10 Portuguese Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

Tiffany Patterson via Dribbble

I'm so excited to be featuring Portuguese names for girls today. There are some really stunning choices in here. Come back next week for the boys list.

Baia- Gorgeous Baia rhymes with Maia and means "bay" in Portuguese. She could also work as a nickname for Beatrice, if you're not a fan of Bea.

Clementina- Clementine just cracked the top 1000 back in 2014. The similar, but slightly more exotic Clementina makes a less common substitute. She has roots in both Spanish and Portuguese.

Evora- Can't get enough of the Eve names? Add Evora to your list. She's actually a Portuguese place name--Evora is a the capital city of Portugal's Alentejo region.

Graca- Sure, Grace is a lovely name, but she's remained at the top of the charts for years, so you might be craving a fresh alternative for your babe. Graca, Grace's Portuguese variation could be the answer. She's just as simple and sweet, but the added syllable rejuvenates her.

Jacinda- You might remember talking about Jacinta a few weeks ago in my Spanish Names for Girls post. While Jacinta is the Spanish version of Hyacinth, Jacinda is the Portuguese. They're both equally charming.

Luzia- We hear Lucia and Luc- names all over the place these days, but I've scarcely run into a Luz or a Luzia. That leaves a whole branch of stylish names untapped. Luzia is one of the prettiest ones (in my opinion), and Luz is a darling nickname.

Neves- You might be tempted to pronounce Neves like "nevs"--I certainly was--but the traditional Portuguese pronunciation is NAY-vesh. As you would expect, she means "snows."

Palmira- Palmira is one of my favorite new finds. She'd be perfect on a 2015 baby--"palm" names are very familiar, and Mira is an on-trend nickname. For all you multi-cultural families, she has roots in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Rosalia- With the Rose names coming back into style, you'd think Rosalia would be a shoe-in for the top 1000. However, she was only given to 119 girls last year (more girls were named Austin and Italia). Like Palmira, she's has usage in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Victoriana- Victoria remains steadfast in her popularity, despite feeling a little faded. Victoriana amps her up a bit, and makes her ultra-femme with that -iana ending--getting her up to five syllables.

Puritan Names Worth Considering

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We've all heard of those crazy Puritan names--Fear-God, Obedience, and what not--but that's not what I'm hear to talk about. Just in time for Thanksgiving, I've got a list of the more usable Puritan choices--many of them virtue or Biblical names. The Puritans had a big influence on the naming culture during the time of the Pilgrims, and thus, impacted early American (and even current) naming culture.

Adore
Alydea
Amity
Ashael
Azaliah
Charity
Clemency
Comfort
Concord
Constance
Dinah
Faith
Felicity
Fidel
Fidelia
Fidelity
Fortune
Gomer
Grace
Gracious
Honor
Hope
Hopewell
Jethro
Jolly
Joy
Justice
Kezia
Liberty
Lively
Love
Lovell
Loyal
Martha
Mercy
Moses
Nehemiah
Obadiah
Oceana
Oceanus
Patience
Peregrine
Priscilla
Promise
Prudence
Rejoice
Seraphim
Sincere
Tacita
Tacy
Thurgood
Trinity
True
Truth
Unity
Verity
Victory
Virtue
Winthrop
Zebedee

Middle Name Survey

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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!

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!*

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

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. 

Westminster Show Dog Names

The Winner, Miss P.

I'm always fascinated by the way people name their pets. There are less rules when it comes to naming a pet--the name can be silly, outrageous, or one of a celebrity. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a great place to scout out dog names, with over 100 dogs in attendance. I wrote down the call names of *almost* every dog, which should give us a good idea of some trends in pet naming.

