Ever wonder where generic drug names come from? One California resident did, and the LA Times looked into it this week. It turns out that while the bigwig prescription drug names are often chosen by large marketing firms, the generics are decided by a two-woman team. We love ourselves a two-woman team (đ), and these […]
Star Wars Baby Names No Oneâs Using Yet
The Star Wars universe is teeming with character names, from the classic (Luke) to the absurd (Jar Jar Binks or Count Dooku). Though Leia and Han were names in their own right well before George Lucas gave the world A New Hope in 1977, they are names so closely associated with the series to almost […]
Name Spotlight: Ford
Name: Ford Meaning: âdweller at the ford,â or âriver crossingâ Origin: English Current Popularity: #635 Ford was at peak popularity in 1900, when it was #473. It stayed in the top 1000 names in the US until 1952. And then something interesting happened. It fell out of the rankings completely for decades. In 2014 it […]
Interview with Skip and Play
We at Ava to Zeke love all things curated, so today weâre bringing you the story of two inspiring women and their boutique business. Weâre humbled to sit down with Amy Mabry and Regina Paquette, founders of Skip and Play, a company that curates developmentally appropriate toys that are also high on style. Amy and […]
A Boy Named Sue, Girls Named Ida, and Some Old Friends
In the United Kingdom, baby name data for 2017 just came out of the Office of National Statistics, and itâs showing that the UK is moving toward the same trends as in America. As weâre seeing here, UK parents are favoring âuniquenessâ and being influenced by Game of Thrones (hi, Arya!) when selecting a baby […]
Best of… National Park Baby Names
US National Park maps with pronouncements like âAdventure Awaitsâ are adorning the walls of nurseries everywhere these days, and we think there must be something to it. Parents wanting to instill the explorer spirit in their little one, expose them to nature, or even just get them outside may find inspiration in the names of […]
Best of… Presidential Baby Names
While classic president names like James, Andrew, and John were popular even before the men took office (and will probably continue to be for decades to come), the presidential surnames trend seems a more obvious tribute to our nationâs heads of state. Kennedy, Lincoln, and Reagan are perhaps most popular these days, with Kennedy and […]
Name Spotlight: Daphne
Name: Daphne Meaning: Laurel or bay tree Origin: Greek Current Popularity: #383 Daphne peaked in popularity in 2014 but has been holding fairly still since then. Its overall trend has been slow and steady, making it one of those âsweet spotâ names that is well known but not too popular. Familiar but fresh is a […]
Marijuana, Politics, and a Little Romance
Over the weekend, Marijuana Pepsi became a viral sensation. What sounds like the name of a new carbonated drink is actually the legal name of a woman from Wisconsin. Her story could be called a courageous one, as Marijuana refused to change her name growing up and rejected nicknames like Mary in favor of her […]
Best of… Young Adult Book Baby Names
My formative years were filled with books. The characters that populated the pages of those stories would become important touchstones for me for the rest of my life. Itâs not surprising then that I would have a deep love and affection for the names of many of the heroes and heroines of my youth. And […]