Chicago Names: City Streets

I'm all about subtle honor names--names that honor someone in a way that isn't obvious or flashy. Using the name of the street such honoree grew up on definitely fits into the "subtle honor" category. In fact, I have the name of the street I was born on on my short list for potential middles. Today I'm featuring Chicago street name--this is the city I live in, after all. I would love to make this a series to compare street names of cities around the country. Let me know which city you'd like to be featured next!

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2015 Boys

via Studio MPLS

It can feel almost impossible to find a unique, uncommon name for a boy. But trust me, not everyone gives their son a name in the top 20, and there are some wonderful options out there if you want a name on the less popular side. I've culled the beyond the top 1000 list (so you don't have to) and picked out some of the best underused names, with between 202 and 5 uses. Last year's list is here--click over the jump to view this year's.

Famous Surnames

Garrett via Dribbble

Would you ever consider a celebrity surname for your child? It can be a fun way to pay homage to your favorite stars--past and present! Which names would you add?

Alba--Jessica Alba
Aniston--Jennifer Aniston
Baldwin--Alec Baldwin
Bardot--Bridget Bardot
Beckham--David Beckham
Bergen--Candice Bergen
Bowie--David Bowie
Brando--Marlon Brando
Brody--Adrian Brody
Brooks--Garth Brooks
Campbell--Naomi Campbell
Carey--Mariah Carey
Cash--Johnny Cash
Chase--Chevy Chase
Crosby--Bing Crosby
Cruz--Penelope Cruz
Damon--Matt Damon
Fallon--Jimmy Fallon
Farley--Chris Farley
Fox--Megan Fox, Michael J. Fox
Gable--Clark Gable
Garland--Judy Garland
Garner--Jennifer Garner
Griffith--Andy Griffith, Melanie Griffith
Harlow--Jean Harlow
Holliday--Billy Holliday
Hudson--Kate Hudson
Huston--Anjelica Huston
Keaton--Diane Keaton
Jagger--Mick Jagger
Jenner--Caitlyn Jenner
Jolie--Angelina Jolie
Jordan--Michael Jordan
Legend--John Legend
Lennox--Annie Lennox
Lively--Blake Lively
Maguire--Tobey Maguire
Mirren--Helen Mirren
Monroe--Marilyn Monroe
Moss--Kate Moss, Elisabeth Moss
Mulligan--Carey Mulligan
Murray--Bill Murray
Perry--Katy Perry
Presley--Elvis Presley
Renner--Jeremy Renner
Quaid--Dennis Quaid
Rourke--Mickey Rourke
Ryder--Winona Ryder
Urban--Keith Urban
Vaughn--Vince Vaughn
Wilde--Olivia Wilde
Winslet--Kate Winslet

10 Thai Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Deep Shah via Dribbble

While researching for this post, I was surprised at how many Thai names would assimilate well into American culture. It's astonishing we don't hear them more! There are loads of beautiful, melodic choices--it was hard for me to cut my list to just ten. That being said, I think I have ten really wonderful names for you all today. As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Isaree- Isa- names are very fashionable by today's standards, so why not add another one to the list? Isaree a gorgeous Thai name that would assimilate easily into the American name pool. She means "freedom."

Kannika- For those of you looking for interesting K names, Kannika is a fantastic option. She's a name used throughout Southeast Asia--in fact, it's the name of a 1947 Indian film. If you're fond of nicknames, Nika is the obvious choice, but Kiki would be fun as well.

Kasira- Isn't Kasira lovely? I've never been a fan of K names, but Thailand has so many good ones! She's a bit of a mysterious name--there's not much information out about her--but if you want a truly unusual yet beautiful name for a daughter, Kasira would be great.

Lawan- Lawan is simple yet stunning. She means "beautiful," so if you like your names with meanings to match, take a look at Lawan.

Malai- Speaking of meanings, meet Malai! Longtime readers know that I don't put much stock into name meanings, but I appreciate a quirky one. Malai means "garland of flowers," which is so sweet! Lately Americans have been loving lyrical M names (think Maya, Mila, etc.), so Malai will fit right in.

