Tag Archive for 'boy baby names'

The Family Jewels

Published

on October 26, 2010

. 1 Comment

GEMS FROM YOUR FAMILY TREE

One of the best places for baby name inspiration is your family tree. Not only does choosing a name from your roots create a nice family connection, but there are some really interesting names popular in years gone past. It’s likely you’re not inspired by the Sharons, Marys, Larrys and Ronalds common in the current grandparent set. But go back another generation or two and you may just find a hidden gem you fall in love with.

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NO FAMILY TREE, NO PROBLEM

Don’t have access to a large family tree? Or do you just not like what you find there? Don’t fret. Social Security to the rescue! The Social Security website is one of my favorite name research tools. They publish lists of popular names by year. I went back 100 years and found some cool names from the Top 500:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

BEATRICE

CLEMENTINE

CORA

CORDELIA

DAISY

DIXIE

ESTELLA

ETTA

EUGENIA

EVANGELINE

FERN

FRANCES

GARNET

GENEVA

GENEVIEVE

GEORGIA

HAZEL

ILA – one of my faves!

IVY

JOSEPHINE

LYDIA

MAE

MAGNOLIA

MAYBELLE

MINERVA

MINNIE

NADINE

NAOMI

NEVA

NORA

OLIVE

OPAL

PEARL

PRISCILLA

RAMONA

ROSALIE

ROSELLA

STELLA

VIOLA

VIVIAN

WILLA

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

ALONZO

AMOS

ARCHIE

BOOKER

BUSTER

DOYLE

EVERETT

FELIX

GRADY

GROVER

HARLEY

HARRISON

HARVEY

HENRY

HOLLIS

ISAAC

JASPER

LEO

LEVI

LORENZO

LOUIS

MACK

MONROE

MOSE

OSCAR

OTIS

OTTO

REX

ROCCO

ROSCOE

SIMON

THEODORE

VAN

WILEY

WILLIS

WILSON

SURPRISING FINDS

While going through the Top 500 from 1910, I found some surprising names on the list. Mary was #238…on the boy’s list! Other names that are typically used for girl’s today that also made the boy’s list were Cleo, Clair, Dee, Ruth, Sandy, Ethel and Lacy. Also on the list were King, Major, Sterling, Noble, Prince, Judge, Junior, General and Royal. The most unexpected of all (other than Mary) … Lucious!

Some of the interesting picks from the girl’s list were Willie, Goldie, Effie, Ollie, Johnnie, Lessie, Birdie, Dessie, Frankie, Billie, Merle, Cecil, Jimmie, Eddie, Dovie, Artie, Mittie, Georgie, Floy, Era, Tommie, Robbie, Easter, Lovie and …. John!

I wonder if there was a family with a son named Mary and a daughter named John…

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

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

The “A”s Have It: What Names Made the Grade?

Published

Amanda Barden

on September 9, 2010

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Baby Naming Tips

. 0 Comments

“A” POPULAR LETTER

Parents love the letter “A,” even more than you might think. Long before visions of straight A’s on report cards are even in the picture, parents are choosing names that start with the letter “A.” Are they subtly urging their children toward those straight As? Hard to say, but here’s the breakdown…These are the “A” names that landed in the Top 20 in 2009 along with their ranks:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

AVA = #5

ABIGAIL = #8

ADDISON = #12

ALEXIS = #13

ALYSSA = #19

ASHLEY = #20

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

ALEXANDER = #4

ANTHONY = #10

AIDEN = #12

ANDREW = #15

APPEALING “A” ALTERNATIVES

If you’re like most of the parents I talk to, you’re looking for a unique name that’s not weird. That perfect blend of uncommon, but easy to spell and pronounce. If that’s you, stay away from the names in above list and consider these “A” names instead:

GIRLS’ BABY NAMES

ADELAIDE

ALICE

ALLEGRA

ALTHEA

AMAIA or AMAYA

ANISE

ANNELISE

ARABELLE

ARIA

ASILAH

AVALON

AYELET

AZELEA

BOYS’ BABY NAMES

ABRAM

ADLER

ALISTAIR

ALONZO

AMOS

ANDERSON

ARCHER

ARCHIBALD

ASHER

WHAT’S YOUR GRADE?

