May Names

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Hooray, it's finally May! May is one of my favorite months. School begins to die down, and it feels like Summer is on it's way. To celebrate, lets look at some names that would be perfect for a May baby.

Birthstone:
Beryl- May's birthstone is Emerald, which is a member of the Beryl family. Beryl definitely has some charm, which many people don't appreciate.
Emerald- She's getting popular. I prefer Beryl.

Birth Flower:
 Lily- Lily of the Valley is May's birth flower, but many people won't get the connection with such a popular name.
Shoshana- Shoshana means lily, and makes a subtle connection to the month.
Valley- The other half of Lily of the Valley. Fun Fact: My second grade teacher named her daughter Chloe Lily-of-the-Valley, but the next day changed it to Chloe Regina.

Star Signs:
Gemini- People born later in May are Gemini. I'm not sure how useable she is, but it does work.
Taurus- Much better than Gemini, and the only boy name on the list. Taurus is a cool name, and he could be called Tor.
Venus- The planet Venus governs the star sign Taurus, but you have to be brave to use her as a name.

Related to May:
Amy- An anagram of May.
Maia- May is named after the goddess Maia.
May, Mae, Mabel, Maisie, etc.- Any May name works to honor a baby girl's birth month.


P.S. Tomorrow is my blogoversary. Three years old! I can hardly believe it :)

Alternatives to Vale

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Hey everyone, I'm back! I had a great time in Italy (the best name I heard was Ultimo- for a dog :). While I was gone, Today Show host Savannah Guthrie had her baby, whose name is getting lots of attention. Vale is such a great name because of her uniqueness yet familiarity, which many people are going to want to replicate. So, if you want a name similar to Vale, whether it be by sight, sound, or style, I have some options for you.

Sight
Val- Not quite as stand-alone as Vale, but she makes a great nickname for Valerie and the like.
Valla- Very feminine, but I would stick with Valley.
Valley- I've been hearing this name more lately, her nature ties are trendy.

Sound
Valencia- Vale could easily be a nickname for the beautiful Valencia.
Valentina- Valentina is ultra-girly, using Vale as a short form makes her more even-keel.
Sail- Why not? Sail fits right in with all of our water names, and would make a cute nickname for Sailor.

Style
Lux- Just like Vale, Lux is a short and sweet word name.
Prairie- She's a little more obvious than Vale, but Prairie is a great name.
Wren- Wren would be the perfect sister name for Vale (take notes, Savannah!). She's calm and serene, plus not too girly.

Month Names: September

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Usually September means the start of fall, but here in Chicago it stays pretty hot all month. This is the last month to cherish summer before autumn hits us in October. September is the most popular month to have a baby, so many parents are probably scrambling to find the perfect name right about now. If you fall into that camp, take a look at this list containing names that would be great for your September baby.

Birthstone:
Sapphire- A spunky name with potential. She reminds me of that song "Girl Put You Records On," which my mom used to play all the time when I was a kid.

Birth Flower:
Aster- Aster is an unusual flower name that is often overlooked. When people are looking for unique flower names, Aster is usually the first name I tell them.
Morning Glory- I don't suggest you name your child Morning Glory (Though I did have a teacher who gave her daughter the middle name Lily-of-the-Valley), but Glory is cute on her own.

Birth Colors:
Brown- Please don't name your baby Brown. If you want to make a connection to their birth month, use a shade of brown instead. I suggest Citrine, Cordovan, Fallow, Fawn, Isabelline, Rufous, Russet, Sepia, Sienna, Tawny, or Umber.

Star Sign:
Virgo- Virgo is not a great choice, but Virginia is.
Libra- Libra could definitely work as a name. She would make a cute middle for a late September born baby girl.

Related to September:
Autumn- September 1st is the meteorological first day of Autumn, which makes this a perfect name for a baby born on that day (or after).
Ember- She's the last five letters of September, but not an obvious choice.
Nona- September is the ninth month, and the adorable name Nona means nine. She'd be on my list if she didn't mean grandma in Italian.
Tess- September used to be referred to as the month of harvest, and Tess (and her counterparts) mean harvester. Perfect choice if you're looking to make an extremely subtle connection.


Of course you can always go ahead and use September as a name for either gender. It's not unheard of, and makes for a unique pick.

Word Names

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Word names make great middle names. We see it all the time with celebrities--Charlie Ballerina, Sparrow James Midnight, Buddy Bear, etc. But you don't need to be a celebrity to go big in the middle. The best part about middle name is that they are just that: in the middle! They aren't used on a regular basis, so have fun with it. I've got 150 options here, ranging from the safe and easy to the truly outrageous. It's all after the jump.