Mayura- Darling Mayura is another Thai name that I could see catching on in the US. She has the easy-access nickname May, which makes her all the better. Mayura means "peacock" (wouldn't that make a fun nursery theme?)

Nim- Nim is most commonly associated with the book and movie Nim's Island, but Nim is actually a female Thai name (as well as a male name in other cultures). Maybe it's because of the movie, or possibly my love for Pimm, but Nim really seems like a girl name to me. She'd be wonderful in a children's literature themed sibset.

Preeda- Cheerful and sophisticated Preeda would feel so stylish on an American baby. Add that to her ease of pronunciation and spelling, and we have ourselves a fabulous Thai-American crossover. Preeda is one of my favorites of today's list. Does anyone else love -da names as much as I do?

Sirinya- It's hard to think of a name more stunning than Sirinya. She just oozes beauty and elegance. Some notable namesakes: Selina and Sirinya are a Bangkok-based folk band, and Sirinya "Cindy" Burbridge is a Thai-American model and actress.

Suree- Suree may be slim, but she has substance. Thanks to sound-alike sister Suri, she's perfectly wearable on an American baby girl. Plus, Suree means "sun," which is always a nice meaning.

Christmas Crooner Names

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Would you ever consider giving a December-born baby a holiday singer name? I like the idea--it makes a subtle connection between the name and time of year--much less conspicuous than Holiday or Yule (though I'm a fan of both of those). Let me know your favorites, and which names you would add.

Bing- Bing Crosby has one of the most classic Christmas albums of all time--after seventy years it's still on heavy rotation. Bing is a swanky old-fashioned nickname with a lot of potential. Kate Hudson used it as a nickname for her son Bingham.

Carey- Mariah Carey is the modern Christmas song queen, but her first name feels past its peak. Carey, on the other hand, feels unexpectedly fresh--on a boy. Carrie and Cari are girls of the past, but Cary, Carey, and Kerry are ready for revival.

Crosby- If Bing isn't your thing, you might want to try Crosby. He's an lively Irish surname with some serious style. Some people might associate Crosby with the character from Parenthood, but it's more likely they'll think of Bing.

Dean- Dean Martin is credited with popularizing the hit Christmas song "Marshmallow World" over ten years after it's debut. Martin was actually born Dino. As a name, Dean is rising in popularity in the U.S. and was at #221 last year.

Ella- Ella is one of those name that are so popular, most associations are just a wash. However, many a parent (and celebrity) have cited Ella Fitzgerald as the inspiration for their daughter's name. Her Christmas album is one of my very favorites--I play it all season long.

Fitzgerald- Ella's last name is much more distinctive--how often do you meet a baby with the first name Fitzgerald? Fitz is a cute nickname, though Fritz, Gerry, and Gerald are also options.

Frank- Frank Sinatra is about as classic as it gets. It's no surprise that his Christmas songs are still heard on radio stations all over the country (and he even has a spot on my eclectic holiday playlist). His first name, Frank, has the same sophisticated vintage feel to it--yet he's been falling in popularity for as long as the data's been kept.

Garland- Garland is a rare double-Christmas-connection name. Not only is it what we drape around Christmas trees and fireplace mantels, it's also the surname of Christmas singer extraordinaire, Judy Garland. Her most famous holiday song is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

Gene- Gene Autry sang many of today's favorite Christmas songs, and even penned a couple himself. He's responsible for "Here Comes Santa Claus," and  popularized his versions of such favorites as "Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." That makes the clunky-cool Gene a Christmas hero name of sorts.

McCartney- Lennon and Harrison are fair game, so how about McCartney? Irish surnames are certainly popular right now, so I don't think it'd be a crazy choice, especially because of Paul. The Beatle wrote "Wonderful Christmastime" in 1979, and it's been a favorite ever since.

Nat- Nat King Cole's Christmas songs are a cherished tradition in many households. His most famous one is "The Christmas Song." All three of his names are worthy for a 2015-born child, but Nat is the simplest and most unexpected. Plus, like Garland, it has the extra Christmas connection of meaning "born on Christmas Day."

