PATRICK Thomas

SEANN WILLIAM Scott

TOMMY LEE Jones

When I started thinking about writing this blog post I thought of a couple celebrities right away and figured there would be a handful I could use as examples — turns out I underestimated. Quite a few celebs have two first names! Some of them probably use two names for stage name purposes, but they’re interesting examples nonetheless.

If you can think of any I missed be sure and post a comment!

For tomorrow, I’ve put together a list of double names that have a modern feel to them. I can’t wait for your thoughts and suggestions. See you soon…

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

thejonoakley

ASK AMANDA: A Vintage Name with a Good Meaning

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 30, 2009

in Ask Amanda, Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips

. 0 Comments

Beverly & Pack

Welcome to another edition of ASK AMANDA. Today I’m helping parents with a very common question — and one of my favorites.

Ask Amanda

Q: We are having our third child in February, a baby girl. My husband and I love vintage names with great meanings. This time, we are struggling a bit. The baby’s middle name will be Constance. We do not want to pick a name that is too popular.

Any ideas? DANA, Austin, Texas

A: So, you’re looking for a vintage name that’s not too popular, has a good meaning and goes with the middle name Constance. I’m so glad you wrote to me!

Here are some suggestions:

ALTHEA: “healthy, healing power”

AUDREY: “noble strength”

CORDELIA: “heart”

DAPHNE: “laurel”

ELIZA: “God is my oath”

FELICITY: “happy, fortunate”

MARGOT: “pearl”

NORA: “honor”

ORLA: “golden lady, princess”

In case it factors into your decision, the name CONSTANCE is Latin for “loyal.” Sometimes people like to coordinate meanings.

I hope you find something you like on this list. If not, there are thousands of options in my book!

For everyone out there looking for names with specific meanings, you should pick up a copy of BABY NAMES MADE EASY. It’s the only baby name book that’s organized by the meaning of the names. That makes it really easy for you to find names with meanings you like. J

Good luck and let me know what you pick!

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

Follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

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

Baby Names for Thanksgiving: Mayflower Passengers

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 23, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Holiday Baby Names

. 4 Comments

romulusnr

This Thanksgiving I find myself very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had this year. Tops on my list is the publishing of my first book, BABY NAMES MADE EASY! It’s been a whirlwind and a blast. This is a good time to give a very big thank you to everyone who helped bring it to print, especially, my editor Michelle Howry and my agent Stephanie Kip Rostan. Most of all, I thank all the readers. I couldn’t do it without you…

My gift to you this Thanksgiving? Pilgrim names.

Doesn’t sound exciting? Trust me, the Pilgrims had some awesome names. Today, I bring you the list of passengers on the Mayflower. Sure there are 3 ELIZABETHs, 5 MARYs, 6 EDWARDs, 7 WILLIAMs and a whopping 13 JOHNs, but there are some one-of-a-kind gems here, too. Boys named LOVE and WRESTLING?! DAMARIS, DEGORY and DESIRE! OCEANUS and PEREGRINE! Fabulous names for a true name aficionado.

This list is worth a read. Enjoy (and let me know your favorites)!

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

ALICE Mullins

ALICE Rigsdale

ANN Tilley

CONSTANCE Hopkins

DAMARIS Hopkins

DESIRE Minter

DOROTHY Bradford

ELEANOR Billington

ELIZABETH Hopkins

ELIZABETH Tilley

ELIZABETH Winslow

ELLEN More

HUMILITY Cooper

JOAN Tilley

KATHERINE Carver

MARY Allerton

MARY Brewster

MARY Chilton

MARY Martin

MARY More

PRISCILLA Mullins

REMEMBER Allerton

SARAH Eaton

SUSANNA White

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

BARTHOLOMEW Allerton

CHRISTOPHER Martin

DEGORY Priest

EDMUND Margesson

EDWARD Fuller

EDWARD Leister

EDWARD Planter Doty

EDWARD Thompson

EDWARD Tilley

EDWARD Winslow

ELIAS Story

FRANCIS Billington

FRANCIS Cooke

FRANCIS Eaton

GEORGE Soule

GILBERT Winslow

GILES Hopkins

HENRY Samson

ISAAC Allerton

JAMES Chilton

JASPER More

JOHN Alden

JOHN Allerton

JOHN Billington

JOHN Carver

JOHN Cooke

JOHN Crackstone

JOHN Goodman

JOHN Hooke

JOHN Howland

JOHN Langmore

JOHN Rigsdale

JOHN Tilley

JOHN Turner

JOSEPH Mullins

JOSEPH Rogers

LOVE Brewster

MOSES Fletcher

MYLES Standish

OCEANUS Hopkins (born at sea!)

