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Tag Archive for 'baby name advice'

Interview with Project Runway designer Peach Carr

Published

Amanda Barden

on July 29, 2010

in Celebrity Names and Notable Names

. 0 Comments

Photo: Barbara Nitke/Lifetime Television

This is the week of Project Runway here on the Baby Names Made Easy website. The show’s new season debuts this week and I’ve scored three Project Runway interviews in celebration! Whoo-hoo! I posted one earlier this week with the lovely model Matar Cohen. Today, I bring you designer Peach Carr. She’s a designer on this season – be sure to tune in and see how Peach does!

Peach was hilarious. She truly had me laughing out loud. The funniest story was about a trick she and her siblings used to play on their new babysitters. Peach also had some really sweet advice for parents-to-be and what they should tell their children about their names. Definitely check out her words of wisdom.

But that’s not all. I also have an interview scheduled this week with another designer competing on this season’s show – McKell Maddox. It’s quite an exciting week around here. J

Read Peach’s interview on my Celeb Interviews page!

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

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BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES

Romantic Baby Naming Ideas

Published

Amanda Barden

on July 9, 2010

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips

. 0 Comments

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Looking for unique baby names? Turn your baby’s name into a romantic affair. Think about all the people, places and events that are important to you as a couple and you just may find the perfect name along the way.

Here are 11 romantic baby name ideas:

1. The name of the street where you first lived as a couple

2. The name of the restaurant where you went on your first date

3. The city/state/country where you met

4. The name of the friend who introduced you

5. The place where you conceived the baby

6. The name of the singer who sings your song

7. The name of the place where you or your partner proposed

8. The name of the site you got married

9. The place where you went on your honeymoon

10. The name of the actor/actress who starred in the movie you saw on your first date

11. The name of the flower you used in your wedding bouquet

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Any other romantic ideas? Share them with me!

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

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HAVE BABY NAME QUESTIONS?

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

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

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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!

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ASK AMANDA: A Name Like Zane?

Published

Amanda Barden

on July 7, 2010

in Ask Amanda

. 2 Comments

Welcome to ASK AMANDA!!!

Ask Amanda

Q: I just wanted to start out by saying that I love your book! It makes searching for the perfect name fun and a lot less stressful!

My question is regarding the name Zane. I had never heard of that name until a friend of mine used it for her son. I’ve grown to really love that name, but because we’re so close to these friends, I don’t think I should use it.

I’ve tried to find similar names but so far have only come across -Shane, Caine or Payne- none of which are what we’re looking for. Do you know of any similar names or maybe even similar masculine, unique type names like Zane?

Thank you!

A: I’m so glad you found my book helpful! That’s always so nice to hear.

Zane is definitely a unique name. If you’re really close to the other Zane in your life, I can see why you don’t feel comfortable using it.

There are so many great names out there, I’m sure you’ll find something you love. Here are some ideas for you:

Names that sound like Zane

Here are a few names that sound like Zane:

Dane - my favorite on this list

Blaine

Lane - this is also used by girls, but it’s not “girly”

Maine - kind of quirky

I think you’re right to steer away from Payne — it sounds like “pain” and that might be a tough association. I do like Cain(e) and Shane though.

Names with the same meaning as Zane

Zane is a version of the name John and means “God is gracious.” Maybe another version of John might appeal to you:

Ivan

Sean

Gianni

Evan – my favorite

Names that start with “Z”

If you’re looking for other “Z” names you can consider:

Zachariah – a little more unique than Zachary

Zander

Zebedee

Zeke

Zeus

Zedekiah

Zephyr

Zev/Zevi

Use Zane as a middle name

It might be too much to use Zane as a first name, but you could probably get away with using it as a middle name.

I hope that helps! Good luck to you. Please let me know what you decide.

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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HAVE BABY NAME QUESTIONS?

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

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

DO YOU TWEET?

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!

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ASK AMANDA: I Regret My Baby Name. What now?

