Image via Wikipedia

She’s a vibrant name with a legendary literary namesake.

Thanks to Ivy for suggesting Scarlett as our Baby Name of the Day.

One of the many tales about Gone With the Wind involves the name of the novel’s heroine.  Up until just before going to press, the story goes, Margaret Mitchell planned to call her heroine Pansy.

Mitchell had a last minute flash of inspiration, and you know the rest.

Up until then you might have met a Rose or a Hazel or an Olive; Pearl or Ruby, too.  But Scarlett was rare.  Scarlet appears as a masculine moniker on the US Census Indian rolls, especially in North Dakota.  And because Scarlett is a surname, it does appear as a given name before Ms. Mitchell’s novel debuted – though those Scarletts are sometimes male, too.

In Gone With the Wind, Katie Scarlett O’Hara is named after her paternal grandmother, Katie Scarlett.  Presumably that’s her grandma’s surname, indicating that one of their ancestors dyed or sold woolen cloth.

Scarlet cloth wasn’t necessarily red, but bright red was one of the most popular hues.  Over time, the fabric’s name transferred to the color.  The source of the word is likely the Persian saqirlat – fine cloth, from the Late Latin sigillatus – elaborately decorated clothes.  Sigillatus shares roots with sigil – a magical symbol – and signal and sign.

If sigil to Scarlett seems like a leap, it is – in between, the word became scarlata in Late Latin; escarlate in Old French and Spanish and scarlatto in Italian.

It’s a color with a past:

• In the Book of Revelation, there’s a scarlet beast and a woman wearing scarlet;
• Scarlet fever ravaged communities into the early twentieth century;
• Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter links the color to a sin once more;
• Sherlock Holmes’ first adventure was 1888′s A Study in Scarlet.  In this case, the color referred to “the scarlet thread of murder” in Holmes’ case;
• On a more heroic note, Baroness Orczy’s 1905 novel set The Scarlet Pimpernel to rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine at the height of the revolution.

Today, Scarlett remains a vivid shade of red and a dramatic name, but she’s lost her air of scandal.

As a name, Scarlett charted briefly from 1940 to 1943, and the height of Gone With the Wind.  She surfaced again from 1962 to 1963, possibly due to short-lived Canadian soap opera Scarlett Hill.

But then came 1991′s Scarlett, the authorized sequel to Mitchell’s classic, penned by Alexandra Ripley.  The novel was savaged by critics, but still topped the bestseller lists and was made into a can’t-miss-miniseries.  The name returned in 1992, but this time she stayed.  Why were the 90s different?

• Hugh Grant’s quirky red-headed roommate in Four Weddings and a Funeral answered to Scarlett;
• Young actress Scarlett Johansson – yes, that’s her real name – nabbed an Independent Spirit award nomination in 1996 and had her big breakout role in 2003′s Lost in Translation;
• Color, nature, and noun names are stylish today – even mainstream.  Violet rose at the same time.

In 2010, Scarlett ranked #114.  And why not?  She’s colorful, spirited, and stylish.  Her only downside?  She’s climbing rapidly.  If Savannah can reach #30, Miss O’Hara’s appellation surely can, too.

About ten minutes in, I was wide awake, sitting in the dark with a pencil, scribbling down notes.  Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen the episode, you may not want to read on.

My thoughts on the series in general:

• I don’t believe reality television was invented to show people at their best.
• Rosie Pope seems truly called to her work.
• A maternity concierge is tough for me to wrap my head around.  I like muddling through my own life, even when I know I’m making mistakes.  While I’m sure Rosie Pope’s assistance feels necessary service to many couples, I’m still not sure I understand why.  Still, I’ll tune in again next week.  And the week after that …

Now, to the name-choosing process:

