Full Names for Fia

Image Credit

Isn't Fia a sweet name? I've been hearing her more and more lately, from Sophias who want a more unique nickname, to brand new baby girls. Fia can work as a nickname for any name with a ph or f sound, but I've culled my favorites for this post.

Delphine- Delphine is a double nature name, boasting associations with both dolphins and the delphinum flower. She's a stunning French choice that remains practically unused--only 34 baby girls last year! And if Del isn't your style of nickname, Fia would work perfectly.

Fiona- Fiona doesn't have any obvious nicknames, but don't let that deter you from using her. Fia would work just fine! Fiona is at a wonderful place in the top 1000--#204--not too popular, but definitely familiar.

Fiorella- Fiorella, however, is a different story. At only 30 uses in 2014, she's even more obscure than Delphine. She means "little flower" in Italian--how cute is that? Fia or Ella both work for nicknames, but why go for the common one when you named your daughter Fiorella in the first place?

Josephine- Josephine has oodles of nicknames. Fia wasn't on my original list, but she works just as well as any of the others. She's more tailored and professional than Jojo or Sephie, which is often a desired quality, even in nicknames.

Philippa- Everyone's favorite nickname for Philippa is Pippa. How could it not be, with the gorgeous Pippa Middleton as her poster child? But Pippa's not everyone's cup of tea, so for those of you who want Philippa minus the princess's sis, Fia is a nice nickname option.

Philomena- Philomena is a beautiful Greek name, but lets be honest, a clunky name like that can be somewhat of a burden. Fia (or Phia) is an elegant solution--a streamlined nickname to complement the heavier given one.

Seraphina- A princess name if there ever was one. Ever since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner gave this name to their youngest daughter, people have paid attention. Yet she's still not in the top 1000, so Seraphina is still an unexpected pick. The spelling Serafina lends itself more to Fia, which is a more contemporary nickname than Sera

Sofia- Sofia is still a wildly popular choice--she's going up in popularity, while Sophia is going down. If Sofie isn't a sophisticated enough nickname for you, Fia would be terrific.

Middle Name Survey

Image Credit

Hello everyone! Today's middle name post is more of a middle name survey. In fact, that's exactly what it is. Please take the quick survey below--with enough responses I can glean some statistics from the data. Feel free to submit other forms with the middle names of your children, parents, siblings, etc. Thanks so much! I'll see you back here on Wednesday for Greek Names for Boys.



*UPDATE* This survey is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated--I was blown away with hundreds of responses!

10 French Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Image Credit

You guessed it, the next leg of this series is going to be by culture. Today we are going to look at French names, a perrenial favorite among American parents. If you're looking for something beyond Gabrielle or Vivienne, consider one of the following.

Anais- Anais is the lovely French version of Anne, and most people are familiar with her as the name of author Anais Nin. She's got a quirky cute feel, perfect for the daughter of creative parents.

Axelle- French names aren't known for being rebellious, but Axelle is just that. She has legitimate French roots, though most people will think you just made an addition to Axel. Nevertheless, she is an interesting pick. I'm putting Axelle on my list of future celebrity baby names.

Celestine- If you've read this blog for a while, you will know how much I love Celestine. She's been meantioned in six previous blog posts, which is a lot more than most other names can say. Celestine is absolutely gorgeous. For those of you too afraid to put her in the first name position, make her a middle for a short first name.

Delphine- Delphine means exactly what she sounds like, "dolphin." She's a name I often hear meantioned among the baby name crowd, but I've never encountered one in real life. Though most likely the average Joe on the street has never heard of her.

Francoise- Frances and Francis are on the rise. Francesca and Francisco have hit plauteus. The impeccibly French Francoise has never even broken the top 1000, making her a truely unique pick. Adorable nicknames Frannie and Francie are a bonus.

Leonor- Eleanor is just getting more and more popular, but her exotic variant Leonor is practically unheard of. She lends herself to the nicknames Leo and Leonie, which Eleanor doesn't offer.

Lilou- Lilou is a catch-all nickname for all L names in France, and even non-L names as well (I know a French Amelie called Lilou). She's a whimsical option, and a charming alternative to Lily.

Maelys- Maelys has all the right sounds. She's pronounced (may-LEES)--her long vowels and soft consonants make her a great contendor for parents who love liquidy names. There is normally an umlaut over the e, which makes her kind of tricky for American use. However, that should never be a deal breaker.

Magalie- Part Margaret, part Amelie, Magalie is the best French name you've never heard of. She'd make a great import.

Pomeline- Pomeline wins for my all time favorite guilty pleasure name. I would never use her on my own child, but man is she gorgeous. Pomme (the French word for apple) is a sweet nickname.

Unusual -ine Names

Image Credit

The -ine suffix is very feminine, almost all names that end in -ine are female. It's a fairly popular ending, with names such as Madeline and Caroline in the top 100. However, there are some undiscovered gems, including my favorite guilty pleasure name- Pomeline!

Apolline- A pretty name that would be nice to honor a Pauline with.

Capucine- The only problem with her being the similarity to Cappuccino.

Celandine- Ultra-feminine. Call her Cela for short.

Celestine- Another one of my favorite guilty pleasure names. I think I even like her more than Celeste.

Delphine- Gorgeous. One I hear often in the baby name community.

Eponine- Les Mis put this one in the spotlight for a while, but she never got much use.

Faustine- I was enthralled by this name as a seventh grader. She seemed beautiful and exotic, until one of my friends pointed out she sounds like frosting.

Leontine- Lovely name for a lioness, or your strong-willed daughter.

Lexine- Want Lexi but hate Alexandra? Lexine is a fabulous choice.

Lucine- A quirky way to get to Lucy.

Ottoline- Ottoline or Ottilie? I can't decide, but either one would make a great and unusual pick for an American baby girl.

Pomeline- She's French and means apple. One of my favorites, plus how cute is the nickname Pomme?


P.S. I pronounce all these names with an -een sound at the end, but some of them can have the -eyne sound, depending on your preference.

P.P.S. I'm off on Labor Day, so see you guys on the 3rd!

10 D Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Image Credit

Today we're looking at D names for girls. I'll admit, this one was a little troublesome, there aren't that many great girls names beginning in D. I think I found 10 good ones though. Tell me what you think.

Dagny- Charming Irish girl with a slice of tomboy.

Dania- Pronounced DAHN-yuh, she's a pretty name that remains under the radar.

Darcy- She would make a perfect sister for Lucy and the like, yet hasn't broken the top 1000. Baffling.

Della- Swearing off Ella because of popularity? Della is quirkier and cuter.

Delphine- She used to remind me of dolphins, but since that association faded, I've come to adore Delphine.

Dorie- Yes, there's the Finding Nemo reference, but Dorie is a wonderful name (though I may be a bit bias, my best friend is named Dorie :).

Dorsey- Can't shake the fish? Dorsey mixes Dorie and Darcy to make this unique moniker.

Dot- My favorite D name for a girl. She's too adorable.

Dulcie- A very sweet British import.

Dwyn- Slightly less fussy than Gwyn.