Dear Ava to Zeke, We are looking for a middle name for our future son. My husband is Thai, and I originally wanted to name our son (first name) SonChai (no middle name). We asked around and people had negative comments about it 😞. So we both love Royce for the first name. We have […]
Name Spotlight: Ava
Name: Ava Meaning: bird or “living one” Origin: Latin (also Persian) Current Popularity: #3 Ava was a “sweet spot” name for many years, lingering between 400 and 600 on the popularity charts for most of the past 100 years. That all changed in the early 2000s when Ava began its meteoric rise into the top […]
Ask Ava to Zeke: Names Like Reagan?
Ava to Zeke, We are expecting our first baby girl. I love gender neutral names but am open to all. One of the names we like is Reagan. Our last name is one syllable and starts with an R, and we are considering RHR as initials, but we’re open to exploring other options. Can you […]
Talking Points: Back-to-School Edition!
School Is Cool! School bells are ringing, and though none of our alma maters has particular baby name potential (being state schools), we have collegiate names on our mind. Some interesting choices: Creighton, Auburn, Baylor, Berkeley, Bryn (Mawr), Radcliffe, Xavier, Wesleyan, Nova, and Duke. Nameberry has a big list of collegiate names, ripe for inspiration. […]
Best of… “Smart” Baby Names
It’s back to school time again, and we’re feeling inspired by the world’s great minds. We all want to raise critical thinkers. . . but we don’t all want to name our little lover of wisdom Socrates or Voltaire. So here are some “smart” baby names taken from philosophers and intellectuals that give just a […]
Name Spotlight: Paloma
Name: Paloma Meaning: dove, pigeon Origin: Spanish Current Popularity: #912 Paloma made its way into the top 1000 baby names in the US in 1993. It peaked in popularity in 2010, but since it’s never been a popular name in the US, it doesn’t feel behind-the-curve in the least. Nickname Potential: Loma, Lo, Pali, Polly […]
Choosing Baby’s Last Name… and More of This Week’s Name News
We talk a lot about first names around here, but this week the Washington Post published an article that puts baby’s last name in the spotlight. The piece discusses an expectant couple’s decision to give their baby the mother’s last name. As you’d expect, the story is mostly about the complications with working against a […]
POLL: Melody vs. Elodie
These similar sounding names, with their own origins and meanings, are currently experiencing very different levels of popularity among parents seeking out the perfect name for their child. And you may be surprised by which one is popular now and which one isn’t! Name 1: Melody Origin: Greek Meaning: Song Pronunciation: Mel-ah-dee or Mel-oh-dee Nicknames: […]
Ask Ava to Zeke: A Name for Evander’s Brother
Ava to Zeke, I am looking for a name to be a baby brother to Evander Kent. Right now names we are considering are Roman, Baron, Hampton, and Orlando. We dislike anything too common such as Oliver, Liam, Hudson etc. We don’t have any special associations or must-haves for the name except that it must […]
Baby Name Trends: Use Them to Find a Name You Love
I am completely fascinated by trends, by their inevitability and their power to wholly captivate us, and equally, by people’s strong resistance to them. While we all follow them, we don’t dare admit to it. The idea is that following trends is somehow bad. The truth is that trends are unavoidable. They follow a natural […]