Posts Tagged ‘
girl baby names ’
Friday, May 17th, 2013
Sophia and Jacob may be the most popular U.S. baby names overall, but they aren’t the top names in every state. In fact, Sophia only topped the charts in 17 states, and three names were actually tops in more states than Jacob. (Jacob ranked #1 in four states, while William, Liam and Mason all topped the charts in more states than that.)
But what’s even more interesting are some of the names that made the top 5 in some states, but aren’t even in the top 10 in the U.S. Washington DC had some unique girls’ names, Charlotte and Genesis. Harper was also #4 in Montana, Nebraska, Iowa and North Dakota, and #2 in South Dakota—I’m already predicting that it hits the top 10 next year. Some unique names in the number 5 spot include Aaliyah (New Mexico), Avery (Minnesota), Lily (Utah) and Ella (Vermont).
The boys’ names were even more varied. Henry’s making major inroads—it may be only #43 overall, but it hit the top 5 in Washington DC, Minnesota and Oregon. Logan was in the top five in Hawaii, Idaho, Vermont and Wyoming, while Wyatt continued to be red-hot in the West—it was #3 in Montana and #5 in Wyoming. Some other unique names included Gabriel (#4 in Alaska), Ryan (#3 in Massachusetts), Carter (#3 in Iowa and #5 in Michigan), and Bentley and Hunter, both in the top 5 in West Virginia.
Of course, if you take into account the variety of ways baby names can be spelled—like Sophia/Sofia, Aiden/Aidan/Ayden and other creative spellings, the top names may look pretty different across the board. (Take a look at this top baby girls’ names, compiled by listing all the variant spellings—and you’ll see a different picture of the top baby names.)
What baby names are you hearing a lot where you live?
Image: Baby names by Amir Ridhwan/Shutterstock.com
Monday, April 29th, 2013
It’s another daughter for original 90210-er Ian Ziering—he and wife Erin welcomed Penna Mae exactly two years to the day after her big sister, Mia Loren, arrived.
While big sister Mia sports a very popular name, Penna’s more offbeat and less heard of—it’s the Latin word for feather, and an abbreviation for Pennsylvania. And it could also be used as a cool nickname for Penelope, too. But even though it’s rarely heard here in the U.S., it doesn’t sound too outlandish—it has a very classic vibe to it.
Mae is a variant spelling of middle-name staple May, though also it’s often used as a nickname for Margaret. Its most famous association is with legendary screen siren Mae West, who was known for her classic quips, like “When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad I’m better.” (She wrote many of her works, in addition to starring in them.)
Even though the siblings have names that vary considerably in popularity (Mia’s currently in the top 10 in name popularity, while poor Penna doesn’t even chart), they pair nicely together—both are feminine and easy to pronounce.
What do you think of the name Penna? Is it too offbeat, or a name unique enough for a very special little girl?
Don’t forget to like In Name Only to keep up with the latest in baby names!
Image: Erin and Ian Ziering by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Actress Poppy Montgomery and boyfriend Shawn Sanford welcomed their first daughter earlier this week. Her name has a floral motif, just like Mom—Violet Grace.
Violet’s been an up-and-coming name ever since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner chose it for their daughter. It’s just about to hit the top 100 baby names, as part of the rise of floral names like Lily, Poppy, Rose and Daisy. Violet’s been popular for fictional characters—you’ll find it as the gum-chewing contest winner in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the superhero teen with invisibility powers on The Incredibles, and the oldest Baudelaire orphan in the popular Series of Unfortunate Events books.
And the middle name is even hotter—Grace is #16 on the U.S. list for girls’ names. It’s part of the virtue name trend, with names like Hope and Faith. And Grace is a name associated with true Hollywood royalty—Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco.
In all, I think it’s a winner—a name that would be fabulous for any girl.
What do you think of Violet Grace? Is it a name you’d consider for your daughter?
Image: Poppy Montgomery by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Sunday, April 14th, 2013
The former First Family has a new addition! Jenna Bush Hager and husband Henry Hager welcomed George W. Bush’s first granddaughter, who was given the names of her two grandmothers—Margaret Laura. She’ll be called Mila.
Mila is usually shorthand for Milena, and means “love.” Margaret is one of my favorite names (it’s my youngest daughter’s), and it’s a Greek name meaning pearl. There’s a slew of noteworthy Margarets in the past, including queens, England’s former prime minister, and an array of authors and actors.
Laura is the former First Lady’s name, and another classic. It means “laurel,” and it’s still a top 300 name, though it’s on a bit of a decline from its last peak in the 1980s. Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House on the Prairie series, is perhaps the other lady of fame associated with the name.
In all, Jenna and Henry chose a lovely, classic name that’s full of meaning for the family, and a sweet nickname that pays homage to both grandmothers.
What do you think of Mila—or Margaret Laura? Are any of those names on your short list?
If you’re having trouble coming up with a great baby name, feel free to send me an e-mail at lamilbrand@gmail.com. I’d love to help you solve your baby-name dilemmas!
Image: Jenna Bush Hager, a White House photo by Shealah Craighead
Categories: Baby Name News, Celebrity Baby Names, In Name Only, Must Read | Tags: baby name news, baby names, celebrities, celebrity baby names, george w. bush, girl baby names, jenna bush hager, laura bush, mill
Wednesday, April 10th, 2013
I’ve been thinking about the latest spate of celebrity baby names, and I’ve noticed a trend—the celebs who have more unique names themselves gave their kids very traditional names (i.e. actress Shiri Appleby and her daughter, Natalie), while ones who have more common names themselves went offbeat for their babies (see Holly Madison and her daughter, Rainbow Aurora, and Kristen Bell and her daughter, Lincoln Bell Shepard).
So are we all looking to give our kids the names we wish we had? I know I didn’t like that my name was super popular and had no nickname possibilities, and so I gave my girls names that weren’t super common (Katharine and Margaret), and came with a slew of nickname possibilities. And I’ve seen that with some of my friends—one who loathed the fact that her name, Katherine, was always shortened to a nickname, gave her sons names that can’t really be shortened. Another who disliked the offbeat spelling of her name gave her kids names with classic spellings.
I think it’s only natural that we’d want to give our kids names in the style we wish we’d been named. But does that mean that my daughters are going to pick short and sweet names for their kids? Or that all the Olivias and Jacobs from this generation are going to rebel and give their kids offbeat names like Wheat and Amaryllis?
Let me know if my theory’s totally bunk! In the comments, let me know what you would have changed about your own name—and if you picked names for your kids don’t have that particular issue.
Image: Babies by Nejron Photo/Shutterstock.com