• I don’t believe that you can brand a human being.  At least not at birth.  Plenty of personal names become brands, but there’s an element of choice and conscious construction involved.  Madonna could have grown up to be the shy, retiring type who insisted “Call me Donna” whenever her outrageous full name was mentioned.
• It’s hard to trust your gut.  Clearly, the parents had a pretty good sense of the name they preferred from the beginning of the process.  And yet, at one point they almost rejected their top pick in favor of the focus group opinions.
• The most meaningful names are rarely those that everyone loves.  Too often parents decide against using their favorite name because their friends or family have a negative reaction.
• I was astounded that their daughters’ names were very ordinary.  Ella and Ruby are perfectly nice, but given the effort they described to choose Ella’s name, it seems bizarre that they landed on a Top 100 choice.
• When you rely on the internet as your focus group, there are no hurt feelings if you ignore advice.  Hosting a dinner party to request name advice implies that you’re going to take it.  Is that why they ended up with Asher – their guests’ top pick – in the middle spot?

About the name itself:

• Whenever parents say they’re looking for a name that exudes class, I always brace myself for something less than sophisticated.  Bowen – also the crowd-sourced name used by quarterback Drew Brees for Baylen’s little brother – is current, but it doesn’t sound terribly elegant to me.
• If it were up to me, either Theodore or Miles would’ve been the name.
• In two separate settings – the focus group and the dinner party – guests reacted negatively to Bowen as a modern, invented name, dismissing it as empty and meaningless.  That’s the risk with any nouveau coinage, especially when you’ve chosen it for style.

One of the privileges of parenting is choosing your child’s name.  I think we’re fortunate to live in an era when we can decide to go almost any direction.  The flipside is that you can make yourself crazy over-thinking names, too.  The biggest surprise was that Rosie’s other clients, the ones who were woefully unprepared for their baby-on-the-way, chose the distinctive Fox for their baby boy.  No focus groups required.

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

Here’s my absolute favorite thing to get in my email inbox: birth announcements.  There were two last week, complete with pictures!  I really, truly appreciate them and won’t pass them on unless you expressly note that I can share them here.  Thank you!

Speaking of birth announcements, I was scrolling through a random list and found a bunch of interesting ones: Bellarose, Amelka, Zella, Nico, Jamerson.  No, that’s not a typo.  (I checked twice!)  With ends-in-er names catching on and hoop star Jimmer Fredette inspiring parents, what could catch on next?  Brenner, maybe?

In other news:

• Here’s a look ahead at next week’s Names of the Day: Marlon, Circe, Greil, Humphrey, Emrys;
• And a look back, too – in 2009, Barnaby was featured.  In 2010, it was Hera;
• Names currently suggested for Alyssa Milano’s son include Destry, Gaston, Kenai, Jax, Darrell, Javier, Kennedy, Vittorio, Emmitt, Maddox, and Colt.  My pick for them would be Dante – Italian, to go with Mr. Alyssa Milano’s surname, Bugliari, but still quite current.
• Amethyst: a possible successor to Ruby?
• Loved this post at Nameberry on Israeli Baby Names.  I was surprised at the long list of unisex names.  The author, Hannah of A Mother in Israel, was kind enough to answer my question.  Apparently there’s not any controversy over using a gender neutral name, though “many parents prefer a name associated with one gender.”  Interesting;
• Move over Jason and Mason!  ForReal spotted a newborn Tason;
• BabyNameWizard asks if Justin will remain forever young;
• Via Nomes e mais nomes post on the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg: there’s an Imre in this generation, plus one of the princes married a commoner called Tessy.  She’s now Princess Tessy;
• Is she a baby or a weather prediction?  For Real also spotted a Rainy May.

It was a quiet week for names in the news, but we did welcome Sage Ann and Kellan Clay, twins for news anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts.

Funny, because I’d recently asked on my Facebook page if Sage was more suited for a girl or a boy.

In other celeb baby Wipeout co-host John Henson welcomed a son, Jackson Wright.

Tomorrow at Nameberry: Rock’n'Roll baby names inspired by the recent additions to Rock Hall.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

No 20 - flowery by Kirsty Hall via Flickr

Let’s start with an announcement: every Saturday in March will be March Madness at Appellation Mountain.  Nope, I’m not writing basketball-related posts.  Instead, you’re voting on your favorites from last year’s most popular posts.

