Tag Archive for 'popular baby names'

INTERNATIONAL BABY NAMES: Popular Scottish Names

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Amanda Barden
on August 25, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and International Baby Names
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Looking for popular baby names? Looking for European names? You’ve come to the right blog.

 

Parents often look for names with cultural significance for their family and looking at names popular in other countries is a good place to start.

 

Here are the 2008 Top 20 most popular Scottish baby names, or forenames as they’re called in Scotland.

 

 

GIRLS’ NAMES

 

SOPHIE

EMILY

OLIVIA

CHLOE

EMMA

LUCY

AVA

KATIE

ERIN

HANNAH

ELLIE

JESSICA

AMY

ISLA

GRACE

EVA

REBECCA

LEAH

FREYA

HOLLY

 

 

 

BOYS’ NAMES

 

JACK

LEWIS

DANIEL

LIAM

JAMES (tied for 5th)

RYAN (tied for 5th)

CALLUM

LOGAN

MATTHEW

CAMERON

ALEXANDER

AIDEN (tied for 12th)

DYLAN (tied for 12th)

AARON

BEN

KYLE

JAMIE

FINLAY

ADAM

ANDREW

 

SOURCE: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/

 

 

 

These lists don’t look drastically different than the U. S. popular names list. However, one thing I noticed is that all the girls’ names have a decidedly feminine feel to them — no unisex or tomboyish names that are popular here in the U. S., like MADISON, ADDISON, RILEY and TAYLOR.

 

I would say the biggest surprise is on the boys’ list though — LEWIS at #2. LEWIS has a bit of an old-fashioned vibe here in the U. S. LOUIS is the more popular spelling here and it hasn’t been popular since the mid-1950s.  LEWIS hasn’t been popular since the turn of the century. Maybe it’s time for a comeback.

 

CALLUM is a cool name and I can see that catching on here. One of my favorite names has always been KYLE, so I’m glad to see it in the Top 20.

 

Which names do you like best?

 

♥  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

 

 

 

Restoration Hardware Baby Names

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Amanda Barden
on July 29, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists
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When I was at the mall earlier, I picked up the latest Restoration Hardware Baby & Child Catalog. It’s a great catalog with cute baby things and it’s full of names! They offer many items that can be personalized with names or monograms — so their ads have lots of names in them.

 

It’s an interesting peek into the advertising world and the kinds of names the advertisers envision Restoration Hardware customers using for their babies. Good stuff!

 

Here are the names from the catalog:

 

RESTORATION HARDWARE GIRL NAMES

 

ABIGAIL

ADDISON

ALEXIS

ARIANNA

CHLOE

EMMA

EVA

GRACE

MADISON

MIA

MORGAN

TAYLOR

 

 

Bonus names I found at their website:

 

AVERY

EMILY

MEGAN

SOPHIA

 

 

I also found a few names that had middle names attached:

 

CHLOE DAWN

MIA REESE

MORGAN RILEY

 

 

 

RESTORATION HARDWARE BOY NAMES

 

AIDEN

CAYDEN

ETHAN

EVAN

HENRY

JACK

WILLIAM

 

 

Bonus website names:

 

HARRISON

RYAN

 

 

Full names:

 

JACK ANDREW

WILLIAM HENRY

 

 

The first thing I noticed when I looked at the names was that there were several “boyish” names for girls — ADDISON, AVERY, MADISON, MORGAN, TAYLOR. There were also the middle names REESE and RILEY. This is a popular trend these days and that’s reflected here, so it’s no surprise.

 

Also, the A’s have it — there’s ABIGAIL, ADDISON, AIDEN, ALEXIS, ARIANNA and AVERY. A is a very popular letter for first names, so this isn’t a surprise either.

 

The majority of these names fall into the Top 100 most popular names, based on Social Security rankings. Six of the Top 10 girls’ names are used: EMMA (#1), EMILY (#3), MADISON (#4), SOPHIA (#7), ABIGAIL (#8) and CHLOE (#10). The boys have two from the Top 10: ETHAN (#3) and WILLIAM (#8).

