Shakespearean Names

Ben Didier via Dribbble

There's a reason everyone likes Shakespearean names--they signify class, romanticism, and intelligence, (most) without sounding too pompous or proper. If you're looking for one of these names for your son or daughter, I've compiled this list of the ones I deem most usable.

Girls
Adriana
Aemilia
Alice
Aliena
Angelica
Anne
Audrey
Beatrice
Bianca
Blanche
Calphurnia
Cassandra
Celia
Cleopatra
Constance
Cordelia
Cressida
Desdemona
Diana
Dionyza
Doll
Dorcas
Eleanor
Elizabeth
Emilia
Francisca
Gertrude
Helen
Helena
Hermia
Hermione
Hero
Imogen
Iris
Isabella
Jane
Jessica
Joan
Julia
Juliet
Juno
Kate
Katharine
Katherine
Lavinia
Leonine
Luce
Lucetta
Luciana
Margaret
Maria
Marianna
Marina
Meg
Miranda
Nan
Nell
Nerissa
Octavia
Olivia
Ophelia
Patience
Paulina
Perdita
Phebe
Portia
Regan
Rosalind
Rosaline
Silvia
Tamora
Thaisa
Thisbe
Timandra
Titania
Valeria
Viola
Virgilia
Volumnia

Boys
Aaron
Abraham
Adam
Adrian
Andrew
Ajax
Alexander
Alexas
Alonso
Angelo
Angus
Anthony
Antonio
Ariel
Arthur
Balthasar
Barnardo
Benedick
Benvolio
Berkeley
Bertram
Brandon
Caesar
Caius
Camillo
Cassio
Cassius
Cato
Charles
Christopher
Cicero
Cinna
Clarence
Claudio
Claudius
Cleomines
Cleon
Clifford
Clitus
Cloten
Corin
Cornelius
Curan
Curio
Curtis
Cymbeline
Davy
Demetrius
Denny
Dick
Dion
Duncan
Edgar
Edmund
Edward
Egeon
Emmanuel
Fabian
Fenton
Ferdinand
Flavius
Ford
Francis
Francisco
Frederick
Gardiner
George
Gerald
Gregory
Grey
Griffith
Harry
Hector
Henry
Horatio
Hubert
Hugh
Humphrey
Iago
Isidore
Jachimo
Jack
Jaques
James
Jamy
John
Joseph
Jourdain
Julius
Junius
Jupiter
Lennox
Leonardo
Leonato
Leonatus
Leontes
Lewis
Lorenzo
Louis
Lovell
Lucentio
Lucilius
Lucio
Lucius
Lysander
Macmorris
Malcolm
Marcellus
Marcus
Mark
Martius
Matthew
Mercutio
Michael
Montano
Morgan
Mortimer
Morton
Nathaniel
Ned
Nicholas
Nick
Nym
Oberon
Octavius
Oliver
Orlando
Orsino
Osrick
Oswald
Othello
Owen
Paris
Pedro
Percy
Peter
Peto
Philip
Philario
Philo
Polonius
Puck
Quince
Quintus
Reynaldo
Richard
Robert
Robin
Roderigo
Romeo
Ross
Sampson
Sebastian
Silvius
Simon
Smith
Stanley
Stephano
Taurus
Thomas
Timon
Timothy
Titus
Toby
Tom
Tranio
Travers
Troy
Valentine
Valerius
Varro
Vernon
Vincentio
Walter
Will
Williams
Willoughby

Short Middle Names: Girls

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With Americans' fascination of long, extravagent first names for girls, many parents are looking for something much shorter to put in the middle. I've put together a list of 100 single syllable names for girls, any of them are perfect for the middle position. There's something for everyone on this list, whether you prefer classic, quirky, or cutesy names. Tell me in the comments: which ones would you use?

Anne
Bay
Bee
Belle
Bess
Beth
Bette
Bex
Biet
Bird
Blair
Blake
Blythe
Bo
Bree
Bren
Britt
Brooke
Brynn
Cass
Cat
Claire
Clove
Dell
Dot
Dru
Elle
Em
Eve
Faye
Fleur
France
Gem
Grace
Greer
Gwen
Harp
Hayes
Hope
Jade
Jane
Jean
Jen
Jess
Jette
Jewel
Jill
Jo
Joan
Joss
June
Kate
Kath
Kay
Kit
Lane
Lark
Lee
Lex
Lise
Liv
Lotte
Lou
Lune
Lux
Luz
Lynn
Maeve
Mai
Maude
May
Meg
Mel
Nan
Nell
Noor
Paige
Pearl
Pimm
Plum
Poe
Pomme
Prune
Quinn
Rae
Rose
Roux
Ruth
Scout
Shae
Sloane
Sol
Sue
Tate
Tess
Val
Vale
Viv
Wynne

Middle Name Statistics

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Middle names are something we all like to talk about, but unfortunately, the Social Security Administration doesn't record middle names of babies, only first names. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw that my high school graduation program included most peoples' middle names--this offered me a set of data. Now, my high school only graduated 736 people, and some don't have middle names, or didn't want it to be listed in the program. However, my area is extremely diverse--racially, socio-economically, and religiously--so the small set of data I do have is still worth anaylzing. So, here's the data for the most common middle names among the Class of 2015 ('96 and '97 babies).

