Tag Archive for 'baby name book'

ASK AMANDA: A Vintage Name with a Good Meaning

Published
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Amanda Barden
on November 30, 2009
in Ask Amanda, Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips
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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 OF THE WEEK: Travel Names

Published
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Amanda Barden
on May 31, 2009
in Baby Name of the Week
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I just got home from vacation. I had a fabulous time and got a new purse (plus matching wallet!). What more could a girl ask for?

 

 

It’s always hard to come back to the real world, even when you really love your real world. So, in honor of my vacation and the start of our summer vacation season, the Baby Names of the Week are travel-themed!

 

Here are my picks for the week:

 

 

 

GIRLS’ NAME OF THE WEEK

 

ODESSA — Greek name meaning “odyssey”

 

 

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAME OF THE WEEK

 

FERNANDO — Spanish name meaning “daring journey”

 

 

 

 

I think both of these names have wonderful, charming meanings. And if your name is your destiny, then a baby with one of these names is sure to have an exciting journey through life.

 

 

 

 

 

CELEBRITY PICKS

 

There are several celebrities (and one famous doll) with names that mean “traveler” or something similar.

 

 

 

 

GIRLS’ NAMES

 

BARBARA Walters / BARBRA Streisand

 

BARBIE

BASIA Trzetzelewska

 

DORIS Day

 

GYPSY Rose Lee

 

RUMER Willis

 

WALLIS Simpson

 

WANDA Sykes

 

ZENA Grey

 

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAMES

 

ERROL Flynn

NESTOR Carbonell

 

ROMEO Beckham (son of Victoria and David Beckham)

 

TRAVIS Barker

 

TRENT Reznor

 

WENDELL Pierce

 

 

 

You can find all these names, and many others, in the Travel chapter of Baby Names Made Easy.

 

 

I hope you get to take a vacation very soon. I’m already looking forward to my next one. Where should I go…any recommendations? Post a comment!

 

 

♥ 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.

BABY NAMES OF THE WEEK: Memorable Names for Memorial Day

Published
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Amanda Barden
on May 24, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Name of the Week, Celebrity Baby Names and Holiday Baby Names
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In honor of Memorial Day, the Baby Names of the Week are military-themed. When I sat down and actually compiled all the names for Baby Names Made Easy, I remember being surprised at how many names fell into the Military & Patriotism chapter. The boys’ section is longer than the girls’, but there are great names for both.

 

Here are my picks for the week:

 

GIRLS’ NAME OF THE WEEK

 

EVANIA — Irish name meaning “young warrior”

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAME OF THE WEEK

 

ARCHER — English name meaning “bowman”

 

 

 

 

CELEBRITY PICKS

 

There are also quite a few celebrities and celebrity babies whose names fall into this category:

 

 

GIRLS’ NAMES

 

ASHANTI

 

DAKOTA Fanning

 

EMILYDeschanel

 

EMMA Watson

 

HARLOW Winter Kate Madden (daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden)

 

MARSMerkaba (daughter of Erykah Badu and Jay Electronica)

 

MARTINA McBride

 

SCOUT Willis

 

TYRA Banks

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAMES

 

BARRON William Trump (son of Melania and Donald Trump)

 

BARRYManilow

 

CEDRIC the Entertainer

 

CHAD Lowe

 

DENZIL Washington

 

GUNNAR Nelson

 

LANCE Bass

 

MARKConsuelos

 

MILOVentimiglia

 

RIDER Strong

 

VIGGOMortensen

 

 

Happy Memorial Day! Amid the barbecues, movies, trips for ice cream and general holiday spirit take a minute to consider these military-themed names and let me know your favorite. Enjoy your three-day weekend!

 

♥ 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.

 

 

San Diego Family Magazine Review!

Published
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Amanda Barden
on May 23, 2009
in Book Reviews and Website Announcements
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Eileen Cornish, a freelance writer for San Diego Family Magazine, wrote a nice review of Baby Names Made Easy for the magazine’s spring/summer edition.

“I have three sons but I never tire of reading baby name books. In Baby Names Made Easy($15, Simon and Schuster, 2009) author Amanda Elizabeth Barden organizes more than 20,000 traditional to trendy names into categories ranging from Nature to Numbers and Animals to Insects. With more than 40 chapters, the book organizes names by category with meanings or definitions listed after each. Perhaps more people would name their girls Agatha if they knew it meant good and honorable in Greek, or Alma, meaning nourishing and kind in Latin. How about Thaddeus, meaning beloved and adored in Arabic?”

You can check out the whole article here and the other books she reviewed!

 

♥  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.

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day (plus a few related baby names)

Published
by
Amanda Barden
on May 10, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Holiday Baby Names
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Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms, soon-to-be-moms and most especially Happy Mother’s Day to my mom!

 

In celebration of motherhood, I’ve decided to highlight some of the names that mean “mother” or, in one case, something pretty similar (see Boys’ section below).