 

The only names that fall outside the Top 100 are:

 

EVA at #114 (however, this name is very similar to ultra-popular AVA, which is ranked at #5)

 

CAYDEN at #173 (multiple spellings of this name are popular though, which has an impact on ranking — CADEN is #95 and CAIDEN is #250)

 

HARRISON at #219

 

 

I love HARRISON. It’s so cute! I can see that becoming more popular.

 

Overall, they did a great job. These are fun names. What do you think? Post your comments. :)

 

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

 

 

BABY NAMES OF THE WEEK: Farrah and Michael

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Amanda Barden
on June 28, 2009
in Baby Name of the Week, Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Names
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The news this week has been filled with coverage of the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. It only seems fitting to choose their names as the Baby Names of the Week.

 

 

Here’s a little more information about these names:

 

 

 

GIRLS’ BABY NAME OF THE WEEK

 

FARRAH — English name meaning “beautiful, pleasant;” Arabic name meaning “happiness”

 

 

 

BOYS’ BABY NAME OF THE WEEK

 

MICHAEL — Hebrew name meaning “who is like God?”

 

 

 

FARRAH has not been a common name here in the US. According to Social Security, it peaked at 177 in 1977, no doubt due to Farrah Fawcett’s popularity at the time. The last year FARRAH made it into the Top 1000 most popular baby names in the US was 1988. Is FARRAH due for a comeback? I’m not sure. But it’s definitely a good pick for a parent looking for a name everyone’s familiar with, but that is still relatively unique.

 

MICHAEL, on the other hand, has been an extremely popular name for years. It first hit the Number 1 spot in 1954 and only missed being the most popular baby name for boys one time between 1954 and 1998. That’s pretty incredible when you think about it. Only a few names have that timeless quality to them and MICHAEL’s one of them.

 

That’s all for now…Have a great Sunday! Check back throughout the week for more baby name info. J

 

 

Sign up for the RSS Feed for this blog so you don’t miss out on 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

 

 

 

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

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 24, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and International Baby Names
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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

 

 

CELEBRITY BABY NAME ALERT: Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 23, 2009
in Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Baby Names
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick welcomed twin girls MARION LORETTA ELWELL and TABITHA HODGE. Congratulations! The twins have an older brother, JAMES WILKIE.
 
Curious about what the names mean? Here you go:

 

 

MARION is an English and French version of Maria meaning “bitter”
 
TABITHA is an Aramaic name that means “gazelle”
 

These are both cute names. Both names have an older, traditional feel to them. I especially like TABITHA — it has always been one of my favorite names. I bet it sees a rise in popularity now. That makes me a little happy and sad at the same time.
 
According to their publicist, Elwell and Hodge are family names.

 

What do you think about the twin’s names? Post your comments!

 

 

♥  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

 

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL BABY NAMES: ICELAND, Part 1: Girls’ Names

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 23, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and International Baby Names
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If you asked me what the 10 most popular baby names in Iceland are, I couldn’t tell you. Baby naming in Iceland is a little more complex than that.

 

In Iceland, it’s apparently quite common for babies to get a couple first names — referred to as double names in Icelandic statistics. Common enough, in fact, for Iceland to keep separate records for the most popular single names and the most popular double names. What are single and double names? ASHLEY Olsen has a single first name and her twin sister, MARY KATE Olsen has a double first name. Make sense?

 

First, let’s have a look at single names. These are Iceland’s Top 10 most popular single names for girls 0-4 years old in 2008:

 

TOP 10 ICELANDIC GIRL SINGLE BABY NAMES

 

1.      SARA

2.      FREYJA

3.      KATLA

4.      MARÍA

5.      KATRÍN

6.      ELÍSABET

7.      HEKLA (tie)

7.   EMILÍA  (tie)

7.      KRISTÍN  (tie)

10. AUÐUR

 

 

Just like we saw with the Danish names earlier this month, this Top 10 is a mix of names that have a distinct regional feel and names you commonly find in the US — or versions of those names, anyhow.