It’s your turn to grade these “A” names. Let me know what you think! You can email me or leave a comment. When you leave your first comment, you’ll need to take a couple seconds to “register.” It’s a way to prevent spammers from clogging up comment sections with off-topic advertisements. Once you do register though, you won’t have to worry about it again and can leave all the comments you want.

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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

The World Cup of Names: International Options for Baby Namers

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 27, 2010

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Newsworthy Names

. 0 Comments

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?

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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!

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

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

The World Cup of Baby Names: England vs USA

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 12, 2010

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Celebrity Names and Newsworthy Names

. 1 Comment

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Are you watching the World Cup? England vs. USA just started and I must say, the national anthems were very emotional—the centuries of history were quite apparent, in a healthy, sporty way. The World Cup is an exciting world-wide phenomenon and I’m glad it’s becoming more popular here in the USA. Plus, I love these orange cleats.

Sporty parents might be inspired by athletes’ names. Others are just looking for good baby name inspiration wherever they find it. For all interested, here are the starting lineups for ENGLAND vs. USA. I also threw in the substitutes and coaches because there were some great names on those lists I didn’t want to leave out.

ENGLAND

Starters

ROBERT Green

JOHN Terry

LEDLEY King

ASHLEY Cole

GLEN Johnson

STEVEN Gerrard

FRANK Lampard

JAMES Milner

AARON Lennon

WAYNE Rooney

EMILE Heskey

Substitutes

SHAUN Wright-Phillips

PETER Crouch

DAVID James

JAMIE Carragher

MICHAEL Carrick

JERMAIN Defoe

JOE Cole

MATTHEW Upson

GARETH Barry

MICHAEL Dawson

STEPHEN Warnock

JOE Hart

Coach: Fabio Capello

What do you think about Ledley, Emile, Fabio and Gareth? They would be quite unique here in the USA. Ashley Cole is interesting, too. Of course, Ashley used to be a more common name for boys, but it’s almost exclusively a girl’s name in the USA today. His last name, Cole, is becoming quite trendy as a first name.

USA

Starters

TIM Howard

OGUCHI Onyewu

JAY DeMerit

CARLOS Bocanegra

STEVEN Cherudolo

RICARDO Clark

BRADLEY Guzan

MICHAEL Bradley

CLINT Dempsey

LANDON Donovan

JOSMER “JOZY” Volmy Altidore

ROBBIE Findley

Substitutes

DaMARCUS Beasley

JONATHAN Spector

CLARENCE Goodson

BRAD Guzan

JOSE Torres

BENNY Feilhaber

STUART Holden

MARCUS Hahnemann

JONATHAN Bornstein

HERCULEZ Gomez

EDSON Buddle

MAURICE Edu

Coach: Bob Bradley

My favorite name of the bunch is Jozy—such a great nickname! Landon is quite a hot name these days, ranking #36 on the USA charts. Also of note are Herculez, Edson and Clint. There are a couple more cute nicknames, too – Benny and Robbie.

These countries often share baby names, so no matter who you’re rooting for to win the soccer match, names from either side of the score card are fair game.

Happy naming,

♥ Amanda

WANT MORE BABY NAME INFO?

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

INTERNATIONAL BABY NAMES: ICELAND, Part 2: Boys’ Names

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 24, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and International Baby Names

. 3 Comments

Yesterday we looked at popular names for girls in Iceland and today we’re taking a look at the boys’ names.

In case you’re just tuning in or you didn’t read Part 1 because you’re only interested in boys’ names, here’s what you need to know…Iceland keeps track of babies who are given single names and babies who are given double names. A single name is a one-name first name, like ASHLEY Olsen. A double name is a two-name first name, like MARY KATE Olsen.

