Full Names for Charlie

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We recently discussed Full Names for Charley, which got me to thinking, "What are other options if you want to name your son Charlie?" Turns out, while there are less options for the male Charlie, there are still more than enough choices.

Expected:
Carl- He's mostly a dad name nowadays, but the nickname Charlie livens him up.
Carlos- Spanish speakers would normally call him Carlitos as a nickname, but Charlie works too.
Charles- The classic.

Unique:
Carlton- Don't worry about The Fresh Prince of Bel Air references, those will be long gone by the time he's in school.
Carlo- Hipper than Carlos, maybe it's that "O" ending.
Carlson- He sounds a little dowdy, but Charlie is a great nickname to change that.
Charleston- The dance, the city, so many great associations for your little Charlie!

Unheard of:
Carlisle- A little feminine, but if you're planning on calling him Charlie, I say go for it.
Carmichael- The obvious nicknames are Mike, Mikey, Mickey, etc., but Charlie is the freshest of them all.
Carroll- It's too bad he sounds like a middle aged woman, because Carroll would make a really nice choice for a son.
Charlton- Sounds like a butchered version of Carlton.

Green Baby Names

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Happy March! This month makes everyone think of the color green- Saint Patrick's Day is coming up, and Spring is almost here. To celebrate this green-tinged month, I have compiled a list of names that are also shades of green. Perfect for a March baby!

Expected:
Emerald- She was Pantone's color of the year last year, and is picking up popularity.
Hunter- The -er ending is very trendy right now, and people's first thought will not be the color.
Jade- A beautiful color, but an even more beautiful name.
Kelly- Both the name and the color were once trendy. Now, not so much.
Lincoln- I talk about Lincoln a lot on here. It's a great name for either gender, but most people won't know it's a shade of green.
Olive- Olive is the first name that comes to mind when I think "green names." She's a lovely name that was once considered unique, but is now turning mainstream.

Unique:
Fern- She's the little girl in Charlotte's Web as well as the poetry loving dog on Arthur. With so many great associations, what's not to love about Fern?
Forest- The baby name is more often spelled Forrest, but the shade of green is spelled like the noun. Either one is useable, but I suggest the double R.
India- She's obviously way more of a place name than a color name, but India is an amazing choice nonetheless.
Myrtle- Most of today's parents wouldn't consider her an attractive choice, but hey, you could call her Tilly.
Paris- Paris is in the same boat as India. Go with India.

Unheard of:
Citrine- I've talked about Citron before, but Citrine sounds more like a name. I'm liking it.
Cyan- Technically Cyan is a blue-green shade, but whatever. Kyan and Kayan are already boys names, so why not Cyan?
Pine- I adore Pine for a baby boy. It's the perfect mix of nature and masculine.
Sea- I love Sea on her own, but many parents want longer full names. I like Season best.
Teal- Short and sweet. That's how I like my baby names.       

Camera Names

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I've always thought Leica was a super-rad name for a girl. She's a celebrity baby name, as well as the name of a camera brand. Inspired by this, I thought I'd take a look at other camera brand names, and see what I could come up with for the photography-inclined.

Girls:
Ebony- A very beautiful name, but doesn't have the photography vibe.
Leica- One of my guilty-pleasure names.
Mamiya- A pretty way to get to Mamie.
Sigma- So long as she's not named after your sorority.

Boys:
Canon- If Cannon works, why not Canon?
Leaf- The Leif spelling is better, but this makes a nice nature and photography name.
Olympus- Olympic sounding, akin to Olympia and Olympiada.
Ricoh- Like Rico, but for the child of photographers.

Either:
Casio- I'm going back and forth on this one for gender. The "O" makes me think boy, but the Cas- makes me think girl. Count this one as unisex.
Kodak- Another nature-photography combo.
Nikon- Probably too associated with the brand, but Nike is a name, so why not Nikon?
Sinar- A unique choice that works for girl or boy.

Full Names for Maddie

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Everybody loves Maddie (or Maddy, Mady, Maddi, or Madi for that matter). Okay, so not everybody LOVES Maddie (I definitely don't), but if I had to choose a nickname with widespread appeal, I would choose her. She's sweet, cool, and a little bit feisty, but also super low-key. It's easy to see why she's so popular. Many Maddies are Madelines and Madisons, but if you are looking for something beyond those, take a look at this list.