 

Another thing you’ll notice on all the Icelandic baby name lists is that there are a lot of ties. I’m not sure there’s anything really significant about this, but it comes up a lot so I thought I’d mention it. You’ll see what I mean in a bit.

 

Some other standouts from the top 100 list are:

 

 

POPULAR ICELANDIC GIRL SINGLE BABY NAMES

 

AGNES

ÁRÓRA

ÁSTA

BRÍET

EDDA

ELÍN

EMBLA

HARPA

ÍSOLD

KAMILLA

KARÍTAS

LARA

LILJA

LOVÍSA

NÍNA

RAKEL

SAGA

SELMA

SÓLEY

SÓLLILJA

STEFANÍA

SUNNA

SUNNEVA

TELMA

TINNA

 

 

 

I really like the name SUNNEVA — it’s very pretty! It also has good nickname potential and is very unique (at least here in the United States).

 

Now let’s look at the double names. I’m quite excited over these, by the way. It’s not every day that my inner name nerd and my inner statistics nerd get to meet over a new official list of baby names. It’s a happy day!

 

 

TOP 10 ICELAND GIRL DOUBLE BABY NAMES

 

1.       EVA MARÍA

2.       ANNA MARÍA (tie)

2.       SARA LIND  (tie)

4.   EMILÍA ÓSK

5.   GUÐRÚN LILJA  (tie)

5.   ÍSABELLA SÓL  (tie)

8.   EMILÍA RÓS (tie)

8.   EVA LIND  (tie)

10. ANÍTA ÓSK (tie)

10. BIRTA MARÍA (tie)

10. EMBLA SÓL (tie)

10. RAKEL ÓSK  (tie)

10. THELMA LIND (tie)

 

 

Did I mention there were a lot of ties? The source for all these statistics is Statistics Iceland. Go there if you want to see the full lists.

 

If you have a favorite female Icelandic name, let me know! My pick right now is SUNNEVA.

 

That’s all for today. Tune in tomorrow for the boys’ list! Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss out on 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

 

 

Baby Names from the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 20, 2009
in Baby Name Suggestions & Lists and Celebrity Names
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My trip to Los Angeles last week got me thinking about great Hollywood names. So I put together a list of celebrity names from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I think there are some good picks here. Let me know what you think!

 

Some of these stars have last names that could also work as a first name. My picks are in caps and bolded.

 

 

HOLLYWOOD FEMALE BABY NAMES

 

AUDREY Hepburn

AVA Gardner

CICELY Tyson

CID CHARISSE

CLARA Bow

CLAUDETTE Colbert

CORRINE Griffith

GRACE KELLY

GRETA Garbo

JOSEPHINE Hull

JUNE Lockhart

KATRINA Paxinou

KITTY CARLISLE

LANA Turner

LAUREN Becall

LENA Horne

LILA LEE

MAE WEST

MARILYN Monroe

MERCEDES McCambridge

MITZI Gaynor

OLIVE Borden

RAQUEL Welch

RUBY Keeler

SONJA Henie

SOPHIA LOREN

SPRING Byington

TALLULAH Bankhead

VERONICA Lake

VIVIAN LEIGH

WINONA Ryder

 

 

HOLLYWOOD MALE BABY NAMES

 

ALEC Guiness

BING CROSBY

BRONCO Anderson

BUCK Jones

CARY GRANT

CLARK GABLE

DEAN MARTIN

JAMES DEAN

JOHNNY Depp

KING Vidor

LAIRD Cregar

LEO Carrillo

MACK Sennett

MARLON BRANDO

MAX Factor

MONTGOMERY Clift

MORGAN Freeman

OLIVER Stone

ORSON Welles

OWEN Moore

PIERCE Brosnan

REX Harrison

RICARDO Cortez

ROBIN Williams

ROCK HUDSON

RUDOLPH VALENTINO

SPENCER TRACY

VAN Johnson

 

As far as last names that work as first names, from this list I especially like CARLISLE and VALENTINO. MONTGOMERY feels like a last name even though it’s a first name here. What do you think?

