She’s the princess-ogre in Shrek, an Irish(ish) option with an appealing sound.

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Fiona as our Baby Name of the Day.

Fiona is one of the first names I ever wrote about, before Names of the Day were a feature here at AppMtn.  She’s an intriguing appellation, with less history than some, but more story than most.

Some connect her to Fionnuala, a name from Irish myth, Anglicized as Fenella or Fionala or Finola.  But Fiona isn’t heard until the eighteenth century, when James Macpherson interpreted the old legends to create a wildly popular series of writings, starting with Fragments of ancient poetry, collected in the Highlands of Scotland, and translated from the Gaelic or Erse language in 1760.  Despite the ring of authenticity, evidence suggests that Macpherson invented more than he translated.

Debates about the stories’ origins raged, even as Macpherson’s work became an international sensation, widely read and translated into most European tongues.

Irish hero Finn McCool appears in Macpherson’s writings, as does Fiona.  Fiona appears to be a feminine form, based on the original spelling of Finn – Fionn.

This gives Fiona an appealing meaning – fionn means fair.

Despite the success of Macpherson’s writings, Fiona takes a while to appear in use.  The name doesn’t appear in the US Top 1000 until 1990, though there are Fionas in Census records far earlier.

Parents might have heard the name:

• Scottish writer William Sharp wrote many of his best-known works under the pen name Fiona Macleod in the late 1800s.
• In the musical Brigadoon, Fiona is a resident of a mysterious, unchanging Scottish village that appears to outsiders for only one day every century.  A pair of visitors from New York stumble upon the village, and set events in motion.  The musical debuted in 1947, with a film adaptation ten years later, and a television movie in the 1960s.
• In 1965 James Bond film Thunderball Fiona Volpe was one of the bad guys, an  assassin sent to take down 007 – though things don’t go exactly that way.
• Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel The Giver is chock full of ahead-of-the-curve character names, including Jonas, Asher, Lily, Gabriel, and yes, Fiona.

By the early 1990s, Fiona started to edge into the US Top 1000.  She’d reached #460 by 2000.  And then along came Shrek.  Cameron Diaz voiced the lovely princess with a secret.  Princess Fiona ultimately decides to embrace her part-ogre heritage and go green, all the time.  Not only was Shrek was a smash hit, it was also the genesis for a successful franchise.

Fiona has gradually inched up the popularity rankings ever since, rising to #257 in 2010.  On sound alone, she’s right at home with Sophia and other stylish choices.  It may be that parents hesitate to let their daughters share a name with an ogre – though it is clear that character is admirable, as worthy a namesake as animation offers.

Beyond Shrek, there were characters in 1994′s Four Weddings and a Funeral; and USA Network’s Burn Notice, plus Grammy-winning singer Fiona Apple.

She’s feminine but not flimsy, current but not at all overused.  There are reasons aplenty to consider Fiona for a daughter.

He’s a saintly Irish appellation and a sci fi warrior.

Thanks to Violet for suggesting Conan as our Baby Name of the Day.

It is tempting to add “the Barbarian” to this name auotmatically, but Conan has oodles of history before he was re-invented by a 1930s writer.

In Old Irish, cú referred to a dog or maybe a wolf.  The -an is that ever familiar diminutive form, so Conan is a pup or a little wolf.  Animal names have a long history of use, making Conan pretty ordinary.

Except the first Conan was extraordinary – a semi-legendary figure who gets credit for founding Brittany.  Geoffrey of Monmouth references him, but he’s not the only source.  Several Breton families trace their roots to Conan, including the powerful Rohan family.  He also features in medieval politics, as a claim to such an ancient ruler would’ve helped with machinations as leaders tried to claim rights to various thrones.

There’s also a warrior in Irish myth called Conan mac Morna, a friend and ally of Finn McCool.

Then along came:

• Saint Conan, an Irish missionary and early Bishop of the Isle of Man from the sixth century or so.  At least two other minor saints share the name.
• In the tenth century, Conan became Count of Rennes and later Duke of Brittany.  At least three of his descendants wore name into the 12th century.

This takes us into the modern era.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is remembered as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, another enduring character.  Conan is sometimes mistaken as part of his surname – Conan Doyle – but it appears to be one of his three given names, Arthur Ignatius Conan, and a nod to his godfather’s surname.

