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.

Short Middle Names: Girls

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With Americans' fascination of long, extravagent first names for girls, many parents are looking for something much shorter to put in the middle. I've put together a list of 100 single syllable names for girls, any of them are perfect for the middle position. There's something for everyone on this list, whether you prefer classic, quirky, or cutesy names. Tell me in the comments: which ones would you use?

Anne
Bay
Bee
Belle
Bess
Beth
Bette
Bex
Biet
Bird
Blair
Blake
Blythe
Bo
Bree
Bren
Britt
Brooke
Brynn
Cass
Cat
Claire
Clove
Dell
Dot
Dru
Elle
Em
Eve
Faye
Fleur
France
Gem
Grace
Greer
Gwen
Harp
Hayes
Hope
Jade
Jane
Jean
Jen
Jess
Jette
Jewel
Jill
Jo
Joan
Joss
June
Kate
Kath
Kay
Kit
Lane
Lark
Lee
Lex
Lise
Liv
Lotte
Lou
Lune
Lux
Luz
Lynn
Maeve
Mai
Maude
May
Meg
Mel
Nan
Nell
Noor
Paige
Pearl
Pimm
Plum
Poe
Pomme
Prune
Quinn
Rae
Rose
Roux
Ruth
Scout
Shae
Sloane
Sol
Sue
Tate
Tess
Val
Vale
Viv
Wynne

Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 10

New year, new celebrity pregnancy announcement! And boy did we start off with a bang. Zooey Deschanel, who is often credited with giving us the best baby name of 2015 (Elsie Otter!) is going to be a mom for the second time. Jill Duggar is also pregnant with her second child. With her oldest son named Israel, I can't wait to see what name she chooses next. There also are quite a few first-time moms on this month's list, including actresses Lily Rabe, Laura Prepon, and lifestyle guru Lauren Conrad. So far 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for celebrity pregnancy announcements. Let's keep that momentum going into February!

Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Elsie Otter
Elsie Otter was one of the cutest celebrity baby names of 2015, so I have high hopes for Zooey Deschanel's next baby. I think it would be so sweet if he or she also had an unexpected animal name for the middle, but that's a whole other set of predictions (maybe something like Lynx or Fawn?)
Girl: Clementine, Josie, Lottie, Minnie, Pearl, Phoebe, Ruthie, Sylvie, Tess, Tilly
Boy: Amos, Gus, Frankie, Fritz, Henry, Ira, Lester, Louie, Otto, Richie, Theo
*Update* I was right about their naming formula--welcome, Charlie Wolf!

Lake Bell and Scott Campbell
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Nova
Nova is a strong word name with a connection to the stars. I have a feeling Lake Bell and Scott Campbell are not going to go with a night sky themed sibsets, but I included some subtle options that fit the bill just in case.
Girl: Alpha, Echo, Electra, Lark, Lotus, Maxima, Vesper, Winter, Wren
Boy: Alistair, Axel, Flynn, Lex, Loyal, Marvel, Oz, Rio, Sky, Zephyr
*Update* Welcome, Ozgood, "Ozzy"!

Jill Duggar and Derrick Dillard
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Israel David
Rumor has it that if the Dillard's first-born was a girl, he would have been named Selah. That makes Selah my number one guess for a daughter--but who knows? As long as it's biblical, anything goes.
Girl: Aviva, Dania, Dinah, Elyse, Eve, Galilee, Lilah, Raya, Selah, Shalom, Talia
Boy: Asa, Elijah, Ezra, Gideon, Hosea, Judah, Samson, Simeon, Solomon, Tobias
*Update* It's another boy--Samuel Scott!

Lauren Conrad and William Tell
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Celebrity lifestyle blogger Lauren Conrad hinted at some of her favorite baby names earlier this month, but something tells me that she wouldn't reveal her baby's name that soon. It did provide plenty of inspiration though--traditional modern names seem to strike her fancy.
Girl: Blair, Cecilia, Elsie, Evangeline, Juliette, Luna, Ruby, Scarlett, Sloane, Violet
Boy: Camden, Charles, Eli, Everett, Harrison, Jameson, Nathan, Owen, Reid, Walker
*Update* Hello, Liam James!

