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!

Apple Names

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Happy (almost) Halloween guys! I wanted to do a post about apples before Fall ended, and I figured this would be the ideal time, right in the middle of apple season. All the following names come from apple varieties--perfect for an Autumn baby!

Abbey
Adam
Albany
Albert
Alexander
Alford
Allen
Ambrosia
Anna
Annie
April
Ariane
Arthur
Bailey
Baldwin
Barry
Beacon
Bella
Ben
Bess
Beverly
Billy
Bonnie
Bridget
Brock
Cameo
Carlos
Caroll
Charles
Christmas
Clark
Clay
Cole
Connell
Crispin
Cybele
D'arcy
Davey
David
Dawn
Dayton
Derby
Earl
Early
Eddie
Edmund
Edward
Elise
Elizabeth
Ellison
Elton
Emneth
Erwin
Evelina
Everard
Fearn
Filippa
Florina
Foster
Franklin
Fuji
Gala
Garland
Gavin
George
Gibson
Gilbert
Ginger
Grove
Harrison
Harvey
Henry
Hokuto
Holiday
Holland
Holly
Hudson
Ida
Ingrid
Jackson
James
Jazz
Jersey
Johnny
Jonathan
Jordan
Jubilee
July
June
Jupiter
Kalei
Karen
Katy
Katya
Kent
Kerry
King
Kingston
Kinsei
Lane
Liberty
Lilibet
Luscious
Mac
Maclean
Maigold
Malinda
Marie
Marisa
Melba
Meridian
Miller
Milo
Milton
Mollie
Moore
Morgan
Morley
Newton
Niagara
Noble
Oliver
Opal
Orin
Palmer
Park
Paula
Pax
Pearl
Perry
Pine
Pippin
Pixie
Pomme
Porter
Prairie
Princess
Priscilla
Quebec
Quince
Rajka
Rome
Rose
Rosemary
Rosette
Ross
Rosy
Royal
Russet
Rusty
Sam
Santana
Scarlet
Scarlett
September
Sharon
Shay
Sierra
Smith
Snow
Sonya
Spencer
Stirling
Summer
Sundance
Sutton
Taylor
Tom
Topaz
Turner
Upton
Victoria
Virginia
Walter
Wayne
William
Winston
Winter
Wolf
Yates
York
Zari


I'm taking next week off to do some blog maitenance--regular posting will resume November 9th.

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. 

10 A Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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It seems like everyone and their best friend has a daughter named Ava. Or Audrey, Amelia, or Addie. There are so many great A names out there, but why choose one that's popular? There's a wealth of A names you haven't even thought of, and they're just as good (or better) than the ones in the top 1000.


Abbott- She lends herself to the nickname Abby, but why call her that, when she has the coolest name in the world.

Adair- She fits in with the Blair Claire crowd, but has the added bonus of being vintage.

Albany- One of my favorite place names.

Aldine- Pronounced ALL-dean she's a lovely name that guaranteed to sound fresh but not too out there.

Alouette- The most fabulous way to get to Lulu.

Amabel- Too many Annabels? Amabel is cuter, and comes with the nicknames Maeby and Mabel.

Anouk- German beauty with that stylish -oo sound.

Arcellia- A more innovative way to sound princessy than Seraphina.

Ardith- Worried about the popularity of Edith and Edie? Try Ardith.

Avis- The best Av- name out there (in my opinion). Plus, she means bird, which means you could call her Birdie as a nickname. Double awesome.

State Capital Names

A nice way to honor your roots would be to name your child after where you are from. If you live in the States, you might want to consider your state's capital. Most state capitals (or a variation) work, with the exception of Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.

Expected:
Augusta (ME)- My first thought is golf, but maybe that's just me. Augusta is a beautiful name though.
Austin (TX)- This name definitely reminds people of Texas. It's great if that's what your going for.
Carson (NV- Carson City)- On trend
Charleston (WV)- Comes with the bonus nickname Charlie.
Cheyenne (WY)- Sounds a little dated, but she would definitely work.
Helena (MT)- The capital is pronounced (HEL-en-uh), but many prefer (he-LAY-nuh).
Jackson (MS)- Too common of a name to remind people of the city.
Juneau (AK)- Makes Juno a place name.
Harris (PA- Harrisburg)- He's less common than Harrison, and both are great names.
Lincoln (NE)- Newly gender-neutral, Lincoln is a great name.
Madison (WI)- Like Jackson, she's too common to remind people of Wisconsin.
Olympia (WA)- A beautiful name, and Pia is a cute short form.
Paul (MN- Saint Paul)- Classic.
Phoenix (AZ)- A bold, but not unusual choice for boy or girl.
Pierre (SD)- Don't use it unless you're French.
Raleigh (NC)- This works for a boy or girl (thinking Raleigh St. Clair).

Unique:
Albany (NY)- This place name is way underused.
Annapolis (MD)- Call her Annie, or put this in the middle.
Atlanta (GA)- Super cool for girl.
Boston (MA)- Strong and handsome.
Columbia (SC)- My first though is college, but this would not make a bad name.
Columbus (OH)- Reminds me too much of history class.
Denver (CO)- Just don't name his sister Aspen.
Frankfort (KY)- I prefer just Frank, but this is nice if you come from Kentucky.
Hartford (CT)- Hart is a lovely short form.
Jefferson (MO- Jefferson City)- A bold choice, but I would stay with it, and away from Jeff.
Montgomery (AL)- It's long and the only nickname is Monty. How about as a middle?
Nashville (TN)- Call him Nash.
Richmond (VA)- Great way to honor Grandpa Richard and Aunt Virginia.
Trenton (NJ)- Very hip, and you can call him Trent.

Unheard of:
Bismarck (ND)- Honors a Mark and North Dakota.
Boise (ID)- I think of potatoes, but I've never been to Idaho.
Concord (NH)- If you can get past the grape association, this could be cool.
Des Moines (IA)- It barely works. Better stick it in the middle.
Dover (DE)- I just hope his best friend isn't Ben.
Honolulu (HI)- A little wild, but the nickname Lulu tones her down.
Lansing (MI)- I like it for either gender.
Sacramento (CA)- Long and nicknameless. If you're okay with that, use it!
Salem (OR)- Too witchy. Portland is a better Oregon city name.
Springfield (IL)- This one's a stretch. Make it a middle, or call her Spring.
Tallahassee (FL)- Only if you call her Tally.
Topeka (KS)- Cute and unusual.

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? ;)

Full Names for Allie

Want to name your baby Allie (Or maybe Ally, Aly, or Ali)? Here are some full names for you to choose from.

Alabama
Alana
Alani
Alanis
Albany
Alberta
Alejandra
Alena
Alessandra
Alexa
Alexandra
Alexandria
Alexia
Alexina
Alexis
Alfreda
Alice
Alicia
Alison
Aliza
Alizabeth
Allegra
Allena
Alma
Alouette
Althea
Alyssa