Presley- Who could forget Elvis Presley's wonderful collection of Christmas tunes? It's not the Holidays without "Blue Christmas" (or in my house--"Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me"). His first name is too strongly tied to the singer, but America has embraced Presley--especially for a girl.

Elf on the Shelf Names

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Do you have an Elf on the Shelf in your house? The tradition didn't exist when I was a kid, but it's so fun and whimsical--I wish it had! The Elf on the Shelf website lists the 20 most popular name for the registered elves--Nameberry did an comparison between elf names and baby names last holiday season, but I'm here to offer some more creative options for your elf. But first, the Elf top 20:

1. Buddy
2. Elfie
3. Jingle
4. Snowflake
5. Jingles
6. Jack
7. Charlie
8. Fred
9. Chippy
10. Sparkle
11. Elfy
12. Holly
13. Max
14. Twinkle
15. Jolly
16. Elvis
17. Bob
18. Clyde
19. Peppermint
20. Nick

How I wish I could see the full list!

The website also says that Cookie, Frisbee, Snowball, Sprinkle, and Tinsel are popular, and cites Oodle as a "unique" name belonging to 220 elves.

If you want an uncommon name for your family's Elf on the Shelf (that is, if you have a say in naming it), I have come up with some more creative ideas.

Blizzard
Chestnut
Cider
Cranberry
December (Ember could be a nickname)
Drummer
Eggnog
Evergreen
Fig
Garland
Holiday
Icicle
Ivy
Mistletoe
Mittens
Pax
Piper
Plum
Poinsettia
Popcorn
Season
Silver
Socks
Spruce
Stella
Toboggan
Winter (or Winnie)

Best Unisex Names for Boys

Buy the print here, via Ebay

This list surprised me in many ways. The first is by some of the names. I never would have guessed that names like Dominique, Kimball, and Wynn are all more popular for boys (to be fair, they're all pretty close in terms of boy/girl usage). Second, this list is quite a bit longer than Monday's. I would have thought that there are more unisex names that are considered "for girls" rather than the other way around. Granted, I couldn't have thought of every unisex name, so there still could be more "girlish" ones, I suppose. Let me know what you think--are all of these better suited for the boys?

Abbott
Adrian
Aiden
Alex
Anchor
Angel
Ari
Ash
Ashton
Birch
Bo
Brady
Brighton
Cameron
Carlton
Casey
Cedar
Charlie
Chris
Christian
Cove
Dallas
Daryl
Devin
Dominique
Doran
Drew
Dylan
Elliot
Ellis
Evan
Gardner
Garland
Glenn
Gray
Finn
Flynn
Hart
Hayden
Jazz
Jordan
Jory
Joss
Justus
Keegan
Kimball
Kyle
Lake
Lane
Lincoln
Logan
Linden
Maguire
Mercer
Micah
Nico
Noel
North
Oak
Oakley
Parker
Paxton
Phoenix
Quincy
Ray
Reece
Reid
Ren
Rio
River
Rory
Rowan
Ryan
Sacha
Sam
Samar
Sawyer
Sean
Storm
Tate
Terry
Toby
Tony
True
Tyler
Wynn

Apple Names

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Happy (almost) Halloween guys! I wanted to do a post about apples before Fall ended, and I figured this would be the ideal time, right in the middle of apple season. All the following names come from apple varieties--perfect for an Autumn baby!