Then in the 1930s everything changed.  Robert E. Howard invented the character Conan the Cimmerian, a hero from a fictional world not unlike ours, but rich with magic.  Conan had strength aplenty, brains, and a serious way with the sword.  He started out in pulp fiction.  After Howard’s death others wrote Conan tales, and over the years the character appeared in books, comics, video games, television series, and, of course, movies.

The big moment for Conan was 1982, when the future governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, starred in the title role.  Conan the Barbarian was a hit, combining elements from different Conan tales.  A 1984 sequel followed, and a trilogy planned, but the third movie was never made.  In 2011, Jason Momoa hefted the sword as a new Conan, but the reboot was not successful.

The very Irish Conan O’Brien emerged in the same time, helping return the name to its roots.  The Harvard alum worked as a writer for Saturday Night Light and The Simpsons before getting his first late night talk show in 1993.  He’s been on television ever since, with the exception of a contract dispute with NBC for a few months.  Unlike many a high-profile controversy, the comedian came away with his integrity intact, and proof of a devoted fan base.  O’Brien can now be seen on TBS.

Overall, this makes Conan a weirdly perfect name.  He’s never been in the US Top 1000, even as Irish names from Ryan to Aidan have caught fire.  Conan is familiar to all and easy to spell.  He’ll fit with aggressive boy names like Slade and Cannon, but he also blends in with literary, legendary picks like Arthur.  If you can live with the occasional question about whether you’re big fans of the Governator, this might be one to short list for a son.

He’s an Old Testament appellation with a bright, modern sound.

Thanks to Ashley for suggesting Asa as our Baby Name of the Day.

The most straightforward explanation for Asa is that he means healer or doctor in Hebrew.  But like many a short name, there are other possibilities:

• Asa is the Portuguese word for wing;
• With different pronunciations, Asa is a given name in both Igbo and Yoruban;
• There’s a feminine name in Scandinavia, Åsa, though the pronunciation is different.

The last one also points to another meaning for Asa – the Scandinavian name is linked to the Æsir, the old Norse gods.

But let’s say this: the majority of Americans – and likely most English speakers – will have some passing familiarity with the Biblical reference.  He was a king of Judah sometime in the tenth or ninth centuries BCE, father of Jehoshaphat, and generally gets decent reviews from historians.

Parents have been borrowing him from the Bible for ages.  He slipped out of the US Top 1000 in the 1950s, but he’s been back since the 1980s.  He ranked #586 in 2010.

Among the many historical figures we find:

• Asa Danforth fought in the American Revolution; his son, Asa Danforth Jr., became a developer in Canada.  A street in Toronto still bears his name.
• Asa Packer, a railroad magnate turned philanthropist.  His gift established Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University.
• Botanist Asa Gray - we’re still using his most famous compendium of plants.
• Asa Candler was the entrepreneur who gave the world Coca-Cola.  He also served as mayor of Atlanta.  His son, Asa Jr., amassed a private menagerie including elephants, a hyena, a tiger, and a sea lion.  They’d eventually become part of the future Zoo Atlanta collection.

All of this gives Asa antique status, and yet he has a lot of energy.  Some of it is that long a, heard in popular names from Jason to Jayden.  He sounds an awful lot like ace – as in the playing card, the top of the deck, the best, the flying ace.

Plus there’s:

• Bridging the gap between the nineteenth century industrialists and today’s generation, One Life to Live’s Asa Buchanan was the long-running daytime drama’s patriarch.
• American Idol contestant Ace Young was born Brett Asa, named after a great-grandfather.
• Claire Danes has a brother named Asa.
• Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood is father of three sons: Jesse, Asa, and Henry.

Young actor Asa Butterfield starred in the much-lauded The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, as well as this year’s Hugo.  But the role that could propel him to stardom – and push the name smack Asa into the spotlight, too – is the much-anticipated adaptation of Ender’s Game, set to hit theaters in March 2013.

Or maybe Asa will catch fire on his own.  Asa has been slowly gaining in use since the 1990s.  Ace comes in at #619.  Parents could embrace flyboy Ace while penning the more durable Asa on the birth certificate.

Nameberry called him one of the most notable names of 2011, with fellow Biblical boy Asher just a step behind.  He’s sometimes dismissed as feminine, or maybe too close to a swear word.  And yet if Noah and Elijah can be so popular for boys, Asa will wear well, too.

