Celebrity Baby Name Predictions: Volume 6

via Marion WD Tumblr

This month’s predictions features two exciting firsts for me: my first twin prediction, and my first Duggar prediction! I’ve been crossing my fingers for a Duggar pregnancy announcement since I started this series six months ago, and now here it is. But that’s not all the good news this month. Mick Jagger is going to be a dad again, as is Sam Worthington. Plus, Jenna Jameson is having her third baby. This means we’ve got a lot of stylish, alliterative, and probably zany birth announcements coming up. I’ve taken a stab at predicting them below.

Melanie Hamrick and Mick Jagger

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Georgia, James, Jade, Elizabeth, Lucas, Karis, Gabriel (all from previous relationships)

Even though the names of Mick Jagger’s children seem all over the place in terms of sibset cohesion, there’s one thing they all have in common: undeniably British style. I have a feeling baby number eight’s name will fit right in.

Girl: Bryony, Cressida, Gemma, Imogen, Isadora, Ivy, Poppy, Tabitha, Tallulah

Boy: Charlie, Lewis, Milo, Nico, Oliver, Sebastian, Simon, Spencer, Richie, Rex
*Update* Yep, they went British--baby boy is Devereaux Octavian Basil!

Kirsten and Jon Heder

Gender: girl

Siblings: Evan Jane(g), Philip, Timothy

Even though Jon Heder is known for playing a character named Napoleon, his personal naming style is much tamer. His sons have very traditional names, while his daughter has an uncommon, but on-trend unisex name—Evan. Using that as my guide, I made picks for the Heders that would be perfect for their sibset. 
Girl: Anna, Brenna, Claire, Grace, Harper, Kate, Leah, Maggie, Nora, Paige, Piper

Grace Gail and Adam Rodriguez

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Frankie Elle(g)

Frankie is definitely having a moment right now. It’s cute and not-so-serious, and makes a great nickname for some terrific longer names. Frankie Rodriguez is just Frankie though, so I have a hunch Grace and Adam might choose another nickname-y name for baby number two. 
Girl: Clara, Etta, Evie, Georgia, Ivy, Josie, Lena, Libby, Liza, Lucy, Nellie, Rosie

Boy: Arlo, Ben, Gus, Jamie, Jonathan, Julian, Leo, Louie, Milo, Nico, Rudy, Sammy

Molly Sims and Scott Stuber

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Brooks Alan, Scarlett May

The Stuber sibset is preppy as can be, with a healthy dose of Southern charm. If they stick with that theme, I bet their third child will have one of the following names.

Girl: Adelaide, Audrey, Evelyn, Harlow, Laurel, Sadie, Savannah, Stella, Vivienne

Boy: Beau, Clayton, Dean, Hayes, Preston, Reid, Spencer, Tate, Tucker, Waylon
*Update* A boy--Grey Douglas!

Danneel Harris and Jensen Ackles

Gender: boy girl twins!

Siblings: Justice Jay "JJ" (g)

Double trouble--a boy and a girl are on the way for the Ackles family. Twins can be tricky to name. You want the pair to be cohesive on its own, but also fit in with the larger sibset. I’m excited to hear Jensen and Danneel’s choices, especially since their daughter has such a fun name.

Girl: Alexis, Brynn, Eden, Grace, Harper, Quinn, Payton, Rain, Rowan, Skye

Boy: Alex, Beckett, Brave, Hayden, Jude, Phoenix, Rocky, Sawyer, Tristan, Zion
*Update* The twins are here! Baby girl is Arrow Rhodes, and baby boy is Zeppelin Bram. 

Jenna Jameson and Lior Britton

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Jesse Jameson, Journey Jette (both from a previous relationship)

Something tells me this baby is going to have another double J name. Jenna Jameson’s twin sons’ names aren’t a complete match stylistically, so it’s a total toss up in terms of her approach for baby number three. Will she go with a more traditional and well-liked name a la Jesse? Or choose a trendy unisex name like Journey?

Girl: Jacy, Jade, Jasmine, Jayla, Jersey, Jewel, Jezebel, Jolie, Jubilee, Jules, Juliette

Boy: Jace, Jack, Jagger, Jamie, Jaxon, Jayden, Jenson, Jethro, Jude, Judson, Justice
*Update* Not a J name--a girl named Batel Lu!

Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Rocket Zot

Rocket Zot is the craziest celebrity baby name you've never heard of. This Australian couple gave their son a very unique combination of names, and I have no doubt that they’re going to do it again. The only question is, what combo will it be this time?

Girl: Ember, Fable, Moxie, Mystery, Pixie, Rebel, Rumor, Story, Spirit

Boy: Blaze, Breaker, Diesel, Dragon, Legend, Neon, Noble, Storm
*Update* Welcome Racer!

Jessa and Ben Seewald

Gender: unknown

Siblings: Spurgeon Elliot

The Duggars are known for their baby name choices, but Jessa and Ben have promised not to do a letter theme. Instead, it seems as if they are naming their babies after famous Christians. The Seewalds are not afraid to go bold with baby names, so I didn’t hold back when making my predictions. I wouldn’t hold it past them to name a daughter Pink (which I’m secretly rooting for)!

Girl: Annie, Carey, Hedley, Isobel, Lottie, Piper, Pink, Ryle, Susanna, Teresa

Boy: Baxter, Benjamin, Lawson, Leland, Luther, Owen, Paul, Tozer, Washer, Wells

*Update* It's a boy—Henry Wilberforce!

First Lady Names

Laura Worthington via You Work for Them

Today is President's Day in the U.S., so to honor the holiday, I thought we'd take a look at some noteworthy names of First Ladies. I picked ten I wanted to talk about, but there are obviously so many more I didn't cover. What is your favorite first lady inspired name?

Bird: Lady Bird Johnson 
Lady Bird Johnson, born Claudia Alta, was the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She has perhaps the most unusual monikers out of all the First Ladies, a combination of her childhood nickname (Lady) and affectionate pet name (Bird). Bird makes quite a charming nature name, perfect for the middle position. Alternatively, make it the first name and use the nickname Birdie. 

Bess: Bess Truman
Bess Truman, wife of Harry S. Truman, was born Elizabeth Virginia. She was supposedly called Bessie during her childhood, as a nickname for Elizabeth. I can definitely see Bess coming back in style, especially when used as a short form for Elizabeth. Bessie, however, still reads "cow."

Dolley: Dolley Madison
James Madison's wife Dolley Madison has quite a mysterious name. Some have suggested that she was born Dorothea, others claim Dorothy, and some, just Dolley. The spelling of her name has also been the object of confusion, as documents vary between Dolley, Dolly, and even Dollie. Nowadays Dolley might hold too much baggage with the Dolly Parton association, but nevertheless, she's a sweet retro nickname.

Florence: Florence Harding
Florence Harding, wife of Warren G. Harding, was born Florence Mabel (what a combo!). She has a spectacular name that hasn't quite come into favor yet, despite similar -or- names like Cora and Nora rising in popularity.

Ida: Ida McKinley
Ida McKinley (no middle name) was the wife of President William McKinley. Her name, like many German names is very strong. With short, ends-in-a names being so in vogue, I'd like to see Ida back in the top 1000. 

Letitia: Letitia Tyler
Letitia Tyler was married to President John Tyler, who was first the Vice-President, and then the President of the United States. She vanished from the top 1000 in 1982, although she never broke the top 500. In this day and age, the similar Lettice or Lettie might be more favorable. 

Lou: Lou Hoover
Herbert Hoover's wife Lou was born simply Lou. Nowadays people assume a girl called Lou has a fuller name (Louisa, Lucy, maybe), but back in the late 1800s, this wasn't the case. I love the idea of using just Lou as a first name, but I know many of you won't agree with me. 

Lucretia: Lucretia Garfield
Lucretia Garfield, First Lady to James Garfield's President, was called Crete by those who were close to her. She dropped from the top 1000 in the late '70s, but like Letitia, never made it into the top 500. She might seem a little futsy to modern parents, but I think she's a fun way to get to Lu, Lulu, and the like.

Mamie: Mamie Eisenhower
Mamie Eisenhower was the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. She was named Mamie Geneva, after the song Lovely Lake Geneva. Normally Mamie is considered a nickname for Margaret or Mary, but it's not extremely uncommon to see her as a given name. Mamie fits in with all the retro revivals of today, but is not likely to crack the top 1000 anytime soon, so go ahead and use her. Fun fact: Mamie Eisenhower had a sister named Mabel Frances who was called Mike.