 

 

        GIRLS’ NAMES

 

Amlika

 

Janikaa

 

Jarita

 

Maia, Maya

 

Neith

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAMES

 

Quigley

 

 

 

Quigley means “on the maternal side” — I was quite excited to find at least one boys’ name I could add to my list.

 

All these names, and many more, can be found in the Heritage & Family chapter in Baby Names Made Easy. Check it out!

 

I’m a little undecided about whether “mother” is an odd meaning for a baby’s name or whether it’s a charming tribute to motherhood. What do you think? Post a comment and let me know.

 

♥  Amanda

 

 

To Tell or Not to Tell? When to Share Your Unborn Baby’s Name and When to Keep it to Yourself (with bonus naming quiz—see how well you do!)

Published
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Amanda Barden
on May 2, 2009
in Baby Naming Tips
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We’ve all heard this story a hundred times. Soon-to-be-parents have decided on the perfect name for their baby. They tell a relative or friend and the response they get back is lukewarm or even outright negative.

 

“I knew someone with that name growing up and really hated him!”

 

“You’re going to name her what?”

 

“That’s an OK name, but have you ever considered…”

 

It’s hard to know whether these people are mean, misguided or just lack social skills. Regardless, it puts you in a tough position. Even if you love the name, the negative comments might nag at the back of your mind and cause you to second guess yourself or even change your mind entirely. If you wait until your baby is born to reveal the name, people will be less likely to make a negative comment because they know it’s too late to change your mind. So, if you’re worried that another person’s negative opinions could bother you, it’s probably best to keep your picks to yourself until after the birth.

 

On the other hand, maybe you don’t have the creative mind of a fourth grader looking for a good joke. If you don’t, you might not be able to spot the pitfalls of some name choices. Read these names and see if you can spot the potential for teasing:

 

  1. Justin Case
  2. Penelope Inez Garcia
  3. Daphne Velma Jones
  4. Isaiah Penn Daly
  5. Ian Kent Reid
  6. Renee Isabella Parker
  7. Robin Banks

SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS

 

 

If you only got one or two of those correct, there might be some benefits to sharing your name choices with someone who has a more juvenile sense of humor.

 

Whether you decide to tell or not to tell, remember that it’s your baby and you get to choose the name. Don’t be bullied into making a decision you won’t be happy with!

 

Do you think it’s better to tell or not to tell? Post a comment and let me know!

 

 

♥  Amanda

 

 

 

ANSWERS:

 

  1. Sounds like “just in case”
  2. Initials spell PIG
  3. Daphne and Velma are characters in Scooby Doo
  4. Initials are I.P. Daly or “I pee daily”
  5. Sounds like “Ian can’t read” or “I can’t read”
  6. Initials are R.I.P.
  7. Sounds like “robbing banks”

 

 

 

 

ARBOR DAY — A CELEBRATION OF BABY NAMES!

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Amanda Barden
on April 23, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists
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Arbor Day is the day we celebrate babies named after trees. Not officially, of course, but unofficially here on my blog.

There are some celebrities out there named after trees:

Ashton Kutcher
Sylvester Stallone
Estée Lauder
Björk
Burl Ives
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorne Green
Axel Rose
Lief Garrett
Yves Saint Laurent

 

There’s also a few celebrity babies whose names have tree-meanings:

Hazel, daughter of Julia Roberts & Danny Moder

Evalyne, daughter of Cassidy Black & Dierks Bentley

Oliver, son of Jennifer Lynn Stone & Fred Savage

Oliver, son of Allison & Taylor Hawkins

Olivia, daughter of Joely Fisher & Christopher Duddy

Willow, daughter of Michelle Monaghan & Peter White

 

If you like the idea of nature names, there are some really great tree names to consider on this Arbor Day. Here is a list of some names whose meanings are related to trees:

 

GIRL NAMES

Alani, Aspen, Ayla, Chan, Elana, Estée, Geneva, Hazel, Holly, Idra, Kaya, Laurel, Lina, Matsuko, Olivia, Samara, Verena, Willow

 

BOY NAMES

Ashton, Axel, Barker, Cormac, Derry, Elan, Ellery, Ewan, Hollis, Lennox, Lorenzo, Oakley, Oleander, Oliver, Palmer, Rowan, Silas, Vernon, York

 

All of these names (and many more!) can be found in the Flowers, Trees & Living Things chapter in my book. Check it out!

Post a comment and let me know about your favorite Arbor Day name! Also, if you can, plant a tree and celebrate Arbor Day the way it was truly intended. Click here for the official Arbor Day website.

 

♥  Amanda

 

 

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! AND LONG LIVE THE NAME “ELIZABETH,” TOO!

Published
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Amanda Barden
on April 21, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists
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Today is Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, so I say — Long Live the Queen!