Jules Verne lights in Amiens, France by ninasaurusrex via Flickr

He’s a literary French spin on an ancient appellation.

Thanks to Maia for suggesting her son’s name as our Baby Name of the Day: Jules.

Julius Caesar was an emperor; Julio Iglesias, a legendary Latin crooner.  The first reads hyper-masculine; the second, almost meltingly romantic.  The first is ancient but familiar – Julius ranked #335 in 2010.  Julio came in at #339 last year – equally common, and no less well known.

Julio is simply the Spanish form of Julius, while Jules is the French variant.  But he has a very different vibe than the first two versions of the name.

The best known Jules suggests that this name would split the difference between the emperor and the recording artist.  Jules Verne was a writer, credited with creating the sci fi genre.  It is the kind of literary reference many parents embrace for their children.

Jules’ sound should appeal, too, putting him in the company of all those preppy ends-ins options: Keats, Ames, Yates, Gates, Brooks.

Instead, parents likely hesitate thanks to another trendlet: girls named Julia (or any version of that evergreen appellation) answering to Jules.  There was Demi Moore’s character in St. Elmo’s Fire.  Now there’s Courtney Cox’s Jules on Cougar Town, model-turned-journalist-turned-author Jules Asner and celeb chef Jamie Oliver’s wife (and partner in extreme baby-naming), Jools.  It has put a certain feminine stamp on Jules, one that probably gives parents pause.

Jules hasn’t charted in the Top 1000 in the US since 1961, but he’s gaining rapidly in France, and Meilleurs Prenoms ranks him as quite stylish.

Notable Jules are almost exclusively French:

• First, there’s Jules Verne, the towering nineteenth literary figure who imagined forms of travel not yet invented with Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days.  Adaptations abound, and even if you’ve never read his books, you almost certainly recognize their titles – and his name.
• At about the same time, Jules Breton was painting the French countryside.
• And Jules Massenet was composing operas like Werther.
• French explorer Jules d’Urville made it all the way to Antarctica in the 1830s.
• Jules Maigret is a fictional police detective created by Belgian author Georges Simenon.  Between the 1930s and 70s, he penned dozens and dozens of novels and short stories, many of which have been adapted for television.
• The current generation of parents met Jules when Samuel L. Jackson donned the name for Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 blockbuster Pulp Fiction.  Jackson was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.

Add an o, and joules becomes a scientific term – a unit of energy named in honor of nineteenth century physicist James Prescott Joule.

Overall, Jules has a certain vibrant, modern sound that works well for a 21st century child without sacrificing all of that lovely history and depth.  If you don’t mind the possibility that this will be viewed as a unisex name, Jules has an awful lot to offer – uncommon and distinctive, but definitely on the right side of familiar, too.

Yvonne DeCarlo; Image via Wikipedia

Over 15,000 little girls were christened Ava, with another 6,600 plus called Avery, and nearly as many answering to Evelyn in 2010 alone.  What ever happened to this vowels-plus-v choice?

Thanks to Ashley for suggesting Yvonne as our Baby Name of the Day.

The trouble with Yvonne is that she peaked in the 1930s.  If the one hundred year rule applies, that’s still a decade or so shy of sounding prime for revival.  No one is naming their girls Barbara or Shirley, either.

On the other hand, a number of 1930s staples have already started to catch the attention of parents looking for something fresh.  Don’t Dorothy, Ruth, Helen, Joan, and June all sound like names you’d find short-listed on a Nameberry forum?

Like Natalie and Audrey, there’s a Hollywood tie to this name.  Yvonne DeCarlo had a long career, attaining true leading lady status after her turn as Sephora in the Biblical epic The Ten Commandments.  The only trouble?  Today’s parents remember the lovely Ms. DeCarlo for another role – Mrs. Lily Munster in television sitcom The Munsters.

Or maybe the name conjures up the flirtatious Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.  Either way, Yvonne takes on a sort of campy, cult status that lingers.

It shouldn’t be that way, though.  She’s a medieval appellation brought to England by the Normans.  Yvonne has long been the most common feminine form of the saintly, high-fashion français Yves, a name ultimately derived from the yew tree.

