Alternatives to Olivia

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Many parents think Olivia is a great name for a girl, but want something less common. Whether you're in love with the sight, sound, or style of Olivia, I have some options for you that are under the radar.

Sight:
Octavia- She starts with "O" and ends in -ia, just like Olivia. Plus, the nickname Tavi is cute and way less common than Livi (and there's Tavi Gevinson, I love her).
Olivette- Normally Olive would be on this list, but she's getting common, so on to the next similar name, Olivette. Yes, she seems like a little much, but the Olive- sound puts her on trend.
Ophelia- This beautiful Shakespearian name does not get enough attention.

Sound:
Liviana- She sounds like a blend of Olivia and Liliana, which many of today's parents will see as a plus.
Viva- Viva is a pretty name meaning "life."
Vivian- I hesitate to put her on this list since she's getting so common, but she's no where near Olivia, so Vivian is a good option for parents who want something in between top ten and top 200.

Style:
Adriana- She's the feminine form of Adrian, and has a similar make-up to Olivia.
Alexia- Peppier than Alexandra, but just as many syllables.
Carlotta- Carlotta is used more by Latin families, but would make a great sister name to Olivia.

Alternatives to Ava

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I have a couple new series coming up for you guys. First up is The Alternatives Series, focusing on alternatives to some of the most common names, filed under similarity to sight, sound, and style. The sight section is for people attracted to the look of the name, the sound section is for people who like how the name sounds, and the style section focuses on good sister or brother names that have similar aesthetic to the name. First name up is Ava. She's currently in the fifth position, and many parents are looking for similar names to use instead. Here are my suggestions.

Sight:
Avis- I love Avis. I know it's a rental car company, but her sound is the perfect mix of current and vintage. More people should be using her.
Avalyn- I hesitate to suggest Avalyn. It's technically a form of Evelyn, but looks like a smush between Ava and the popular Lyn suffix. If your moved by sight though, go with this one.
Eva- Eva is considerably less popular at 86, but expect her to be moving on up in the coming years.

Sound:
Avalon- Avalon is so similar to Ava, yet she doesn't make the top 1000.
Evelyn- A beautiful choice, but unfortunately she's not far behind Ava at 26.
Ever- You often see this as a pick for boys (short for Everett), but Ever makes a great word name for a daughter as well.

Style:
Lucy- Lucy would be a perfect sister for Ava. She's not quite as popular, but is still in the top 100.
Mina- Mina has the old-fashioned charm that Ava has, but is all the way down in the 800s. A great pick for parents looking for something less popular.
Ruby- Ruby is sweet and girly like Ava, but still has the retro spunk. She might break into the top 100 this year.

St. Patrick's Day Names

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Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my Irish readers! I don't have much Irish heritage, so I don't celebrate the holiday, but I thought it'd be fun to compile a list of names, mostly based on history. Most of these would be a great way to honor your Irish descent.

Expected:
Christian- It's a Christian holiday.
Ireland- Straight to the point, but I really love the name Ireland.
Patricia- The female form of Patrick. Too old fashioned.
Patrick- Too obvious an association for a March 17 baby.

Unique:
Bell- There's a bell called St. Patrick's Bell. Spelled like this, it is a subtle nod to the holiday.
River- In Chicago we dye the river green on St. Patrick's Day. River would make a lovely choice for either gender born around March 17 (or any time).
Tara- One of St. Patrick's churches is on the Hill of Tara. She's a little dated, but the connotation is nice.
Saul- St. Patrick founded his first church in a town called Saul. He's a very uncommon name that deserves wider recognition.

Unheard of:
Bishop- Before he was a saint, he was a bishop. This name gets used from time to time. Only use it if you're religious.
Celestine- Pope Celestine sent St. Patrick to be the first bishop to Irish Christians. Celestine is a lovely elaboration of Celeste.
Padrig- He's the Welsh form of Patrick. He might be a little hard for Americans to grasp at first, but I think Padrig is still useable.
Palladius- Palladius is the supposed name of the real St. Patrick. A little over the top, Pallas would be a nice contraction.

Movie Names: The Royal Tenenbaums

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The Royal Tenenbaums is my all time favorite movie. As I mentioned earlier this week, I love Wes Anderson, so this should come as no surprise. One of the things I love most about Wes Anderson (though not as much as his quirky characters and whimsical sets) is how he names his characters. In every one of his movies, the names are specially tailored to the characters, or so it seems. If you haven't seen a Wes Anderson movie before, I highly recommend the Royal Tenenbaums as your first one. It's a lovely film, with lovely names.