Animal Names 
Le Gato
Zebra

Brand Names
Bentley
Harley
Maybelline
Mercedes
Snapple
Splenda
Vogue

Celebrity Namesakes
Adele
Beckham
Bourdain
Madonna
Mae West
Matisse
Ringo

Culture-Reflecting Names
Cristo
Haas
Schweitzer
Sunito

Currently Trendy Names
Beckett
Ben x2
Charlie
Cooper
Cece
Gia
Gideon
Grace
Harper
Jacob
James
Lane
Mackenzie
Nash
Nathan
Nico
Owen
Romeo
Samantha
Savannah
Summer

Cutesy Names
Jetty
Miss P.
Odgie
Skeeter
Sunnybear

Food Names
Ginger
Jelly
Pepper x2
Salty
Salumi, "Lumi"
Whiskey

Guys' Guy Names
Cal
Cody
Danny
Desi
Dewey
Frank
Gus
Izzy (b)
Jake
Jerry x2
J.J.
J.T.
Larry
Manny
Mick
Nick
Reece
Rocky x3
Sean
Taylor
Ted
Timmy
Trey

Ladylike Names
Allegra
Carlotta
Chelsea
Claribel
Elin
Holly
Hope
Libby
Liza
Nopa
Poppy

Old Fashioned Names
Alan
Angie
Billy
Chauncey
Cyrus
Etta
Franklin
Ginny
Harry
Hector
Helen
Hobson
Ina
Liz
Louie
Magnolia
Moses
Ned
Odin x2
Pip
Percy
Rudy
Stuart
Toby x2
Vance
Vinnie
Wally
Winston
Witt

Word Names
Bingo
Bogie
Blue x2
Caveman
Comet
Crunch
Cubit
Debit
Derby
Flame
Flash
Jedi
Judge
Night
Precious
Princess
Rain
Rebel
Rerun
Rocket
Rumor
Scoop
Sparkles
Splash
Stitch
Swagger
Teller
Tipper
Turbo
Veto
Wink

Royalty Inspired Names

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Kourtney Kardashian's new baby is named Reign Aston--a nod to their high-class status and dad Scott's "title" Lord Disick. Royal names have been on the rise the past few years, but this birth announcement could send them to the upper half of the top 1000. I don't think Reign will have quite the effect Mason or Penelope did on American baby naming, but nevertheless, look forward to a year full of royal names.

Girls
Corona- She does mean "crown" in Spanish, but I think that fact would be lost on most people. Pick a  name not associated with an alcoholic beverage, or put her in the middle.
Grace- It is not uncommon to hear Royals be referred to as "Her Grace." Add Princess Grace Kelly, and you've got yourself a very regal name.
Honor- Honor feels very similar to Grace. Not the first name you think of when talking about royal names, but she makes for a nice, subtle option.
Princess- On the other hand, there's nothing subtle about Princess. Names like Princess teeter on the edge of tacky. I'd stick with Sarah (who means princess) instead.
Queenie- I don't hate the name Queenie. I see how she could feel no better than Princess, but Queenie has an old school, retro charm about her.
Tiara- File this one with Princess. I much prefer Tierra (meaning land or earth in Spanish), which is less material, more earthy.

Boys
Baron- With his regality and similarity to names like Aaron, I'm a little surprised Baron isn't being used. He'd fit right in on the playground.
Duke- Was Duke the name that started this all? He's been rising in popularity the past few years, and now it's Reign's turn.
Earl- Earl gives me more of a country song picture than a royal one. Is he ready for revival with the others? I have a feeling he might sit this one out.
King- Names beginning with King surged in popularity a few years ago. On his own, he makes a great middle, and even works as a first name.
Noble- Like Grace and Honor, Noble is a royal-virtue name. I expect to see a few celebrities use this name in the coming year.
Royal- My first thought is Royal Tenenbaum, but I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, so maybe it's just me.

Either
Reign- With its similarity to the unisex nature name Rain, Reign remains undecided in terms of gender. Will Reign Aston change that?

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

Unhateable Names

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Some parents don't care about how popular their child's name is, or whether or not it will seem dated in twenty years. In fact, many parents' goal is to find a normal name for their baby, one that no one will ridicule or cringe at. If you fall into that camp, I have a great list for you today. I have compiled a list of 14 names that people just can't hate.

