25 Days of Christmas: Carol

Our Christmas name today is Carol. She is the English version of Charles, and means "free man." She peaked in the 1940s, ranking at #5. Today she would mostly be considered a "grandma name" but on a baby she might sound fresh again.

Carol has many full name options, including more modern ones like Caroline and Carolina, and also under-used choices like Carlotta, Carolyn, and Carline. She also works on her own, or would be great in the middle spot.

Carol is a great name that merges holiday and music. If you want a unexpected, old-fashioned name for your baby girl, Carol would make a lovely, simple choice.

25 Days of Christmas: Bell

Bell is our Christmas Name of the Day. She is a cousin of  Belle and Bella, however her origins are much different. Bell originated as a surname and occupational name, she means "ringer of the bell." She reached her height in 1884, at 275. She completely dropped off the charts in the year 1915. Some would say that Bell looks incomplete, but others will like her simplicity and rather musical ere.

There are no famous Bells, however you may recognize the name from Galt Niederhoffer's book, A Taxonomy of Barnacles. Bell Barnacle is the name of the eldest daughter in the book. (Rumor has is that Maggie Gyllanhaal will be playing Bell in the movie adaptation.)

Bell would make a lovely name for a daughter born around the Holidays. She reminds us of Christmas Caroling and the sounds of Christmastime (plus "Silver Bells" would make a cute lullaby.)