Boys:
Ari- He's a name often associated with Nice Jewish Boys, but he can work for a boy with any culture or religion.
Chaz- Normally a nickname for Charles. Not quite useable on the birth certificate, but he would make a nice retro nickname.
Dudley- Dudley's name was perfect for his character, because he was dud-ish. That being said, it's not a good connotation for your child.
Eli- Eli is one of the great characters in this film, but if you want to name a baby after him, go with his last name- Cash.
Henry- Sweet and classic.
Mordecai- He's Richie's falcon in the movie, and would be a fun connection for a boy. However, he is a lot of name.
Pagoda- Whimsical and delighting, but maybe for a girl?
Raleigh- Many would consider this a girl name, but Raleigh wore surprisingly well on his character (played by Bill Murray!)
Richie- Chaz's brother's name is also more common as a nickname (this time for Richard), but is used in its own right. Richie holds up better than Chaz.
Royal- Is this one set to come back? Maybe, because names like Duke and Deacon are heading upwards.
Uzi- Ari's brother (surprised?). The gun connotation is a bad one, but that doesn't rule it out.

Girls:
Etheline- A beautiful elaboration of the crotchety sounding Ethel.
Margot- One of the best names in the entire film. Margot is stunning and glamorous, just like her character.
Rachael- She's not a big character in the movie (Ari and Uzi's dead mother), but she has a great name that is falling slightly out of favor.

Full Names for Wes

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Wes is such a nice nickname. He's masculine yet soft, which is hard to come by in boys names. Also, Wes Anderson might be the best person ever. (And he proves the name works nicely on its own). Most people only think of him as a nickname for Wesley, but he has some great full name options that are way less common. Take a look.

Expected:
Wesley- He's stayed pretty stable for the past 100 years, except for a large uptick in 1977. In 2007 he was his least popular ever, at 195. He's currently been trending slightly upward, coming in at 155 last year.
Westley- Westley is a new, rather invented name that combines the trendy West with the timelessness of Wesley. He lends himself to West, but there's no reason you can't use Wes.
Weston- Weston has been making leaps and bounds lately. He's climbing up the charts, and at this rate, he's posed to take down Wesley.

Unique:
West- I wouldn't name my son West just to call him Wes, because that's way confusing, but whatever floats your boat.
Westbrook- He's a brand name and a surname, but lends himself to many trendy nicknames like Wes, West, and Brooks.
Westcott- Go old school and call him Scott or Scottie, or contemporary and call him Wes or West.

Unheard of:
Webster- He has all the letters to make Wes, so why not?
Westerfield- It's a long surname, but would work nicely, especially if Westerfield is a family name.
Wesleyan- College has been on the mind lately, and I'm visiting this Connecticut school in a few weeks. A college names post is coming up soon, but until then, think about Wesleyan. It's a little much for a baby, but Wes makes him more manageable.

Nicknames for Sophia

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As a Sophia myself, I often wish I had a less common nickname than the ever popular Sophie. Alas, I would never change my name. Although, Posy and Sosie are on my own list, and could make great middles for future daughters. If you, like many parents find yourself using Sophia for a daughter, but want her to stand out, look at the bottom of this list.

Expected:

Soph

Sophie

Unique:

Fifi

Phia

Unheard of:

Posy

Sosie

Editor's Note: This post was significantly revised on April 18, 2016. To view the updated post, click here

Texting Shorthand and Slang Inspired Names

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We've all heard of the parents who named their kid Hashtag. That seems over the top, but this list proves that tech inspired names can at least sound useable. P.S.- I consider all of these names to be "Unheard of" so there will be no ranking system today.

Aisi- Shorthand for As I See It, Aisi could be pronounced AY-see or EYE-see. Bonus points- I didn't know this was a shorthand term, so this is an easy one to get away with.
Ily- Ily is short for I Love You, and is very well-known. I think it works, but I would spell it Illy or Illie to avoid confusion.
Ilys- Pronounced like Elise, Ilys means I Love You So. Stick with Elise.
Iolo- This one doesn't actually stand for anything, but it's pronounced like Yolo, so it fits. While he may have once been wearable, those days are gone.
Lol- Everyone knows LOL means Laughing Out Loud, so this one doesn't work as a full name. However, Miley Cyrus played a Lola called Lol in the movie by the same name. That convinces me of her use as a nickname.
Orly- This is my favorite of the list. Orly stands for Oh Really, but makes a cute name, especially as a nickname for Orla or Orlaith.