Thanks to Corinne for suggesting one that would fit the bill.  Our Name of the Day is Fergus.

You probably won’t meet a little boy answering to Fergus any time soon.  Not in the US, at least – Fergus has never cracked the US Top 1000.

But with Gus gaining, parents are considering many formal name options that contain the element, from Angus and August to Magnus and, yes, Fergus.

There’s much to like about Fergus besides his kid-friendly status as one of Thomas’ fellow engines on the Island of Sodor.

The Gaelic -gus means vigor; the first element means man.  So Fergus – or Fearghas or Fearghus – implies strength and derring do.  Plenty of figures from legend and history lived up to the name, including:

• Fergus mac Leda, a King of Ulster;
• Fergus mac Róich held the same office;
• Fergus Dubdétach was High King of Ireland for about a year.  (A few versions give him a much longer reign.)  His two brothers were also named Fergus;
• Fergus Fortamail is said to have ruled as a High King of Ireland for more than a decade sometime between the third and fourth centuries;
• Fergus the Great, also known as Gwrgan the Great or Gurgantius, was a seventh-century king of the Welsh kingdom of Ergyng;
• Saint Fergus was an eighth century Irish bishop who founded churches throughout Scotland.  He may have also attended a a council called by Pope Gregory II in 721 – or Fergus the Pict could be another bishop from the era;
• In the eighth century, Fergus mac Echdach ruled a kingdom in western Scotland called Dál Riata.

Some of the Fergi – the saint, for one – can be found in the historical record.  Others not so much.  The most famous Fergus is also difficult to confirm: Fergus Mór, considered the founder of Scotland, and the common ancestor of all Scottish rulers.  When King James held the English and Scottish thrones in the sixteenth century, he referred to himself as a descendant of Fergus.

Fergus also feels rather aristocratic, at least from an American perspective.  The late Queen Mother – born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon – had a brother named Fergus.  Several Scottish clan chieftains answer to Fergus today, including both the Macdowell and Matheson chieftains.  (Though the Fergusson clan is currently headed by a Charles.)

Fergus remains just outside the Top 100 in Scotland today.

You’ll also find Fergus on the map throughout the English-speaking world, including River Fergus in Ireland.

William Butler Yeats gave the name a literary edge with his poem “Who Goes With Fergus?”  James Joyce borrowed Yeats’ work for use in his masterpiece Ulysses.

Overall, Fergus is a little unusual, but could strike just the right note for American parents seeking an offbeat Celtic heritage choice.

The official Social Security Administration list won’t be out until May, but unofficial lists have been circulating since mid-December.

Here at AppMtn, I can’t possibly claim that the most popular posts will be reflected in the Top Ten – or even Top 100 – baby names in use.  Many of the names I write about are obscure.  Some are downright weird.  (Habakkuk, anyone?)  Others probably chart simply because AppMtn is one of the few sites to cover the name in any detail.

And yet, if you look at the lists carefully, there are ripples.  A few of these are definitely coming to a playground near you.

The Top 20 Names of the Day for Boys, as judged by the most popular posts:

1. Finn – The top boy’s Name of the Day for two years, Finn is definitely a name on the rise.  But with plenty of formal choices for the birth certificate, Finn is deceptive.  In 2000, he ranked #834.  By 2008, he’d climbed to #368.  That still seems obscure, but factor in Finnegan and Finley, and that number nearly doubles.
2. Etienne – He’s not in US Top 1000, but the French version of Stephen continues to chart in the AppMtn Top Ten for the second year.
3. St. John – Chalk this one up to curiosity.
4. Eamon – On the other hand, Eamon – with his Irish roots and vowel-rich sound – could catch on.  He’s far more dashing than his English equivalent, Edmund.
5. Caelin – Most of you indicated that history aside, Caelin wouldn’t make the cut for you, thanks to his resemblance to nouveau – and often feminine – names like Kaylin.
6. Declan – He continues to edge up in the US rankings just a bit, and probably represents one that parents are considering as an alternative to Aidan and friends.
7. Elliot – Decades after E.T. flew across movie screens in his bicycle basket, Elliot is finally catching on.  With two equally valid spellings, file him with Finn – more popular than he seems at first glance.  Elliot ranked #332 in 2008.  Add in Elliott, just a few places behind at #386, and this one would rank around #225 in the US.  He’s also among the newest batch of boys’ names parents are considered for girls, probably because of the nickname Ellie.
8. Angus – Parents seeking a formal name for Gus might be cautiously considering Angus, but he remains rare in the US.
9. Kelly – I wrote about Kelly for a boy, and some parents are reclaiming him for Team Blue.  But it is certainly possible that many – even most – of the page views still reflect the use of Kelly for girls.
10. Ronan – Just like Eamon and Declan, this one continues to edge upwards slightly as a possible replacement for Aidan.
11. Alexander – I write about Alexander quite a bit.  It is my firstborn’s name, after all.  His ranking probably reflects how very many other boys share the name, too.
12. Gavin – He’s still climbing, up to #30 in 2008.
13. Elmer – Perhaps he’s in the next wave of hipster baby names, but most searches seem to be related to Mr. Fudd.
14. Donncha – See St. John.  He’d be dashing in Dublin, but in Des Moines you’d be explaining your son’s name thrice daily.
15. Roarke – As short names for boys gain in favor, Roarke might catch on.
16. Remy – Sure he’s a rat.  But he’s a Disney Pixar rat who can cook.
17. Asher – Like Finn, Asher is one of those names that seems original – to lots of parents, all at the same time.  In 2000, he ranked #579.  By 2008, he’d climbed to #206.
18. Cohen – Ah, controversial Cohen.  Yes, he’s only #18 on this list – but his post has only been up for a month.  Leaping from #650 in 2004 to #356 in 2008, like it or not, Cohen is catching on.
19. Holden – He feels like one of those names that fits with current trends nicely, but might not ever quite catch on.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing – though his appearance on this list suggests he might be more popular than I think.
20. Jude – He’s likely to benefit from the trend towards shorter names for boys, and Jude Law doesn’t hurt any.  But Jude probably makes this list at least partially because he was among the first few dozen names I covered, back in May 2008.

Compared to the 2008 list, there are a few changes.  Vaughn, Orrin, Aoyun, Rhys, Raphael and Xavier all dropped out of the Top Ten.  Finn moved up from #2 to #1.

I’m curious to hear your reactions – and standby for the girls’ list later this week!

The only big question is this:  Did Hank Azaria really name his son Hal?  Or have they simply not released his full name?  Wikipedia tells me that dad’s full name is, indeed, Hank Albert - so maybe they decided junior should have a nickname name, too.

Here’s the rest of the news:

• In RL, I live in one of two towns that can claim to be Jim Henson’s boyhood home.  (We cover the teenage years, including high school.)  And I’m a huge David Bowie fan.  But I’d forgotten that Bowie’s Goblin King character in 1986′s Labyrinth was called Jareth until I saw a teenager sporting it on his plastic nametag. He’s one of the few, though – Jareth has never caught on as a name, not even cracking the US Top 1000;
• I wasn’t expecting former Girl Next Door Kendra Wilkinson to name her daughter Esther or Mary, but ever since she announced her pregnancy, there’s been endless chatter about her frontrunner name for a girl – Kaleigh.  Apparently, Kendra’s middle name is Leigh.  (And her first initial is, obviously, K.)  A boy would be named after dad, Philadelphia Eagle Hank Baskett.  (Hank again!  That’s an AppMtn record.)  But that would be Henry Randall Baskett IV – not bad, actually;
• In other reality star baby news, Real Housewife of New Jersey Jacqueline Laurita welcomed son Nicholas Francis, little brother to CJ and Ashley.  I assume CJ stands for Christopher Jr. but I’m not sure ’bout that.  Another cast member is also expecting a visit from the stork;
• Guiding Light’s Jessica Leccia welcomed a daughter named Ivy Lola;
• From this week’s Toronto Star comes the report of a couple with five kids.  Lucky number five is named Angus Raymond Mercury.  Wait for it – Angus is after Angus Young of AC/DC and Mercury is after Freddie Mercury of Queen.  (Raymond is after a mere blood relative.)  Angus’ four big sibs are called Madelyn May (May after Brian May of Queen); Heath, after a golf course in Scotland; Shea, after Shea Stadium and Cheyenne.  Apparently mom veto’d Kashmir, as in the Led Zeppelin song – all of a sudden Shea and Cheyenne sound like perfectly reasonable choices.
• If you follow sports news, you might’ve picked up this report (Click here for ESPN’s coverage)  Apparently, a high school senior all set to play football for FSU was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers.  I can barely catch a ball, so the idea of being recruited in two sports?  Wow.  Anyhow, the uber-athlete’s name is Jacobbi McDaniel – one Jacob variant I had not heard previously;
• As if my linking to ESPN is not proof enough that it was a quiet week, names-wise, the Daily Express announces that wacky names are nuthin’ new.  As they await the opportunity to comment on the next wacky celeb baby name, of course.