Published

Amanda Barden

on April 29, 2010

in Ask Amanda and Baby Name Suggestions & Lists

. 0 Comments

Today’s ASK AMANDA is a tough one. What do you do when you’ve already named your baby and then you change your mind?

Ask Amanda

Q: My baby girl was born last year and now she’s 6 months old. I’m really confused because I think I gave her the wrong name. I love her so much and I want to call her a name that I love. I would really appreciate if you could help me since you are an expert in baby names.

My baby’s name is Leia. My husband really loves Star Wars and that‘s how we got her name – from Princess Leia. Now I’m afraid that she’ll be teased in school because of this. I just feel that the name does not fit to her now.

Please help me. I like the name Amelia, Emily and Lily. Do you think I should change her name? I’m afraid that people might think that I’m crazy.

Thank you for your kindness and time! ANDY, Burbank, CA

A: Let me assure you, you’re not crazy. You’re not even the first person to contact me about changing a baby’s name. Choosing a baby name is a huge decision! I know there must be quite a few parents who have “baby name regret” like you.

So what do you do now?

I don’t think there’s one right answer here, but for what it’s worth, here’s my opinion.

You mention a few concerns about your daughter’s name, Leia:

1. You think she might be teased because of the Star Wars connection

I definitely think people will make the connection between your daughter’s name and Star Wars. I’m not sure it’s going to cause a lot of teasing though. Star Wars is an older movie and it’s also a very cool movie. I think both of those things reduce the likelihood of teasing. I bet some people will actually think the connection is cool.

Do any readers think that the Star Wars connection to Leia will cause teasing? Chime in, please!

2. You don’t think the name suits her

How do you decide whether a name suits someone? That’s such a tough question. I think you and your husband need to decide this together.

Ask yourself what’s making you feel this way. Do you think another name suits your daughter better or do your feelings stem from your mixed feelings about the name?

Speaking of your husband, how does he feel about all this? Since he’s the Star Wars fan, I’m guessing he still likes Leia?

3. You worry that others will think it’s weird if you change her name now

People will undoubtedly find it surprising if you change your daughter’s name at this point, but who cares? It’s your daughter and your decision. Do keep in mind that your daughter will eventually learn about the name change and may have questions.

OTHER IDEAS

If you and your husband decide not to change her name officially, you can still change her name unofficially. You could start using her middle name or call her by a nickname.

Another thing you could do is change the spelling of Leia to LIA or LEAH.

OTHER NAMES

I made a couple lists for you…

You might want to consider names that end in a similar -leia sound, so you, your husband or others can continue to call her Leia if they want to. Here are some names you might like:

Celia

Aurelia

Callia

Cordelia

Delia

Magnolia

Malia

Natalia

Ophelia (this is a Shakespearen name though, which might cause the same issue you have with Leia)

Since Leia is a short “L” name, I put together a list of other short “L” names you might like:

Lacey

Lana

Laney

Lara

Leda

Layla

Lena

Lily

Lila

Livia

I’m really glad you shared your question because I know there are a lot of parents feeling the same way you are – maybe some will write in and share their stories, too.

Good luck to you! Please write me with an update about what you decide.

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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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!

HAVE BABY NAME QUESTIONS?

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

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

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ASK AMANDA: A Name that Flows with “Vo”

Published

Amanda Barden

on March 1, 2010

in Ask Amanda

. 0 Comments

Welcome to ASK AMANDA. Today’s question comes from a future-mom who wants to be prepared when the time is right.

Ask Amanda

Q: Hi Amanda,

I just came upon your site and I love it! I’ve been really interested in baby names for a few years now but I’m having the hardest time coming up with any boys names I really like.

My husband and I are not pregnant yet, but I love to think of names.

The girls’ names we love are Lydia and Evelyn. Our last name is Vo. I’ve been thinking I like Lydia Noelle Vo and I’m not sure about a middle name for Evelyn yet. Does Evie Vo sound like too much alliteration?

My problem with boys’ names are many. First, I don’t want anything too common that there might be 5 others in his class with the same name. Second, I’m really unsure of what names flow well with our last name. With such a short last name, I would like it to sound good in the full form and any nicknames or shortened names. I don’t want a super common or boring name, maybe an under-used gem.