Martha: Martha Washington
Martha Washington was the very first of the First Ladies to ever serve the United States. She did not have a middle name--Martha was born in 1731, where it was common practice to not give daughters middle names, since their maiden name would move to that position once they got married. Martha has been on a steady decline ever since the mid-century, but never made it out of the top 1000. I'm hopeful such a timeless name will begin to pick up steam soon.

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!*

Similar Usage Stats: Sophia

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The main reason people are afraid to use popular names is because they don't want their child to be "one of many." Mom grew up as "Jennifer P." and would hate for her son or daughter to have to do the same. In actuality, popular names are getting used less. Last year, Sophia was only used for 1.1039% of baby girls. I thought we'd take a look at names with similar usage (percentage wise) to Sophia, so we can see how "popular" she really is. 

2005, Emma (2)

1995, Sarah (5)

1985, Megan (10)

1975, Stephanie (9)

1965, Donna (7)

1955, Sharon (15)

1945, Donna (17)

1935, Joyce (12)

1925, Elizabeth (10)

1915, Marie (11)

1905, Ethel (12)

1895, Bertha (11)

1885, Grace (14)

As you can see, starting in the 1980s, people started using top names less and less. During the 100 years before that, popularity of the top names were very high (Mary was used on almost seven percent of baby girls in 1885). Jennifer was given to four percent of girls at her peak, which means there were four times as many Jennifers born in 1974 than Sophias born in 2014. So don't worry. If you love a popular name, it's pretty safe to just go for it. 

Nicknames for Isabella

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Isabella is an extremely popular name. She's one of those names that will be tied to a generation--not that that's a problem. Isabella is very elegant, so it's no wonder she's so trendy. But with a four syllable name, you sometimes need a nickname. Here are ten of the best choices.

Bella- She's the classic choice, but Bella's a bit overused in my opinion. I think Belle is a fresher option.

Belle- People have embraced Bella to the fullest, but left Belle out. She's a super sweet vintage pick. I prefer the spelling Bell to combat the Disney Princess vibes.

Ella- Ella is a darling name used mostly in her own right. That being said, I know plenty of girls who used Ella as a nickname. This could be a good compromise for parents deciding between Ella and Isabella.

Elle- Of course, I can't forget about Elle. She's a name girls love having--I know quite a few who chose it as their nickname.

Ellie- Ellie is on the rise in the U.S.. She is at #74 and rising. Considering she's a popular nickname for any El- name, it probably seems like Ellie is even more popular than that. Ellie is very charming, and would be a lovely, unique pick as a nickname for Isabella.

Elsa- Elsa is kind of a long shot, but she works. Isabella and Elsa both derive from Elizabeth, and all the letters of Elsa are hidden inside Isabella. If you need a creative way to get to Elsa, I'd say Isabella is a good option.

Elsie- I think Elsie works even better than Elsa. She's a little more nickname-y. Elsie is climbing the charts very quickly, and is currently more popular than Elsa, which may be something to consider.

Isa- Isa is delightful, almost nonexistent nickname for the Isabel- names. If you're looking for a nickname with some European flair, my suggestion is Isa.

Izzy- Like Bella, I consider Izzy a classic, but for kids my age. Bella is the nickname of choice for the younger crowd, but everyone my age named Isabella goes by Izzy. She's still a very viable nickname choice, and doesn't sound dated to me at all.

Sable- I love Sable as a nickname for Isabella. She's always my first suggestion. Guaranteed no other Isabellas on your block will be called Sable.

Full Names for Beth

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Beth is a modern classic of a nickname. She can be easily worn on a grown woman, as well as a baby (the character Quinn from Glee named her daughter Beth). Most people only consider her a nickname for Elizabeth, but there are plenty of options when it comes to getting to the Beth. Let me know which one is your favorite.

Expected:
Bethany- This Hebrew name peaked in the '80s, but she wouldn't be very out of place today.
Elizabeth- She's forever popular, but these days her nickname is more likely to be Elsie or Ella. Beth makes a strong alternative.