Abbey
Adam
Albany
Albert
Alexander
Alford
Allen
Ambrosia
Anna
Annie
April
Ariane
Arthur
Bailey
Baldwin
Barry
Beacon
Bella
Ben
Bess
Beverly
Billy
Bonnie
Bridget
Brock
Cameo
Carlos
Caroll
Charles
Christmas
Clark
Clay
Cole
Connell
Crispin
Cybele
D'arcy
Davey
David
Dawn
Dayton
Derby
Earl
Early
Eddie
Edmund
Edward
Elise
Elizabeth
Ellison
Elton
Emneth
Erwin
Evelina
Everard
Fearn
Filippa
Florina
Foster
Franklin
Fuji
Gala
Garland
Gavin
George
Gibson
Gilbert
Ginger
Grove
Harrison
Harvey
Henry
Hokuto
Holiday
Holland
Holly
Hudson
Ida
Ingrid
Jackson
James
Jazz
Jersey
Johnny
Jonathan
Jordan
Jubilee
July
June
Jupiter
Kalei
Karen
Katy
Katya
Kent
Kerry
King
Kingston
Kinsei
Lane
Liberty
Lilibet
Luscious
Mac
Maclean
Maigold
Malinda
Marie
Marisa
Melba
Meridian
Miller
Milo
Milton
Mollie
Moore
Morgan
Morley
Newton
Niagara
Noble
Oliver
Opal
Orin
Palmer
Park
Paula
Pax
Pearl
Perry
Pine
Pippin
Pixie
Pomme
Porter
Prairie
Princess
Priscilla
Quebec
Quince
Rajka
Rome
Rose
Rosemary
Rosette
Ross
Rosy
Royal
Russet
Rusty
Sam
Santana
Scarlet
Scarlett
September
Sharon
Shay
Sierra
Smith
Snow
Sonya
Spencer
Stirling
Summer
Sundance
Sutton
Taylor
Tom
Topaz
Turner
Upton
Victoria
Virginia
Walter
Wayne
William
Winston
Winter
Wolf
Yates
York
Zari


I'm taking next week off to do some blog maitenance--regular posting will resume November 9th.

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. 

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2014 Boys

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Uninspired by the names in the top 1000? Looking for something particularly unusual? Consider one of the following names for your son--none of them were given to more than 204 boys last year (and some were only given to 5!) It's all after the jump.

Holiday Names

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Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you guys are having a great holiday season. I've posted about holiday names many times in the past, and this year I am going to do something a little different. There are so many holiday names, but many of they are not all cohesive. I've split up 24 names into four categories--Familiar, Fashionable, Festive, and Funky--to help you pick the perfect holiday baby name based on your style. Let me know what you think!

Familiar
Bell- Do you have certain names where you hate one spelling but love the other one? For me, that's Bell. I really don't like Belle, but Bell makes me swoon.
Carol- Old fashioned; I would choose Caroline instead.
Holly- I think she's cuter as a nickname for Holiday.
Joy- Sweet, sweet, sweet. Perfect for the Holidays.
Natalie- She's not tied to Christmas anymore, so she makes for a subtle holiday name.
Nicholas- I'm not very fond of Nicholas, but that's probably because he peaked around the time I was born.

Fashionable
Eve- There's no better name for a girl born on December 24th.
Natalia- Kicks Natalie up a notch.
Neve- Gorgeous name meaning snow.
Pax- He means peace, which is a great meaning year-round.
Piper- This trendy girls name has her own line in the Twelve Days of Christmas song.
Winter- The most coveted season name.

Festive
Christmas- Might as well go big.
December- December is a unisex name, but if you use it on a girl, she can be called Ember.
Garland- One of my favorite G names for boys.
Holiday- Ooh, I adore Holiday. I would use her in a heartbeat.
Merry- I prefer Mary, but hey, Merry is better for a holiday baby.
Noel- Noel is very sophisticated, especially when pronounced (nole) on a boy.

Funky
North- Did Kim Kardashian ruin this name for everyone? Maybe stick her in the middle.
Plum- Plum is my other favorite of the list. She's just so cute!
Season- If you use her in the middle, don't make Holiday her first name.
Silver- A very festive color, seldom heard as a name.
Star- If Star is overkill, try Stella or Estelle.
Yule- Many people overlook Y names, but Yule is one of the better ones out there.



That's all for this week, thank you so much for reading. I will be off next week for the holidays. Check back on December 29th for a year in review post.

25 Days of Christmas: Garland

Today's Christmas baby name is Garland. Garland is a word name that has never been in the U.S. top 1000. Most people would associate this name with actress Judy Garland, but it works well for a holiday name for either a girl or boy. The Christmas tree garland gives it a holiday vibe, perfect for a December baby.

Garland is a truly unexpected choice for any time of the year. However, his ties with Christmas make him all the more relevant. Check back tomorrow for our next Christmas baby name!