10 Native American Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

Julia Kuo via Dribbble

Did you all catch the girls list a couple weeks back? I know you've been eagerly awaiting the boys installment, and now I finally have it for you. Like I said before, one of the best parts about Native American names are their meanings, which are oftentimes related to nature. Those of you who like subtle nature names, one from a Native American tribe could be perfect for your little one.

Alo- Alo comes from the Hopi tribe, which are native to Southwestern America. He means "spirit guide" in the Hopi language. Alo is also an Estonian nickname for Alexander, if you prefer a longer name.

Ashkii- With the easy-access nickname Ash, Ashkii would be a great name for a 2016 baby. He's a Navajo name that means simply "boy." Ashkii is upbeat and very stylish--I'd love to see more people embrace him.

Ciye- Ciye is an Apache name, which, like the Hopi, come from the Southwest. He's pronounced like Cy, and means "my son."

Dzemi- Are silent D names the latest sub-trend? While not everyone is doing it, I have been seeing more and more of them pop up. Dzemi might be my new favorite. He's got a modern sound and an enticing look.

Kenai- Striking Kenai is a unisex name from the Dena'ina language. I think it could work well on either gender, but the strong sound (it's pronounced KEY-nai) and nickname option Kai makes it lean slightly masculine in my opinion. Kenai also has a nature connection: the Kenai Fjords are located in Alaska.

Lautaro- Lautaro is from the Mapuche tribe, which originated in southern Chile and Argentina. It was the name of a famous Mapuche military leader who died honorably defending his tribe against Spanish colonizers. Lautaro is an incredibly handsome name, and one I can picture on a man of any age.

Manteo- Does Matteo's ever increasing popularity have you reconsidering? Why not use Manteo instead? He's virtually unused, but is very similar in terms of looks and sound. The only potential downside is that he would indeed get confused for Matteo at times.

Miko- Most people know Miko as a Japanese unisex name, but it also has roots in the Chickasaw language. In this southeastern tribe, Miko is a strictly male name, and means "cheif."

Nahuel- Like Lautaro, Nahuel is a Mapuche name with an animal meaning. Lautaro means "swift hawk" and Nahuel means "jaguar." How's that for a cohesive sibset?

Zolin- Zolin may sound like a modern invention, but he's actually an Aztec name from the Nahuatl language. Like many Native American names, he has an animal meaning--"quail."

Top Italian Names

Image Credit

At the end of this week I will be jet-setting to Italy for two weeks! I am beyond excited, and to set the mood, I thought we would look at the top five names for each gender in Italy. The most recent data I could find was from 2012, but that shouldn't be too far off from this year's. Enjoy!

Girls:
1. Sofia- Same top name as the U.S., just with the Latin spelling as opposed to the Greek.
2. Giulia- The Italian Julia. I think this spelling is more pretty, though I wouldn't use it in the U.S.
3. Giorgia- What a gorgeous name. The English equivalent, Georgia is on the rise in America.
4. Martina- Martina is so lovely, yet she is not even ranked in our top 1000. What's up with that?
5. Emma- She's not very Italian, but it's easy to see why she is so popular in so many countries.

Boys:
1. Francesco- A romantic name that would work well on an American child. Also not in the top 1000.
2. Alessandro- You can't get more Italian than Alessandro.
3. Andrea- Considering this used to be a popular girl name in the U.S., I can't see this one working.
4. Lorenzo- A really cool way to honor a Lawrence. His popularity at 237 remains steady.
5. Matteo- A popular American celebrity baby name, often paired with Luca. Image Credit