Tag Archive for 'Baby Name Suggestions'

The World Cup of Names: International Options for Baby Namers

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More and more parents are choosing International names for their children. Sporting events like the World Cup give us an opportunity to see a bunch of those names in action.

 

Here’s a sampler of some of the names you might want to consider (and a few you probably shouldn’t) along with the county the player represents:

 

COOL NAMES

DARIO Vidosic (Australia)

SERGIO Romero (Argentina)

GUY Ndy (Cameroon)

RODRIGO Millar (Chile)

KOLO Toure (Ivory Coast)

HUGO Lloris (France)

NIKOS Spiropoulos (Greece)

KEIJI Tamada (Japan)

RAFAEL Marquez (Mexico)

DIRK Kuyt (Netherlands)

DEMY de Zeeuw (Netherlands)

TAYE Taiwo (Nigeria)

ROQUE Santa Cruz (Paraguay)

BRUNO Alves (Portugal)

ERIK Jendrisek (Slovakia)

MARKO Suler (Slovenia)

 

VINTAGE NAMES

LIONEL Messi (Argentina)

SEBASTIAN Bassong (Cameroon)

ISMAEL Fuentes (Chile)

HUMBERTO Suazo (Chile)

FABIAN Orellana (Chile)

EMMANUEL Eboue (Ivory Coast)

JESPER Christiansen (Denmark)

EMILE Heskey (England)

GARETH Barry (England)

FLORENT Malouda (France)

CEDRIC Carasso (France)

JEROME Boateng (Germany)

IBRAHIM Ayew (Ghana)

OSCAR Garcia (Honduras)

EDGAR Alvarez (Honduras)

DOMENICO Criscito (Italy)

EFRAIN Juarez (Mexico)

ISRAEL Castro (Mexico)

NIGEL de Jong (Netherlands)

RODOLFO Gamarra (Paraguay)

GERARD Pique (Spain)

IGNACIO Gonzalez (Uruguay)

 

TRADITIONAL NAMES

MICHAEL Beauchamp (Australia)

MARTIN Jorgensen (Denmark)

JAMES Milner (England)

ROBERT Green (England)

PHILIPP Lahm (Germany)

JONATHAN Mensah (Ghana)

ALBERTO Gilardino (Italy)

GREGORY van der Wiel (Netherlands)

VLADIMIR Stojkovic (Serbia)

BERNARD Parker (South Africa)

STEVEN Pienaar (South Africa)

FERNANDO Llorente (Spain)

BENJAMIN Huggel (Switzerland)

WALTER Gargano (Uruguay)

STUART Holden (USA)

CLARENCE Goodson (USA)

 

HARD TO PRONOUNCE NAMES

DIDIER Zokora (Ivory Coast)

DJIBRIL Cisse (France)

MESUT Oezil (France)

PIOTR Trochowski (Germany)

KWADWO Asamoah (Ghana)

GIOURKAS Seitaridis (Greece)

CUAUHTEMOC Blanco (Mexico)

ZDRAVKO Kuzmanovic (Serbia)

NEJC Pecnik (Slovenia)

SIPHIWE Tshabalala (South Africa)

CESC Fabregas (Spain)

 

UNISEX NAMES

ARIEL Garce (Argentina)

JEAN Beausejour (Chile)

ASHLEY Cole (England)

SIDNEY Govou (France)

PATRICE Evra (France)

MORGAN de Sanctis (Italy)

SIMONE Pepe (Italy)

ROBIN van Persie (Netherlands)

JASMIN Handanovic (Slovenia)

JOAN Capdevila (Spain)

 

NICKNAME NAMES

MAXI Rodriquez (Argentina)

TONI Kroos (Germany)

SAMI Khedira (Germany)

SULLEY Muntari (Ghana)

GEORGIE Welcome (Honduras)

JONNY Magallon (Mexico)

TIAGO (Portugal)

PEPE Reina (Spain)

JOZY Altidore (USA)

ROBBIE Findlay (USA)

 

UNIQUE NAMES

GONZALO Higuain (Argentina)

THIAGO Silva (Brazil)

AURELIEN Chedjou (Cameroon)

GAETAN Bong (Cameroon)

YAYA Toure (Ivory Coast)

LEDLEY King (England)

ARNE Friedrich (Germany)

HOLGER Badstuber (Germany)

ASAMOAH Gyan (Ghana)

PRINCE Tagoe (Ghana)

VANGELIS Moras (Greece)

