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 Girls

Syd Nagoshi via Instagram

It can be really frustrating to see your top choices break into the top 1000--no one wants people to discover their favorite name! If you are looking for a name that's guaranteed to be uncommon, outside the top 1000 is the best place to look. None of these names were used over 263 times--that being said, it's impossible to tell how many of these are being used as nicknames for more popular names. The names are ordered from most uses to least: 263 to 5. Make sure to come back on Friday for the boys list, and check out the 2014 list to see what's changed.

Nickname Proof Names: Girls

Brandon Beeks via Dribbble

On Monday we talked about nickname proof names for boys, so now it's the girls turn. Again, I've got over 100 names for you to look at--there's something for everyone in the world of nickname-less names. Check it out after the jump.

Sweet Names for Girls

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Everyone likes dessert, and many of us love it. Why not carry your passion through to your children's names? I have a list of six sinfully sweet names for baby girls for your perusal--all of them are delightfully delicious.

Carmela- Carmela's meaning may have nothing to do with sugar (it's "garden"), but her delicious sound reminds us all of caramel's sticky sweetness.

Dulcie- On the other hand, Dulcie literally means "sweet." She's used more often in England and Australia than the United States, but she was in our top 1000 until 1905. Other Dulcie-like options include Dulce, Dulciana, Dulcibella, and Dulcine.

Florentine- Florentines are mouth-watering. very thin chocolate cookies, with nuts and preserved fruit on top. Florentine is a French name, a variant of Florence and Florentina. It is a bit of a big name for a tiny baby, but the cookie connection makes it that much sweeter.

Madeleine- Like Florentine, Madeleine is also a French dessert and baby name. The cookie is light, lemony, and cake-like, and the name is a well-used variation of Madeline. If you do go with this French spelling, the dessert could be a cute baby shower/birthday party/any party theme.

Maple- Maple syrup is nature's natural sweetener, so it's no wonder that it immediately comes to mind when the name is heard. Maple is also commonly associated with the tree, and was the title character in a Robert Frost poem. Maple is similar in sound to the increasingly popular Mabel, so that could boost her attractiveness to parents.

Sundae- She's by no means a common choice, but Sundae attracts a small number of users each year. She's considered an alternate spelling of the slightly more common Sunday, albeit, a sweeter one. Sundae is cheeky and cheerful--and not for the timid namer.

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2014 Girls

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We all know the parents with that one requirement when it comes to names: Nothing inside the top 1000. Who knows, maybe it's you! I'll admit, I can be a bit of a name snob myself--I do prefer my favorites to be practically unique. All the names after the jump are outside the top 1000, in order of most used to least used (Esperanza with 257 uses in 2014, Romilly with 5). What's your favorite? Let me know.

Tree Names

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Arbor Day greetings! Nature is a wonderful source of baby name inspiration--trees are especially great. I've noticed more and more tree names on babies lately--has anyone else? Let me know your favorites in the comments (I'm rather partial to Birch).

Acacia- Acacia is a stunningly beautiful name. At only #2257, I'm surprised she isn't more popular.

Ash- Has Ash officially gone to the boys? I definitely prefer him for a son, but I'm not sure everyone agrees with me. If you do like him for a boy, here's a list of full names.

Aspen- Nine times out of ten, people will first associate Aspen with the ski town. So if you want people to know you chose it for the nature connotations, I suggest having a nature (or even tree) themed sibset. I like Aspen, Linden, and Juniper.

Birch- Birch trees are some of my favorites, which might be why I love Birch as a name so much. It would be perfect for a middle name.

Cedar- Arguably the best part about nature names is that almost all of them are unisex. You can use the majority of these names on either a boy or girl, Cedar included.

Cypress- Cypress is the second of two place/tree names on this list. It is actually slightly more popular for girls, which surprised me. I thought it would lean boy because of the similarity to Cyrus.

Elm- Elmo may be off the table, but Elm makes a fantastic alternative. It also makes a great way to honor any Elmers in your life.

Hickory- I've never met a baby named Hickory. Or even heard of one, for that matter. However, it's not an uncommon dog name, and if you've ever looked at pet name data, you know that pet name trends tend to be a step ahead of baby name trends. Does that convince you to use Hickory?

Juniper- Juniper is on fire. She has only been in the top 1000 three years, but has skyrocketed all the way up to #648. That's a 227 place jump from the year before. Who knows where she'll be at in the 2014 data. Top 400, maybe?

Linden- Gender-wise, Linden is very apathetic. It's currently 55% female and 45% male. Spelled Lyndon (like LBJ), it's 89% male. Linden is a nice substitute for the oh-so-popular London.

Magnolia- Magnolia trees are gorgeous around this time--they have the prettiest pink flowers. She's also a lovely name, and has a lot of nickname options.

Maple- Maple and sound-alike sister Mabel are both on the rise here in the U.S. The former is much less trendy, at only #3284. Maple would make a great name for anyone's baby, but especially for syrup-lovers, Canadians, and tree-enthusiasts.

Oak- I never gave Oak much thought as a name until the beautiful LaTonya Staubs gave it to her son (a brother to River!). His full name is Oak Tullier (too-YAY), which is a perfect combo.

Olive- Olive was on my list for a long long time, until I began hearing too much of her (what should that be called--name fatigue?). I still think she's a very sweet, but at #290, she may be at risk of losing her hipster charm and becoming mainstream.

Pine- Strong, concise names for boys are having a moment. If you're a fan of this trend (like me), put Pine on your list. He's unique, on-trend, and a nature name.

Willow- Could Willow break the top 100 this year? She's at #155, and still rising, so there's a chance. If you're looking for a cool nickname for Willow, I suggest Loie or Billie.