Now that we’re all on the same page…on to the names. These are the 10 most popular single names of boys 0-4 years old in Iceland in 2008:

TOP 10 ICELANDIC BOY SINGLE BABY NAMES

1. KÁRI

2. DAGUR

3. ALEXANDER

4. GABRÍEL (tie)

4. TÓMAS (tie)

6. ÍSAK

7. DANÍEL (tie)

7. DAVÍÐ (tie)

9. BENEDIKT

10. SÖLVI (tie)

10. SINDRI (tie)

10. ARON (tie)

10. STEFÁN (tie)

We learned yesterday that there are a lot of ties in the Top 10, so we’re not surprised to see 13 baby names in the list of Top 10 most popular baby names…

Anyhow, I found some other interesting names in the Top 100 that I wanted to share with you:

POPULAR ICELANDIC BOY BABY NAMES

ANDRI

ATLI

AXEL

BJÖRN

BREKI

EINAR

FROSTI

GUNNAR

HÁKON

HANNES

KJARTAN

MAGNÚS

MATTHÍAS

ORRI

SÆVAR

SVEINN

TRAUSTI

Just like the girls’ names from yesterday, there are some interesting double names for boys in Iceland. Here are the top 10 double names for boys 0-4 years old in 2008:

TOP 10 ICELANDIC BOY DOUBLE BABY NAMES

1. SINDRI SNÆR

2. MIKAEL MÁNI

3. ANDRI SNÆR

4. ARON INGI (tie)

4. GABRÍEL MÁNI (tie)

6. ARNAR FREYR (tie)

6. ÍSAK MÁNI (tie)

6. TÓMAS ORRI (tie)

9. ALEXANDER MÁNI

10. BJARKI FREYR

All these cool statistics are courtesy of Statistics Iceland. Go there to read the full list of names! In addition to the lists we’ve talked about here, there are stats on most popular first name in a double name and most popular second name in a double name.

What do you think of these Icelandic names? Do you have a favorite? I’m kind of partial to FROSTI, but that could just be the novelty of it. What do you think? Post your opinion.

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

♥ 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

Forbes’ Most Powerful Names in Hollywood (and a few other places)

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 13, 2009

in Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Names

. 0 Comments

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Last week, Forbes Magazine put out its annual ranking of the 100 most powerful celebrities. When most people looked at the list, the first thing they noticed was that Angelina Jolie had captured the #1 spot from Oprah.

What did I notice? The interesting names of the Top 5 celebrities on the list:

« TOP 5 CELEBRITIES «

1. ANGELINA Jolie

2. OPRAH Winfrey

3. MADONNA

4. BEYONCE Knowles

5. TIGER Woods

The least unique name on this list is Angelina, by a mile. But, arguably, much of the name’s current popularity is due to the influence of Angelina Jolie, herself.

The most unique name? I’m not sure. Madonna is quite unique and the singer is famous enough to be known by just one name — no last name needed for her. But she’s not the only famous Madonna in history. Tiger is actually a nickname. Tiger’s given name was really Eldrick — which is pretty unique itself. He’s since legally changed his name to Tiger. Then there’s Oprah and Beyonce. You probably haven’t met anyone else with either of these names. Which name do you think is most unique?

Looking at this list got me wondering about whether having an unusual name can help a fledgling celebrity stand out from the crowd and achieve success.

Some of the other celebs with unique names who made the Forbes’ Celebrity 100 are:

UNIQUE FEMALE NAMES

DREW Barrymore (87)

GISELE Bundchen (72)

MARISKA Hargitay (98)

MILEY Cyrus (29)

REESE Witherspoon (71)

VENUS Williams (77)

UNIQUE MALE NAMES

BARACK Obama (49)

HARRISON Ford (17)

KANYE West (46)

KIMI Räikkönen (52)

KOBE Bryant (10)

LEBRON James (19)

RUSH Limbaugh (23)

WOLFGANG Puck (95)

SOURCE: Forbes website, http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/03/forbes-100-celebrity-09-jolie-oprah-madonna_land.html

Of course, there are plenty of celebs on the list with more ordinary names, too, like:

COMMON FEMALE NAMES

BRITNEY Spears

CARRIE Underwood

JENNIFER Aniston

KATHERINE Heigl

NICOLE Kidman

SARAH JESSICA Parker

TINA Fey

COMMON MALE NAMES

BRAD Pitt

CHRIS Rock

DANIEL Radcliffe

JEFF Gordon

TOM Hanks

TYLER Perry

WILL Smith

If you want to read the whole list for yourself, go here.

So what do you think? Does having a common or unique name have an impact on fame and fortune? Post a comment and share your opinion!

