Names from Christmas Songs

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Merry almost-Christmas everybody! This is my last post for 2015--I'll see you all back after the new year. Happy happy holidays, enjoy this list of Christmas song inspired names.

Blue--"Blue Christmas"
Blue is a lovely name, but I wouldn't name my child after a sad Christmas song.

Christmas--Take your pick of Christmas song!
Christmas is definitely out-there, but still a usable name. It's obviously featured in many a Christmas song (if not all of them).

Dominick--"Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey"
The song is a silly one, but Dominick is a very nice name. Spelling it Dominic gets rid of the former grocery store chain connection.

Drummer--"Little Drummer Boy"
A classic Christmas song and a very new name. You won't meet many baby Drummers around, but it does sound very on-trend.

Holly--"Holly Jolly Christmas"
Holly is not a particularly popular name, though I suspect usage increases in December. I love her as a nickname for the whimsical Holiday.

Joy--"Joy to the World"
Joy feels quite dated, but she's an understandable choice for a holiday-time baby.

Navidad--"Feliz Navidad"
Navidad is the Spanish word for Christmas (hence the song title) and also a Spanish variation of the name Natalia. Like Christmas, she's a bold choice, but perfect for a December 25th baby.

Nick--"Little Saint Nick"
Nicholas is a modern classic, and his main nickname gets plenty of use. The Beach Boys' song "Little Saint Nick" is a cute one to be named after.

Noel--"The First Noel"
Noel is another name that is heavily associated with Christmas time, and works for a boy or a girl.

Plum--"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
You all know how much I love the name Plum, and the song from the Nutcracker ballet makes her that much sweeter.

Rudolph--"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Rudolph would be a hard name to wear, even though the song promotes not teasing others. Go with Rudy instead.

Silver--"Silver Bells"
Silver is a daring color name that is slightly softened by the Christmas song association. The calming melody offers a nice balance to the sparkly, intense color.

Suzy--"Suzy Snowflake"
I hadn't heard this song until a few minutes ago. If you're not familiar, the song seems to have originated in Chicago, and may not have been widely known outside of the city (though I am from Chicago, and I had never heard of it). The name Suzy would feel retro-cool on a baby today, though I prefer the softer spelling Susie.

Winter--"Winter Wonderland"
Winter is name that's rising up the charts. She's the freshest of the season names, and comes with the adorable nickname Winnie. "Winter Wonderland" is a wonderful song to have your name in, as well.

10 African Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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I talked a lot about meanings in last Wednesday's post, and today will be no different. African names have some of the best meanings, which can add a special level of connection to your child's name. Take a look, and as always, I want to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Ade- Ade is a short and sweet name that would be lovely on his own or as a nickname. More mainstream full name choices include Adam, Adler, Adrian, or Aiden.

Bayo- Bayo is a unisex name meaning "joy has found us." How simple and delightful--it's exactly the message I would want to give my baby.

Garian- Garian is a place name--it's a town in the African country Libya. Even though most people have never heard of him before, he's the name on this list that would be easiest to wear as an American child.

Haji- This Swahili name is especially popular among Muslims, as he means "born during the pilgrimage to Mecca." Haji would be a nice way to incorporate your heritage and religion into your son's name.

Ibo- I'm a sucker for a short name, so it should come as no surprise that I'm enchanted by Ibo. He means "my people," which is charming.

Iniko- I didn't include him on my Full Names for Nick post, but I should have, because Iniko easily lends himself to Nick or Niko. Plus, he's way more interesting that Nicholas. 

Kito- Kito is cute, rather nickname-y Swahili name that means "precious jewel" (as seen on Monday). If you don't like the idea of Kito as the full name, he'd be a wonderful short form of Christopher.

Kwame- Every time I see the name Kwame, my mind immediately goes to Ja'mie, Private School Girl, the funniest TV show I have ever seen. It features an endearing character named Kwame, which convinces me that this Ghanian name is very usable.

Odion- Odion is pronounced oh-dee-OHN, and is commonly used on the first born twin, as that is his meaning. He's Nigerian in origin, but I could definitely see him on an American child.

Zikomo- While name meanings don't actually have an effect on childrens' personalities, it certainly doesn't hurt to try. If you want a polite, well-mannered child, Zikomo could be the name for you. He means "thank you," one of the first phrases we try and teach our children.

Full Names for Nick

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Nick is a name of the nineties. He's most commonly used as a nickname for Nicholas, which maintained a steady popularity of 6 from 1995 until 2002. He's now at #54 and falling. However, Nicholas hasn't been out of the top 200 since 1881. That means he's a classic in every way, shape, and form, even if we don't think of him as one. If you're dying to use Nick, but aren't a fan of Nicholas, I have some other options listed here that will get you to him.

Benicio- Benicio may be pronounced (ben-EE-see-oh), but that doesn't mean you can't use Nick as a nickname. He gives Nick some Latin flavor.

Dominic- Dominic is as popular as ever, and arguably the most trendy name on this list. He sits at #69, down a spot from 2013's #68. Mario Lopez's son Dominic goes by Nico, but Nick works just as well.