From the wayback machine – a year ago, the Name of the Day was Madrigal.  Really.  This week’s names will be Naomi, Lyle, Eugenie, Boaz and Kylie.

I’ll leave you with a quick update on search names – Esme continues to top the list.  Lorelei, Isla, Pomeline, Java, Eithne, Aurelia, Ayelet, Noa and Oona are close behind.  The list is much shorter for boys: Finn, Elmer and Remus.  If you can’t tell from the list, boys generate far fewer searches than girls.  And yet, nearly everyone agrees that boys’ names are harder to decide than girls’ names. 

I’m off to fill up the wading pool for me the kids.  As always, thanks for reading!

This one is for Nessa.  Our Name of the Day is Angus.

It is always tempting to draw parallels between the gods and mythic figures of vastly different cultures, and Aengus is often listed as Cupid’s counterpart.  But Aengus had no wings, no bow and arrow.  He was the son of the Dagda, a powerful father-figure king in Irish myth, and Boand, a goddess associated with rivers.  Depending on the source, Aengus is associated with youth, music, poetry and yes, love.  He was also said to be quite handsome – something of a mash-up between Cupid and Apollo.

He’s also long been a popular pick for a given name.  Óenghus, Aenghus and Aonghus are all variants Anglicized as Angus.  The name has been worn by:

• Three ancient, possibly legendary High Kings of Ireland, each ruling centuries before the birth of Christ;
• A fifth century King of Munster;
• Two Pictish kings from the 700s and 800s;
• Ninth century Saint Angus the Culdee – Servant of God.  He tried to live as a hermit, but when the faithful kept seeking him out, he retired to a monastery where he co-wrote one of the earliest accounts of the Irish martyrs.

It’s an impressive list.  And then there’s the livestock.  

With all those famous bearers of the name, little wonder we find Angus on the map. The cattle associated with County Angus is now known as Angus cattle, and so you can probably find certified Angus beef in your grocery store.  It’s not the best association for a child’s name, but I don’t think it rules him out, either.

His meaning is appealing.  From Celtic roots oino or óen - one – and guss - choice, or possibly strength – we arrive at something like “the one choice” or “the one strength.” It’s a bit vague, but seems promising.

Speaking of the bits that make up Angus, one of his best attributes is that parents of Angus can nickname their son Gus. 

Anguses of more recent note include:

• AC/DC schoolboy guitarist Angus Young;
• Clever fictional problem-solver Angus MacGyver from television’s MacGyver;
• Angus Purden has hosted BBC’s Cash in the Attic;
• Angus T. Jones plays Jake Harper, the slacker son and “half” on CBS’ Two and a Half Men.

While Angus is familiar to most as a given name, he’s appealingly rare – at least in the US.  He ranked in the Top 1000 most years from 1880 to 1928, and last charted in 1948.  

In Australia, he’s a Top 50 pick and ranks in Scotland’s Top 100.  If you’re reading from overseas, there might already be a small Angus on every block.

But for those of us in the US, Angus could be the perfect pick – historic, strong but still quirky, with that great nickname option and good odds that you’ll never meet another.

Boys’ names will be longer and shorter, but two-syllable tyranny is coming to an end.  Yes, plenty of parents are still going to call their sons (and daughters) Aiden, Braeden, Caidhen, Haydon and Jayden.  And yes, some parents will attempt to mash together two syllables to create “unique” names for their sons – think Jaylon and Cayson.  

But  a growing number of parents are favoring softer names for their sons, including Biblical choices and ancient names.  Sebastian, Julian, Jeremiah and Oliver are already mainstream.  Others are keeping it short and strong.  Starbabies Knox Jolie-Pitt and Bronx Wentz are part of the trend.  Choices like Cole, Gage, Cash, Beau and Cade gaining, as well as nicknames like Jack, Jake and Max remaining popular.  A few other choices are brief, but not quite so tough guy – Finn, Quinn and Kai all continue to do well.

