Full Names for Fia

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Isn't Fia a sweet name? I've been hearing her more and more lately, from Sophias who want a more unique nickname, to brand new baby girls. Fia can work as a nickname for any name with a ph or f sound, but I've culled my favorites for this post.

Delphine- Delphine is a double nature name, boasting associations with both dolphins and the delphinum flower. She's a stunning French choice that remains practically unused--only 34 baby girls last year! And if Del isn't your style of nickname, Fia would work perfectly.

Fiona- Fiona doesn't have any obvious nicknames, but don't let that deter you from using her. Fia would work just fine! Fiona is at a wonderful place in the top 1000--#204--not too popular, but definitely familiar.

Fiorella- Fiorella, however, is a different story. At only 30 uses in 2014, she's even more obscure than Delphine. She means "little flower" in Italian--how cute is that? Fia or Ella both work for nicknames, but why go for the common one when you named your daughter Fiorella in the first place?

Josephine- Josephine has oodles of nicknames. Fia wasn't on my original list, but she works just as well as any of the others. She's more tailored and professional than Jojo or Sephie, which is often a desired quality, even in nicknames.

Philippa- Everyone's favorite nickname for Philippa is Pippa. How could it not be, with the gorgeous Pippa Middleton as her poster child? But Pippa's not everyone's cup of tea, so for those of you who want Philippa minus the princess's sis, Fia is a nice nickname option.

Philomena- Philomena is a beautiful Greek name, but lets be honest, a clunky name like that can be somewhat of a burden. Fia (or Phia) is an elegant solution--a streamlined nickname to complement the heavier given one.

Seraphina- A princess name if there ever was one. Ever since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner gave this name to their youngest daughter, people have paid attention. Yet she's still not in the top 1000, so Seraphina is still an unexpected pick. The spelling Serafina lends itself more to Fia, which is a more contemporary nickname than Sera

Sofia- Sofia is still a wildly popular choice--she's going up in popularity, while Sophia is going down. If Sofie isn't a sophisticated enough nickname for you, Fia would be terrific.

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2014 Boys

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Uninspired by the names in the top 1000? Looking for something particularly unusual? Consider one of the following names for your son--none of them were given to more than 204 boys last year (and some were only given to 5!) It's all after the jump.

10 Japanese Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Japanese names are gorgeous, but unless you live in Hawaii or along the Pacific coast line, you won't often hear them in the United States (and even then, they're not as common as you'd think). I'm always encouraging people to go back to their roots when searching for names, so if you have Japanese heritage (or are just a Japanese name enthusiast like me) consider one of the following for your daughter.

Aneko- It's not always easy to find names from your culture that will be well-received in America. Aneko, however, would be perfect on a Japanese-American child. Her similarity to Annika and the like give Aneko a familiar feel--no mispronounciations likely. Bonus: she means "older sister," perfect if you plan to have a big family.

Haruko- Haruko is a classic Japanese name. But even though she's conventional in Japan, you'll rarely hear her around the U.S. Haruko means "Spring child" or "sun child," which would be a sweet meaning for those warmer month babies.

Kyoko- Yoko is a beautiful name, but unfortunately she's hard to use due to the heavy associations with Yoko Ono. But add one letter and you get a completely different name (though it is, in fact, the name of Yoko Ono's daughter). To stray away from Yoko even further, use alternate spelling Kyouko.

Mieko- Lovely Mieko--that's mee-ay-ko--has many many meanings. Nameberry claims she means "prosperous," while Behind the Name cites "three branch child," "three blessing child," and "beauty blessing child" as possible meanings. Either way, it's all good (and she would make a nice choice for a third child).

Naoko- You've probably noticed that many Japanese names end in the -ko suffix. In Japanese, ko means "child," hence all these names have child as a part of their meaning. As for Naoko, she means "obedient child" or "honest child," depending on how you translate it.

Nomi- I suspect Nomi will be the overall favorite of my readers. She's easy to like--it's that long o sound--but delightfully unusual. Multicultural families take note: Nomi has roots in both Hebrew and Japanese.

Sakura- Sakura is a name many people are familiar with, though not necessarily as a given name. If you're into mommy blogs, you'll probably recognize it from the sling brand Sakura Bloom. She means "cherry blossom," which begs the question: is this the perfect name for a springtime Washington D.C. baby?

Takara- Looking to honor a Tamara or Kara in an interesting way? Takara is a beautiful option. She means treasure or jewel, so unsurprisingly there are more than a few jewelry companies with the name.

Umeko- I have loved the name Umeko for ages. There's just something about her--I can't put my finger on it. Umeko means "plum child," which gives you another excuse to use one of my favorite nicknames--Plum.

Yuki- Yuki is a unisex name that most Americans are familiar with. Perhaps, then, you already know that she means "snow." However, Yuki has many possible meanings. "Happiness," "valuable reason," and "chronicled reason" are among them. Whatever meaning you decide is right for your little Yuki will be perfect.