PEREGRINE White

PETER Browne

RESOLVED White

RICHARD Britteridge

RICHARD Clarke

RICHARD Gardinar

RICHARD More

RICHARD Warren

ROBERT Carter

ROGER Wilder

SAMUEL Eaton

SAMUEL Fuller

SOLOMON Prower

THOMAS English

THOMAS Rogers

THOMAS Tinker

THOMAS Williams

WILLIAM Brandord

WILLIAM Brewster

WILLIAM Button

WILLIAM Holbeck

WILLIAM Latham

WILLIAM Mullins

WILLIAM White

WRESTLING Brewster

SOURCE: http://pilgrimhall.org/mayfpass.htm

My faves? I love the name PRISCILLA. I can’t be alone. Who else likes this name? I know there aren’t many of us, but it’s a very sweet name. Other nice picks are ALICE, ELIZABETH and DAMARIS.

From the boys list, I like EDMUND, OCEANUS, ISAAC, ELIAS and BARTHOLOMEW (not crazy about Bart as a nickname though).

However, the real standouts from this list are the virtue names. Most of these are a little too off-the-beaten-path for modern parents, but they’re worth looking at. From the Mayflower we have CONSTANCE, DESIRE, REMEMBER, HUMILITY, LOVE, RESOLVED and WRESTLING.

Love the idea of these virtue names, but worried your kids would never forgive you? Consider them for a middle name. As I always say, you can be a little more daring with the middle name.

THANKSGIVING NAME TRIVIA

Q: Who do we have to thank for the Thanksgiving holiday?

A: SARAH JOSEPHA Hale. In 1846, as editor of Godley’s Lady’s Book, she started a campaign for the celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It didn’t become official until 1863, thanks to ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Apparently, he declared two Thanksgiving holidays, one in August and one in November. Whatever happened to the August holiday?

SOURCE: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/History/First-thanksgiving

What about the name JOSEPHA? Something to think about for all you parents looking for uncommon names…it would also be a unique way to honor a relative named Joseph.

A nod to my sources: The Plymouth Hall Museum website had the list of Mayflower passengers and some interesting historical info about them. Take a look at the National Geographic Kids website for a history of the first Thanksgiving.

OK, that’s all for now. Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor! I’ve even been known to give name suggestions to people looking for ideas…you could be next!

♥ 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

The (Unofficial) Twilight Guide to Naming Babies

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 19, 2009

in Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Baby Names

. 3 Comments

fdecomite

No matter whether you’re on Team Edward or Team Jacob, we can all agree that Stephenie Meyer knows how to name a character. Wow! The character name list from her Twilight series is full of everything from traditional and classic names to inventive names to stylish International names. There’s a little something for everyone.

On her website, Meyer explains how she came up with the names for her lead characters Edward and Bella. Meyer chose Edward because Edward was the name of Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Mr. Ferrars in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. She thought the name Edward was “romantic” and, presumably, because it was no longer popular, it worked for a character who had been “dead” for many years. Meyer says that naming Bella was much harder. She ended up using the name she had picked out for a daughter if she ever had one. Risky!

She named other characters by looking through census records and choosing names that were popular in the years the characters were born.

She also revealed some Twilight Name Trivia:

 Rosalie was originally named Carol and Jasper was originally named Ronald. I’m so glad she made the changes! Rosalie and Jasper are so much more memorable and stylish than Carol and Ronald. Don’t you think?

Read what Meyer had to say about character names for yourself: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html

Here’s the list of characters from the Twilight series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn. I love the fans over at Wikipedia for being so helpful!

Enjoy and let me know your favorites!

FEMALE CHARACTER NAMES

ANGELA Weber

ATHENODORA

CARMEN

CHARLOTTE

CHELSEA

DIDYME

EMILY Young

ESME Cullen

GIANNA

HEIDI

IRINA

ISABELLA “BELLA” MARIE Swan

JANE

JESSICA Stanley

KACHIRI

KATE

KEBI

LAUREN Mallory

LEAH Clearwater

MAGGIE

MAKENNA

MARY

MARY ALICE “ALICE” Cullen

RENATA

RENÉE Dwyer

RENESMEE “NESSIE” CARLIE Cullen

ROSALIE Hale

SENNA

SIOBHAN

SUE Clearwater

SULPICIA

TANYA

TIA

VICTORIA

ZAFRINA

MALE CHARACTER NAMES

ALEC

ALISTAIR

AMUN

ARO

BENJAMIN

BILLY Black

CAIUS

CARLISLE Cullen

CHARLES

CHARLIE Swan

COLLIN

DEMETRI

EDWARD ANTHONY Cullen

ELEAZAR

EMBRY Call

EMMETT Cullen

EPHRAIM Black

ERIC Yorkie

FELIX

HARRY Clearwater

JACOB Black

JAMES

JARED

JASON Jenks

JASPER Hale

LAURENT

LIAM

MARCUS

MIKE Newton

PAUL

PETER

QUIL Ateara

RANDALL

RILEY

SAM Uley

SETH Clearwater

STEFAN

TYLER Crowley

VLADIMIR

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Twilight_characters

I especially like the name SENNA from the girl’s list. It’s very pretty and unique, without being too unusual. That’s a fine line to walk and many parents are looking for names that fall into this category. Other favorites are CARMEN, ESME, ROSALIE, CARLISLE and LIAM.