Girls
1. Marie (15)
2. Elizabeth (14) and Elisabeth (1)
3. Ann (4) and Anne (5)
4. Nicole (7) and Nykole (1)
5. Rose (8)
6. Grace (5)
7. Lee (2) and Leigh (3)
8. Jean (3) and Jeanne (1)
9. Louise (4)
10. Lynn (3) and Lynee (1)

Notable Trends

• Alex- Names: Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexis (2)
• An- Names: Analiese, Angelin, Anna, Ann (4), Anne (5), Annie
• -Ay Names: Kay, May, Monet, Rae, (2), Shae
• El- Names: Elaine, Elena, Elisabeth, Elizabeth (14), Ella, Eloise, Elvira
• Esme Names: Esme (2), Esmeralda
• Iman- Names: Iman (2), Imani
• La- Names: Lanae (2), Lan'Yel, Larae, Lashae, Lashay, Latasha, Latefah, Latoya
• Heritage Choices: Abu, Fatima, Fionnuala, Guadalupe, Inez, Keiko, Ondina, Roisin
• Only two: Claire, Catherine/Katherine, Mary

Gems

• Bartholomew
• Bean
• Beata
• Chiffon
• Elvira
• Hopes
• Houston
• Love
• Magaly
• Saffia
• Salome

Boys
1. James (10)
2. Edward (7)
3. William (7)
4. Charles (6)
5. Thomas (6)
6. Joseph (5)
7. Michael (4) and Micael (1)
8. Anthony (4)
9. David (4)
10. John (4)
11. Patrick (4)

Notable Trends

• Al Names: Alan, Alexander (3), Allen
• Ed- Names: Edmond, Eduardo, Edward (7), Edwin
• Mark Names: Marcus, Markus (2)
• Zach: Zachary (2), Zachery
• Brit Picks: Basil, Edmond, George, Phillip (2), Sinclair, Tucker (2)
• Heritage Choices: Angel, Azriel, Enahoro, Hong, Mitja, Sohail
• Only two: Lee, Matthew, Peter, Robert

Gems

• Aksel
• Basil
• Jewel
• Kirby
• Moss
• Sinclair
• Soliman
• Winter
• Wolfgang

*I'm taking next week off for the holiday. Sorry for the infrequent posting--this has been a busy summer for me!*

Catalog Names: Paper Source, June 2014

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Hooray! Ever since I wrote this post I have been waiting for Paper Source to switch their invitation designs and incorporate new names into their catalog. It finally happened, so take a look at all the new names mentioned.

Girls
Aimee
Alanna
Alexandra
Alexis
Allie
Allison
Amelia (x2)
Amelia Caroline
Amy (x3)
Andrea
Angela
Anne (x2)
Anne Marie
Avery
Carrie
Cecilia Mae
Christina (x2)
Claudia
Dana
Danielle
Deborah Monique
Eileen
Elisa
Elizabeth (x4)
Elizabeth Marie
Ellie
Emily (x5)
Erin (x2)
Gertrude
Gabriella Marie
Heather (x3)
Heidi
Jennifer
Joanna Marie
Jocelyn
Julia
Kailey
Kara
Kara Anne
Karen
Kate
Katherine (x2)
Katie
Kerry
Kim
Leslie
Lindsay
Lindsey Claire
Liz
Lucia
Lucille Frances
Maggie (x2)
Marie
Marisa
Martha
Mary (x3)
Mathilda Marie
Melanie
Molly
Morgan
Nahlia Rae
Naomi (x2)
Nancy
Olivia
Rebecca (x2)
Rose Ellen
Roxanne
Sandra
Sarah
Selena
Stacey
Sylvia
Vanessa

Boys
Alexander (x2)
Anthony Joseph
Benjamin
Brandon Joseph
Brandt
Bryan
Carl
Charles
Clifford Louis
Damien
Daniel
Dave (x2)
David
Dean Weber
Douglas
Dylan
Frederick
Harold
Herbert
Humphrey
Hunter Aidan
James (x3)
Jeffrey David
Jeremy (x2)
Louis
Marcus
Martin
Matt
Michael
Mike
Milan Oscar
Oliver
Patrick
Peter Arthur
Phillip
Robert
Ryan
Theodore
Theodore Jackson
Todd
Tom (x2)
Tyler Horace
William (x2)
William John

Either
Adrian
Cameron
Jamie (x2)
Mischa

Names from Children's Literature

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Children love anything with their name on it. Thank goodness we live in the digital age, because now you can personalize everything imaginable. Even books. A whole new industry has been created--its sole purpose is to make your child the main character of his or her books. This is great (and very cute), but it's also fun to share a name with a classic character. I've compiled a list of main-character names from award-winning children's books--see if you can sense a theme.