Boys:
Andrew- A sturdy classic. Andrew is a solid choice.
Ben- Sweet and charming. Everyone loves a Ben.
Charlie- Charlie is a handsome and playful name. Whether on his own, or as a nickname for Charles, you can't go wrong with Charlie.
Henry- I'm normally adverse to names as popular as Henry, but I just can't help loving him. How can you not?
Jack- A simple name that packs a punch. I can picture the name Jack on almost any man.
James- One of the more popular of this list, he ranks at 13. Many parents see James's appeal.
Michael- Always popular and never dated. No one will give you weird looks for naming your son Michael.

Girls:
Caroline- Elegant and royal. Caroline will always be a lovely choice.
Emma- Classy, simple, and yes, currently a bit trendy. But I have a feeling she's going to remain much more of a classic than Sophia or Ava.
Claire- I know so many Claires, of all ages. She's not going out of style for a long time.
Grace- I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Grace, but I don't hate her. She is virtuous without being over the top, and has some incredible namesakes (I mean, Grace Kelly, right?).
Julia- She's been flying under the radar, but that doesn't mean she's not being used--she comes in at 75. A beautiful name, forever and always.
Kate- The trendy nicknames for Katherine will come and go (I'm pretty into Kit), but Kate will always remain the classic. Whether she's the nickname or the full form, everyone will like Kate.
Lucy- A sweet choice that I've been hearing all over the place on little girls. I predict she will go down in history as a modern classic.

Modern Virtue Names for Girls

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Charity? Chastity? Patience? Yeah, I don't think those qualify as modern. Many parents desire virtue names, but only know of names like the ones I listed above. Fortunately there are so many great options for girls these days. Last week we did the boys, so now it's time for the (much longer) girls list. Let me know if you would use any of these, or if I missed some.

Amity- Beautiful. She's obviously a virtue choice without being over the top.

Comfort- A little bit wordy, but I've seen people with this name, and it is definitely useable.

Divinity- If you want a name that reflects your religion without being too obvious, Divinity is a good choice.

Dream- Such a pretty word name. I'm surprised it hasn't been a celebrity baby name yet.

Faith- This one is starting to sound a little dated, but still works for the modern girl (unlike her sister Charity)

Fidelity- I really like this one. I love F names, and I think Fidelity has a gorgeous sound.

Grace- The most common virtue name. She's always pretty, but her overuse has caused Grace to lose some of the association with the virtue.

Heaven- I'm not a huge fan, but she's a better choice than Nevaeh (which didn't make the list).

Hero- You guys know I love Hero. She's perfect. Use her.

Holiday- Ooh, Holiday! She's not quite a virtue, but I think she fits with this list. No need to wait till December, I say use her whenever.

Honor- I know quite a few girls around my age named Honor. I prefer Honora, but both make great names for a daughter.

Hope- I think this one gets confusing with everyday language, but Hope is a lovely choice. She's pretty popular as a middle, so I think it's nicer to use her as a first name.

Imagine- I talked about this one last week. I think it's better on a girl, but again, stick her in the middle.

Joy- Super popular as a middle name, and a little dated for a first name. Nevertheless, she's still very useable, just don't name her sisters Hope and Faith. Please.

Karma- This is a fun one. Karma is a great name, and would be a perfect way to honor a Carmen or Carla.

Mercy- A nice name, but she will probably be serenaded a lot.

Serenity- A better choice than Tranquility. Serenity makes for a good pick if one partner likes virtue names and the other doesn't, because she shortens to the lovely Seren.

True- True is super cute, and definitely works on her own. She would also make a fun middle name.

Unity- One of the more popular U names. Uni is an adorable nickname.

Verity- Any name that ends in -ity is usually a virtue, and Verity is no exception. She's a lovely name, if you don't mind her lack of nickname options.

Virtue- Of course, why not just go with the word itself? Virtue can encompass all of these names and more, making her the ultimate virtue name.

Catalog Names: Mini Boden Autumn 2013

This month's Mini Boden catalog has some of the same wonderful names as last time, but I spotted some new gems (and even twins!)

