Chicago Neighborhood Names

Chicago has hundreds of neighborhoods. I pulled the ones with the most name potential.

Albany- There's an Albany Park here in Chicago, but most people think of New York first.
Anderson- Andersonville is one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago, and Anderson is stylish right now. Bonus points for the nickname Anders.
Arcadia- For Arcadia Terrace. A little clunky, but wearable.
Archer- A cool name for boys right now, this one can represent Archer Heights.
Austin- More Texas than Chicago neighborhood.
Avalon- An awesome alternative to Ava, there's a neighborhood called Avalon Park in Chicago.
Beverly- A little dated, but her sounds are on track to be stylish.
Brighton- A unisex name more common for girls.
Chester- For West Chesterfield. He's very vintage and possibly ready for revival.
Douglas- Another old man name, there's a Douglas and Douglas Park in Chicago.
Edison- A cool surname name perfect for lovers of science or Edison Park.
Forest- Forest (or more likely, Forrest) is another revival. This is the spelling used for the neighborhood Forest Glen.
Glen- A vintage unisex name that's short and sweet.
Ford- Whether it's after Henry Ford or Ford City, he's a neat name endorsed by celebrities.
Gage- The perfect tough boy name.
Gale- Galewood is a neighborhood in Chicago, and thanks to The Hunger Games, Gale is now unisex (especially this spelling).
Garfield- Garfield still makes us think of cats, but his nickname Gar would be cool to honor Garfield Park or Ridge.
Grace- For Graceland. A common, slightly boring girls name.
Irving- Another vintage pick, he comes with the nickname Irv.
Jackson- Super popular pick for boys.
Jefferson- A unique way to honor a Jeffrey, or Jefferson Park.
Jeffrey- He's dated, but not a bad pick.
Kelvyn- Very andro-girly, this one's for Kelvyn Park.
Kennedy- She's a popular unisex pick for girls.
Ken- For Kenwood. Very Sixties, surfer boy vibe.
Lake- There are four neighborhoods with Lakeview in the name. Lake makes a cool first or middle for either gender.
LeClaire- A cool update on Claire; after LeClaire Courts.
Lincoln- Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square are both very popular 'hoods here. Lincoln is a popular, now unisex name (thanks to Kristen Bell) that is rising up the charts.
Logan- A widely used unisex name, though more often for boys.
Mary- A classic name for girls that can be used for either Marycrest or Marynook.
Mayfair- A unique update on the sugary sweet May.
McKinley- Another andro-girly name, this one's for McKinley Park.
Morgan- A top 100 girls name, but used for both genders.
North- Not specifically representing any neighborhood, but North is still one of my favorites (especially for a girl).
Oak- This would make a cool middle for either gender.
Peterson- A contemporary way to honor Peter.
Prairie- For the Prairie District. One part modern. Two parts hippie.
Raven- Ravenswood is a fun neighborhood here in Chicago. Love it too? Raven an underused option.
River- Becoming more and more popular for both genders.
Roger- Rogers Park is Chicago's most north-east tip. Roger is a nice, vintage name that can honor this lakeside neighborhood.
Roscoe- An interesting name that's practically unheard of.
Rose- Overused as a middle, underused as a first. Rose can be for Rosehill, Roseland, or Rosemoor.
Scott- For Scottsdale. An up and coming dad name.
Sheridan- An undiscovered unisex name.
Washington- Not sure if I'd stick my kid with this one, but he'd make a cool middle.
Wrigley- Whether it's after Wrigley Field or Wrigleyville, you hear many a dog called Wrigley in Chicago.

Of course, why not just Chicago? It has the nickname Chi, and the ever-popular "O" ending. Maybe for a middle? ;)

10 Dutch Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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We're talking about Dutch names for boys today--this list is full of short and sweet choices perfect for nicknames or own their own. Let me know your favorites in the comments.

Arjan- Arjan (pronounced AHR-yahn) is the attractive Dutch form of Adrian. Speaking of Adrian, he's at an all time high right now at #59, so Arjan makes a nice alternative if you want something less popular. Arje is a sweet nickname possibility.

Bas- Bas is quite trendy in the Netherlands, both on his own, and as a nickname for such names as Sebastiaan and Bastiaan--the Dutch variations of Sebastian and Bastian. Another, much more American spelling is Baz, which you might recognize as the name of esteemed director Baz Luhrmann.