Names I like recently (that my husband has nixed) are Elliot, Wesley, Elijah, Caleb, Dominic. My husband likes Ethan, and while I like it too, it’s too common. He also mentioned Maddox a few years ago, but I think everyone will always associate the name w/Angelina Jolie AND our future children will be 1/2 Vietnamese.

My question is, could you help us think of boys’ names that flow well with our last name (Vo) and the potential sibling names of Lydia and Evelyn? I think I would like to use Thomas as a middle name (as long as it flows).

Thanks so much for your help in advance!

MARY, Ohio

A: Your first question is about alliteration and “Evie Vo.” You like Evelyn Vo, but aren’t sure whether the double “v” sound in the shortened “Evie Vo” is too much. I like “Evie Vo” and don’t think there’s too much alliteration at all. I think the “e” in front softens the double “v.” The alliteration would be stronger in a name like “Vanessa Vo.” But I don’t mind that either.

DISCLAIMER: I’m a fan of alliteration.

On to your second question about boys’ names. I like the names you mentioned and they all have a similar feel to them. I pulled out my book and found some other names you might like that have the same feel and go well with the middle name Thomas. Most of these are unique enough that you won’t have five other kids with the same name in your son’s class—though some are more popular than others, so take that into account when making your final pick. These names also have a similar feel to Lydia and Evelyn, which make them nice sibling matches.

Here you go:

ARCHIBALD

BENJAMIN

CLAYTON

CONRAD

DASHIELL

DONOVAN

DUNCAN

EVERETT

FELIX

GABRIEL

GIDEON

GRAYSON

HUGO

ISAAC

JEREMIAH

JOSIAH

JULIAN

LEVI

NATHANIEL

OLIVER

SAMSON

XAVIER

My favorites from this list are BENJAMIN, EVERETT (similar to Evelyn), GIDEON, JULIAN and OLIVER.

Before you make any final decisions, I recommend checking the definitions of the names in BABY NAMES MADE EASY to make sure the name you choose has a meaning you like.

If you and your husband still can’t agree, try to figure out what it is you like about the names you like and what he likes about the names he likes and see if you can find some overlap.

Good luck and let me know what your favorites are. J

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 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

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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

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

ASK AMANDA: Mom and Dad Disagree on Name for Son

Published

Amanda Barden

on November 6, 2009

in Ask Amanda

. 2 Comments

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Welcome back to ASK AMANDA. Today I’m answering a question for a soon-to-be mom (for the third time) in Canada!

Ask Amanda

Q: I am pregnant with a boy and due in 4-5 weeks…….HELP PLEASE!! I already have two kids and have named them Marcus and Marina. My husband is Italian and we are not agreeing on any names. Our daughter was born and nameless for days because we didn’t agree!! I do not want to repeat this. Our name choice does not have to be an Italian or start with the letter “M,” but I do want it to sound OK when mentioning my other kids names. I tend to prefer short names that are not tongue twisters. I like Darius, Xavier, Jordon, Sidney, Daniel. My husband says NO to all of them. His list is Leonardo (over my dead body!), Alexis, Roman.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. BONNIE, Montreal, Canada

A: Thanks for writing, Bonnie. I understand why you don’t want a repeat of the “nameless baby” saga you went through with your daughter. Sounds stressful!

Since you and your husband aren’t agreeing on any of the names either of you have come up with so far, I think going back to the drawing board is a good idea. It’s important that you both love the name you choose.

So what’s my advice? Stop looking for baby names and start looking for common ground. I studied the names you told me you both liked and the names you picked for your first two children. Here’s the common ground I see so far:

1. You chose names with Latin origins for your first two children — Marcus and Marina. Maybe you can agree to choose a name with a Latin origin for this baby, too. This is nice because it creates a connection between all their names without being too matchy-matchy.

2. For your first two children you chose a masculine name for your son and a feminine name for your daughter. Maybe you can agree to cross unisex names off your list. That way all your children’s names will have the same “style,” which you said is important to you.