Unique:
Annabeth- Young readers will recognize her as a feature character in the Percy Jackson series; could she be a popular name of the future? Until then she's an unpopular smoosh name that is most popular in Denmark.
Lisbeth- Lisbeth had a strong and sudden increase in popularity in 2002, for reasons I can't figure out (anyone know?). She fell quickly after that, and doesn't rank in the top 1000 anymore. Nowadays this beauty (with Hebrew, Scandinavian, and Spanish roots) is an interesting way to get to Beth.

Unheard of:
Bethan- Bethan is a frills-free Bethany. She's a bit more modern, and offers a great way to honor Aunt Bethany.
Bethania- Talk about an elaborate name. At least you can call her by the more simple Beth.
Bethel- I get why Bethel might not be so appealing. She sounds like Ethel with a B, which dates her. But using the nickname Beth makes her seem more usable.

10 M Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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What's your favorite M name for boys? Maverick? Mateo? Miles? I happen to be fond of Max, but he's just so popular right now. Many parents nowadays want a name that is on trend, yet no one is using. It sounds like an impossible task, but I've found ten M names that are just that.

Macalester- Looking for an offbeat way to get to Mac? How about Lester? Maybe Cal? Macalester is a smart collegiate name with a wealth of nickname possibilities (obviously).

Magnus- This Scandinavian charmer is the most popular of the list, ranking at 958. He makes a nice alternative to Max; just ask one of his many celebrity parents--including Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, and Jennifer Nettles.

Maguire- We love giving our children surnames as first names, but haven't embraced Maguire. It's a unisex name, but if you use him for a boy, he's nicknameless (and if you're anything like me, that's a plus).

Maine- Maine is my favorite state name. He's simple and understated, yet rugged and strong. It'd be a great way to honor a family member who was from Maine.

March- He's one of the most usable month names, yet he never gets used. I mean, come on, it's not like using February. I think he's one of the most handsome names.

Mead- He may be short, but he doesn't lack substance. Mead is a surname that would be great for honoring a Maude or a Reid.

Meyer- Another preppy surname, but this time with foodie appeal. Perfect for your sweet little boy, because Meyer Lemons are the sweetest.

Moe- You can't get much simpler than Moe. He makes a great first name, but he works as a nickname for many retro picks as well. My suggestion? Cosmo.

Moore- Moore strikes me as swanky and sophisticated. But it's a little hard for me to picture him on a baby.

Moss- Moss is appealing on so many levels. Where else can you find a name that both nature-lovers and super model fanatics can agree on?

Full Names for Abby

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Abby is a very sweet name, it's easy to see why she's so popular (especially as a nickname for Abigail). But, let's face it, Abigail is not everyone's style. Many parents want a less popular or quirkier full name for their Abby, and I have got the perfect list for them.

Expected:
Abigail- Most Abbys out there are probably Abigails (that or just Abby). She's number 8 on the SSA charts, and has been pretty popular for many years now. Looks like Abigail is here to stay.
Abriella- If you prefer Abby over Gabby, go with Abriella rather than Gabriella.
Abrielle- A more trim and dainty version of Abriella. You could also go with the nicknames Bri or Elle, but Abby is my favorite of the bunch.

Unique:
Annabel- It would be a bit more conventional to use Annie or Bella as the nickname, but Abby definitely works.
Arabella- Arabella is quickly rising up the charts. She currently ranks at 210, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the top 150 in the next few years.
Elizabeth- A classic name with an abundance of nicknames. Why not add Abby to that list?
Isabel- Not a big fan of Belle or Izzy? (Me neither, actually). Lucky for you, Abby makes a great nickname for Isabel.

Unheard of:
Abbott- Abbott's tomboy edge is softened by the gentle nickname Abby.
Alabama- She may be a little offbeat, but hey, you can always call her Abby.
Tabitha- You don't often hear of little Tabithas, which isn't that surprising. The most obvious nickname Tabby is too feline, but Abby works perfectly.

10 E Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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E is such a popular letter to begin girls names with. There are seven of them in the top 100. There's a reason E names are so trendy, so many of them are gorgeous. So if you're over Emma and Eva (or even Eloise for that matter) take a look at this list of E names for girls, none of which are in the top 1000.

Early- This word name would be so sweet on a little girl, and it's a pretty way to honor an Earl.

