Archive for the 'Baby Name Suggestions & Lists' Category

Christmas Movie Baby Name Inspiration

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on December 24, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Celebrity Names and Holiday Baby Names
. 0 Comments

 

 

Having a Christmas baby? Maybe a name from your favorite Christmas movie will inspire you.  

 

Here’s a collection of character names from classic Christmas movies that I thought were worth considering. Let me know your favorites!

 

 

BABES IN TOYLAND starring Laurel & Hardy

MARY

 

OLLIE

SILAS

BARNABY

 

 

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S starring Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman

DELPHINE

MARY

 

HORACE

JOE

MICHAEL

TOMMY

 

 

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from The Bells of St. Mary’s:

“If there’s any good I can do for anyone, let me do it now and not put it off for I shall not pass this way again.”

 

 

THE BISHOP’S WIFE starring Cary Grant, David Niven & Loretta Young

DELIA

JULIE

MATILDA

 

DUDLEY

HENRY

SYLVESTER

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT starring Barbara Stanwyck

ELIZABETH

NORAH

 

ALEXANDER

DUDLEY

FELIX

HARPER

HOMER

JEFFERSON

JOHN

SAM

 

 

 

A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Gene Lockhart & Reginald Owen

BELINDA

BESS

MARTHA

 

EBENEZER

JACK

PETER

 

 

 

A CHRISTMAS STORY starring Peter Billingsley

BILLY

GROVER

RALPHIE

 

 

 

HOLIDAY INN starring Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire

DAPHNE

LILA

MAMIE

 

DUNBAR

FRANCOIS

GUS

JIM

PARKER

TED

 

 

 

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY starring Ralph Richardson & Celia Johnson

BRIDGET

JENNY

LYDIA

MARGARET

 

DAVID

MARTIN

MICHAEL “MICK”

RICHARD

 

 

 

HOME ALONE starring Macaulay Culkin

BROOKE

GEORGETTE

HEATHER

KATE

LINNIE

MEGAN

SONDRA

TRACY

 

FULLER

GUS

HARRY

JEFF

KEVIN

MARLEY

MITCH

ROB

ROD

STEFFAN

 

 

 

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE starring James Stewart & Donna Reed

ANNIE

JANIE

MARY

RUTH

TILLY

VIOLET

ZUZU

 

BILLY

CLARENCE

EUSTACE

GEORGE

HENRY

NICK

SAM

 

 

 

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET starring Maureen O’Hara

CLEO

SUSAN

 

CHARLIE

GEORGE

GRANVILLE

HENRY

JULIAN

KRIS

THOMAS

 

 

 

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION starring Chevy Chase

AUDREY

BETHANY

CATHERINE

ELLEN

FRANCES

HELEN

MARGO

NORA

RUBY SUE

 

CLARK

LEWIS

ROCKY

RUSSELL “RUSTY”

TODD

 

 

 

WHITE CHRISTMAS starring Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney & Danny Kaye

BETTY

EMMA

JUDY

RITA

 

JOHN

NOVELLO

THOMAS

 

 

SOURCE: www.imdb.com

 

 

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

 

 

 

‘Infant Joy’ — Baby Name Poetry by William Blake

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on December 15, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Uncategorized
. 2 Comments
joyful-baby3

sean dreilinger

 

Here’s an adorable poem about a newborn baby who needs a name…

 

Infant Joy

William Blake

 

‘I have no name;
I am but two days old.’
What shall I call thee?
‘I happy am,
Joy is my name.’
Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy!
Sweet joy, but two days old.
Sweet joy I call thee:
Thou dost smile,
I sing the while;
Sweet joy befall thee!

 

 

I told you it was an adorable poem!

 

I actually think JOY is a very sweet name. It seems to be somewhat overlooked these days, but it’s sweet, simple and very meaningful. Perhaps worth a second look?

 

If you know of any other poems about newborn babies or baby names PLEASE email me!!! I’m collecting them.

 

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! Sometimes I even tweet name suggestions to those who ask — 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

 

 

 

Baby Name Inspiration: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on December 10, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Names
. 1 Comment

 

 

The Princess and the Frog debuts this week. This one’s from the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin — so you know it’s going to be good.

 

With that in mind, I wanted to look at the character names and see if there are any hidden gems…and there are!

 

But first…Disney movies have a history of influencing baby naming. The Little Mermaid came out in 1989 and in 1990 Ariel jumped in popularity from 210 to 94. In 1991 it climbed even higher to 66. Perhaps The Princess and the Frog will have a similar influence?

 

Here are some of the interesting character names followed by some of the cast members.

 

FEMALE CHARACTERS

CHARLOTTE

EUDORA

GEORGIA

ODIE

TIANA

 

 

MALE CHARACTERS

DARNELL

HARVEY

HENRY

IAN

JAMES

LAWRENCE

LOUIS

MARLON

NAVEEN

RANDY

RAY

REGGIE

 

 

FEMALE CAST MEMBERS

ANIKA NONI Rose (Tiana)

BREANNA Brooks

DANIELLE MONE Truitt

ELIZABETH M. Dampier

JENIFER Lewis

JENNIFER Cody

OPRAH Winfrey

SHANDA M. Williamson

 

 

MALE CAST MEMBERS

BRUNO Campos (Prince Naveen)

COREY Burton

MICHAEL Colyar

EMERIL Lagasse

JIM Cummings

JOHN Goodman

KEITH David

KEVIN MICHAEL Richardson

LYNWOOD Robinson

MARLON West

MICHAEL-LEON Wooley

PETER Bartlett

RITCHIE Montgomery

TERRENCE Howard

 

 

TIANA was ranked 651 in 2008 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it increase in popularity the coming years. It has many of the markers parents are looking for in a name — it’s unique and pretty, it ends with an –a, it’s easily spelled. I think it’s going to be a hit. 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 advice, 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

 

 

 

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

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on December 8, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists
. 2 Comments

 

 

medium-pink-cupcake

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
by
Amanda Barden
on December 5, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Naming Tips, Celebrity Baby Names and Celebrity Names
. 0 Comments

 




kashyap_hc

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
by
Amanda Barden
on December 3, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Naming Tips and Celebrity Names
. 0 Comments

 

Pink Sherbet Photography

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
by
Amanda Barden
on December 2, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Celebrity Names
. 1 Comment

 

thejonoakley

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

thejonoakley

ASK AMANDA: A Vintage Name with a Good Meaning

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on November 30, 2009
in Ask Amanda, Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips
. 0 Comments

 

 

Beverly & Pack

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
by
Amanda Barden
on November 23, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Holiday Baby Names
. 4 Comments

 

romulusnr

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

 

 

 

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

Published
by
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

BO

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

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

 

 

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