Yew is not one you’re likely to hear, even as tailored tree names like Linden and Rowan find favor.  Yew wood was traditionally used for making bows, and has ties to Norse mythology and well as a reputation as a tree of sadness and mourning, customarily planted in churchyards, even in pre-Christian England.  Yvonne is a few steps removed from that backstory, though.

Variants abound.  There’s Ivo and and Yvon for men; Yvette and Ivetta for women.  If you remember 1980s Australian tennis sensation Evonne Goolagong, that’s one that might come to mind.

Madame Charles DeGaulle also wore the name, as did a number of singers and dancers and athletes and actors.  The most prominent Yvonne of our day is probably Polish-Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski, mostly recently seen on Chuck.

But back to the question of how Yvonne would fare today.  It may be that the 1930s were prime time for the letter V.  Alvin and Vivian, Vincent and Eva, Harvey and Vera were all popular.  If the vibrant v is having another moment – and she’s definitely back for girls, from Olivia to Nevaeh – then why not Yvonne?

She’s elegant, restrained, and shortens to the kid-friendly Evie.  Naming a daughter Yvonne in 2011 or 2012 could be one of those ahead-of-the-curve comebacks.  It’s the kind of name you announce and everyone says, “Huh.  You don’t hear that one much these days.”  They’d be right, too – Yvonne last charted in the US Top 1000 in 2002.

If you’re looking for the new old lady names, Yvonne could be the next Evelyn – though maybe in a dozen more years.

Maia, in the Pleiades star cluster; Image via Wikipedia

She’s only been in the US Top 1000 for a little over forty years, but she feels like a classic.

Image by John McNab via Flickr

Lest this post come to the attention of the good people at Gawker, let me begin by saying this: I do not think you should name your child Harpo.  Harper, yes.  Harlow, why not?

And yet today’s Baby Name of the Day has a fascinating history, touching on two 20th century cultural phenomenons.  Thanks to Jen for the suggestion.

The Marx Brothers grew up on New York’s Upper East Side, a struggling immigrant family in a neighborhood full of struggling immigrant families.  The five brothers were named Leonard, Adolph, Julius, Milton, and Herbert - better known as Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo.  Brother Adolph became Arthur possibly because of anti-German sentiment during the first world war era, or maybe because he just never liked his given name.  But we’ve always known him as Harpo.

Groucho Marx, he of the cigar and the quips and the waggling eyebrows, is the most famous of the siblings.  Harpo is not quite as well known – maybe because he didn’t talk.  Or should I say his character didn’t talk.  There are recordings of his voice, but keeping mum became part of his persona.

Early in his career he taught himself how to play and tune the harp.  He’d eventually learn that his technique was technically incorrect – but it had become a part of his style, as well as the name by which he was known.

Harpo’s shtick also included elaborate pantomime, responding by blowing a horn or a whistle, an outrageous curly hair wig, which darkened from bright pink to deep red over the years.

Harpo died in 1964, but the anniversary of his birth is tomorrow – November 23.

We might have forgotten Harpo, but then along came Oprah Winfrey, another famous figure.  I’ve written about the Orpah/Oprah switch, but there’s another piece to the media mogul’s name: Oprah backwards spells Harpo.

Harpo Productions is Oprah’s company, an empire which includes film, television, radio, and print divisions.  The logo appears in all of her efforts, so Harpo is everywhere.

But have there ever been men named Harpo, with those five letters inked on their birth certificates?  In The Color Purple - an Alice Walker novel famously adapted for the big screen – there is a character named Harpo, the stepson of Whoopi Goldberg’s character, and later the husband of Oprah Winfrey’s Sofia.  Was that a mistake?  Much to my surprise, when I searched US Census records, I found just a few – just enough, I suppose, to make Walker’s character’s name plausible.

Today none of that matters.  Harpo is Oprah’s studio, and even in our era of Harper and Leo, Harpo feels like a stretch.  In the middle spot he’d be quirky and unexpected, but I’m not sure this one would wear well as a given name – unless, of course, your big brother is Groucho.

Image by buschap via Flickr

Henry and Hudson are both popular picks for boys.  How about this surname with ties to a creative visionary?

Thanks to Aubrey for suggesting Henson as our Baby Name of the Day.

Henson has three main possible sources.  The -son suffix almost certainly indicates descent; the puzzle is first element.

