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.

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

If I Could Name 100 Girls: Volume Three

Rae Shoemaker via Dribbble

About one year ago, I posted my second round of "If I Could Name 100 Girls." It quickly became a popular post, so I thought we'd make it a yearly tradition. So, one year later, here are the names I would choose for 100 daughters. The names that are new to the list are italicized, and the ones that got bumped off are noted at the bottom. Tell me, what would you name 100 girls? (it's harder than it looks!)

Agatha
Aldine
Alouette
Amelie
Anais
Annika
Anouk
Avis
Bee
Birdie
Bonnie
Cameo
Celestine
Celia
Circe
Clea
Clementine
Clove
Coco
Darcy
Delphine
Dorothy
Dulcie
Edie
Eliza
Elsie
Esme
Fatima
Faye
Flannery
Frances
Freya
Frieda
Gemma
Georgia
Greta
Hero
Holiday
Ida
Irene
Isabeau
Ivy
Jane
Kalea
Lark
Leonie
Liddy
Lilou
Liv
Lotte
Lucinda
Margot
Martha
Millie
Minna
Moon
Nancy
Nell
Nettie
Noemi
Nona
Noor
Olive
Oona
Orla
Ottilie
Paloma
Penny
Peridot
Phoebe
Pia
Pimm
Pippa
Plum
Poet
Pomeline
Poppy
Posy
Prairie
Prune
Quebec
Quilla
Romy
Rosie
Ruthie
Season
Solange
Soleil
Sosie
Susanna
Tallulah
Tilda
Umbria
Umeko
Viola
Winnie
Xanthe
Zadie
Zanna
Zinnia


Who's New: Agatha, Bee, Cameo, Celia, Clove, Delphine, Dorothy, Dulcie, Eliza, Elsie, Fatima, Faye, Flannery, Freya, Irene, Kalea, Liv, Millie, Moon, Nettie, Noemi, Noor, Oona, Penny, Pia, Prairie, Prune, Rosie, Ruthie, Tallulah, Umbria, Umeko, Winnie, Zinnia

Who Left: Aine, Audrey, Bay, Citron, Dot, Elke, Elsa, Emmeline, Evie, Flora, Greer, Helena, Imogen, Ireland, Kit, Lillias, Lilo, Louisa, Marais, North, Oceane, Reverie, Romilly, Ruth, Scout, Silvie, Simone, Sloane, Suki, Tate, Tess, Vienna, Willa

10 Hungarian Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Chris Agiasotis via Dribble

Hungarian names are not a subcategory we talk about often, but I was absolutely enchanted once I started researching them, These names blend Scandinavian simplicity and the harsh consonants associated with Eastern European names. I hope you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I was. Who knew Hungarian names were this good?

Agi- Agi is the short and sweet Hungarian version of Agatha. Many Americans wouldn't dare use Agi on her own, but she makes a great nickname for all the Ag- names, including Agatha and Agnes.

Csilla- Csilla is an invented name--it was created by Mihaly Vorosmarty (a poet from the 1800s) for one of his poems. She looks like she'd be pronounced the same way as Cilla (which derives from Priscilla), but Csilla is actually said CHEEL-law.

Duci- Duci is a playful name that I could see gaining favor in the U.S. She's originally a nickname for Magdolna--the Hungarian form of Magdalene--but her similarities to names like Lucy and Dulcie make me think she can stand on her own.

Emese- Emese is quite a popular name in Hungary, ranking at #55 in her native country. She means "mother," making her a thoughtful yet subtle way to honor your mom.

Eniko- Eniko is another name created by Vorosmarty--what a great namer he was! However, Eniko is used more widely across the country. She peaked in 2006 at #32 on the Hungarian charts, and is currently down-trending, at #62 in 2014.

Etelka- Etelka is a rare Hungarian name. She's the feminine form of Etele, a male Hungarian name that comes from the Germanic Mythology name Etzel, which has ties to Attila. Whew! That's quite a lineage. Regardless, Etelka has a nice sound, and could fit in nicely with the babies of today.

Iren- Iren is Hungary's answer to Irene. She would be a lovely way to honor any of the Irene's in your life, and could answer to the nickname Ren.

Piri- Piri comes from Piroska (pronounced PEE-rosh-kaw), which may be the Hungarian version of Priscilla. If you're into cross-cultural names, she would also make a wonderful nickname for the Scandinavian Piritta.

Riza- In Hungary, Riza is a feminine variation of Theresa. However, the Turkish name Riza is masculine, and comes from the Arabic name Ridha. Not to worry though--almost any name ending in -a sounds feminine to American ears, so most (if not all) people will assume your Riza is a little lady.

Sarika- Sarika has a fascinating multi-cultural background. In Hungary, she's a version of Sarah. However, she also has Indian roots, where she is a variation of the Arabic name Sari. She's seen in other parts of Eastern Europe as well, making her a perfect choice for families of mixed backgrounds.

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

10 D Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Today we're looking at D names for girls. I'll admit, this one was a little troublesome, there aren't that many great girls names beginning in D. I think I found 10 good ones though. Tell me what you think.

Dagny- Charming Irish girl with a slice of tomboy.

Dania- Pronounced DAHN-yuh, she's a pretty name that remains under the radar.

Darcy- She would make a perfect sister for Lucy and the like, yet hasn't broken the top 1000. Baffling.

Della- Swearing off Ella because of popularity? Della is quirkier and cuter.

Delphine- She used to remind me of dolphins, but since that association faded, I've come to adore Delphine.

Dorie- Yes, there's the Finding Nemo reference, but Dorie is a wonderful name (though I may be a bit bias, my best friend is named Dorie :).

Dorsey- Can't shake the fish? Dorsey mixes Dorie and Darcy to make this unique moniker.

Dot- My favorite D name for a girl. She's too adorable.

Dulcie- A very sweet British import.

Dwyn- Slightly less fussy than Gwyn.

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.