Bram- Bram is a lovely choice--one of my very favorites. He's the Netherlands' answer to Abraham, and feels decidedly more modern. The Dutch can't get enough of Bram--he ranks #2 over there. Bram makes for an incredibly easy import into the United States. With names like Graham starting to make their way up the charts, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bram crack the top 1000 sooner or later. So grab him while he's fresh!

Mies- Calling all you nature mamas and papas: Mies means "son of the earth"--perfect for the child of planet-loving parents. He's originally short for Bartholomeus, meaning he could work as a nickname for Bartholomew, assuming you're not a fan of Bart.

Pim- It's no secret I love Pimm--for a girl. Well, the masculine form, Pim is a Dutch nickname for Willem and just almost as cute. If you're not feeling Will, Billy, or even Liam as a nickname for William, Pim is an intriguing and very unexpected option.

Rem- Unlike the Dutch, most American parents won't consider a name as short as Rem stand-alone. Fortunately, he can act as a nickname for Jeremy, Remington, and the like. Rem is a bit more masculine than the unisex Remy, if you are searching for an alternative.

Roel- Roel is the Dutch form of Roland--pronounced like "rule" in the Netherlands, but more likely "role" in America. He's a classy way to honor a Joel, Roland, Rudolph, or Orlando in your life.

Rutger- Rutger comes from Roger, and could be used as a contemporary update for him. Rutger could also be a fun way to honor your alma mater, provided you went to Rutgers University. The University in New Jersey was named after Colonel Henry Rutgers, who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Sander- Sander is the Dutch and Scandinavian nickname for Alexander, although he is considered a name in his own right as well. Sander, or even more so, Sanders would make an extremely topical choice right now, considering the impending presidential election, and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.

Thijs- Thijs (pronounced like "twice" without the "W") is another Dutch favorite, ranking at #15. He comes from Matthijs, the Netherlands' variation of Matthew. News anchor Matt Lauer subtly honored himself by naming his son Thijs--something only a name enthusiast would notice.


Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I'm taking Friday off for the holiday weekend--see you next week!

College Names: Part Three (N-Y)

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My trip is almost over. Tomorrow I see my last college (Cornell) and then head home. Today I'm at Wesleyan, which is perfect because I put him on the list for boys. He'd make a great alternative to Wesley.

Girl:
Olivet
Siena
Sierra
Sofia
Sonoma
Tiffin
Trinity
Unity
Valencia
Winona

Boy:
Nichols
Otis
Pace
Patten
Pierce
Pine
Regis
Rhodes
Rider
Rocky
Roger
Rollins
Shaw
Smith
Stanford
Sterling
Stetson
Tabor
Vaughn
Wade
Wagner
Walden
Warren
Wells
Wesleyan
Wiley
Wilson
Xavier
Yale
York

Either:
Palmer
Parker
Quincy
Reed
Rivier
Rowan
Sherman
Taylor

Same Meaning Sibsets: Part Four

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These same meaning sibsets are some of my favorites to make. I know you guys like them too, and I want to know what meanings you'd like to be featured. Tell me in the comments below, and it might be in the next SMS post!

Fair
Banning + Venn
Beal + Finley
Justin + McKinley

Famous
Aloisia + Clothilde
Estes + Roald
Filmore + Roger
Herbert, Roland, + Rudy
Orlando + Rowena

Fire
Edan, Haco + Nuri
Egan + Hayden
Tyson + McCoy

Flourish
Florence + Thalia
Florin + Umar

Fortune
Fayola + Tarot
Felicity, Gadiel + Halona

Friend
Alden + Cara
Baldwin + Bellamy
Connelly + Darwin
Edwin, Ruthie, + Winnie
Khalil + Rafiq
Nadim, Sadik, + Yadira
Raya + Samir

Share a Coke Names: Part Two

Might as well go with Nell ;) Make one here.

Okay, back for more. To do this post, I looked at all the names they sold in stores in the UK. Turns out it's a lot more. Like, almost five times as more. It took a long time to get all this data, but I've got some interesting observations for you guys. I'm going to list all 1,146 (!) names after the jump, then we can talk about them.

My hand hurt after writing seven pages of this.