ATHANASIOS Prittas (Greece)

GIANLUIGI Buffon (Italy)

JUSTO Villar (Paraguay)

DRAGAN Mrdja (Serbia)

KORNEL Salata (Slovakia)

ELVEDIN Dzinic (Slovenia)

BRANKO Ilic (Slovenia)

SURPRISE Moriri (South Africa)

TRANQUILLO Barnetta (Switzerland)

EDINSON Cavani (Uruguay)

DaMARCUS Beasley (USA)

HERCULEZ Gomez (USA)

 

STYLISH NAMES

MIKKEL Beckmann (Denmark)

BASTIAN Schweinsteiger (Germany)

CHRISTOS Patsatzoglou (Greece)

LEONARDO Bonucci (Italy)

CRISTIANO Ronaldo (Portugal)

NIKOLA Zigic (Serbia)

MAXIMILIANO Pereira (Uruguay)

 

DOUBLE NAMES

ANDRE PIERRE Gignac (France)

JULIO CESAR Caceres (Paraguay)

JUAN MANUEL Mata (Spain)

 

MODERN NAMES

LANDRY Nguemo (Cameroon)

LEE Addy (Ghana)

HENDRY Thomas (Honduras)

WESLEY Sneijder (Netherlands)

RORY Fallon (New Zealand)

CLINT Dempsey (USA)

 

POPULAR NAMES

NICKLAS Bendtner (Denmark)

LUKAS Podolski (Germany)

ISAAC Vorsah (Ghana)

DOMINIC Adiyiah (Ghana)

GIOVANI dos Santos (Mexico)

RYAN Babel (Netherlands)

LEO Bertos (New Zealand)

AUSTIN Eijde (Nigeria)

LANDON Donovan (USA)

 

SURNAME NAMES

WILSON Palacios (Honduras)

WINSTON (New Zealand)

DICKSON Etuhu (Nigeria)

BROWN Ideye (Nigeria)

NELSON Valdez (Paraguay)

MacBETH Sibaya (South Africa)

GELSON Fernandes (Switzerland)

 

SOURCE: www.fifa.com

 

The most surprising name? Obviously Surprise Moriri. My favorite name though is MacBeth Sibaya. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s quite cool. I’m not recommending it for your baby, but as a name nerd, I love it.

 

What are your favorites?

 

Happy naming,

  Amanda

 

 

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

●Join the free BABY NAMES MADE EASY newsletter list for the latest baby name news and tips from my website

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

 

 

GET YOUR OWN COPY OF BABY NAMES MADE EASY

Amazon

Kindle

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Indie Bound

 

 

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!

 

 

For more information on baby names and their meanings get your copy of

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

 

 

 

Survivor: Heroes, Villains & Baby Names

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Most people I’ve talked to agree that this was one of the best seasons of Survivor ever. Maybe it’s because they brought back some of the best players to ever play the game.

 

My fantasy finale was Rob v. Colby. It’s probably a good thing that didn’t happen though because I would have been tied up in knots trying to decide who to root for. As it was, I liked the ending. I thought Sandra played a smart game and she was my favorite of the three.

 

What did you think of the finale?

 

Let’s get to the reason we’re all here…Will Survivor influence baby naming? It wouldn’t be the first time. After Colby’s first season in Australia in early 2001, the name got a boost – going from #233 in 2000 to #99 in 2001. Could it happen again?

 

Here are the names of this season’s Survivor, in the order they left the show:

 

 

SURVIVOR BOOT LIST

 

JESSICA “SUGAR” Kiper – Sugar is a quirky nickname, but not a given name

 

STEPHENIE LaGROSSA – This is a twist on traditionally spelled Stephanie (a twist she shares with Twilight powerhouse Stephenie Meyer)

 

RANDY BAILEY

 

CIRIE FIELDS – I adore the name Cirie and would love to see it catch on

 

TOM WESTMAN

 

TYSON APOSTOL – very stylish right now

 

JAMES CLEMENT

 

ROB MARIANO

 

BENJAMIN “COACH” WADE – I bet most people don’t know his name is Benjamin. I don’t think many people will start naming their kids Coach

 

COURTNEY YATES

 

JAMES “J. T.” THOMAS – initial names are cool these days and J. T. might be the coolest among them

 

AMANDA KIMMEL – great name (though I am biased)

 

CANDICE WOODCOCK

 

DANIELLE DiLORENZO

 

RUPERT BONEHAM – one of the coolest names in Survivor history

 

COLBY DONALDSON – it had an impact before, maybe it will again

 

JERRI MANTHEY

 

RUSSELL HANTZ

 

PARVATI SHALLOW – without a doubt one of the most interesting names in Survivor history

 

SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE

 

 

Does anyone else like the name Cirie? I just love it.

