Ends with "X"

The latest trendy ending is "X." What's not to love? "X" is a cool letter, and gives off a tough girl/guy vibe. If you love the "X" ending, but want something beyond Max, here are some great names to look at.

Girls:

Expected:
Beatrix- If you want something wilder than Beatrice, or the nickname Trixie.
Margaux- The French spelling of Margot.

Unique:
Bellatrix- The associations with Harry Potter are strong, but she's a nice name.
Bex- Best left as a nickname for Rebecca.

Unheard of:
Leatrix- If Beatrix is too tame for you, try Leatrix.
Lux- Perfect for the middle spot, Lux means light.


Boys:

Expected:
Felix- A lovely name meaning happy.
Hendrix- A la Jimi.
Jax- Very trendy right now, there are more Jax's out there than you think.
Maddox- A great name, if you don't mind the Jolie-Pitt association.
Max- A fun name that many young boys answer to.

Unique:
Dax- Cool, unique, and nicknameless.
Dex- Whether he's short for Dexter or on his own, Dex makes a great name.
Fox- Popular hipster baby name.
Knox- Another Jolie-Pitt baby name.
Pax- And another.
Rex- Still too dog-ish? I think it could work.

Unheard of:
Ajax- Not unless you love bleach.
Bronx- Masculine and unexpected.
Calix- Has the cowboy-ish nickname Cal.
Fairfax- He has a surname-y feel, and he'll be the only one in his class.


Either:

Expected:
Alex- Works on its own or as a nickname.

Unique:
Lennox- This cool name works on either gender.
Lex- Makes a great middle or nickname for Alexander or Alexandra.
Phoenix- Gaining popularity, but still a good choice.

Unheard of:
Onyx- Dark, mysterious, color name.

Celebrity Baby Name Suggestions: Volume I

via The Modern Mark

Here's a fun and light-hearted post for your Friday. I give some high-profile celebrities suggestions for their future babys' name. Let me know if you like it (and if there are any celebs you want me to include in the next round).

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Anne Hathaway's sweet personality and understated-yet-glamorous style make me think she'll choose something equally charming for her future babe.
Boy: Arthur, Bastien, Benedict, Conrad, Garrison, Ira, Philip, Phineas, Samson, Teddy
Girl: Agnes, Camille, Celeste, Eliza, Harriet, Linnea, Millie, Ophelia, Rosemary, Tess
*Update* Welcome Jonathan Rosebanks! Definitely a classic and classy choice.

Kimberley and James Van Der Beek
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Olivia, Annabel, and Joshua
They picked three well-liked names for their current children, why not choose one more?
Boy: Elijah, Gabriel, Ian, Jackson, Maxwell, Nathaniel, Owen, Samuel, Thomas
Girl: Charlotte, Elizabeth, Ella, Grace, Julia, Leah, Nora, Piper, Sophia, Victoria
*Update* Baby girl is here--her name is Emilia

Amelia Warner and Jamie Dornan
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Dulcie
Dulcie is quirky, cute, and oh-so-British. Sticking with that theme, here are my picks.
Boy: Archie, Freddie, Harry, Harvey, Kit, Leon, Louis, Ollie, Remy, Rex, Toby
Girl: Cleo, Esme, Evie, Freya, Georgie, Hattie, Marnie, Phoebe, Scarlett, Sylvie
*Update* It's a girl--Elva!

Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Rose Byrne is incredibly chic and stylish. She's going to be one of those celebrities whose baby's name becomes a national sensation. Her boyfriend is Italian and Cuban, so a cross-cultural choice seems to be in order.
Boy: Carlo, Caspian, Cecilio, Enzo, Ezio, Laszlo, Leo, Marcello, Octavio, Rafe, Silvio
Girl: Allegra, Antonella, Eloisa, Estella, Fia, Flora, Florence, Lucinda, Simona. Zelda
*Update* It's a boy! His name is Rocco, so I was right on with the cross-cultural name.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
No doubt such a trendy, high profile power-couple will pick a name to match.
Boy: Anchor, Arrow, Beck, Dex, Ever, Jethro, Neon, Onyx, Quest, Teague
Girl: Avalon, Aziza, Bellamy, Geneva, Lux, Roxie, Salome, Valencia, Zadie
*Update* Welcome Luna Simone Legend!

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
Gender: boy
Siblings: River Rose
River Rose's little brother is going to have an equally on-trend but under-the-radar name (and possibly another double nature name).
Boy: Arrow, Birch, Dune, Echo, Edge, Everest, Indigo, Oak, Pine, Ridge, Summit, Timber
*Update* Not a nature name, but another R name--welcome Remington Alexander!

Luisana Lopilato and Michael Buble
Gender: boy
Siblings: Noah
When celebrities have the guts to choose a top ten name (nevermind the #1 name), they couldn't care less about popularity. Noah's little bro will most likely have an established, top 100 name.
Boy: Ben, Elijah, Gavin, Hudson, Isaac, Isaiah, Joshua, Levi, Nathan, William
*Update* Baby boy is Elias! I was close.

