Unhateable Names

Image Credit

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.

Share a Coke Names: Part One

I made this here.

I'm sure you guys are familiar with the Share a Coke campaign. It's a great marketing scheme, not only because they get free advertising with every Instagrammed bottle, but because people go crazy for stuff with their names on it. While you can put any name on your coke if you order it online, only certain names are sold in store. Here in America, they chose 250 names to be a part of that group. I recorded them all, so I will list them below, then we will talk about hits and misses. It's all after the jump.

 

Disclaimer: This is not sponsored by the Coca Cola company. I actually don't like soda. At all.

Names from Arrested Development

Image Credit

To celebrate Arrested Development coming back to television, I thought I'd do a post on the names of the characters and actors.

Alia- Alia Shawkat plays Maeby Funke. Alia is currently ranked at 763, and is considered a variation of Aaliyah.
Buster- Buster Bluth's name is more popular for pets than it is human. He is currently not in the top 1000, but peaked in 1909 at 238.
Byron- Buster's full name is Byron Bluth. Byron is currently at the lowest point he's ever been in the top 1000, coming in at 540. He was consistently popular until the 1990s.
David- David Cross plays Tobias Funke. His name has always been extremely popular, and currently sits at 18.
George- George Bluth, the patriarch of the show is played by Jeffrey Tambor. His name has been in a slow decline since the 1940s, and is at its lowest point in history, number 165.
George Michael- Michael Bluth's son goes by both his father and grandfather's names. This double-barrel name has never been in the top 1000, but is probably a pretty popular combination for men of all ages.
Gob- The character Gob got his name from his initials (George Oscar Bluth). Neither this spelling, nor the more popular, biblical Job have ever been in the top 1000.
Jason- Jason Bateman plays main character Michael Bluth. His name was a staple in the 1980s, and currently is ranked at 71.
Jeffrey- The name Jeffrey made an incredible climb in the 1930s and 40s. He jumped more than 900 spots in five years. He's not unheard of today, sitting at 238.
Jessica- Jessica Walter plays Lucille Bluth. Her name was very popular in the 70s and 80s, and currently is at 120.
Lindsay- The self-centered Lindsay Bluth Funke is played by Portia de Rossi. Lindsay was popular throughout the ages, but has had a steady decline, leaving her at 524.
Lucille- Lucille is currently on her way up, coming in at 394. She's a great update on the popular Lucy.
Maeby- The name Maeby was made up by the show's creator. She has never been in the top 1000, but was given to six baby girls in 2006, and eight baby girls in 2011. All years in between there were less than five.
Michael- Michael Bluth is the main character in Arrested Development. His name has been popular forever, and currently is at number 6.
Oscar- Oscar Bluth is George's twin brother, also played by Jeffery Tambor. His name is going down in popularity, and is ranked at 177.
Portia- Portia dropped of the top 1000 in 1991, and hasn't been back since. She's a beautiful Shakespearean name, but Lindsay actress Portia de Rossi was born Amanda and called Mandy.
Tobias- Tobias Funke is arguably the strangest character on Arrested Development. His name is currently going up in popularity, coming in at 516.
Tony- Tony Hale plays Byron "Buster" Bluth. His name is a nickname for Anthony, and stand-alone it is way down in popularity, at 409.
Will- Will Arnett plays biggest brother Gob Bluth. His name is commonly seen as a nickname for William, but by itself it has been declining, ranked at 666.

Duggar Baby

As many of you guys know, Josh and Anna Duggar are having another baby. Their first two children are Mackynzie and Michael, so here are my predictions for their third M baby.

Girl:
Maci
Madison
Madelyn
Marley
May
Megan
Melody
Mercy
Mia
Molly
Morgan

Boy:
Malcolm
Marcus
Marshall
Mason
Matthew
Maxwell
Miller
Murphy

Top Picks: Melody or Matthew

Unique Alternatives to the Top Ten Names: 2012 Edition

We could all name our kids Sophia and Jacob, but there are so many more unique options. Listed here are my favorite lesser-used alternatives to the top ten of each gender.

Girls:

Sophia: Fiona, Philippa (nn Pippa?), Philomina, Seraphina
Isabella: Bellamy, Esmeralda, Isabeau, Isadora
Emma: Amelie, Emmeline, Lila
Olivia: Bolivia, Livia, Olive, Vivian
Ava: Ada, Avalon, Eva, Eve, Ever
Emily: Amelie, Melody, Millie, Romilly, Tillie
Abigail: Abear, Adelaide, Adelia, Gail
Madison: Ellison, Madeleine, Magdalena
Mia: Leia, Milla, Thea
Chloe: Celeste, Clara, Clio

Boys:

Jacob: Corbin, Jacobi, Jay
Mason: Carson, Edison, Logan
William: Leander, Logan, Warren, Willis
Jayden: Gray, Hayden, Jay
Noah: Isaac, Nathan, Nolan, Owen
Michael: Mack, Matthias, Maxwell
Ethan: Egan, Eli, Logan
Alexander, Alexei, Alvin, Anders, Anderson
Aiden: Adair, Adeon, Dennis
Daniel: Damian, Danner, Dashiell, Dennis

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.

Alternitaves to the Most Popular Names: Opposite Gender

Alternatives to the most popular names for the alternate gender.

Girls to Boys:

Isabella- Isodore, Isaac, Abel, Ozzie
Sophia- Theodore, Soren, Finley
Emma- Edward, Edmund, Emerson
Olivia- Octavio, Otto, Oswald
Ava- Asa, Avery, Ivan, Avan
Emily- Emilio, Emerson, Eddison
Abigail- Abraham, Abe, Gaines
Madison- Magnus, Malichi, Dyson
Chloe- Cory, Cody, Bowie, Bowen
Mia- Miles, Max, Milo

Boys to Girls:

Jacob- Jackie, Jamie, Colby, Jane
Ethan- Ethel, Esther, Edith, Estelle, Enid
Michael- Michaela, Kayla, Kaylee
Jayden- Hayden, Jada, Jade, Jane
William- Wilhelmina, Winifred, Leah
Alexander- Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexia, Alexis, Alexa, Lexi, Lexis, Lexa
Noah- Nora, Nola, Nona
Daniel- Danielle, Darnella, Danica, Dana
Aiden- Audrey, Ada, Adele, Addie, Adelaide, Adeline
Anthony- Toni, Tori, Anastasia, Angelina

Alternitaves to the Most Popular Names

Alternitaves to the most popular names:

Girls:
Isabella- Isobel, Belinda, Isa, Isis, Belle
Sophia- Stella, Fiona, Thea
Emma- Ember, Emerald, Emmy
Olivia- Olive, Liviana, Livi, Livia
Ava- Evelyn, Eva, Eve, Avalyn
Emily, Amelie, Amelia, Amy
Abigail- Allison, Adelaide, Adeline, Addie, Adele
Madison- Madeleine, Addison, Addie
Chloe- Nicole, Zoe, Clover, Claire, Cleo
Mia- Amelia, Leah, Thea, Maia, Maura, Moira

Boys:

Jacob- Jacobson, Cody, Cole
Ethan- Arthur, Heath, Xander
Michael- Mitchel, Micah, Miles
Jayden- Jace, Jay, Jackson, Javan, Jared, Jad
William- Liam, Lee, Leland, Willis, Wiley, Warren
Alexander- Lex, Alexis, Lester, Eric
Noah- Nolan, Neil, Nowe, Norton
Daniel- Dane, Donald, Samuel, Darius
Aiden- Ace, Asher, Ardon, Amos, Ames
Anthony- Andrew, Andy, Terry, Thor