 

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

 

 

BABY NAMES OF THE WEEK: “Famous” Names

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 14, 2009
in Baby Name of the Week and Celebrity Names
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This week I flew down to Los Angeles for a meeting. It was a good meeting and the plane ride gave me plenty of time to contemplate my favorite Hollywood names. It also got me thinking about names that mean “famous” or something similar. Turns out there are quite a few good picks in this category and I’ve narrowed it down to two for today.

 

The Baby Names of the Week feature names befitting a future Hollywood star!

 

Here are my picks:

 

 

GIRLS’ BABY NAME OF THE WEEK

 

CLARA — Latin name meaning “famous, bright”

 

 

 

BOYS’ BABY NAME OF THE WEEK

 

RUPERT — German version of Robert, meaning “renowned”

 

 

I picked CLARA because it is a pretty and simple name with a beautiful meaning. It also calls to mind the classic Hollywood star, Clara Bow. I chose RUPERT because it stands out from the crowd and has a distinguished feel to it — something a fledgling star might be looking for. Plus, it is an interesting alternative to the popular name Robert.

 

There are several names in the Glory & Praise chapter of BABY NAMES MADE EASY that have similar meanings you might like. Check it out!

 

Want to know what celebrity names I came up with? Tune back in later this week. Up first though, check back Tuesday for 24 ways to name your baby after a relative without naming your baby after a relative… you’ll have to read it for yourself to see what I mean…

 

Sign up for the RSS Feed for this blog so you don’t miss out on 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)

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Amanda Barden
on June 13, 2009
in Baby Names in the News and Celebrity Names
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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

 

 

ASK AMANDA: Ava is too Popular…Help!

Published
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Amanda Barden
on June 12, 2009
in Ask Amanda
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It’s Friday and that means it’s time for Ask Amanda! A lot of parents-to-be are wondering about name popularity and how it will affect their name choices…

 

Ask Amanda

Q:    My partner and I love the name Ava, but it’s way too popular. Any ideas for what we can do?

 

A:    Ava is a really pretty name and it’s no wonder you (and a lot of other parents) are drawn to it. If it’s gotten too popular for your taste though, here are some ideas for finding another name you like just as much, that isn’t already quite so popular.

 

First, figure out what it is you like about Ava — maybe you like the meaning (Ava’s origin is Latin and means “like a bird”), the cool “av” sound and letter combination, the “vintage” feel Ava has or maybe it’s a family name.  Once you figure out what why you’re drawn to Ava, you’ll be able to come up with alternatives.

 

For example:

 

1)      MEANING:  If you like “like a bird,” then you’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of other names with bird-meanings.

 

Here are a few: ALOUETTE, AYA, COLUMBA, DAYA, DERYN, ELSA, JEMMA, KOKO, LARK, MAVIS, MIRRA, NIGHTENGALE, PALILA, PALOMA, PENELOPE, RAVEN, ROBIN, SORA, TORI, ZIPPORAH

 

 

2)      “AV” COMBINATION: Ava isn’t the only name to start with the “av” letter combination.

 

Here are some other options: AVALON, AVASA, AVERY, AVIS, AVIVA, AVRIL

 

 

3)      VINTAGE VIBE: Earlier this month I wrote a whole post about names that have a vintage feel without feeling out-of-date. Read it here for more ideas.

 

Some of my favorite “vintage” names are: ADELAIDE, CECILY, CORA, DAISY, ELIZA, HAZEL, IVY, LILA, LUCY, NORA, SADIE, VIOLET, WILLA

 

 

4)      FAMILY NAME: If Ava is a family name, you can head back to the family tree and look for other names you like. You could also use Ava as a middle name.

 

 

Good luck finding a name for your daughter. I’m sure you’ll find a name you both love.

 

Happy naming,

 

♥  Amanda

 

Do any of you have good Ava alternatives? Post your suggestions.

 

 

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.