It should be fun!

Elsewhere online:

• I love Lemon’s guest post at Nameberry on word names: Echo, Tansy, Temple.  Ages ago I stumbled across Cascata – the Italian word for waterfall, as in cascade – and I always think of that one when word names are discussed;
• Speaking of word names, here’s one in the same key from Nancy: Invicta, inspired by a steamroller;
• ForReal spotted a boy named Ridge. I completely understand why parents would gravitate towards such a rugged, outdoorsy pick, but it seems a little hard to wear for a real kid.  It seems more appropriate for a soap opera character;
• Is it me, or is Finn making a stealth attack?  This story from the Chicago Tribune about a 61 year old woman who served as surrogate for her daughter mentioned that the baby name’s is Finnean.  Finley, Finnegan, Finbar, Fintan … it seems like every day there’s another way to get to that oh-so-popular nickname;
• There was a lively conversation about unisex names at Nameberry earlier this week, and so I thought this was timely: from the Quinnipiac Chronicle, a girl named Kyle who loves her name.  However, she would’ve liked to buy pink pencils with her name on them.  No word on how sisters Shawn, Casey, and Riley feel about their names;
• MTV suggests names for Honor Warren’s little sister or brother.  Somehow I don’t think Jessica and Cash will be using Louboutin or Money, but hey, Sterling has some possibilities;
• The 30 Rock baby is Elizabeth called Liddy.  Here’s the quote from Alec Baldwin‘s character Jack: “We’re calling her Liddy, as in Liddy Dole, G. Gordon Liddy, and my martial arts instructor, Li-Dee.”
• From Babynamelover – Braden loses his “r” and becomes Baden.  I wonder if they were thinking of the German resort town?
• I do truly love the name Evander.

Just a few celebrity birth announcements.  I also post these on Facebook:

• No Doubt’s Tom Dumont and wife Mieke welcomed a third son, Koa Thomas.  Koa joins Ace Joseph and Rio Atticus at home.  I spotted Koah more than a year ago.  Let’s see if it catches on;
• Rod Stewart and wife Penny welcomed a son called Aiden.  All those years of naming babies, and I’m not sure Rod has mastered the art.  His older kids are Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, Liam, and Alastair.

Tomorrow at Nameberry: a list of designer names drawn from Fashion Week 2011, and no, Chanel is not on the list.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading!

Rudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan by gmayfield10 via Flickr

She was a Top Ten pick for more than two decades.  Can she still sound fresh today?

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Susan as our Baby Name of the Day.

Susan’s heyday was 1946 through 1968, peaking at #2 in the late 1950s, behind only the enduring Mary.  But it wasn’t just about Susan:

• Little Zuzu uttered the famous line “… every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings” in 1946′s holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life;
• A year later, Natalie Wood played Susan Walker in the equally evergreen Miracle on 34th Street;
• The Everly Brothers scored a smash hit with “Wake Up Little Susie” in 1957;
• Also in 1957, Dale Hawkins scored a modest success with “Susie Q,” though Credence Clearwater Revival’s 1968 cover is far more famous;
• Sue, Suzanne, Susie, Susanne, Suzette, Suzan, Susanna, Susana, Suzy, Suzanna, and Suzie all appeared in the US Top 1000 in the late 1950s;
• Dion scored a #1 hit with “Runaround Sue” in 1961.

By the time Johnny Cash recorded “A Boy Named Sue” in 1969, Sue was an iconic name for a girl, clearly not suited for a son.  (Unless you had an ulterior motive to toughen up your boy.)

But Susan was no recent arrival.  In her various forms, she’s enjoyed a long history of use.  Susanna appeared in the Bible, from the Hebrew Shoshannah, derived from the Persian shoshan – lily.  Susan has a second botanical connection: for centuries, a wildflower has been known as the Black-Eyed Susan, thanks to a folktale turned poem by John Gay.