You can bet that some of these character names will have an impact on baby name popularity. For example, lately I’ve heard a lot of people mention ALICE and JASPER as possible baby names. Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams also named their new son Jasper earlier this year, giving it an extra boost of star-appeal. It will be interesting to see if the names transition from being talked about to actually being used – only time will tell (they’ve seen modest bumps already). What do you think will happen? Will the Twilight frenzy translate into baby names?

Do you have any favorite names from this list? Post a comment and let me know.

Also, let me know what you think of New Moon – I can’t wait to see it!

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

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7 Days of Baby Names on TWITTER: 11/8/09-11/14/09

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 18, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Twitter Baby Names

. 0 Comments

I’m really having fun reading all the names people discuss on Twitter— follow me on Twitter to enjoy them in real time (@babynameauthor). If you’re not into Twitter yet, read along here on my blog.

Here’s another week’s worth of Twitter baby names—these are some of the name announcements, name suggestions, comments and debated names I came across this week…Enjoy!

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

ABRIANA RAYNE

ADRIANA

ALIAH MYA

ALISA JAMESON

ALLISON

AMANDA MAY

AMETHYST WHISPER

ANJANI

ANNABELL VIOLET

ANNIKA

ANSLEY

ARATWA

ARELLA

ATHEMIA

BELINDA

CALISTA ANNE

CAMILLA

CAROLINE

CHARLOTTE

CHLOE SHAY

CORALINE

DANNE

DELFINA

DELILAH LEE

DIANA

DIOR DI’YANNA MARIE

DOMINIQUE

ELIANA

ELIZABETH AUDREY

ELLEN

EMELYN

EUILDA

EVELYN

GIANA

GINEVRA

HAYLIE

HAZEL

HERMIONE

HOLLY

INDIA

ISABEL

ISRAEL

KALEAH LADIA

KALEE MARIE

KAMRYN AMAYA

KAYORI NICOLE

KENNEDY WYNTER ELIZABETH

KHLOE

LATIKA

LEILA

LEILU

LEXINGTON EMMA

LIBERTY GRACE

LILY

LOLA

MADALYN

MATILDA

MAXI AUBREY

MCKENZIE

MICHELE

NAINTARA

NAKSHATRA

NA’SHIYA

NATALIE HANNAH

NICOLE RENEE

OPAL LEIGH

PIXIE (only a nickname, but I had to include it!)

REAGAN FRANCES

RYAN

SAYANNAH

SERA SUSAN

SKYLER NIKOLE

SOPHIA LOUISE CLARE

SOPHIE RAE

STORM

SUMMER

SUMMER MAE WINTERS

TALA

TAYLOR-HAYLEY

URSULA

VIOLET

WENDYE

WILLOW IVY ESTRELLA

ZOE GRACE

ZOEY

ZOFIA ISOBEL

ZUNA

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

AIDEN

AMERICUS

ARES VALENTIN

ARTHUR

AUSTIN KAEL

BAXTER

BENJAMIN

BRIGHTON

BROCK HUDSON

BRODY GRANT

BRONX

CARSYN DECATUR

CASH

CHACE/CHASE

CHARLIE

CHRISTOBAL

CLAYTON

CORBIN BRADLEY

DAMIAN

DOMINIC MATTHEW

ELLIOT

ETHAN

EVERETT PAUL

FORREST

FRANCIS JONATHAN

GAVIN

GEORGE

GUNNISON

HERMAN PATRICK

IAN LANE

ISSAC NIKO

IVER MICHAEL

JACK

JAMAL

JAYDEN

JENSON LEWIS

JORDAN

JUDE

JULIAN HENNING

KAEDYN

KIER ZYMON

LOGAN JACE

LUCAS

MANUEL

MATTHEW

MONTEREY (middle name)

