Full Names for Pia

Tolga Gezginis via Behance

Pia is a true multi-cultural name. She's heard in cultures all over the world, from Asia to South America, and in almost every European country. Pia is such a well-liked, easily translatable name--it's high time America took a page from the global handbook. However, I fear Americans think she's too short to stand on her own, so I came up with a list of possible full name options.

Olympia- Quite possibly the most obvious way to get to Pia. Olympia is gorgeous--stylish and modern with an Ancient Greek feel.

Olympiada- Olympia's even more extravagant sister. The nickname Pia is a good counterpart.

Pacifica- Reminiscent of the soothing ocean--in fact, she means "tranquil."

Pamelia- The Spanish version of Pamela, but much more contemporary thanks to the "Amelia" hidden inside. In today's world, Pia is a more fashionable nickname than Pam.

Pascasia- A lovely feminization of Pascale, Pia and Cassie are nickname options

Patricia- A name that definitely feels dated, but using the nickname Pia negates that.

Paulina- Possibly coming back into style thanks to star power. A Paulina called Pia would be charming.

Philippa- Pippa is usually Philippa's nickname of choice, but Pia works just as well.

Piala- This aged Celtic names perfectly lends herself to the nickname Pia.

Piritta- There are probably quite a few Pirittas called Pia--Piritta is a Finnish name, and you'll find many Pias in Scandinavia.

Portia- Portia doesn't have any obvious short forms, but Pia works as a contraction nickname for her.

Sepia- As colorful as Sienna, but with the added bonus of the nickname Pia.

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. 

Names for a Fifth Born

Valerie Jar via Dribbble

Happy Blogoversay! To celebrate the fifth year of the blog, we're going to look at names that mean five. Perfect for a fifth born, a baby born on the 5th of the month, or for a V.

Enu- Enu is a West African name meaning "fifth born." It's a unisex name, and would make a perfect middle for a boy or a girl.

Five- Why not take a page from the celebrity baby name handbook and name your fifth child Five? Celebrity designers Bob and Cortney Novogratz gave this name to their third son (Their other children have great names as well--Wolfgang "Wolfie," Bellamy, Tallulah, Breaker, Holleder, and Major).

Fritz- I know of a V who goes by Fritz. Does it work? I vote yes. Fritz sounds enough like "fifth," and by the time you have five men with the same name in one family, you're bound to run out of nicknames.

Gorou- Gorou is a traditional Japanese name for the fifth son. He's practically unheard of in the US, but that doesn't make him unusable. If you're unable to take the plunge, you could always use Gorou as a pet name for baby number five.

Quentin- Bring on the Q names! The Quen and Quin suffix mean "fifth," so really any Quinn name works spledidly for a fifth born child. I picked some of my favorites to highlight, including Quentin. He's got a classic aura about him--Quentin is never a bad choice.

Quincy- Quincy is a darling French name that used to be solely masculine. Nowadays, it's considered unisex, but still is heard much more on boys. However, that might not be for long. I predict Quincy will go the way of Quinn, eventually the numbers will even out, and then I believe Quincy could even be seen as more feminine. In this day and age of unisex name and gender-bending, who knows what could happen?

Quinto- This lovely Spanish Quentin variation is ideal for a family who loves the sound of Quinn, just not the popularity (or unisex factor). Quinto is fresh and fun--plus, your son is guarunteed to be the only one on the block.

Quinty- If Quincy isn't jaunty enough for you, how about Quinty? She's a modern Dutch name derived from Quinta. Quinty has a jovial spirit; I would love to hear her used in the US.

Pompeo- Pompeo is an Italian variation of Pompey, a historical Latin name. Both mean "five," but Pompeo is the more wearable option, especially for an American baby. With a handsome sound and historical origins, Pompeo is a fantastic choice for a fifth-born baby. 

Some Changes

Image Credit

Hello everyone--I just wanted to deliver an official update about some changes that are going on around the blog. You may have noticed that I've started to feature banner ads on the sidebar. As my readership grows, this blog is a great opportunity for me to make some extra money, so I have decided to take advantage of that. Also, after years of trying, I've finally added links to the names on the "Boys Names" and "Girls Names" pages on the top bar. Now if you click on any name on those pages, it will take you to all the posts it's mentioned in. (Please let me know if any of the links don't work--I had to link thousands of names, so there's bound to be a few mistakes). I've also updated my About page to include the link to my Nameberry articles. Thanks for your patience everyone! Regular posting will resume on Wednesday.

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!