French names for girls will be on the rise.  Celeb trendsetters Brangelina are responsible for some of the trend.  But this one was already brewing before Vivienne Marcheline’s birth.  A few that could pop?  Noemi/Noemie, Elodie and Esmé.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the names in favor will be popular in Paris, or even authentically French.  In fact, the biggest influence may be the rise of creative, franglais-style names.  Expect to see Scarlette along with Violette and Juliette.

Homespun, even humble names will continue to be popular.  There’s nothing flashy about Emma or Hannah.  In 2009, Olive will sound fresher than Olivia, Frances more appealing than Francesca.  Choices like Nora and Clara could have a good year for girls; for boys, Gus seems unstoppable.  (Though with August, Angus and plenty of other names leading to Gus as a nickname, it will be tough to see in the statistics.)  Biblical boys’ names will continue to gain, following Elijah, Isaac and Isaiah up the charts.  And yes, we think we’ll meet more girls called Honor, as well as plenty of little Graces, Hopes and Charitys.

There could also be an uptick in the number of boys receiving names that once seemed perpetually out of fashion.  Choices like Walter, Raymond and Calvin have all received positive feedback.  It suggests that either they’re turning the corner from clunky to cool … or maybe that in 2009, clunky will be cool. 

Creative spellings will continue.  Some parents will continue to favor extreme spellings like Caidhon and Peightynn.  But variant spellings have taken their place in the mainstream.  Which is correct:  Isobel, Isabel or Isabelle?  In some cases, the most popular version isn’t the most authentic.  Kaitlyn ranks #44; Katelyn comes in at #75 and Caitlin’s parents find themselves defending their “unusual” spelling.  

Perhaps this is just wishful thinking, but it seems like fewer parents are tossing in random letters to come up with Brieyannah and more are seeking out lesser used appellations, like Bryony.  (Which, of course, can also be spelled Briony …)

Emily really won’t be the most popular name for girls.  Based on our recalculation of the SSA rankings back in May, we reported that Emily was slipping in favor of Isabella and Sophia.  Parents.com recently put Isabella at the top of their 2008 list, with Ava in second place and Emily demoted to third.  They base their rankings on website traffic.

That said, Em names for girls will remain very popular.  Emily might slip, but Em- names are still hot.  There’s Emma, of course.  And with starbabies Emme (JLo’s daughter) and Emery (Angie Harmon’s daughter) we imagine more parents will opt for an Emily variant in 2009.  Among the contenders:  Emerson (likely to be respelled Emersyn), the anique Emilia, the Welsh masculine Emlyn, the medieval Emmeline and Emmaline, Embeth (as in the actress Embeth Davidtz) and, of course, Emme and Emery.

And the final prediction?

Baby names will continue to obsess some of us.  Pushing a $900 stroller might be out; kitting your kiddo in consignment store finds might be in.  But choosing a thoughtful, meaningful and inventive name for a child is always au courant.

Thanks for being part of the ApMtn family in 2008, and keep reading in 2009!

For most of the 20th century, Gus slowly crept towards obscurity, and by 1978, dropped out of the Top 1000 entirely. And while it still feels a bit brief to bestow as a formal name, as a nickname it feels surprisingly fresh and modern.If you like the idea of calling your little tyke Gus, what should you write on the birth certificate? Here are a few obvious ideas:

• August - just like the month, and like playwright August Wilson. Far more user-friendly than the Latin emperor moniker, Augustus.
• Augustin – more French-fried than the first option, with a certain amount of literary flair, thanks to Augusten Burroughs.
• Augustine - saintly, and with the “stine” ending, perhaps a touch feminine.

But if you’re feeling adventurous, here are some Gus-getters that are a bit less expected:

• Angus – It’s tough to come up with a boy’s name that is simple, straightforward and not Top 1000.  Angus fits the bill – and leaves you with the cute nickname Gus.
• Fergus – It’s a bit farther out than Angus, but might work for an adventurous parenting pair.
• Ferguson – Somehow, tacking on an extra syllable tones down Fergus.  Ferguson is an unusual surname choice that could work, especially with a shorter last name.  And the middle syllable – Gus – is just begging to be used as the short form.
• Gustav - This is one of those funny names that everyone recognizes, but few people consider for their sons.  There’s something theatrical about this choice, and it probably wouldn’t wear as well as August or Angus.
• Mingus - If you’re a jazz fanatic, naming your child after jazz musician and activist Charles Mingus could be an interesting choice.

There you have it … eight ways to arrive at the every-guy nickname Gus.