10 H Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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This list was a fun one to put together. There are so many great, undiscovered H girls names. What's your favorite on this list? (I can't decide between Hero and Harbor). Which names would you add? Tell me in the comments!

Hadiya- Hadiya is a GORGEOUS name. I've loved it ever since I used it in a school assignment freshman year.

Halona- Super pretty and feminine, yet not over the top. She would be a great way to honor a Hal.

Hanita- I get it, Anita sounds super dated. Have no fear! Hanita is a unique choice that updates Great Aunt Anita's name.

Harbor- I can't believe no one has thought of this yet. Harbor just sounds like a name. Plus, there are so many parents looking for a name that is similar to Harper, yet barely used. Harbor is the obvious answer. Put me in the books for predicting the popularity of Harbor. I can feel it. Next big celebrity baby name?

Helaine- She sounds like a mix of Helen and Elaine, which is perfect if you need to honor both of those ladies.

Helia- A pretty Greek name with the best meaning (sunshine!). I would choose Helia over Delia in a heartbeat.

Heloise- Eloise too mainstream? Try Heloise, which is essentially the same...but less popular. (I don't suggest this one for use if you want to avoid Eloise confusion).

Helsa- Frozen ruined Elsa. Maybe, but we can't say for sure. You could always go with Helsa, but unfortunately her first syllable is not as pretty.

Henrietta- Are there people besides myself who like this name? Henrietta is super cool, embrace her charm and wealth of nickname possibilities.

Hero- A Shakespearian modern word name? That sounds like a oxymoron, but it's not. Hero meets both those requirements while managing to be super spunky, and yes, useable.

Holloway- Holloway seemed a little crazy at first, until I met an adorable little girl with the name. She's a lovely name that is more modern than Holly and less Christmas than Holiday.

10 Hindi Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Made by me

I love learning about names from other cultures--it helps me find names I never even would have heard of. I've listed ten of my favorite Indian names for girls today. Let me know what you think! Also, please tell me--what other cultures do you want to see featured in this series? I want to research ones you guys will be most excited about.

Beeja- Starting out with my favorite--Beeja is so beautiful. She's easy to say and spell, plus she comes with the adorable nickname Bee! Beeja means "happy," which is always lovely.

Chandra- Chandra peaked in the 1970s around #300, so to some she might feel kind of dated. I, however, think she works as a familiar update to mom-name Sandra. Her Ch- beginning (a la Charlie) makes her even more accessible. Chandra has a stunning meaning, "moon goddess."

Hanita- Another update to a dated classic, Hanita is a fresh spin on the mom/grandma name Anita. She's much more contemporary, and (another great meaning alert!) means "divine grace."

Leya- Leya is a Spanish, Yiddish and Hindi name, pronounced the same as Leia. Hopefully with her different spelling, she won't get all the Star Wars princess associations. Leya works as an alternative to the ever-popular Leah, which is at #35.

Megha- Here's another alternative/honor name, this time for 90s hit Megan. Megha (pronounced either like "mega" or MAY-guh) is a splendid choice for a baby girl of any background. Meg works for a charming, somewhat old-school nickname.

Neeja- Neeja is a flower name, but not of your typical Violet/Rose/Daisy variety. She means "lily," which is prime for an Easter or springtime baby. For those of you looking for nickname-proof names, Neeja is a good option. I don't think "Nee" would stick.

Neela- Neela is the Hindi variation of the African Nila, both meaning "sapphire blue." She's not technically considered a feminization of Neil, but she definitely works to honor one. Other spellings include Neala and Neila.

Reva- Reva has roots in both Hebrew and Hindi, making her a good cross-cultural choice. She's pronounced RAY-va, and is the name of a sacred river in India. Reva is super glamorous--I find her very sophisticated.

Savita- Savita means "sun" and is quite popular in India. The fact that she's three syllables and ends in "A" means she'd fit in perfectly with other American kids' names.

Shivani- We've had a post chock full of wonderful meanings, and the most intense one got saved for last. Shivani means "life and death," which is by no means horrible--just maybe not the happy-go-lucky meaning you were looking for. That aside, Shivani is a gorgeous name, as well as one of an Indian goddess.

Names with "an"

I recently got an email from a reader asking for some naming inspiration.

Fiona writes:

My first 2 children both have a theme of "an" - Marianne and Kassandra. It happened accidentally, but the more we think about future names, the more we seem attracted to this sound. It would be great to have some help and inspiration please! 
Our second child was only born this year, so we are jumping the gun a little but we do plan a 3rd child (hopefully, as obviously thanks to mother nature's blips, having a child is not in our complete control!) and our experience is that it is never too early to start thinking about names.

With many thanks,
Fiona 

Past the page break I have put together an exhaustive list of names with -an in them. I've italicised the ones I think work best with Marianne and Kassandra. Feel free to leave your thoughts or suggestions for Fiona in the comments. If you have a naming question that you would like me to post on the blog, feel free to email me at skihm (at) hotmail (dot) com. 

Same Meaning Sibsets: Part Two

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Part two! Today we have six more name meanings to create sibsets out of. View part one here.

Good
Agatha + Glenda
Gita, Mona, + Tova

Grace
Anya, Grace, + Hannah
Amara, Hanita, + Sena
Carissa + Milena

Love
Amy + Darrell
Esme, Kerensa, + Priya
Amanda, Connor, + David

Peace
Axel, Fritz, + Pax
Freddie + Winnie
Frederick, Geoffrey, + Humphrey
Frieda + Salome

Song
Melody + Odele
Ronia + Zamir
Shira, Rayna, + Roni

Sweet
Anika + Laia
Dulcie + Eulalie
Myra + Shirin