Girls:
Aimee
Bella
Chloe
Claudia
Daisy
Edie
Eleanor
Ella
Eve
Felicity
Florrie
Georgia
Grace
Harriet
Isabella
Izzy
Julia
Lotte
Lottie
Macy
Madalena
Marni
Margot
Martha
Megan
Minnie (twin to Nell)
Mollie
Molly
Nell (twin to Minnie)
Ottilie
Pippa
Rebecca
Rosa
Rose
Sally
Sammy
Sophie
Starr
Stella
Thea
Thyra
Tori Star
Willow
Zoe

Boys:
Barnaby
Bills
Billy
Cameron
Camron
Freddie
George
Iggy
Jackson
Marcus
Oliver
Rafferty
Solomon
Teddy
Theo
Toby

Chicago Neighborhood Names

Chicago has hundreds of neighborhoods. I pulled the ones with the most name potential.

Albany- There's an Albany Park here in Chicago, but most people think of New York first.
Anderson- Andersonville is one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago, and Anderson is stylish right now. Bonus points for the nickname Anders.
Arcadia- For Arcadia Terrace. A little clunky, but wearable.
Archer- A cool name for boys right now, this one can represent Archer Heights.
Austin- More Texas than Chicago neighborhood.
Avalon- An awesome alternative to Ava, there's a neighborhood called Avalon Park in Chicago.
Beverly- A little dated, but her sounds are on track to be stylish.
Brighton- A unisex name more common for girls.
Chester- For West Chesterfield. He's very vintage and possibly ready for revival.
Douglas- Another old man name, there's a Douglas and Douglas Park in Chicago.
Edison- A cool surname name perfect for lovers of science or Edison Park.
Forest- Forest (or more likely, Forrest) is another revival. This is the spelling used for the neighborhood Forest Glen.
Glen- A vintage unisex name that's short and sweet.
Ford- Whether it's after Henry Ford or Ford City, he's a neat name endorsed by celebrities.
Gage- The perfect tough boy name.
Gale- Galewood is a neighborhood in Chicago, and thanks to The Hunger Games, Gale is now unisex (especially this spelling).
Garfield- Garfield still makes us think of cats, but his nickname Gar would be cool to honor Garfield Park or Ridge.
Grace- For Graceland. A common, slightly boring girls name.
Irving- Another vintage pick, he comes with the nickname Irv.
Jackson- Super popular pick for boys.
Jefferson- A unique way to honor a Jeffrey, or Jefferson Park.
Jeffrey- He's dated, but not a bad pick.
Kelvyn- Very andro-girly, this one's for Kelvyn Park.
Kennedy- She's a popular unisex pick for girls.
Ken- For Kenwood. Very Sixties, surfer boy vibe.
Lake- There are four neighborhoods with Lakeview in the name. Lake makes a cool first or middle for either gender.
LeClaire- A cool update on Claire; after LeClaire Courts.
Lincoln- Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square are both very popular 'hoods here. Lincoln is a popular, now unisex name (thanks to Kristen Bell) that is rising up the charts.
Logan- A widely used unisex name, though more often for boys.
Mary- A classic name for girls that can be used for either Marycrest or Marynook.
Mayfair- A unique update on the sugary sweet May.
McKinley- Another andro-girly name, this one's for McKinley Park.
Morgan- A top 100 girls name, but used for both genders.
North- Not specifically representing any neighborhood, but North is still one of my favorites (especially for a girl).
Oak- This would make a cool middle for either gender.
Peterson- A contemporary way to honor Peter.
Prairie- For the Prairie District. One part modern. Two parts hippie.
Raven- Ravenswood is a fun neighborhood here in Chicago. Love it too? Raven an underused option.
River- Becoming more and more popular for both genders.
Roger- Rogers Park is Chicago's most north-east tip. Roger is a nice, vintage name that can honor this lakeside neighborhood.
Roscoe- An interesting name that's practically unheard of.
Rose- Overused as a middle, underused as a first. Rose can be for Rosehill, Roseland, or Rosemoor.
Scott- For Scottsdale. An up and coming dad name.
Sheridan- An undiscovered unisex name.
Washington- Not sure if I'd stick my kid with this one, but he'd make a cool middle.
Wrigley- Whether it's after Wrigley Field or Wrigleyville, you hear many a dog called Wrigley in Chicago.

Of course, why not just Chicago? It has the nickname Chi, and the ever-popular "O" ending. Maybe for a middle? ;)