Beachy Names

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Summer is in full swing, and what better time than now to give your child a beachy name? Here are my favorites.

Blue- The color of almost everything at the beach, from the waves to the sky.

Coral- A cute, retro spin on the trendy Cora.

Cove- A cool, up-and-coming nature name for boys.

Dune- A unisex name (also spelled Doon) that conjures up images of the sand hills.

Harbor- For those of you who want a beachy alternative to Harper.

Lake- In Chicago we swim at the lake, so this will always have a beachy feel to me.

Marine- Chicer and more unique than Marina. Marine is very trendy in France.

Oceane- One of my favorite water names. This French name is pronounced oh-SHAY-ahn.

Palma- Palm trees remind me of beach vacations, and Palma reminds me of palm trees. Perfect.

Pearl- The best ocean treasure.

Roxy- Roxy is a cute swimwear company based in California. She's usually used as a nickname for Roxanne, but your beach babe can rock it on it's own.

Sandy- Dated, but most definitely beachy.

Sea- Sea is another one of my favorite water names. She's absolutely lovely. Use her on her own, or as a nickname for Season.

Sky- The beach isn't all about the sand and water--the sky is beautiful as well.

Summer- The best time to go to the beach.

Food Names: Squash and Pumpkins

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What's the star vegetable of every Thanksgiving meal? Pumpkin, of course! As the quintessential ingredient in many holiday recipes, I thought we'd take a look at some of the pumpkin and squash varieties that would make good baby names.

Expected:
Gem- Cute, but better as a nickname for Gemma.
Jack- So popular, but so handsome.
Patty- Way too dated.
Marina- So pretty; a lovely nature name.
Max- One super trendy boys name, he has many full forms
Summer- Maybe not for your November baby.

Unique:
Alba- Sweet and ready for a comeback.
Kuri- Does she sound too much like Curry? You could always pronounce it KOO-ri
Marine- More straightforward than Marina.
Sperling- A good alternative to Sterling.
Tatuma/Tatume- An elaboration of Tatum? Definitely makes her more feminine.
Valenciano- If you want an extravagant form of Valencio.

Unheard of:
Amphora- Pretty and feminine.
Aurantia- Very unique, comes with the nickname Tia.
Caserta- the Cas- sound is trendy, why not add this one to the list?
Citrullina- Reminiscent of citrus, which makes her prefect for a Fall/Winter baby.
Cocozelle- My favorite of this list. Wouldn't it make you smile to meet a baby Cocozelle?
Ebisu- Sounds very foreign, but still very usable in the U.S.

July Names

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Tomorrow is the first day of July, a month that can be rather hot and unbearable here in Chicago. However, it is a month that offers a lot of inspiration in the baby name department. Whether you want your baby's name to subtly or obviously honor his or her birth month, this list can give you plenty of ideas.

Birthstone:
Ruby- A cute name on the rise, perfect for any time of year.

Birth Flower:
Larkspur- If Larkspur seems like too much for you, Lark or Larkin would be just fine.
Water Lily- This one offers so many options. From the water part you can get names like Sea, Lake, River, and Bay. From Lily you can use Lilia, Lillian, Lilith, or even Shoshanna. If you want, go all the way with this one and call her Oceane Liliana.

Birth Colors:
Green- So many shades of green make great baby names. The most useable ones are Olive, Fern, Forest, Hunter, India, Paris, Pine, and Sea (another great reason to use Sea).
Russet- What a cool name for a boy. He's perfect to honor a Russell, plus you can call him Russ.

Star Sign:
Leo- Late July babies will be Leos, which offers great options such as Leo, Leonardo, and Leopold for boys, and Leona, Leonie, or even Cleo for girls.

Related to July:
4th of July- Having a July 4th baby? Some parents like to go with the obvious connection and choose America or Liberty. Want something a little more understated? Try Justus.
Jul Names- Of course you can always go for the names that sound like July, including Julia, Juliette, Julian, and Julius.
Seven- July is the seventh month, and Seven is one of the few numbers that really seems to work as a baby name.
Summer- Summer is in full swing in July, so she makes perfect sense as a name.

June Names

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June is one of my favorite months. School ends next week, and the week after is my birthday and the start of camp. If you are lucky enough to have a June baby, consider giving him or her a subtlety related name to their birth month. I've got some great picks for you.

Birthstone:
Alexandrite- Alexandrite seems like a little much, but any of the Alex names would work perfectly.
Moonstone- I always loved the idea of Moon in the middle spot.
Pearl- Most widely recognized as June's birthstone. Always lovely.

Birth Flower:
Rose- Rose is great on her own, but if you want an elaboration, take a look at this list.

Star Signs:
Gemini- Gemini seems better suited for a pet, but Gemma or Jemima would work just as well to honor baby girl's star sign.

Related to June:
June, Juno, Juniper, etc.- This is the more obvious route to go, but that's not a bad thing. The June names are in vogue, but not super popular.
Summer- June 21 marks the official start of everyone's favorite season, Summer. She's a little past her prime, but remains a solid pick.

Calendar Names

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Upon hearing "Calendar Names" most people automatically think months. But what about those other neglected parts of the calendar? Here's some options, taken straight from the calendar.

Expected:
April- Your common sixties/seventies month name.
August- Getting up there in popularity, but still one of the best month names.
Autumn- One of the more popular season names.
June- So sweet and making a comeback.
May- Lovely name, currently trendy.
Summer- Trendier than you might think, but also quite nice.
Sunday- Most usable of the day names.
Winter- She's fast rising, I expect to see more of her in coming years.

Unique:
Holiday- I secretly love Holiday. She's unexpected and spunky.
January- Mostly associated with January Jones, she makes a more unique month choice.
July- Least common of all the summer month names
March- One of the few month names that works for a boy.
Season- I think Season sounds beautiful. With a slight nature vibe, what's not to love?
September- Creative month name that works for either gender.
Seven- Popular celebrity baby middle name that's not too common- yet.
Tuesday- Quirky-cute day name.

Unheard of:
Blue- As is "Blue Moon". How sweet if your baby was born on a blue moon night.
Day- Straight and to the point, Day works well as a middle name.
December- A little chilly, but usable.
Five- Daring and mysterious. Most often associated with Five Novogratz.
Friday- Why not name your baby after everyone's favorite day?
Moon- That "oo" sound is so pretty, but I might stick this one in the middle. Otherwise go with Luna.
Spring- Least common of the season names, she's seldom heard.
Wednesday- She would be a great day name, if not for Wednesday Addams.

Summer Names

Summer's almost here! To celebrate, I thought I'd do a post on names for summer babies.

Girls:

Calida
Clara
Iliana
Isla
June
July
Marina
Marisol
Muriel
Phoebe
Rae
Rubyaina
Sandy
Shirley
Sky
Sol
Soleil
Summer
Sunny
Sunshine

Boys:

Albert
Alberto
August
Augustus
Brighton
Cyrus
Fulbright
Julio
Junot
Kai
Leo
Ray
Sol
Stash