 

Which names do you think could have the biggest impact on baby naming?

 

Happy naming,

  Amanda

 

 

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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

 

 

GET YOUR OWN COPY OF BABY NAMES MADE EASY

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Borders

Indie Bound

 

 

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!

 

 

For more information on baby names and their meanings get your copy of

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

 

 

 

 

TV Moms with Awesome Names

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TV Moms provide more than just good (sometimes bad…) examples of how to be a mom and raise a family. Some of them also provide baby name inspiration. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are some of the coolest TV Mom names:

 

 

1950s

June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver

Lucy Ricardo from I Love Lucy

 

 

1960s

Morticia Addams from The Addams Family - this name is awesome, but not one I’d recommend trying at home

Lily Munster from The Munsters

Samantha Stevens from Bewitched

Jane Jetson from The Jetsons

 

 

1970s

Olivia Walton from The Waltons

Florida Evans from Goodtimes

Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie

 

 

1980s

Elyse Keaton from Family Ties – a spelling variation on the traditional Elise

Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show

Kate Mcardle from Kate and Allie

Murphy Brown from Murphy Brown

Maggie Seaver from Growing Pains

Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls

 

 

1990s

Vivian Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Miranda Hobbs from Sex and the City

Charlotte … from Sex and the City

Kitty Forman from That 70s Show  I was torn about what section to put this in, it’s a 90s show about the 70s…

Carmela Soprano from The Sopranos — I adore the name Carmela

 

 

2000s

Lorelai Gilmore from The Gilmore Girls

Bree Van De Camp from Desperate Housewives

Martha Kent from Smallville

Betty Draper from Mad Men — again this is a show about the 60s, but it’s filmed in the 2000s

 

Did I miss your favorite? Post a comment and let me know your favorite TV Mom name.

 

 

And a big Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there – especially mine!

 

 

Happy naming,

  Amanda

 

 

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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

 

 

GET YOUR OWN COPY OF BABY NAMES MADE EASY

Amazon

Kindle

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Borders

Indie Bound

 

 

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!

 

 

For more information on baby names and their meanings get your copy of

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

 

 

 

 

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

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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?

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

 

 

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!

 

 

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.

 

 

GET YOUR OWN COPY OF BABY NAMES MADE EASY

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Borders

Indie Bound

 

 

For more information on baby names and their meanings get your copy of

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

 

 

Top Girls’ Names in Quebec 2009

 

j0362634Quebec has released the Top Baby Names for 2009. It’s a great list full of beautiful names with a French twist.

 

I’ll talk about the GIRLS’ NAMES today and the BOYS’ NAMES tomorrow. Read on and enjoy.

 

 

TOP 10 GIRLS’ NAMES

  

LÉA

FLORENCE

EMMA

ROSALIE

JADE

JULIETTE

CAMILLE

GABRIELLE

MAIKA

MIA

 

 

These are really beautiful names, with a delightful French twist. Many of these names are popular here in the U.S. EMMA ranked #1 last year. Others in the Top 100 are MIA (#14) and GABRIELLE (#79). The more common U.S. spelling of LÉA is on our list – LEAH ranked #41.

 

The most surprising name on this list is FLORENCE at #2. I’m not sure it’s ready for a comeback yet in the U.S. Give it a couple generations and it might be back, but today it sounds out-of-date. Nickname FLO doesn’t fare any better.

 

What do you think of MAIKA? It’s not on the U.S. list at all. I think it’s pretty and, at least in the U.S., it would be unique. Do you think it could catch on?

 

 

There were some other pretty picks in the Top 500 I wanted to share with you.

 

More from the Top 500:

 

ADELE

AGATHE

ALESSIA

ALEXANNE

AMELIANE

ANGELIE

AURELIE

BIANCA

CAMELIA

CLEMENTINE

CORALIE

DELPHINE

ELODIE

EUGENIE

EVANGELINE

FELICIA

FREDERIQUE

HELENA

JOLIANNE

LEONIE

MAELIE

MAEVA

MARINE

MELINA

MILA

NADINE

NAOMIE

OCEANE

RAPHAELLE

ROSABELLE

ROXANNE

SANDRINE

SIMONE

SIRENE

VALENTINA

VIOLETTE

VIRGINIE

ZARA

 

 

 

There were also quite a few hyphenated names in the Top 500. I’ve always been intrigued by hyphenated names, so here are some of them ones from the list.

