Food Names: Desserts

Did you all have a good Thanksgiving? To finish up our mini-series, we are going to profile names of the final course- dessert. What better than to name your baby after your favorite treat? Here's some inspiration.

Expected:
Angel- For Angel Food Cake. Better on a boy.
Ginger- Gingersnaps and Gingerbread. Second time this week that we've talked about Ginger. She's darling.
Honey- Save this one for a nickname.
Madeleine- Classic, but sounding trendy because of all the Mad- and Add- names.

Unique:
Ambrosia- A little over the top.
Boston- After Boston Cream Pie. Love it on a boy, very unique.
Cookie- I wouldn't.
Suzette- For Crepes Suzette. A little dated, but Suzie makes her cooler.

Unheard of:
Alaska- Very cool and under the radar.
Blondie- Reserved for '80s pop singers only.
Éclair- A "sweet" way to get to Clair or Clary.
Tiramisu- If you are very brave, this could be an option. Susie is a cute nickname.

Food Names: Squash and Pumpkins

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What's the star vegetable of every Thanksgiving meal? Pumpkin, of course! As the quintessential ingredient in many holiday recipes, I thought we'd take a look at some of the pumpkin and squash varieties that would make good baby names.

Expected:
Gem- Cute, but better as a nickname for Gemma.
Jack- So popular, but so handsome.
Patty- Way too dated.
Marina- So pretty; a lovely nature name.
Max- One super trendy boys name, he has many full forms
Summer- Maybe not for your November baby.

Unique:
Alba- Sweet and ready for a comeback.
Kuri- Does she sound too much like Curry? You could always pronounce it KOO-ri
Marine- More straightforward than Marina.
Sperling- A good alternative to Sterling.
Tatuma/Tatume- An elaboration of Tatum? Definitely makes her more feminine.
Valenciano- If you want an extravagant form of Valencio.

Unheard of:
Amphora- Pretty and feminine.
Aurantia- Very unique, comes with the nickname Tia.
Caserta- the Cas- sound is trendy, why not add this one to the list?
Citrullina- Reminiscent of citrus, which makes her prefect for a Fall/Winter baby.
Cocozelle- My favorite of this list. Wouldn't it make you smile to meet a baby Cocozelle?
Ebisu- Sounds very foreign, but still very usable in the U.S.

Food Names: Herbs and Spices

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Happy Thanksgiving-week! In honor of the holiday we are going to talk about food names all week. Back in October I covered fruits and veggies, so today is all about herbs and spices. There are so many options here, and I adore almost all these names. Let me know what you think! Would you name your baby after a spice? (I totally would).

Expected:
Basil- Though as a name, he's mostly pronounce BAH-zull.
Bay- Lovely, especially for a girl, I think.
Dill- He works as a nickname for Dillon, but not so much on his own.
Ginger- A name more people should be using.
Jasmine- Jasmine is beautiful, and was popular in the past.
Juniper- Up and coming, she also comes with nicknames June, Junie, and Juno.
Pepper- Spicy and fun.
Rosemary- So sweet, the nickname Romy seals the deal.
Sage- Another name that is truly unisex. Sage has been used by a few celebrities.
Willow- Will- names have been popular lately, perhaps because of the Smith family?

Unique:
Angelica- A little outdated, but usable.
Anise- Don't confuse her with Anais, this one's pronounced ANN-iss.
Carraway- Too similar to carried away? I think she still works.
Cassia- Feminine choice brought into the light by the YA Matched series.
Cicely- She would often get confused with Cecily, but still is a lovely pick.
Lavender- One of the most girly nature names out there.
Rue- She should be gaining popularity soon, thanks to The Hunger Games books and movies.
Saffron- Fun choice, especially for a chef.
Tarragon- It works for either gender, but it's similarity to Tara makes me read girl on this one.

Unheard of:

Artemisia- An elaboration of Artemis. Does she need elaboration though?
Clary- Another name from a YA Dystopian novel. Cute nickname for Clare or Clara names.
Clove- What's with it with YA Dystopian books and spice names? Another one from The Hunger Games, Clove is a simple yet strong name for a girl.
Myrtle- She's so far gone, she might never come back.
Nigella- So closely associated with Nigella Lawson, but a pretty pick nonetheless.
Olida- A great choice for the underused letter "O".
Perilla- She sounds very name-y, I'm surprised she hasn't been used yet.
Quassia- The world could use more "Q" names. This is a great one.
Ramsons- A little close to Ransom, but hey, that's a name too.
Sorrel- This herb is a great pick for a baby boy.
Verbena- The -ena ending make her name-worthy. But the strong -rb- sound gives me pause.

Food Names: Fruits and Veggies

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Food offers a lot of inspiration when it comes to baby names. There are a lot of fun choices, like Plum and Fig, but there are also more standard ones, like Olive. So however adventurous you are with your baby names, you can be influenced by fruits and veggies.

Expected:
Cherry- Sounds like an old-fashioned nickname.
Clementine- One of my faves. So spunky.
Ginger- Super cute, and makes a great nickname for Virginia.
Kale- Better spelled Cael.
Nori- Kimye's nickname for baby North, and also seaweed.
Olive- A favorite among hipster parents and celebrities.
Peach- Southern and old.
Plum- I adore Plum. More people should be using her.

Unique:
Canna- Interesting alternative to Hannah.
Carola- Reminds me a little too much of Crayola, but workable.
Chaya- Very pretty and feminine.
Huckleberry- The name of one of Bear Grylls's sons. Nickname Huck is adorable.
Nance- Better left as a nickname for Nancy.
Pearl- Inspired by Pearl Onions, Pearl is a vintage name ready to comeback.
Pepper- Quirky-cool, reminiscent of Annie's fellow orphan.

Unheard of:
Apple- Too Gwyneth Paltrow? Maybe.
Beet- She's better spelled Biet, a la NYC blogger Belle's daughter.
Ceriman- Interesting choice for either gender.
Citron- Just enough sour spunk to make this French choice totally rad.
Currant- It shares likeness with Curran, but is a little wordy.
Fig- A daring pick, probably best reserved for the middle.
Quince- A Shakespearian name starting with the overlooked letter Q.
Sorrel- A leafy green, Sorrel makes a nice, unique choice for a son.

25 Days of Christmas: Olive

Today's Christmas baby name is Olive. Currently, Olive is ranked at 416. She peaked in the 1880s, coming in at 83. She never has left the top 1000, but she came pretty close in 2007, when she ranked 999. Nowadays Olive's right on trend, and rising quickly.

There are many famous Olives, both real and fictional. Drew Barrymore just had a baby Olive, and Sacha Baron Cohen has one as well. Olive is a reindeer, and also the girl from Little Miss Sunshine, played by Abigail Breslin. The most well-known Olive would be Olive Oyl, Popeye's girldfriend.

Olive connects to Christmas in many ways. The color olive green is a popular one for Christmas. Paired with maroon, it reminds us all of the holiday season. Her meaning of "olive tree" is directly correlated with peace, which is something we all try to focus on during the holidays. Olive would make a lovely, subtle choice for a Christmas baby girl.