Historical Susans range from seventeenth century Susan de Vere, Countess of Montgomery, to nineteenth century suffragette Susan B. Anthony.

But in 2009, Susan stood at a chilly #762.  Actresses like Susan Sarandon, Susan Lucci, Susan Dey, Susan Olsen, and Susan St. James have long since abandoned the role of the ingenue.  After all, Susan Olsen debuted as the youngest of The Brady Bunch in 1969, and Susan Dey played the musical Laurie Partridge on TV in the 1970s.  Meet a Susan today, and she’s more likely to be the grandmother than the newborn baby girl.

And yet Susan could make an appealing option for parents seeking that elusive familiar-but-uncommon choice.  Consider:

• Susan is the only variant of the name currently in the US Top 1000, but she’s instantly familiar to anyone;
• Susan’s u is completely current – from Lucas to Ruby, Lulu to Jude;
• Susan might have been a girls’ name in use since early days, but her ends-in-n sound fits in with tailored, gender neutral choices from Madison to Jordan;
• Her nicknames range from the retro Susie to the quirky Sukie to the exotic – yet silver screen-worthy – Zuzu.

It’s easy to imagine parents embracing Susan today.  Only trouble?  Odds are that any mention of Susan will conjure up a host of aunts, neighbors, your dad’s cousin, the secretary from your work study job at college, your first boss, your sister’s field hockey coach.  If you’re lucky, and all of those Susans are lovely, generous women, then you might have that elusive find – a familiar name that your child will never share with anyone her age.

Number 9 by Jon Tin Tin Jordan via Flickr

I had lunch with a mom-to-be friend of mine last week.  Dad has already veto’d her #1 pick for a son – Nehemiah – and she’s not on board with any of his ideas.  She’s not due for a few more weeks, but her doc is already murmuring things like “measuring big” and the pressure is mounting.  I’m going to share this great advice from Swistle with her: it isn’t about finding the perfect name, it is finding the name that most satisfies both parents – almost like averaging the parent’s scores.  (You give Nehemiah a 10; he gives it a 4.  That makes Nehemiah a 7.  The question is whether you can agree on a name that ranks an 8 or higher.)

Elsewhere online:

• Let’s say he’s from India and she’s from Poland. What do they name their three Canadian-born kids?  For one family, the answer is Anjali Isabel, Lucas, and Philip;
• Ooh, look – For Real spotted a baby Elowen!  And also a little Ezmae, which clears up Esme’s pronunciation, but at a cost;
• Here’s a fun way to slice and dice the US Top 1000: Nameberry published the Top Ten Names for each letter of the alphabet over the last 130 years.  Check out the Girls’ List and the Boys’ List.  The lists for the lesser-used letters like U and X are especially intriguing;
• Nymbler released their most popular names for November, plus their Top Five New Names: Briseis, Enya, Lumen, Ayelet, and Ashe.  Ashe is for a boy, suggesting that parents are over Ashton, but not ready to reclaim Ashley.  Asher, too, is rising, so no wonder Ashe is attracting attention.  And look at Ayelet, riding the Scarlett, Juliet, Bridget tide!
• Speaking of trends, Nancy suspects that Ruby could be the new top name in Australia;
• Quick, what do Ada, Elle, Emme, Otto, Renner, and Bob have in common?  They’re all palindromes!  Find more with Baby Name Wizard’s comprehensive list;
• Elisabeth pointed out the new Target Baby promo, featuring birth announcements in Times Square.  She spotted some great ones flipping through the photo gallery. To her list, I’ll add Soren, Caeleb, Ned, Paxton, Despina, and Abbey.