 

Hyphenated Names from the Top 500:

 

ANNE-FREDERIQUE

ANNE-MARIE

ANNE-SOPHIE

AUDREY-ANNE

CHARLIE-ROSE

EMMA-ROSE

EMY-ROSE

EVE-MARIE

KELLY-ANN

LAURIE-ANNE

LEA-MAUDE

LEA-ROSE

LILY-ANNE

LILY-ROSE

MARIE-ANGE

MARIE-EVE

MARIE-JEANNE

MARIE-LAURENCE

MARIE-PIER

MARIE-SOLEIL

MIA-ROSE

ROSE-MARIE

SARAH-EVE

SARAH-JADE

SARAH-JEANNE

SARAH-MAUDE

 

 

How do you feel about hyphenated names? I like them. I think they’re a good way to use popular names, while giving them a unique spin at the same time. It’s also a good alternative for parents who can’t narrow their favorites down to just one name.

 

 

For more on Quebec’s top names:

http://www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca/en/enfants/Pages/banque_prenoms.aspx

 

 

Check back tomorrow for the BOY’S LIST.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Cool Names from the 2010 Edgar Nominees

 

j0321206Do you like scary mysteries? I do. I’m always eager to see what books are nominated for the Edgar awards so I can add even more books to my ever-growing piles of Books-I-Want-To-Read.

 

This year, some of the authors have pretty noteworthy names. Here are the names I thought were most interesting:

 

 

2010 Edgar Nominees

 

MALLA Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die (Nominated for Best Novel)

 

SOPHIE Littlefield, A Bad Day for Sorry (Nominated for Best First Novel by an American Author)

 

ATTICA Locke, Black Water Rising (Nominated for Best First Novel by an American Author)

 

L.C. Tyler, The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice (Nominated for Best Paperback Original)*

 

LANEY Salisbury and ALY Sujo, Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (Nominated for Best Fact Crime)

 

R.A. Scotti, Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa (Nominated for Best Fact Crime)*

 

P.D. James, Talking About Detective Fiction (Nominated for Best Critical/Biographical Work)*

 

DENE Low, Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone (Nominated for Best Young Adult) – Petronella is an awesome name too!

 

MAC Barnett, The Case of the Mistaken Identity, (Nominated for Best Juvenile)

 

 

*I’ve done some research to figure out what these initial names stand for. Here’s what I found:

 

L. C. Tyler – According to Wikipedia the L stands for Len. I couldn’t confirm it on his website though. I did learn that he has a Border Collie named Thistle. Cute. For more: http://www.lctyler.com/

 

 

R. A. Scotti – R.A. stands for Rita Anjelica. The biography says that she decided to go by R. A. because her field was dominated by male writers so she decided to pose as a man. For more: http://rascotti.com/events.htm

 

 

P. D. James – P. D. stands for Phyllis Dorothy. For more: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pdjames/abouttheauthor.html

 

 

For more on the Edgar Nominated books:

2010 Edgar Nominees

 

 

Do you have any favorites from this list? Books or names, actually. I like to discuss names, of course, but I like book recommendations, too.

 

 

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: Baby Names with Religious Definitions

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Welcome to ASK AMANDA. I have a question about baby names with religious meanings.

 

Ask Amanda

Q:    We’re about to have a baby and have decided to use names with Biblical or religious definitions. One name we like is Nathan which means “given by God.” Do you have any other recommendations for boys or girls?

KATE, San Jose, CA

 

A:    There are basically two kinds of religious names – the names of people featured in religious texts and names that have religious definitions. You said you like names with religious definitions, so you’ve come to the right place!

 

Here’s a list of baby names you can consider that have great meanings:

 

 

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

 

ANNALIESE – combination of the names Anna (God has favored me) and Liese (God is my oath)

ELIZABETH – God is my oath

EVANGELINE – gospel

GABRIELLA – God is my strength

HANNAH – God has favored me

JOSEPHINE – God shall add

 

 

 

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

 

CHRISTOPHER – Christ bearer

ELLIOT – the Lord is my God

GABRIEL – God is my strength

ISAIAH – God is my salvation

JEREMIAH – may God praise him

THEODORE – God’s gift

 

 

For more names, get a copy of my book BABY NAMES MADE EASY – there’s a whole chapter devoted to names with religious definitions. 