Expected:
Madeleine (Madelyn)- The most common full name for Maddie. Madeleine is the French spelling, Madelyn is the American.
Madelina- A nice form of Madeline that is should be used more often.
Madeline- She can be pronounced MAD-uh-lyn or MAD-uh-line, though more often the former.
Madison- Currently the most popular of the Maddie names.

Unique:
Madalena- Gorgeous and girly.
Madden- More often used for boys, but Maddie makes it work for a girl.
Maddox- Exclusively heard on boys, but I think it's useable on a girl. Call her Maddie or Max.
Madelia- A lovely, feminine way to honor a Madeline.
Madigan (Maddigan)- Similar in feel to Madison, Madigan has a tomboy aura.

Unheard of:
Madelief- This is my new favorite Maddie name. She's so pretty and unexpected, imagine putting Madelief into the middle spot.
Madonna- Too loaded.
Madrid- An uncommon place name with a popular nickname.
Madrona- A name for Maddie to honor your Welsh heritage.

Font Names

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As you may be able to tell from the images that go with each post, I am a big fan of typography. Most often that means coming up with a font of your own, but today we are going to focus on names of standard fonts. Perfect for the baby of design-nerd parents.

Expected:
Andy
Archer
Ashley
Aurora
Georgia
Gigi
Gill
Harlow
Harrington
Heather
Jenson
Joanna
Kai
Kristen
Miller
Miriam
Nina
Shelley
Vera
William
Willow

Unique:
Alexandria
Allegro
Arial
Aster
Bell
Constantia
Corona
Dax
Dom
Ellington
Everson
Geneva
Janson
Jefferson
Korinna
Lexia
Mona
Rockwell
Sistina
Vale
Vladimir

Unheard of:
Aisha
Albertus
Aldus
Aquiline
Avenir
Berkeley
Berlin
Cambria
Caslon
Colonna
Kochi
Lucida
Maiola
Revue
Skia
Verdana

Full Names for Sid

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This week, Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen named their son Sid. Some people were surprised, but with sons named Max and Gus, I can't think of a better match. Baby Biggs is just Sid, but for most people that's not enough name. If you're in that boat, check out this list of ways to get to Sid.

Expected:

Sidney- Sydney is very popular for girls, which is a shame, because Sidney makes a great name for a boy, and it's the easiest way to get to Sid.

Sigmund- He's very Freudian, which can be interpreted as good or bad.

 

Unique:

Sidonio- This Spanish form of Sidney is the most modern way to get to Sid.

Siegfried- A little too much for an American child, but calling him Sid would be a nice compromise between your German heritage and a useable name.

Sylvester- He doesn't have all of the components of Sid, but the lengthy Sylvester has no nicknames, so why not?

 

Unheard of:

Siddhartha- Way too much to saddle a baby with.

Sigurd- Not the prettiest of names, but you could make it work if you call him Sid.

Sinbad- A compound name of two unpleasant words. If you want to use Sid, pick a different name on this list.

Gods and Goddesses of Love Names

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Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, I love it so much. In honor, we are going to look at the names of Gods and Goddesses of Love from around the world. Enjoy!

Gods:
Eros- The Greek God of love, aka Cupid.
Kama- Indian God, definitely useable.
Yarilo- The Slavic God. I'm not sure how useable he'd be in the U.S.

Goddesses:
Ani- An African Goddess.
Aphrodite- The obvious, very Greek, choice.
Ashtarte- A Semitic Goddess, and a very beautiful name.
Erzulie- The Voodoo Love Goddess. I believe Erzulie is a name of a character in a children's book, am I right?
Freya- This beautiful Norse name would be stunning on a Valentine's Day baby.
Hathor- This Egyptian Goddess has a beautiful, modern sounding name.
Inanna- She is the Mesopotamian Goddess of Love. Perfect if you want to honor an Anna and the holiday.
Ishtar-Ishtar is a Babylonian Goddess. She is a pretty, unique name.
Isis- The other Egyptian Goddess of Love has an equally as wearable appellation.
Nugua- This Chinese Goddess has a beautiful name, but in some parts of America she'd be unusable.
Oshun- She's the Afrocarribbean Goddess of Love, but looks like a misspelling of Ocean. That's too bad, because it's a lovely name, but I would go with Ocean instead.
Radha- Finally, Radha is the Goddess of Love in India. A great name for parents with Indian heritage, and a daughter born around February 14.