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Willa Lou and River (b)
Keri Russell is ahead of the curve when it comes to giving her babies names. Her older two kids were named well before their names were on anyones' minds.
Boy: Benno, Bram, Dez, Fintan, Grove, Joss, Ned, Oswald, Roscoe, Thoren, Wells
Girl: Anouk, Clover, Darcy, Frankie, Isa, Lotus, Luella, Pia, Primrose, Poet, Soleil
*Update* Hello, Sam!

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Oliver Finlay
Oliver Finlay has that "it" factor. It's a name that sounds so impeccably cool--you kind of want to use it on your own baby.
Boy: Dashiell, Ezra, Henry, Julian, Miles, Nolan, Sebastian, Wesley
Girl: Alice, Cora, Gemma, Hazel, Ivy, Lola, Sadie, Stella, Violet

*Update* It's a boy—Hugo Wilson!

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Arabella and Joseph
Arabella and Joseph. Ultra-feminine vs. ultra-classic. These are traditional parents in every sense of the word, so I bet they'll follow the same protocol with baby #3.
Boy: Andrew, Benjamin, Charles, Jonathan, Michael, Nicholas, Samuel, William
Girl: Alexandria, Anastasia, Francesca, Julianna, Luciana, Valentina, Viviana
*Update* It's a boy! Name is Theodore James

Heather Morris and Taylor Hubbell
Gender: boy
Siblings: Eli
Short, sweet, and very casual. If we use that model, Eli will have a brother named:
Boy: Ben, Charlie, Cole, Evan, Finn, Gabe, Jack, Jake, Jace, Luke, Reid, Sam
*Update* Baby boy is Owen Bartlett

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2014 Boys

Image Credit

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.

10 J Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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There are five J names in the boys top 20. Five. That's one fourth of the group. So, saying they're popular is an understatement. If you like J names, but are scared they are too trendy, I say don't worry. There are plenty of great J names out there, that have yet to be discovered.

Jaco- I have a confession- I don't like Jacob. I think he's overused and not attractive sounding. But Jaco? Super cool. I guess it's that B I have a problem with, because Jaco is an awesome name.

Jans- Jan would sound frumpy and dull on a baby girl. I think it's time we switch genders. Jans is modern and sleek, and actually, very masculine.

Jarvis- Ooh, one of my favorite Chicago baby names. You can't deny Jarvis's cool factor.

Jefferson- Presidential and prestigious, yet totally accessible.

Jethro- Starts with J, end with O, it's a perfect combo. And the rad nickname Jeth helps a little, too.

Jex- We like Dex and Rex, so why not Jex? The only qualm is that I can't think of a good full name for him. Jexon?

Jones- Surname names for boys are always a homerun. Yet Jones seems to have missed the boat. I happen to think he would sound adorable on a little boy, and would definitely age nicely.

Jory- This unisex name is definitely that (the Jori and Jorie I know are female), but overall opinion swings more towards boy.

Joss- I know, I put this one on last week's girl list. But with namesakes like Joss Whedon, it's impossible not to consider for both genders. If he's too nicknamey for you, try it as an update for Josh, with the full name being Joshua.

Judson- If you smoosh Hudson and Judd, you get Judson. But it's not a made up name, I promise. He's an English name, and would make a fresh alternative to all the -son names.

Short Middle Names: Boys

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Happy August! After writing my post on Middle Name Statistics, I became obsessed over middle names. So, I've designated August as Middle Name Month. All month long we will be talking about middle names (with the exception of Wednesdays--our series will continue). Let's start off with 100 single syllable names for boys.

Ash
Bas
Beck
Blaine
Blake
Bo
Bram
Brooks
Cal
Charles
Clay
Cliff
Clyde
Dash
Dex
Drake
Eames
Ed
Finn
Fitz
Fritz
Fox
Gabe
George
Gray
Gus
Hal
Hall
Hank
Hart
Hayes
Heath
Huck
Hugh
Jack
James
Jay
Jed
Jem
Jet
Joe
John
Joss
Jude
Jules
Kai
Keats
King
Knox
Lane
Lars
Lee
Leif
Lex
Link
Lou
Mack
Max
Mead
Mo
Nash
Nat
Ned
Neil
Pax
Penn
Pierce
Pip
Quinn
Rafe
Ray
Reid
Rex
Rhodes
Rhys
Ridge
Rome
Royce
Sal
Sam
Shaw
Teague
Thane
Thijs
Todd
Tor
True
Van
Venn
Walt
Webb
Wes
Wolf
Xan
Yale
Yann
York
Zed
Zeus

Alternatives to Alexander

Image Credit

Alexander is a great name. However, he's just too popular for some people. If you're in that boat, check out these alternatives.

Sight:
Alessandro- The Spanish form of Alexander. Definitely usable in America.
Anderson- Alexander's ending is Anderson's beginning. He feels a bit more upper crust than Alexander though.
Dexter- He's rising in popularity, due to the hit TV show. Dex makes a great nickname.

Sound:
Alistair- Another form of Alexander, but not nearly as widely used.
Calix- He's more similar to Alex than Alexander, but Calix is a really cool name.
Lysander- With the -ander names getting so popular, it's surprising that Lysander hasn't gotten any attention.

Style:
Adrian- I never liked it on a girl, Adrian seems so masculine to me.
Roman- They share ancient roots.
Sebastian- He's gaining speed on the charts, but Sebastian is not nearly at the level Alexander is.

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.