You can also read my other posts about Biblical Baby Names.

 

 

 

 

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: Can you suggest some baby names?

 

 

ph03379iWelcome to ASK AMANDA. I have a question from a Twitter follower. Have you found me on Twitter yet?

 

Ask Amanda

Q:    First of all, thanks for the response to my naming inquiry on Twitter (I’m @busylilmonkey).

 

Secondly, if you have any others to throw into the mix, I’d love to hear them (my husband and I have the hardest time choosing names). I do love Caroline but somehow my husband isn’t as thrilled (plus I have a close friend named Caroline). I also like Maeve because it’s different yet not totally weird; but do you think people would know how to pronounce it or often spell it incorrectly?

 

My first daughter’s name is Arden, so aiming for something along that vein (not common but not weird). Our last name starts with “B,” but I’m not a big fan of alliteration in names in general, so I’m avoiding B names.

 

Thanks for any help in advance! AMBER, Marietta, GA

 

A:    Thanks for writing to me. I’m glad you liked my Twitter suggestions.

 

 

For everyone’s reference, here’s the tweet in question:

 

ELODIE MAEVE CAROLINE For more http://ow.ly/1mIPpF Good luck! RT @busylilmonkey: still struggling with baby girl names. Any suggestions?

 

If you like Caroline, but your husband’s not crazy about it, consider Carolina instead.  It’s similar to Caroline, of course, but has a more feminine flair to it. Carolina also sounds a little more unique because it hasn’t been as common as Caroline over the years.

 

Maeve…will people know how to pronounce and spell it? That’s a good question. I suspect your instincts are correct here and that some people will not. Of course, you run into the same spelling problem with a very familiar name like Caroline. Some people will guess Caroline and others will guess Carolyn.

 

If you’re still looking for more names, here are ten more baby names to consider that have a similar style to your first daughter’s name, Arden – I left out all “B” options, as requested!

 

 

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

 

ANNABELLE

DAPHNE

GENEVA

OLIVE

PEYTON

PIPER

RAMONA

SAVANNAH

SYDNEY

WILLA

 

 

Calling all readers! Do you have any other baby name suggestions for Amber?

 

 

Good luck! Please let me know what name you end up choosing.

 

 

 

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

 

 

NAME IN THE NEWS: Ke$ha

 

j0445004Let’s talk about singer Ke$ha. She’s making quite a splash these days and she has a very unique name (obviously!). Do you think it has the power to influence parents?

 

Most parents would not be so daring as to spell their baby’s name with a symbol. So duplicating “Ke$ha” is probably out. However, there’s been a lot of buzz about how to pronounce her name. When you type “ke$ha’s name” into Google, the search prompter even suggests things like “how do you pronunce ke$ha’s name” and “how do you say ke$ha’s name.” Clearly, a lot of people are curious about the name.

 

For the record, Ke$ha is pronounced “kesh-uh,” which is quite pretty, I think. I suspect some parents out there will agree and we might see more baby Keshas in the future. What do you think?

 

I did a quick search on the Social Security website and “Kesha” was on the charts between 1970 and 1982. The highest it ever got was #524 in 1974.

 

According to wikipedia, Ke$ha’s full name is Kesha Rose Sebert. Kesha Rose is a very nice first/middle combo.

 

What do you think of the name Kesha? Do you think we’ll see more baby Keshas running around in the next few years?

 

 

For more info on Ke$ha:

http://www.keshasparty.com/us/home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kesha

 

 

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

 

 

 

10 Top Old Testament Baby Names

 

 

CB064037Happy Holidays to everyone celebrating Easter and Passover! I’ve put together a Top 10 list of names from the Old Testament in honor of the holidays.

 

 

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

 

ABIGAIL

DINAH

EVE

NAOMI

RUTH

 

 

 

BOYS’ BABY NAMES 

 

ABRAHAM

ELIJAH

MOSES

NOAH

SAMSOM

 

 

 

 

 

B

ABY NAMING TIP:

Before settling on a Biblical baby name be sure and research the namesake and the name’s meaning to make sure that you like what the name stands for. You can learn about name meanings in my book BABY NAMES MADE EASY.

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re interested in more Biblical baby names, check out these posts:

 

BIBLICAL BABY NAMES: Part 1, Girls’ Names

 

BIBLICAL BABY NAMES: Part 2, Boys’ Names

 

 

 

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