Girls
Alice- Alice in Wonderland 
Anne- Anne of Green Gables
Charlotte- Charlotte's Web
Coraline- Coraline
Eloise- Eloise 
Frances- Bread and Jam for Frances
Harriet- Harriet the Spy
Madeline- Madeline
Margaret- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Matilda- Matilda
Meg- A Wrinkle in Time
Olivia- Olivia
Pippi- Pippi Longstocking
Ramona- Ramona the Pest

Boys
Alexander- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Charlie- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Clifford- Clifford the Big Red Dog
David- No, David!
George- Curious George
Harry- Harry Potter
Hugo- The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Max- Where the Wild Things Are
Milo- The Phantom Tollbooth
Stanley- Holes

Don't all these names sound like they belong in one big sibset? I was a little surprised to see so many classic, British names. I've read all these books (with the exception of Coraline and A Wrinkle in Time), and all of the title characters are worthy namesakes. If these names are your style, definitely consider one for your child. Trust me, it's a lot of fun.

10 N Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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As many of you guys know, N is the first initial of my all time favorite girl name--Nell. Nell is gorgeous, sweet, and lovely, and will not be making an appearance on this list. Instead I've picked some more creative, daring, and unexpected names for you to consider.

Navy- This color name has become more fashionable lately, and it's easy to see why. She shares a -av sound with popular names Ava and Avery, and she's not too long.

Nelia- Nelia is originally a nickname for Cornelia, but she stands nicely all on her own. Possible nicknames include Nell or Lia.

Nemy- A cute, upbeat name that strikes me as more feminine than Remy. She might work better as a nickname though.

Nessa- Nessa could be used as a nickname for Vanessa, Janessa, or even Anastasia, but I'm attracted to her simplicity.

Nettie- She's a spunky, old fashioned nickname with lots of charm. She doesn't need a full name, but if you must, she works for any name ending in -ette.

Nigella- Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is the most famous bearer of this name, which comes from a spice. I'm not sure many American parents would be brave enough to use Nigella, but you could always call her Ella.

Nika- Have you noticed how many N names are diminutives? Nika is no exception. She comes from Veronika, and sounds much more modern.

Ninon- Ninon is a French nickname for Anne or Nina, and she should probably stay that way. I can't imagine her as a full name, but how adorable would a Nina-called-Ninon be?

Nona- Before you ask, yes, I know that Nona is a popular term for grandma. That may be a deal breaker for you, but she actually means "nine." I think she's pretty darling, especially if you were having your ninth (!) child.

Nuala- Nuala is a pretty Irish name that fits right in with today's most popular. She's got long vowel sounds and the coveted L, making her a perfect pick. I know two Nualas (well, one is a dog), and I can say that the name wears very well.

Blog Names: The Socialite Family

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I recently stumbled upon a French blog called The Socialite Family, and fell in love with it. I adore the homes featured on the blog, but I love the names even more. Listed here are the names of the children.

Aliocha (boy) and Hiroko (girl)
Anne, Nemo, Leon, and Jules
Arsene (girl)
Bishop, Ford, and Clark
Camille
Camillo
Charles and Eve
Chiara, Ines, and Joseph
Eli and Thom
Gustave and Honore
Honore
Jacques and Paul
Leontine, Abel, and Violette
Lola
Lucio
Margaux and Raul
Minnie and Roxanne
Nataniel and Vadim
Selma, Gabriel, and Gaspard
Reina and Niels
Vasco (girl)
Wolfy and West

Nicknames for Francesca

Francesca is a lovely name, but she can be kind of a mouthful. If your Francesca needs a spunky nickname, the master list is right here.

Anne
Annie
Cesca or Chesca
Cessie
Chessie
Fanny
Fran
France
Frances
Francie
Frank
Frankie
Frannie

Nicknames for Susannah

Susannah (and Susanna) is a wonderful choice of a name. She's not popular, and has a plethora of nicknames. Having trouble choosing the right one? Take a look at this list.

Anna
Anne
Annie
Hannah
Sanna (Sannah)
Sosie
Sue
Suki (Sookie, Sukie)
Susanne
Susie (Suzy, Suzie)
Zanna
Zuki
Zuzu

The Ann(e) Names

There are many names that begin and end with the sound of Ann(e). Here they are:

Anna
Anne
Anabel
Anastasia
Andrea
Andromeda
Angela
Angelica
Angelina
Angeline
Angelique
Angie
Annabella
Annaleigh
Anneliese
Annette
Annika
Annie
Annily
Annis
Annissa
Anniston
Annemarie
Annona
Annora
Annot
Antoinette
Antonia
Anwen