• Henson could be the son of Henry.
• Alternately, he could be Hendy’s boy.  The Middle English word hende meant kind or pleasant.  Hendy was either a given name in the Middle Ages, or maybe a nickname given to a likable fellow.  I’m not quite certain, but Chaucer has a character referred to as “hende Nicholas” in one of his stories.
• There’s also a possible link to the surnames Hain, Hanes, Haynes, Hagan, or Hawthorn.  Several sources are possible.  Especially the Hain/Hanes/Haynes versions probably come from the Middle English heghen - enclosure.  Hagan and Hawthorn are related to personal names that have faded from use.

Regardless of his origins, Henson is a familiar surname, with plenty of notables answering to the name, like:

• Before the Wright Brothers, William Henson was trying to fly.  A lace-maker by trade, he invented machines to help automate the process.  From there he designed many other inventions, including the Henson Aerial Steam Carriage.  It never did fly, but for his efforts, Henson has a lecture series and a glacier named in his honor.
• Matthew Henson graduated from cabin boy to full-fledged explorer, joining Admiral Robert Peary on his expedition to the North Pole.  Peary got the glory, but Henson was actually the one to plant the flag.  The year was 1909, and Henson was African American – a servant on Peary’s grand expedition.  Over the years, the history was re-examined and Henson now receives equal billing for their efforts.
• I love the duplication of this name – Herbert Hensley Henson, an outspoken nineteenth century Anglican Bishop of Durham.
• Josiah Henson was born into slavery, escaped to Canada, and became a minister and abolitionist.
• Back to the friendly skies: Richard Henson was an American test pilot who created the first commuter airline, connecting Hagerstown, Maryland with Washington DC in 1962.

But then came Jim Henson, and it is hard to hear the name and think of anyone else.  Kermit the Frog’s creator, the visionary behind Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird, he’s revered both for his creativity and his kindness.  Unlike many a potential hero name, Henson honors someone who nearly everyone can embrace.  21 years after his death, a new movie is set to debut this month, introducing The Muppets to a new generation of children.

Incidentally that bench in the picture, the one with sculptures of Jim Henson and Kermit, is located on the campus of Henson’s alma mater, the University of Maryland – located a little over a mile from where I sit right now.

So let’s say you grew up with The Muppets, and have come to appreciate Jim Henson’s creative process.  Henson could make an excellent middle name for a son.  He’s also a possibility in the first spot, fitting in with Landon and Jackson and Hunter and Blake.

Or maybe Henson is on your family tree.  Notables by the name haven’t disappeared.  There’s Oscar-nominated actress Taraji Henson, a descendant of the explorer Matthew Henson, plus athlete Drew Henson, one of a handful of people who can claim to have played in both the NFL and the MLB.

Henson sounds current, and his pedigree is inspiring.  He’s a rarity, but one that might wear well.

Image by Flying Cloud via Flickr

He’s a Hollywood appellation embraced by more parents than you might guess.

Thanks to Casandra for suggesting Keanu as our Baby Name of the Day.

If you’re anything like me, your first question is this: does Keanu really mean cool breeze in Hawaiian?

The best answer I can find is maybe.

Anu means cool or cold, in reference to temperature.  Ke is a definite article, usually translated as the.  Keanu might mean “the cool” or “the coolness.”  Is the phrase used idiomatically to refer to a cool breeze?  Maybe.

Keaweaheulu was a Hawaiian High Chief in the late 1700s.  His name is sometimes translated as “cool breeze over the mountains.”

On message boards, some have linked Keaweaheulu and Keanu, suggesting that Keanu is a short form.  But here’s the real skinny: as an independent language, Hawaiian was first recorded by missionaries in the nineteenth century.  Chances are they didn’t get all of the nuances quite right.  Then Hawaiian was banned for nearly a century.  While there’s a revival now, and it is very possible to study the language, doubtless quite a bit has been lost.

The best I can offer is this: over the years, we have stopped thinking of Keanu as a random name made up by a globe-trotting mama for her destined-for-stardom son, and come to accept it as an authentic Hawaiian heritage choice.  Want proof?  Keanu ranks in the current Hawaiian Top 100 with names like Kekoa, Kainoa, Nainoa, and Kai.

He ranked even higher a few years ago; in fact, from 1994 through 2005, Keanu appeared in the US Top 1000.