Effie- Cute and spunky. She doesn't need Euphemia to be a full form, use Effie on her own.

Electra- Very electric (hah). This is the Greek version, but for a slightly softer form try the Italian Elettra.

Elke- I've adored Elke ever since Emily of The Beetle Shack used it for her daughter. She's actually a form of Adelheid, which makes her a good choice if you need to honor a Heidi or Adele.

Elspeth- One of the most beautiful variations of Elizabeth. She's a great way to get to Elsie.

Eluned- A name you almost never hear. Perfect if you want a creative way to use the nickname Luna.

Emmanuelle- At first glance she seems like a little much, but she offers a wealth of nickname possibilities. Use Emma or Elle for something classic, or Manny or Nell for something less common.

Enid- Most people consider this an "ugly" name, but all I can think of is Enid Coleslaw from Ghost World. And if she's not a worthy namesake then who is?

Eugenie- Sharing your name with a real life princess? That's something many little girls dream of. Plus Genie makes an unexpected retro-sounding nickname.

Eulalie- She's so charming and sweet, yet non-name-nerds haven't heard of her. I prefer just Eulalie, but if you need something a little more sugary sweet go with Eulalia.


*That's all for this week, as Friday is a holiday. Happy 4th of July everybody!*

Full Names for Elsie

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Elsie is such a wonderful name. I love her as a nickname for Elsa, but I'm worried that Elsa's popularity will rise as a result of Frozen. If you want some other great names that shorten to Elsie, I have some picks for you.

Expected:
Elise- Elise is surprisingly common, ranking 151. Rearrange her letters to get Elsie.
Elizabeth- Pair this uncommon nickname with the classic Elizabeth.
Elsa- The obvious choice. I adore Elsa.

Unique:
Elisa- Not nearly as common as Elise, but very similar.
Ellis- Use Elsie to make this unisex name girly.
Eloise- Literary darling.

Unheard of:
Ellison- Usually used as a boy name, but Elsie makes an unexpected and sweet nickname.
Elspeth- A lovely form of Elizabeth that should be used more often.
Elysia- Hardly used, but her sounds are in vogue.

I apologize for the boring week, my Spring Break starts tomorrow and I have a fun week planned out. More great posts are coming, including my Junior Research Paper, which is all about names and destiny. Have a good weekend!

Best of 2013

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Happy New Year, everyone! I'll get back to regular posting soon, but in the mean time, here's the best blog posts of 2013.


January: In January we talked about Kimye's baby. I didn't predict it there, but I may have the year before.
February: We viewed some full names for Alex for both genders in February.
March: This month we went over all the lovely nicknames for Elizabeth, my personal favorite being Elsa.
April: In April we looked at names inspired by Chicago neighborhoods. This was my favorite post of the year.
May: May showed us the best names of Britain, with Boden Catalog Names.
June: This month we saw what the best anagram names for twins were. My favorite sets were Dot and Tod, and Arlo and Orla.
July: In July we talked about full names for Nell, my absolute favorite.
August: August taught us about full names for Lissie, there are a surprising amount.
September: We went over animal names in September.
October: On Halloween we looked at names of our favorite candies.
November: In November we went over some unexpected calendar names.
December: Finally, last month we enjoyed looking at names culled from the Olive & Cocoa catalog.

The top three viewers favorites of the year were:

1. Nicknames for Susannah
2. Full Names for Cece
3. Nicknames for Henry

Thanks for reading, and happy 2014!

Catalog Names: TinyPrints, Holiday 2013

The hipper counterpart of Shutterfly, TinyPrints definitely has the cooler names (Clementine and Isla vs. Mia and Claire. I rest my case). Enjoy (another) long list of Catalog Names.

Girls:
Abigale
Adie
Alex
Alexandra
Allison
Annabella
Ash
Ashley
Barbara
Beth
Bethany
Candace
Carrie
Cecily
Clementine
Diane
Ebony
Elizabeth
Ellen
Emery
Emily
Esther
Evelyn
Gabrielle
Gwenyth
Isla
Jamie
Jane
Jessie
Juno
Kathleen
Kayla
Kia
Mae
Margaret
Marie
Natalia
Natalie
Natasha
Pamela
Sage
Sarah
Sophie
Stephanie
Terry
Trish
Valerie

Boys:
Alex
Alexander
Ash
Ashton
Ben
Benjamin
Brian
Carter
Chris
Christopher
Colin
Collin
Daniel
Edward
Eliott
Gene
Grayden
Henry
Jacob
Jamie
Jason
Jensen George
Joe
Jonathan
Mark
Martin
Matthew
Michael
Nathan
Noah
Oliver
Patrick
Quinn
Rob
Sammy
Thomas
Xavier

Full Names for Bee

Bee is a such a sweet nickname. For full names, you can really use any name that starts with B, but here are the names I think work very well.