Finnick- Finnick is an English name made popular by the book and movie series The Hunger Games. Hardcore fans of the books are a little young to be having chidren, but could we see a rise in Finnicks in the near future?

Monico- Rarely does it happen that a male name is derived from a female name. But so it is with Monico. He's the male version of Monica, a '70s staple. Monico is undoubtedly more modern than his female counterpart, and Nick (or the simpler Nic) makes a wonderful nickname.

Nicasio- Nicasio is a Spanish form of Nicholas, with a powerful meaning--"victory." He's an exotic yet wearable option for an American baby.

Nicholas- You can never go wrong with a classic.

Nichols- Nichols (and alternate spelling Nicholes) are almost unheard of as first names in the United States, but are fairly common surnames. Unlike Nicole, the emphasis is put on the first syllable.

Nicholson- Nicholson is quite a name, and most people would assume you named your son after Jack. But if you call him Nick, this is not a very significant problem.

Nicolai- Nicolai, while only ranking at #2020, is at his highest popularity ever in the United States. He's very dashing, and an easy alternative to Nicholas.

Nicolo- Nicolo is Italy's answer to Nicholas, and lends himself more to Nico rather than Nick. Nick is still a more than usable nickname though.

Nikhil- This Sanskrit name had a brief run in the U.S. top 1000, charting from 1997 to 2009. At his peak he was #818. Nihkil is a lovely choice for Indian-Americans who like Nick (or Nik).

Yannick- I first came across Yannick when I was researching for this post, and ever since then, I can't stop thinking about him. He makes a truly unique way to get to Nick.

Holiday Names

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Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you guys are having a great holiday season. I've posted about holiday names many times in the past, and this year I am going to do something a little different. There are so many holiday names, but many of they are not all cohesive. I've split up 24 names into four categories--Familiar, Fashionable, Festive, and Funky--to help you pick the perfect holiday baby name based on your style. Let me know what you think!

Familiar
Bell- Do you have certain names where you hate one spelling but love the other one? For me, that's Bell. I really don't like Belle, but Bell makes me swoon.
Carol- Old fashioned; I would choose Caroline instead.
Holly- I think she's cuter as a nickname for Holiday.
Joy- Sweet, sweet, sweet. Perfect for the Holidays.
Natalie- She's not tied to Christmas anymore, so she makes for a subtle holiday name.
Nicholas- I'm not very fond of Nicholas, but that's probably because he peaked around the time I was born.

Fashionable
Eve- There's no better name for a girl born on December 24th.
Natalia- Kicks Natalie up a notch.
Neve- Gorgeous name meaning snow.
Pax- He means peace, which is a great meaning year-round.
Piper- This trendy girls name has her own line in the Twelve Days of Christmas song.
Winter- The most coveted season name.

Festive
Christmas- Might as well go big.
December- December is a unisex name, but if you use it on a girl, she can be called Ember.
Garland- One of my favorite G names for boys.
Holiday- Ooh, I adore Holiday. I would use her in a heartbeat.
Merry- I prefer Mary, but hey, Merry is better for a holiday baby.
Noel- Noel is very sophisticated, especially when pronounced (nole) on a boy.

Funky
North- Did Kim Kardashian ruin this name for everyone? Maybe stick her in the middle.
Plum- Plum is my other favorite of the list. She's just so cute!
Season- If you use her in the middle, don't make Holiday her first name.
Silver- A very festive color, seldom heard as a name.
Star- If Star is overkill, try Stella or Estelle.
Yule- Many people overlook Y names, but Yule is one of the better ones out there.



That's all for this week, thank you so much for reading. I will be off next week for the holidays. Check back on December 29th for a year in review post.

Full Names for Cole

Cole is a popular boys name that doesn't necessarily need a full name. If you insist on one, here are some choices.

Colby
Coleman
Coleridge
Collier
Collin
Colt
Colter
Colton
Coltrane
Colum
Columbo
Columbano
Columbus
Nicholson
Nicolai
Nicolas

25 Days of Christmas: Nicholas

The next installment in our 25 Days of Christmas series is Nicholas. Nicholas is a Greek name meaning "people of victory." He is currently ranked at #42, but peaked in the mid-nineties at #6. He is considered a classic by many, Nicholas has been in the top 200 ever since the 1880s (when they started taking name data.)

Nicholas has many great nicknames, ranging from the classic Cole, Colin, Nick, or Nicky, to the on-trend Nico. Some famous Nicholas' include Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, and Nicolas Sparks, the author.

Nicholas is great for a baby born any month of the year. His ties to "Saint Nick" could help make a subtle themed sib set. Nicholas is a well-regarded classic, he would make a great choice for a holiday baby boy.

Holiday Names

Here are some names to get you into the holiday spirit!

Atalya
Christian
Christina
Christine
Christopher
Eira
Eirwyn
Estelle
Holly
Kirsten
Kristen
Nevada
Neve
Neva
Natalia
Natalie
Natasha
Nicholas
Noel
Noelle
Soyala
Star
Stella
Tasha
Yule
Winter

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.