Plenty of famous folk announced their good news this week, including the arrivals of:

• Kristoffer Polaha’s sonJude, a little brother for Kristoffer Jr. and Micah.  Mom is Julianne Morris;
• Jason Schwartzman and wife Brady Cunningham went for the offbeat, choosing Marlowe Rivers.  Note to Natalie Portman and other pregnant celebs – Carlo/Carlow/Carlowe is still available;
• What do a pair of news anchors name their son?  Carter Evans and Courtney Friel went with Cash Hudson.  To the best of my knowledge, neither covers Wall Street or Metro New York;
• Top Chef alum Nikki Cascone will be pureeing lots of veggies in about six months.  She’s a new mom to Jackson Robert.  Cascone said that the tot’s name came from Sons of Anarchy.  Great show, but I’m partial to the name worn by Jax Teller’s son – Abel;
• And, of course, there’s a new member of the royal family.  No official announcement has been made, but prayers were offered for Peter and Autumn Philips and their new daughter Savannah.

Speaking of congratulations, let’s end on a high note: you can now buy the first eBook from Nancy Man, Strong Boy Names.  Based on the preview, it isn’t so much a list of Gunnar/Cannon/Slade as much as it analyzes more conventional masculine choices that are rarely borrowed by Team Pink.  Actually, this might be the baby shower gift I give to my friend who won’t be naming her son Nehemiah …

That’s all for today.  As always, thank you for reading, and have a fabulous week!

Little Red Riding Hood illustration from 1927; Image via Wikipedia

I’m always surprised when I realize that Valerie remains so popular.  She ranked #138 in 2009, not too far from her peak of #60 in 1959.  Nothing against the name – I know some lovely women who answer to Valerie – but it makes me think of The Monkees.  (Though the song title is “Valleri“ – not sure why.  Anyone know?)  She could be due for another boost in March, when the reboot of Red Riding Hood is released with Amanda Seyfriend donning the iconic red cape.  The wolf is a werewolf.  Not only does her character have a name – Valerie – but she’s more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than sweet girl en route to grandma’s house.

On to the name news:

• Speaking of werewolves, what’s with the stories about parents naming their kids after werewolves?  I suppose it is just another attempt to link baby name stories to Twilight.  If Alcide makes the US Top 100, I’ll believe it.  Until then … not so much;
• Nancy rounds up the total number of babies named after Aeon Flux, and ThunderCat Cheetara.  The answer?  More than you’d guess;
• Speaking of strange inspiration, ForReal spots a boy called Kindle Paul;
• You’ve probably already seen this amazing sibset at Nameberry: Tallulah Daisy, Beatrix India, Juniper Bronte, Hawthorne Wilde, and newborn Crewe Lennox but read the thread anyway for some of the best names collected in a single thread – possibly ever;
• The crowd-sourced, chosen-by-Facebook-poll Canadian baby name is Melania. Apparently the parents engaged in a smidge of gamesmanship, encouraging votes for the name.
• I mentioned Luella in a post as one of those names that it takes some courage to use, because it is different from everyone else’s picks.  As if on cue, here’s a post at Swistle: “Our first choice is Luella, nickname Lulu, but … I’m worried that there’s something about this name that makes it unpopular that I’m not seeing.”
• The Baby Name Wizard’s Name of the Year is … The Situation. Laura Wattenberg notes that this is NOT a prediction that we’ll be meeting kids called Situation Smith.  It’s about handles rather than names; “an emblem … for an age of empty celebrity.”  As one commentor wrote: “It’s enough to make me long for the days of Kaydence.”
• As for names parents will actually use, how about Greta?  It appears on A Mountain Bride’s short list, along with Hazel, Amelia, Piper, and Cora.

The maternity ward at Hollywood Hospital has been relatively quiet these days, but that hasn’t stopped the star baby name stories:

• Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey continue to generate buzz about their baby-on-the-way.  The first rumor was the baby would be a junior; then Cannon mentioned the name Cleophis in an interview;
• If it isn’t werewolves, it’s booze.  I’ve been resisting Pink’s comment about the name Jameson.  It is pretty clear that Jameson is based on family names, and the whiskey connection is, well, a bonus;
• Mike Dirnt of Green Day welcomed a daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae.  Based on the AppMtn Facebook page comments, the reaction is definitely mixed.  His other kids are son Brixton and daughter Estelle.  Green Day drummer Tré Cool has kids called Ramona and Frankito; Billie Joe Armstrong is dad to Joseph and Jakob.