Those years coincide with the height of Keanu Reeves’ movie career.  Reeves – a Canadian citizen born in Beirut to a father of part-Hawaiian ancestry – is clearly the first place virtually all of us heard his exotic moniker.  His acting career started in the 1980s, then shifted into overdrive in the 1990s as he transitioned from goofy slacker roles like Ted in the Bill & Ted flicks, to leading man action hero in projects like Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix trilogy.  He’s also done enough indie film along the way to be considered a real actor, at least by some.

Next holiday season, he’ll star in 47 Ronin as Kai, a story set in eighteenth-century Japan and based, in part, on real events.  It could revive his career – and if that happens, it might put Keanu on the list of options for more parents.

Over the years, plenty of parents have been inspired by literary figures, military heroes, and yes, actors, when choosing names for children.  Even if Keanu’s roots are not well established in Hawaiian history and language, he appears to be accepted by at least some native speakers as a reasonable choice for a child’s name.  Perhaps that’s the acid test – if you’re Hawaiian – even a smidge, like Mr. Reeves – Keanu reads as a heritage choice.  If you’re not, maybe it seems more like an homage to the Hollywood star.

Either way, Keanu fits in with popular vowel-ending picks like Noah, and his “oo” sound is found in choices from Luke to Cooper.  He’s not an outlandish choice, but he might raise a few eyebrows in, say, Duluth or Ann Arbor.

Thanks to Casandra for suggesting Anjali as our Baby Name of the Day.

With names like Annalie and Aynslee in use for girls, you’re forgiven if you don’t spot Anjali’s Sanskrit roots.

Anjali translates to offering, but the meaning is far more nuanced.  Anjali mudra is the pose familiar to anyone who has taken a yoga class or three.  Typically, you bring your hands together in anjali mudra at the end of class.  Namaste.  Mudra means sign, so together, anjali mudra is a sign of reverence, but it also implies something about honoring the moment.  I love the explanation at Bodhi Surf School.

It is also worth noting that this is not a recent invention.  The gesture is depicted on artwork found in Bronze Age civilizations in the Indus Valley.  That dates it to roughly 4000 years BC.

Beyond spiritual significance, anjali mudra is a respectful greeting in many parts of the world.  This puts Anjali in the company of Shalom, another sometimes-heard name.

Plenty of women have answered to Anjali, nearly all of Indian descent:

• Actress Anjali Jay appeared in the BBC’s recent Robin Hood series;
• Anjali Mendes was a fixture in Paris fashion shows in the 1970s and 80s, appearing on the catwalk for Givenchy and Ungaro, but most especially for Pierre Cardin.  Mendes was born Phyllis in India.  After she appeared in a sari in Cardin’s Paris studio, it was decided that her name had to match her heritage.  I love this story: the editor of Women’s Wear Daily told her, “You can’t create history in the world of fashion with a name as ridiculous as Phyllis.”  After some debate, they settled on Anjali;
• Anjali Devi is another actress from India;
• 1998′s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a romantic comedy in Hindi involves two characters named Anjali – and, of course, a happy ending.  The film was a hit in India and abroad;
• Former CNN anchor Anjali Rao appeared on World Report from Asia between 2006 and 2011;
• A recent novel called Miss New India gives the name to its heroine.

Another Anjali is the first-name-only figure responsible for the eclectic sounds in the video above.  It was released in 2003, but I’d just as easily believe it dates to 1969 or 1972 or 1981.  The mix is downright different.  “Stinging Sitars X 9″ wasn’t exactly a radio hit, but it got a lot of play, and may have been where some parents first heard Anjali.

Since 2000, Anjali has cracked the US Top 1000 a handful of times, ranking #933 in 2000 and #964 in 2005, plus a few appearances in between.  She was given to over 200 girls last year, too, so presumably she’s been on the fringes for some time, and isn’t too far outside the rankings even now.  (In 2010, it took 250 uses to make it into the US Top 1000 for girls.)

Most of those baby Anjalis are almost certainly of Indian descent, but with names like Priya and Bodhi under consideration by non-Indian parents captivated by their sounds and meanings, Anjali could join their ranks.  She’s a modern virtue name with an exotic sound that wears easily in English.

One word of caution: I’m not clear if Anjali is dated by Indian standards, or classic, or somewhere in between.  She feels like Rebecca to me – common and heard steadily over recent years, neither Madison nor Mary.  But that’s only a guess!