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. 

Same Meaning Sibsets: Part Two

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Part two! Today we have six more name meanings to create sibsets out of. View part one here.

Good
Agatha + Glenda
Gita, Mona, + Tova

Grace
Anya, Grace, + Hannah
Amara, Hanita, + Sena
Carissa + Milena

Love
Amy + Darrell
Esme, Kerensa, + Priya
Amanda, Connor, + David

Peace
Axel, Fritz, + Pax
Freddie + Winnie
Frederick, Geoffrey, + Humphrey
Frieda + Salome

Song
Melody + Odele
Ronia + Zamir
Shira, Rayna, + Roni

Sweet
Anika + Laia
Dulcie + Eulalie
Myra + Shirin

Catalog Names: Tiny Prints 2014

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The Holidays are officially here, which can only mean one thing: a giant influx of mail. I recently got the Tiny Prints catalog, and I looked at the names on the cards right away. Overall they were pretty run-of-the-mill, but I found a few gems (Maxine and Simone--yes, please!).

Girls
Abby
Alexandra (x2)
Alexis
Amanda
Angela
Anna
Bianca
Caitlin
Chloe
Eleanor
Eliza
Emily
Evelyn
Evie
Grace
Gwenyth
Jane
Jen
Jenna
Julia
Lauren
Lilly
Lizzie
Madeline
Maggie
Margaret
Margot
Mariah
Maryann
Maxine
Melissa (x2)
Nadia
Rachel
Rebecca
Riley
Sandy
Savannah (x2)
Sloan
Simone
Sophie

Boys
Aiden
Anthony
Brent (x2)
Brian
Christopher (x2)
Connor
Edward
Emery
Ethan
Frederick
Jared (x2)
Jayden
Jonathan
Jordan
Josh
Joshua
Liam
Madden
Mason
Matthew
Mike
Miles
Nathan
Oliver
Robert
Reid
Samuel
Scott
Sebastian
Thomas
Tim
Xavier

Movie Names: Amelie

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Have you guys seen the movie Amelie? It's one of my favorites, the story and characters are all so whimsical and charming. One of the perks of watching a French movie is hearing all the characters names. Some of them fit right in with today's top American picks, while others are a bit more out there. Let me know what you think.

Girls:
Amandine- Incredibly French. A great pick if you're looking for a name that honors an Amanda while reflecting your culture.
Amelie- She's becoming an increasingly popular alternative to Amelia, but how can you resist her charm?
Eva- Parents love Eva for her similarity to Ava, but if you want something a little less popular, try Eve, who ranks at 490.
Georgette- It's not very hard to picture a little Georgette called Georgie, even in America.
Gina- Gina sounds a little dated on her own, but the nickname Gigi is oh so cute and trendy.
Madeleine- The French spelling is lovely, but I'd say the Maddie names are overused.
Philomene- Does Philomena remind you too much of the 2013 Oscars? Philomene is just as pretty.
Suzanne- I know I've said it before, but the nickname Susie is ready for a comeback. Suzanne is a great way to get there.

Boys:
Dominique- Dominique is one of the only truly unisex names out there, yet I've only heard it on girls. What's your take on Dom for a boy?
Joseph- An American classic.
Lucien- Lucian ranks 631 on the Top 1000 list, but the French spelling doesn't make it.
Nino- Ever since I saw this movie for the first time, I fell in love with Nino. I can't picture him on an American man (too cutesy?), but I love the idea of a baby Nino.
Raphael- Sleek and glamorous.  
Raymond- One of these days a celebrity is going to use Raymond, and then he will be all over the place. Until then, he is ranked at 264, so use him before he gets hot.

Catalog Names: Shutterfly, Holiday 2013

Holiday cards are one of my favorite things about the holidays. I usually shop for them online, but you can imagine my excitement when I found Shutterfly and TinyPrints catalogs sitting on the kitchen table. Not only do I get to browse wonderful holiday cards, but names as well! Here is an interesting assortment for you to browse.

Girls:
Abby
Abigail
Adrienne
Alison
Alma
Amanda
Anna
Aria
Ariel
Audrey
Ava
Avery
Bella
Brenda
Carlie
Casey
Cate
Cathleen
Cathy
Charlotte
Chloe
Christina
Claire
Clara
Cynthia
Diane
Eliza
Elizabeth
Ellie
Emily
Emma
Emmy
Eva
Gemma
Hillary
Holly
Isabella
Jane
Janel
Jen
Jennifer
Jenny
Josie
Julia
June
Katie
Kaylie
Kelly
Kira
Kylie
Lee Ella
Linda
Lisa
Liz
Lucy
Lyla
Maddison
Madison
Marcella
Maria
Marissa
Maryellen
Maya
Megan
Melissa
Mia
Michelle
Mollie
Natalie
Nora
Olivia
Phoebe
Rachel
Rebecca
Renee
Rose
Ruby
Sandra
Sarah
Sheila
Sophia
Tessa
Viv
Zoe

Boys:
Alex
Andrew
Andy
Anthony
Ben
Bill
Blaine
Brandt
Brayden
Charles
Chris
Connor
Dan
Daniel
Davis
Douglas
Drew
Dustin
Dylan
Eli
Enrique
Ethan
Garrett
Hamilton
Ian
Jack
Jackson
Jake
James
Jason
Jeff
Jerry
Joe
John
Jonathan
Joseph
Justin
Keith
Kevin
Kyle
Lance
Landon
Liam
Mark
Max
Michael
Mike
Nate
Noah
Oliver
Owen
Parker
Patrick
Paul
Peter
Robert
Ryan
Seth
Steve
Timmy
Timothy
Tyler

Mamma Mia! The Names From the Movie

As you may or may not know, Mamma Mia! is my favorite movie. It's not because I share a name with the main character (though that's pretty cool), but instead because I love movie musicals. I thought I would analyze the characters and actors names today.

Sophia (Sophie)- A beautiful name of course, but WAY too overused.
Amanda- She is one of my favorite actresses, but her name is too plain. The "man" in there bothers me.
Donna- A good choice for a women that age, but it's personally not my style.
Meryl- I really like this name. It's not too feminine, but very stylish (Meryl Streep is my all time favorite actress).
Sam- Could they have picked more boring names for these men? Sam is so boring.
Pierce- Very interesting. I prefer Pierre, the French version, but I can see Pierce getting popular.
Harry- Again, a boring choice. I am surprised that this name isn't more popular today, considering our country's love for Harry Potter.
Colin: This name is okay. It reminds me of a colon.
Bill- I get why they used this form of William, but I prefer Will or especially Liam.
Stellan: This is a really cool name. I wouldn't use it, but it sounds like stellar, which is completly awesome!
Sky: Eww. I hate this name for a boy. I hate it for a girl too, but especially for a guy.
Dominic: This is an amazing name. It sounds cool and modern, but not flashy.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Look forward to more movie character name analyses!