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

♥ 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

Opera Baby Names, Part 3: Opera Singers & Conductors

Published

Amanda Barden

on June 10, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Celebrity Names and International Baby Names

. 0 Comments

Red Theater Curtain

Here is the final installment in my Opera Baby Names series — Part 3: Opera Singers and Conductors. Parents-to-be looking for uncommon baby names will definitely enjoy this list. There are quite a few International baby names, too. Enjoy!

FEMALE NAMES

ADELAIDA GRACIELA Negri

ALPHA Floyd

ANASTASIA Dimitrova

ANKA Sindik

ANNELIESE Rothenberger

ANTIGONE Sgourda

ANTONIETTA Stella

ASTRID Schirmer

BIRGIT Finnila

BOZENA Ruk-Focic

BREDA Kalef

CELESTINA Casapietra-Kegel

CLARAMAE Turner

COLETTE Boky

DANICA Mastilovic

EMMY Gregor

GILDA Cruz-Romo

GILLIAN ROSEMARY Knight

GRACE MELZIA Bumbry

GRAZIELLA Sciutti

GUNILLA EVA Af Malmborg

INGRID Bjoner

JOSELLA Ligi

JOY Clements

KYOKO Hirata

LEONTYNE Price

LUCINE Amara

MARIELLA Adani

MARINA Krilovici

MATILDA Onofrei

MAYA Bazuky

MILLA EUGENIA Andrew

MIRELLA Freni

MIRKA Klaric

NASSRIN Azarmi

NELLY Romanella

NICOLETTA Panni

NOËLLE Rogers

PILAR Lorengar

RUZA Baldani

SONA Cervena

TAMARA Milashkina

TRUDELIESE Schmidt

VALENTINA Levko

VERA PEARL Little

VIORICA Cortez

YASUKO Hayashi

MALE NAMES

AGOSTINO Ferrin

ALDO Protti

ANGELO Mori

ANSELMO Colzani

ANSON WILLIAM Austin

ARLEY Reece

BORIS Carmeli

BRUNO Pola

CAMILLO Meghor

CLIFFORD Grant

CORNELL MacNeil

CURTIS Rayam

FELIX Popper

FORBES Robinson

GABOR Ötvös

GABRIEL Bacquier

GENNARO de Sica

GIOVANNI Gusmeroli

GÜNTER Reich

HANS Zanotelli

HARLAN Foss

IMRE Pálos

IVO Zidek

JOHN-DAVID Anello

JOSHUA Hecht

JULIUS Rudel

JUSTINO Díaz

KLAUS Pawassar

LEIF Roar

LUCIANO Pavarotti

MICHELANGELO Veltri

NICO Castel

OKKO Kamu

OTTO KARL Edelmann

POMPEI Harasteanu

RODERIC Keating

ROMANO Emili

RUGGERO Raimondi

RYLAND Davies

SANTIAGO Guerra

SIXTEN Ehrling

SPIRO Malas

SUMITO Tachikawa

TAIJIRO Iimori

TAPANI HEIKKI Valtasaari

TULLIO Pane

UGO Benelli

ULRICH Weder

UMBERTO Cattini

VERIANO Luchetti

VOLKER Renicke

ZACCARIA Marques

ZOLTÁN Peskó

ZORAN Aleksandric

Looking over these names, I find myself really drawn to the name MIRELLA. It’s a unique baby name and very sweet. It has good nickname potential and has a great meaning. It’s a French name that means “to admire.” Is it just me or do you see the potential in Mirella, too?

Hands down, I would say that the most unusual name on either list is SIXTEN. I don’t remember ever hearing of someone with that name before. Do you know a Sixten?

What’s your favorite opera name? Which name do you think is most unusual? Post your thoughts!

Check back in on Friday for another edition of ASK AMANDA. Go ahead and subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any future posts.

♥ 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 OF THE WEEK: Travel Names

Published

Amanda Barden

on May 31, 2009

in Baby Name of the Week

. 0 Comments

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

Amanda Barden

on May 24, 2009

in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists, Baby Name of the Week, Celebrity Baby Names and Holiday Baby Names

. 0 Comments

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.