Nameberry Guest Blog

Hello everyone! My first guest blog for Nameberry was posted today. Here's the link to read it. The post is called 16 Arabic Names Ready to Import. If you read this or this post of mine, you will recognize a few of the names.

To new readers sent over from Nameberry: welcome! I encourage you to check out the archives and subscribe. I usually post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. More information about the blog and myself can be found in the About section.

Thanks to all my readers, and everyone at Nameberry. I am so lucky to be a part of such an amazing community.

Stylish Choices Outside the Top 1000: 2014 Girls

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We all know the parents with that one requirement when it comes to names: Nothing inside the top 1000. Who knows, maybe it's you! I'll admit, I can be a bit of a name snob myself--I do prefer my favorites to be practically unique. All the names after the jump are outside the top 1000, in order of most used to least used (Esperanza with 257 uses in 2014, Romilly with 5). What's your favorite? Let me know.

10 German Names You Never Thought of Using: Boys

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We're on to German names for boys today--a real favorite of mine. What are your favorite German names? Tell me below.

Alaric- For those of you looking for a robust, masculine name, put Alaric on your list. He means "all powerful ruler," and has ties to ancient kings.

Ansel- With teen heartthrob Ansel Elgort making his way into the mainsteam, are we going to see more baby Ansels? My guess is yes. People are loving softer names for boys lately, and Ansel is just that.

Arno- The strong, sophisticated Arno has never been that popular (he peaked in 1897 at #728), but could be become so? The generation of children who grew up watching Hey Arnold! are transitioning into parenthood--might they be inspired to drop off the last two letters?

Benno- Ooh, I adore Benno! He's a swankier version of the much overused Ben, and a great pan-European choice.

Fritz- Fritz is another one of my favorites--he goes on and off my short list constantly. He can be used as a nickname for Frederick or on his own (we all know which I prefer). Fritz is downright spunky--I predict we will be seeing more of him in the coming years.

Humphrey- The big question here: is Humphrey a dog name? The short answer is yes. Currently, you will meet a lot more dogs than humans with the name Humphrey. But I have a theory (and I know I've explained this before) that the dog names we choose are just ahead of the curve for humans. In a couple years, we'll all be on board with Humphrey. Trust me.

Ivo- I'm a big fan of the short, unique name, and Ivo definitely falls into that category. He's gentler than Ivor, and more modern than Ivan. Ivo's an all around great choice.

Rainer- Nowadays, Rain has gone completely to the girls. If you're disappointed by this, I suggest you take a look at Rainer. He blends nature and surname-style perfectly.

Romer- It'll take a few generations for Homer to be usable again, but in the mean time, how about Romer? He gets bonus points for the unisex nickname Romy.

Till- This contemporary nickname is all over the place in Germany. He's in the top 100 on his own, but was commonly used as a short form of Dietrich or Theodoric in the past.

Full Names for Minnie

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Ever since I watched the wonderful new movie The Diary of a Teenage Girl, I can't stop thinking about the name Minnie. She'd make a great nickname for a baby born today (or even a full name). Take a look at these options for full forms.

Araminta- This quirky British name lends herself more to Minty than Minnie, but the latter is better for parents who want a more subdued nickname.

Clementine- Clementine is one of the few long names with a lack of nickname options. If Clem or Clemmie aren't your thing, Minnie would be a lovely nickname for your darling Clementine.

Dominique- Most of the Dominiques I know go by Domi when they need a short form, but Minnie makes for a more whimsical choice.

Domino- Speaking of whimsical names, how about Domino? She's certainly delightful on her own, but Minnie makes her more accessible.

Jasmine- Jasmine strikes me as slightly dated, but she's still in the top 100 (albeit, at #100), but as the most popular name on this list, she very well could be the most prominent way to get to Minnie (I doubt it, but they don't have statistics on this stuff, so who knows!). Minnie's a great nickname option for those of you who don't like Jazz.

Jessamine- Jessamine is Jasmine's funkier ancestor--she was the original spelling of the flower's name. Jess and Jessa sound a bit old as nicknames, but charming Minnie is perfectly fresh.

Mignon- Mignon is a sweet French name meaning "delicate and dainty." Her original nickname is Mignonette, but if you're looking for something slimmer--and perhaps a bit less dainty--Minnie is your girl.

Minerva- The nickname Minnie originally comes from Minerva--the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom. She shares her meaning of wisdom with Sophia, making Minerva/Minnie a good alternative to Sophia/Sophie.

Minna- Minna, though German by origin, is currently used all around Europe. She's especially popular in Scandinavia. I don't think she needs a nickname, but if you must, Minnie's the best option. 

Minuet- For a Minnie with a musical connection, try Minuet. She's a French ballroom dance, which gives the name a romantic, rhythmic feel.

Wilhelmina- Wilhelmina a lot to handle for a baby girl, but luckily she's chock full of nicknames. I'd vote for Minnie over Billie or Willa any day.