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2012 Baby Name Data: Thoughts & Curiosities

May 10, 2013

It’s Christmas in May! The Social Security Administration has released the data on last year’s most popular baby names. As usual, there are a few surprises and a couple of anticipated moves. I was officially wrong – Jacob held on to the #1 ranking for boys in the US. I expected Mason to take over the [...]

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Penelope’s Sisters: Names from Greek Myth

May 10, 2013

Zoe and Chloe are popular. Penelope is the hot name of the moment. Are there other names from Greek myth that could follow the same trend? Oodles, actually. But they don’t all wear equally well. You could name your daughter Terpsichore, but it might not be the easiest choice. Mnemosyne feels like a total non-starter. [...]

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Soraya: Baby Name of the Day

May 9, 2013

She’s an Arabic import with a celestial meaning. Thanks to Christina for suggesting Soraya as our Baby Name of the Day.

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July: Baby Name of the Day

May 8, 2013

Plenty of kids answer to Julia and Julian, and month names are stylish, too. So how would this one wear for a child? Thanks to Katie for suggesting July as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Mira: Baby Name of the Day

May 7, 2013

She’s a short name on the rise in recent years, an alternative to Mia, a competitor for Mila. Thanks to Kari for suggesting Mira as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Mae: Baby Name of the Day

May 6, 2013

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on March 15, 2010. It was revised and re-posted on May 6, 2013. She’s small but mighty, packing serious style into a mere three letters. Thanks to RockingFetal for suggesting Mae as Name of the Day.

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Sunday Summary: Fifth of May Edition

May 5, 2013

With all this talk of banned names in New Zealand, are there any rules that you would impose on parents in your country? Limit first name choices to a specific list? Require names to clearly indicate gender? Spelling rules? Banning names that have negative associations? I think the simple truth is that I like the [...]

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Nico, Nicholas, and Nicosia: Nick Names

May 3, 2013

Nick remains a cool name, even though the classic Nicholas is fading. It’s boosted by actors like Nicolas Cage and musicians like indie darling Nick Cave. Nick Carraway is about to hit the big screen in the newest cinematic adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Girls’ equivalents abound. Nikki feels dated in 2013. Nicole fits into [...]

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Azura: Baby Name of the Day

May 2, 2013

Take Indigo and Beyonce’s baby Blue, add in Sky, and you’ll arrive at this unexpected appellation. Thanks to Chloe-Marie for suggesting Azura as our Baby Name of the Day.

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Solace: Baby Name of the Day

May 1, 2013

Word names are big, and modern virtue names are an important part of that category. Thanks to Leah for suggesting one that could fit. Our Baby Name of the Day is Solace.

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