Emilie Livingston and Jeff Goldblum
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Charlie Ocean (b)
The name Charlie has a friendly, casual vibe--even more so when paired with a calming middle like Ocean. I expect the Goldblums to choose another unfussy name with great style for their newest son or daughter. If they use a subtle nature theme, that's even better.
Girl: Amelia, Hazel, Ivy, Lena, Lily, Lydia, Nora, Romy, Sadie Stella, Zoey
Boy: Archie, Ben, Calvin, Felix, Henry, Jack, Jude, Luke, Max, Milo, Rudy
*Update* Another water-themed name--River Joe!

Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Lucinda Rose (half sibling)
It's hard to imagine a name more romantic that Lucinda Rose. It has a sweet vintage spirit and sophisticated elegance that I sought to replicate in my top picks for their latest arrival.
Girl: Amelie, Antonia, Beatrice, Cornelia, Isadora, Magnolia, Sabina, Valerie
Boy: Adrian, Anton, Benjamin, Edmund, Hugh, Jasper, Marcel, Oliver, Samuel

Laura Prepon and Ben Foster
Gender: unknown
Siblings: none
Laura Prepon is expecting her first child with Ben Foster. I have a hunch they'll either go with a tailored, modern name, or something with personal significance. Time will tell.
Girl: Aurora, Arbor, Celia, Jersey, Liv, Maren, Nora, Penelope, Vivian
Boy: Bram, Clay, Colin, Finn, Fletcher, Ford, Gabriel, Jacob, Jett, Michael
*Update* It's a girl--Ella!

Dana Vollmer and Andy Grant
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Arlen Jackson
Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer and her husband Andy Grant gave their son the unusual-but-not-unheard-of name Arlen. It's an English surname that feels preppy, but still quite modern. I chose names along the same lines for my predictions for their second child's name.
Girl: Darby, Harper, Marlowe, Payton, Piper, Quinn, Reagan, Riley, Teagan
Boy: Connor, Gardner, Gavin, Jude, Liam, Nolan, Rhys, Rory, Rowan, Tate
*Update* It's a boy--Ryker Alexander!

Alternitaves to the Most Popular Names

Alternitaves to the most popular names:

Girls:
Isabella- Isobel, Belinda, Isa, Isis, Belle
Sophia- Stella, Fiona, Thea
Emma- Ember, Emerald, Emmy
Olivia- Olive, Liviana, Livi, Livia
Ava- Evelyn, Eva, Eve, Avalyn
Emily, Amelie, Amelia, Amy
Abigail- Allison, Adelaide, Adeline, Addie, Adele
Madison- Madeleine, Addison, Addie
Chloe- Nicole, Zoe, Clover, Claire, Cleo
Mia- Amelia, Leah, Thea, Maia, Maura, Moira

Boys:

Jacob- Jacobson, Cody, Cole
Ethan- Arthur, Heath, Xander
Michael- Mitchel, Micah, Miles
Jayden- Jace, Jay, Jackson, Javan, Jared, Jad
William- Liam, Lee, Leland, Willis, Wiley, Warren
Alexander- Lex, Alexis, Lester, Eric
Noah- Nolan, Neil, Nowe, Norton
Daniel- Dane, Donald, Samuel, Darius
Aiden- Ace, Asher, Ardon, Amos, Ames
Anthony- Andrew, Andy, Terry, Thor

Nicknames for Alexander

Alexander is one of the most popular boys names in the country. He has so many nickname possibilities, yet most kids will go by Alex or Xander. Here are some more creative choices.

Alec
Alex
Anders
Lex
Sander
Sandy
Sasha
Xander
Zan

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

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.

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2015 Boys

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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.