3. You told me that you like short names and all your picks have six letters. Two of your husband’s three choices have six or fewer letters, too. It looks like you can also agree to cross names with more than six letters off your list.

Once you agree on some parameters, then you can make a list of names that match your agreed terms.

Here’s a list of names that meet the three criteria above — they have Latin roots, they’re masculine (you said you’re having a boy) and they’re six letters or less:

BARNEY

CASH

DRAKE

FELIX

GUS

JUSTIN

LUCAS

LUCIUS

MILES

MILO

OLIVER

REX

SILAS

TYRONE

VICTOR

VITO

This isn’t an exhaustive list, so if none of these work for you, you can find other names that fall within these three parameters.

If you still can’t find a name, start looking for other things you agree on. For example, the meaning of the name or the letter the name will start with. Any place you have common ground is an opportunity to gather new ideas and cross others off the list.

I hope this helps! Thanks for writing me. I’m sure you’ll find a name you both love. It says a lot that you’re working so hard to choose a name you both agree on — your son will appreciate that someday.

Let me know what you pick. J

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

ASK AMANDA: How to Avoid Using the Next Most Popular Name

Published

Amanda Barden

on August 22, 2009

in Ask Amanda, Celebrity Baby Names and Celebrity Names

. 8 Comments

j0440614

I’m back with another edition of ASK AMANDA. This is a topic that I know is on the mind of many soon-to-be-parents!

Ask Amanda

Q: My top baby name list used to include Emma, Jacob and Zachary. All of those names have become really popular now. I still love those names, but I don’t want my baby to have a name that’s too common. How do I avoid picking a name that will end up on the top of the charts?

A: You have really good taste in names. The trouble is that you share that good taste with a lot of other people. Emma, Jacob and Zachary are all great names!

Some parents want to pick popular names, some don’t mind one way or the other, but for those that do … how do you choose a cool baby name that you love while making sure it stays unique?

I don’t offer any guarantees, but here are some tip-offs that a name is on its way to becoming ultra-popular:

1. CELEBRITY NAME

If there’s a new celebrity on the scene with an interesting or unusual name, it’s likely the name will increase in popularity.

Ex: MILEY Cyrus (MILEY wasn’t even on the charts before 2007) and ISLA Fisher (before 2008 ISLA hadn’t been in the Top 1000 since 1908)

It’s also possible that the name will become so closely associated with the celebrity that your baby’s name will always bring to mind that celebrity.

Some celebs are so closely associated with their unique first names that they don’t even need a last name to be recognizable — think PARIS, TIGER, OPRAH and BEYONCE.

2. CELEBRITY BABY NAME

Similar to #1 above, if a celebrity picks an interesting baby name, you can almost guarantee it will become more popular.

Ex: BROOKLYN Beckham created a wave of baby Brooklyns. Interestingly, more for girls than boys. Possibly because the name’s parts — BROOK and LYN — are each more associated with girls’ names.

Now, note that I said interesting baby name, not odd baby name.

Celebrity baby names like KAL-EL Cage and PILOT INSPEKTOR Lee haven’t had a similar impact on parents-to-be because these names are just too off-beat for the average parent — but you didn’t need me to tell you that.

3. CHECK THE NAME’S HISTORY ON THE SOCIAL SECURITY WEBSITE

The Social Security website is a great tool for soon-to-be-parents. You can search names to see how popular they’ve been over the years.

It’s obvious that a name is popular if it’s already in the Top 25 most popular names, but what if it’s not? Are you parents seeking unique names safe then? Not necessarily…

If the name you’re considering wasn’t in the Top 500 list 5years ago, but then debuted at 300, moved up to 100 within a few years and this year is at 60, it’s a good bet that it might be even more popular next year.

Watch out for these fast risers! If a name has been increasing in popularity quickly, even though it hasn’t reached the top of the charts yet, there’s a good chance it will before long.