I also say Long Live “Elizabeth.” And I’m not just saying that because it’s my middle name. Few names have had as long and popular a life as Elizabeth. Over the last 120 years, it has consistently ranked in the Top 25 Most Popular Girls’ Names (except for 1945 where it ranked 26th, which is pretty darn close).

Here’s the breakdown of Elizabeth’s popularity according to Social Security:

1888: 3rd
1898: 7th
1908: 7th
1918: 9th
1928: 14th
1938: 17th
1948: 25th
1958: 22nd
1968: 17th
1978: 14th
1988: 10th
1998: 10th
2007: 10th

Those are pretty impressive numbers when you think about it. Most names come in and out of vogue over time, especially girls’ names. Florence, Ethel and Bertha were all in the Top 10 with Elizabeth in the 1890s, but there probably aren’t too many expectant parents out there with any of those names on their short list. So, for one name to still sound attractive to our modern ears is pretty impressive.

Now, that’s all really interesting, but there’s something even more interesting about the name Elizabeth than its enduring popularity. I think what really sets Elizabeth apart from most other names is the staggering number of variations and nicknames it’s generated. Few other names even come close to the number of nicknames Elizabeths have to choose from. Many of these derivatives have even managed to escape pet name territory to become full-fledged names in their own right.

First, you have the obvious nicknames — Eliza, Liz, Beth, Liza — simple shortenings of the full name. Then you have a few slightly more creative shortenings that leave out a letter or so in between — Lizbet and Lizbeth. If you spell Elizabeth with an “s” (Elisabeth) you get Elisa, Lisa, Lisbet and Lisbeth.

Then you have my favorite category of Elizabeth nicknames. The ones you don’t see coming at all — Babette, Bess, Betsy, Bette, Buffy, Tetsie and Tibby. Tetsie’s a personal favorite of mine, but you would probably have needed to be a friend of mine in college to appreciate it yourself. (Hi Tetsie!)

Elizabeth has some really great International variations, too.  Here are some of my favorite ones:

FRENCH: Elise
GERMAN: Bettina
ITALIAN: Elisabetta
LATVIAN: Lizina
RUSSIAN: Elsavetta
SCOTTISH: Elsbeth
SPANISH: Isabel, Isabella, Liseta

I’m the sort of person who really likes options in a name — a name that works for an adult or child and has great nickname possibilities. Elizabeth fits that to a tee. I suspect that’s why it’s remained so popular over the years.

Why do you think Elizabeth has been such a favorite for parents? Post a comment and let me know what you think of the name Elizabeth.

 

♥  Amanda

 

 

Baby Names of the Day & Golden Gate Park

Published
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Amanda Barden
on April 19, 2009
in My Life
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 Today was one of those rare days in San Francisco where temperatures soared all the way up into the 80s!

San Francisco isn’t known for its warm weather, so I took full advantage and walked over to Golden Gate Park. It seemed like nearly half of the city was gathered there to soak up the sun, play Frisbee and people watch.

I’m never one for soaking up the sun, so I found myself a nice place in the shade and plopped down with my iced caramel macchiato (delicious!) and spread out all my blog writing supplies (notebook, cute pink pen, Social Security printouts, Baby Names Made Easy, cute blue pen). I was determined to get some good work done…

Turns out it was kind of hard to concentrate though because the people watching was just too good. Hands down the best conversation snippet I overheard went like this:

GIRL #1: …so he goes and has a baby and then decides to totally desire me.

GIRL #2: I don’t get him at all.

GIRL #1: Me neither!

(Girl #1, if you’re reading this, don’t waste your time trying to figure him out. He’s definitely not worth it!)

There was also a pretty talented group of Frisbee players who managed to hold drinks in one hand and play Frisbee with the other. Never having been good at Frisbee myself, it was sort of riveting to watch.

Anyhow, the beautiful weather did get me thinking about springtime names and I made some picks for Baby Name of the Day:

 

GIRL NAME OF THE DAY:

ABRIELLE — a French version of the name April

 

BOY NAME OF THE DAY:

KELL — Scandinavian for “spring”

 

I think these are both cool name picks. They each strike that balance a lot of parents are looking for these days — not too popular, but not too weird. You can find out more about each of these names in the Seasons & Time chapter of my book.

How do you like the Names of the Day? Love them or think the sun’s gone to my head? Post a comment and let me know (I also accept Frisbee tips)!

  

♥  Amanda

   

 

 

Baby Names Made Easy now on TWITTER!

Published
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Amanda Barden
on April 18, 2009
in Website Announcements
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I decided it was time to join the Twitter world. I’m in the process of figuring out how it works. I think it’s going to be fun. You can find me by searching my name or my ID, babynameauthor. Follow me on Twitter!

More to come soon…just waiting to hear what Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams named their new son!

Post a comment and let me know what kind of info I should cover on Twitter.

 

♥  Amanda