25 Days of Christmas: Plum

Our Christmas pick of the day is Plum. We all know the story The Night Before Christmas. Remember that line "and visions of sugar plums danced in their heads?" That's where this lovely lady comes from.

Plum is not ranked as a given name; she has just started to get attention pretty recently. The most common way to get to Plum would be via Victoria. Victoria Plums are an English breed of the fruit, and Victoria Plum is also the name of a fairy in a children's book. Plum could also work as a nickname for Peplum (if you are adventurous). More about that in this post.

Real life Plums include Mom blogger Bleubird's daughter Milla Plum, whom she calls by her middle.

Plum would make a daring choice for a Christmas baby, and is perfect if you want a subtle connection to the holiday.

25 Days of Christmas: Holly

Time for the second name in our 25 Days of Christmas series- Holly. Holly is ranked at #426, slowly decreasing in popularity. She is most often considered a nature name; holly is a plant species with red berries.

Holly peaked in the year 1984, coming in at #53. Even though she is no where near that number now, she still remains a popular pick around Christmas time.

While Holly herself does not have a easy nickname, she could be the nickname for many other names including Holiday/Holliday, Holloway, Hollis, Holland, Hollister, and Hollyn.

Even if Holly seems like a dated choice to you, she would still make a lovely, unpopular appelation for a daughter born around Christmas.

25 Days of Christmas: Natalya

Happy Holidays everyone! This year on S My Name is Sophie, I am going to profile 25 different Christmas names in the days leading up to the holiday. Let's start with Natalya.

Natalya means "born on Christmas Day." She has Russian origin, and currently stands at #828. Natalya (or her relatives Natalie and Natasha) would make a great name for a holiday baby, not just because of her meaning. She sounds very fresh and current; it would be an unexpected choice though.

Natalya could go by a couple different nicknames, including Nattie (the nickname of professional wrestler Natalya Neidhart), Lia/Lya, Tally, or Nat.

Check back tomorrow for the next Christmas name!

Land of Nod Holiday Catalogue Names

Everybody knows that the best part of looking through children's catalogues is the names. Companies like The Land of Nod make it very easy to name spot with all their mongrammed items. This holiday issue had some especially good ones.

Girls:

Alva
Annika
Brie
Brittany
Charlotte
Dana
Dominique
Einar
Florence
Ginger
Gloria
Gracie
Gwinaveer
Harper
Harriet
Hazel
Isabell
Isabella
Jayne
Jeanne
Jessa
Lena
Lindsay
Marnie
Mia
Milly
Ruthie
Seraphina
Taylor

Boys:

Adam
Anderson
Archer
Benjamin
Charlie
Christopher
Danny
Dylan
Gill
Henry
Jacob
Jake
Jasper
Jonathon
Julius
Logan
Luke
Mason
Max
Maxwell
Micah
Nicholas
Nolan
Pierre
Quinn
Rex
Rudy
Sam
Simon
Sylvain
Wallace
William
Zane
Zeek

Belle's Full Names

Belle and Bella seem to be the nicknames of the year. It's no surprise either, with Isabella ranking number two last year, and one the year before. She's more popular than ever, and so are the nicknames that come with her. Needless to say, if you love Belle or Bella, there's no reason to skip straight to Isabella. They have some much more unexpected full names.

Annabella: With all the rage of Annabelle, you'd think Annabella would not be far behind. Think again, because she ranks at a modest 328. She's a bit of a mouthful, but if you're planning on using Belle or Bella, she would make a nice choice for the birth certificate.

Annabelle: She's the quintessential American girl. Annabelle conjures up images of apple pie and pure sweetness. It's no wonder parents love her. She comes in at 111, with her alternate spellings (Annabel, Annabell, Anabelle, Anabell, and Anabel) all making the list as well.

Belia: Meaning beautiful, Belia is the Spanish version of Bella. Perfect for honoring your family's history, though she's so pretty that she might not need a nickname.

Bellamy: Quite possibly my favorite of this list. She doesn't rank in the top 1000, but she's been getting some attention lately. Bellamy just made Nameberry's list of Unusual Girls' Names Destined for Stardom. The name of a Novogratz daughter (twin to Tallulah by the way), Bellamy is appealing to many parents for obvious reasons. She's may be tomboy, but she has America's sweetest nicknames.

Bellatrix: Honestly, I don't suggest you use Bellatrix. Unless you're a celebrity or a major Harry Potter fan, she seems a little- over the top. She has very strong ties with the literary franchise, but if you're planning on calling your little one Bella or Belle, she would make for an interesting choice. Especially if she was born on Halloween (is it just me, or does she seem a bit spooky?).

Gabriella: She's more popular than you think, with a ranking of 34. Gabriella is princessy, elegant, and very regal sounding, and Bella or Belle seems like fitting nicknames.

Gabrielle: Not quite as long, or as popular as Gabriella, she ranks at 119. Simpler, but by no means simple. You don't need four syllables to sound like a princess.

Isabelle: She comes in at 114, with sister Isabel not far behind at 128. She's a beautiful choice, but far from uncommon. My favorite spelling however, is the far from trendy Isobel.

Lily's Full Names

Everybody loves Lily. She stands at a popular 15 on the U.S. charts. Even though you could go right ahead and use Lily (or Lili, Lillie, or Lilly) She has some great longer appellations.

Lileas- Also spelt Lillias, this Scottish version of Lily is extremely unique and beautiful.

Lilia- Lilia is super sweet and girly, and has two built in nicknames.

Liliana- Even though she is originally from Spain, Liliana is catching on with many an American parent.

Lillian- Not far behind Lily at 22, Lillian is a lovely choice for parents that want a modest , well-liked full name for their Lily.

Lilith- Lilith is a charming choice for parents that aren't spooked by her meaning of "night monster".

Lilla- A bit of a mouthful, but Lilla seems like the right choice for parents struggling between Lila and Lily.

Fashion Trends as Names

Recently I was thinking about some of the latest fashion trends, and some of them could work well as (possibly guilty pleasure) names.

Girls:

Bow(e)- Spell it Beau and it's a boy's name, but Bowe (especially with that e) would be lovely on a little girl.
Coral- The color coral was big this summer. The name Coral is about ready for a comeback, it is vintage and oh so sweet.
Dot- As in the Polka Dot. She is cute as a nickname for Dorothy, or even on her own.
Floral- Rhymes with the antique Laurel, but a bit more spunky.
Peplum- A style of shirt, Peplum comes with the fabulous nicknames of either Peppy (a la Peppy Miller) or the lovely Plum.


Boys:

Jack- As in England's Union Jack, a popular pattern this year. Jack is short and sweet, but a little too popular.
Plaid- Plaid would make a daring middle name for a little boy.
Neon- Close to Neo, but a bit more bright!
Oxford- This shoe style would make a smart and quirky name for a boy.
Tribal- Tribal patterns were all the rage this year. With the nickname Tribe, it fits in with the short, masculine names.

Either:

Chevron- Chevron stripes are very trendy, and it could make a great unisex name.
Navy- The dark blue hue of Fall 2012 would make an appealing choice for a girl or boy.