4. CHECK NAMES FROM POPULAR TV SHOWS, MOVIES AND BOOKS

Remember that scene from Splash starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah where Tom’s character tells Daryl’s character than she needs to pick a human name because no one can pronounce her mermaid name? He suggests a few names, including Jennifer, Joanie and Linda. Then she sees the street sign for Madison Avenue and says she wants her name to be Madison. It’s a funny moment in the movie because at that time in our history Madison wasn’t a first name and Tom’s character tells her so!

I suspect a lot of people who saw that movie in 1984 fell in love with the name Madison because it was different and interesting. Now 25 years later the name that wasn’t a name has become quite popular — it hit the Top 10 in 1997 and hasn’t looked back since.

So before you choose a name, have a look and see whether it’s the name of a character in a popular TV show, movie or book.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the name CULLEN grows in popularity now that Stephenie Meyer has used it as the surname for her popular vampire family and the dreamy Edward Cullen in her mega-popular Twilight series.

Is anyone else out there on Team Jacob or is it just me…?

All that said, you can’t completely safeguard yourself from all future popular names.

You could choose the perfect, unique name for your baby this year, but if the rumors are true and the next Sex and the City movie features Carrie and Mr. Big having a baby that they just happen to name the exact same perfect, unique name you chose this year, there isn’t a whole lot you can do — you will be ahead of the curve though for having chosen it first.

Good luck!

♥ 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

ASK AMANDA: “Ocean” Baby Names

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 26, 2009

in Ask Amanda and Baby Name Suggestions & Lists

. 1 Comment

Happy Friday!!! Here’s your weekly ASK AMANDA:

Ask Amanda

Q: I love the ocean and am looking for some good baby names that are related to water. Do you have any recommendations?

A: You’re in luck because a lot of interesting baby names are related to water one way or another.

I think you could go a few different ways with this. You could choose a name that says “water,” you could choose a name that has a water-related meaning or you could choose the name of a watery location you like.

Here are some suggestions:

OBVIOUS WATER NAMES

GIRL BABY NAMES

BAY

BROOKE

LAKE

OCEAN / OCEANA / OCÉANE

BOY BABY NAMES

BAY

BAYOU

LOCH

OCEAN / OCEANUS

RIVER

I especially like OCEAN and its variations for boys or girls. It’s somehow more sophisticated than nature names like RAINBOW and SUNSHINE, which tend to feel more like nicknames. I think BAY is a great middle name pick because it’s short and can easily be matched with other names.

BABY NAMES WITH WATER MEANINGS

GIRL BABY NAMES

ATHENA — Greek name meaning “from the sea”

GALIA —Hebrew name meaning “wave”

JORDANA — Hebrew name meaning “flowing down”

KYLA — Gaelic name meaning “narrow strait”

MARINA — Latin name meaning “sea”

MIHO — Japanese name meaning “beautiful bay”

RILLA — German name meaning “small stream”

SARITA — Hindi name meaning “river”

BOY BABY NAMES

BECK — English name meaning “stream”

DYLAN — Welsh name meaning “sea”

HURLEY — Irish name meaning “sea tide”

KAI —Hawaiian name meaning “sea”

MARINO — Latin name meaning “of the sea; sailor”

PHILMORE — Greek and Welsh name meaning “lover of the sea”

RIO — Spanish name meaning “river”

TAO — Chinese name meaning “wig waves”

YUKON — Native American name meaning “big river”

ZALE — Greek name meaning “strong sea”

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as names with water-meanings are concerned. If you want more choices, read the NATURE chapter of BABY NAMES MADE EASY.

WATERY LOCATION BABY NAMES

GIRL BABY NAMES

CORAL

NYASA

OCEANIA

PACIFICA

RIVIERA

VENICE

BOY BABY NAMES

CASPIAN

HUDSON

JORDAN

NILE

ONTARIO

RHINE

TIGRIS

These are the names of just a few bodies of water and places known for water. You can make a list of your favorite water spots and see if any of them will make a good baby name. There’s a world of possibilities out there!

Good luck finding that perfect baby name!

Happy naming,

♥ 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