Beatrice
Beatrix
Beatriz
Beeja
Beverly
Birdie
Delbe
Elizabeth
Phoebe
Selby
Shelby

Nicknames for Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a classic name. She has many nicknames and variations, some more popular than others. Here I have listed all the nicknames I could think of.

Battie
Bee
Bess
Bessie
Bet
Beth
Betsy
Betty
Birdie
Bitsy
Bitty
Ella
Elle
Ellie
Eliza
Elsa
Elsie
Izzy
Lia
Libby
Liddy
Lilibet
Lilo
Lisa
Lissy
Liz
Liza
Lizzie
Tib
Tibby
Zaza

Splittable Names for Twins

Abby and Gail
Ame and Lia
Angel and Lina
Anna and Belle
Arri and Anna
Alex and Xander or Alex and Ander
Brooke and Lynn
Chris and Tina
Eliza and Beth
Eva and Lynn or Eve and Lynn
Henry and Etta
Jill and Ian or Gill and Ian
Kate and Lynn
Lily and Ana
Mac and Kenzie
Maddie and Lynn
Mary and Lynn
Rose and Mary
Will and Liam

Names for the Nickname Ellie

Eleanor
Eleanora
Elena
Eliza
Elizabeth
Ella
Ellen
Ellis
Ellison
Elsa
Elsie
Elspeth

Our Generations Grandkids

What do you think our grandkids will be named? I am thinking the old lady and old man names that everybody thinks are ugly. Here are a few I think might make it:

Girls:

Betty
Susan
Linda
Pamela
Elizabeth
Mary
Dorothy

Boys:

Paul
John
Leonard
Arnold
Sidney
Bert
Harold

Ten Years Ago

Today, I was very interested to see what names were popular ten years ago, and how they were similar and different from our top ten today. Turns out, there were a few surprises. Here are the top ten boys and girls names from 2001.

Girls:

Emily
Madison
Hannah
Ashley
Alexis
Sarah
Samantha
Abigail
Elizabeth
Olivia

Boys:

Jacob
Michael
Matthew
Joshua
Christopher
Nicholas
Andrew
Joseph
Daniel
William

I was most surprised that our top two baby names for girls (Isabella and Sophia) did not make the top two. Isabella was 28 and Sophia was 37. Also, Ashley is number 27 today. That seems strange to me, because I consider it very 1990's and have never met an Ashley. For the boys, Nicholas has dropped to number 37. Very surprising was Aiden, who was at 86 in 2001, but a few years later, up to number 1. Jayden was 139. That concludes our Ten Years Ago post for this year.

Long Girls Names

Some people love long girls names. Personally, they're not my style, but I thought I'd do a post on them today. They are all at least four sylablles long, even though some look shorter.

Adriana
Alexandra
Alexandria
Amelia
Annabella
Anastasia
Andromeda
Angelina
Arriana
Cecelia
Chrysanthemum
Eleanora
Elizabeth
Esmerelda
Evangeline
Felicity
Gabriella
Gladiola
Isabella
Isodora
Julianna
Liliana
Liviana
Magnolia
Meloria
Natalia
Penelope
Serenity
Theodora
Theodosia
Valentina
Valeria
Victoria
Veronica
Willamina

1969: The Most Popular Names for Girls

My mother was born in 1969, so today, for Mother's Day, I am going to list the 20 most popular girls name of that year. Here it goes.

Lisa
Michelle
Jennifer (my mom's name. It jumped to number one the next year.)
Kimberly
Melissa
Amy
Angela
Mary
Tammy
Laura
Susan
Julie
Karen
Christine
Kelly
Elizabeth
Tracy
Patricia
Stephanie
Lori

Happy Mother's Day everyone.