NATHANIEL

NICKOLAS ALEXANDER

NOEL

NOLAN

OWEN LEVI

PARKER MICHEAL

PAUL

PETER

RHYS

RIELLY JOSEPH

RIVER

RYDER ALLEN

SALIM

SCHLOMO

STELLAN

TOBIAS BENJAMIN DUNCAN

TRISTON ELI

TYLER ZANE

VINCENT PAUL

ZEDEKIAH RAY

UNISEX NAMES

BROOKLYN

DAKOTA

JAZZ

MONTANA

SIBLINGS’ NAMES

KYLAH and LEAH

PHOEBE and DAISY

ROSIE and DAISY

DECISIONS, DECISIONS…

BETH or MOLLY

BROOKLYN or MADISON

COLLETTE or CHERIE

IYLA, ILA or ISLA (all pronounced “eye-lah”)

KASSIDY CHANEL, CHLOE CHANEL or AUBREY CHANEL

MARIELLA CHARMAINE or FRANCES MAINE

BARTHOLOMEW or ALBERT

ETHAN HUNT or GAVIN ROSS

ETHAN or BENJAMIN

GREY KILLIAN or MIKHAIL GREY

JACK, OLIVER or SMITH

MICHAEL BOSTON or BRAYDEN CHRISTOPHER

CELEBRITY INSPIRATION…

HOPE DESTINY-CYRUS

RHIANNA

Middle names BELLA and EDWARD (from Twilight series)

OUT OF STYLE…These are names some people weren’t so fond of…

BERTHA

DAFFODIL

FLORENCE

MADISON

RUTH

TINKLE

ANTHONY

BELDEN

CHAZZ

DONNIE

DYLAN

ELI

GUISEPPE

GUNNAR

KOBE

LESTER

PETS’ NAMES

ALEXANDER or ALEXANDRIA

AOIFE

ARCHIE

ARROW, FABLE or HAZARD

BABY

BENNY FRANKS

BENTLEY

BESS

BISCOTTI

BISHOP

BITSY

BORRIS

CALVIN

CHARLIE

COCO

CUDDLY

DEWEY

FARLEE

FENDI

FRANK

FREDERICK

HERCULES

JAZZY

JENKINS

KEELO

KENZO

MIMSY MARILYN MONROE

MI-SHA

NINJA

NOMNOM

OLA

PIGLET

PIGWIDGEON

PUMPKIN

RAVEN

SAWYER

SHADOW

SUNDAI

TINK

TIPPY

TUXEDO

VALENTINE

WHISKEY

WINSTON

Which picks are your favorites? I love all the pet names — Mimsy, Valentine, Biscotti. So cute. What’s your pet’s name? My cat is Trixie. ö

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You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

Interview with Kojii Helnwein about baby names…and her pain-free birth!

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 18, 2009

in Baby Names in the News, Baby Naming Tips, International Baby Names and Website Announcements

. 0 Comments

I’ve launched my first Notable Names feature - an interview with Kojii Helnwein of Project Runway and Models of the Runway. Kojii told me about how she got her unique name and how she chose her daughter’s name. Plus, she had great tips for soon-to-be-parents. Read it for yourself and leave comments here.

More name interviews to come…Stay tuned!

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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

More Alternatives to the Top 10 Baby Names

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 14, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips

. 3 Comments

Parents-to-be often fall in love with a name only to see it land in the Top 10 most popular baby names. Some take that as a sign that they have good taste and choose the name without looking back. Others decide to scrap the name and choose something more unique.

For those of you who like some of the Top 10 names, but want something that’s not already at the top of the charts, I’ve put together a list of alternatives — names that are similar, but not similarly popular.

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

EMMA — EMBER, ESMÉ, AMABEL

ISABELLA — ISLA, ISIDORA, IRIS, INGRID

EMILY — EMERSON, EMERALD, AMELIA

MADISON — MACY, MADELINE, MARLEY

AVA — AIDA, AVERY, ASTRA, IVY

OLIVIA — OLIVE, OLYMPIA, OPAL

SOPHIA — STELLA, SIMONE, SIENA

ABIGAIL — ABILENE, AUDREY, ANNABELLE

ELIZABETH — ELIZA, ELINOR, BETHANY

CHLOE — CALLIOPE, CAMILLA, CORA

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

JACOB — JASPER, JERICHO, JAMESON

MICHAEL — MICAH, MILLER, MITCHELL

ETHAN — ELLIOT, EASTON, ELIAS

JOSHUA — JOSIAH, JOSS, JULIAN

DANIEL — DANE, DALTON, DASHIELL

ALEXANDER — XAVIER, ARCHER, ARCHIBALD

ANTHONY — ANDERSON, ARTHUR, AUGUSTUS

WILLIAM — WILSON, WALLACE, WALKER

CHRISTOPHER — CHANDLER, CHARLETON, CRISPIN

MATTHEW — MADDEN, MALCOLM, MARLOW

What do you think? Do you have a good suggestion for a Top 10 alternative? Leave a comment and let us all know!

Also, a big thank you for the comments and emails — I love to hear from readers! J

Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future baby name posts.

You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!

♥ 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