That’s all for this week.  As always, thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Welcome Juno Kate!

Thanks to Kate of My Kids Eat Off the Floor for sharing the joyful sequel to her previous Reader Baby Name Story: A Pair of Meaningful Choices.

I’ve already gotten a lot of “Juno like the movie?” comments.  For the record:  Yes, I liked the movie.  No, she is not named after the movie or the character!

Kate, thank you so much for sharing the story of Juno!  She is absolutely darling.  And I’m glad that you got your pick this time. 

Lump of Indian indigo dye; Image via Wikipedia

David Bowie met a girl called Blue Jean back in 1984, but you’re more likely to meet a child wearing this colorful appellation.

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Indigo as Baby Name of the Day.

If Scarlet and Violet are acceptable given names with some history of use, why not Indigo?  The story is at least as ancient and compelling as many a nature name – maybe more.

Indigo is the blue of blue jeans, a staple so common that rare is the American who doesn’t own a pair or three.  But once upon a time, indigo was a commodity so precious it was called blue gold.  The color actually falls somewhere between blue and purple.  (It depends on your perspective – there are many ways to parse and categorize color.)  The dye is also one source of the purple color of royalty, among the few to afford garments made with the precious stuff.

The word refers to the place the Western World first encountered the hue: India.  The Greek indikon means from India; it became indicum in Latin, indico in Spanish, and eventually indigo in English, sometime in the late thirteenth century.

Derived from a family of flowering shrubs called the indigofera, it was exported to ancient Greece and Rome at great profit.  Other ancient civilizations developed similar processes.

Add it all up, and Indigo emerges as a nature name with a luxurious undercurrent.  It’s certainly more subtle than Armani or Chanel.  And yet, Indigo has an over-the-top vibe, maybe because:

• A number of fictional uses, including a 1992 retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, retitled Indigo, by Marina Warner, and a 2002 young adult novel by Alice Hoffman, plus Ntozake Shange’s 1982 Sassafrass, Cypress, and Indigo.  Each of the nature names in the title belongs to one of her creative characters;
• It’s been heard in Hollywood circles.  Lou Diamond Phillips gave the name to his daughter in 2007;
• Ditto Blue and Bleu, names that are almost unsurprising with bestowed as a starbaby middle.

If your daughters are Ruby and Jade, Indigo might seem like the rare color choice that could work for a son.  Despite several female references, including 1990s folk phenom The Indigo Girls, you’ll see him listed as an option for boys, too.  Indigo sounds close to the masculine name Inigo – which may be related to Ignatius, and is familiar thanks to The Princess Bride – as well as Indio, a California place name used by Robert Downey, Jr. for a son.

Indigo could also appeal to the same parents who embrace Aura.  There’s a vaguely spiritual, New Age vibe to this choice, thanks to a number of traditions linking the color to intuition and the third eye.  Some believe indigo children possess certain supernatural abilities.

For now, Indigo has never appeared in the US Top 1000 for either gender.  Nickname Indy is equally gender neutral.  Nancy tells us that there were 20 boys called Indigo in 2009, against 67 girls.  Odds are good that this isn’t a future Top Ten choice.  But if you’re interested in a gender-neutral nature name with a long history, rich with meaning, Indigo could be an option.

Virginia Colony Plaque; Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

She’s a literary, regal, place name with an undeniable romance.  Yes, Virginia – it is your turn to be featured as Baby Name of the Day.

Thanks to Emily for the suggestion.

Virginia conjures up the American colonies, but her story is older still.  She’s related to two ancient Roman family names:

• The poet Virgil‘s full name was Publius Vergilius Maro.  Virgilia was the wife of fifth century BC Roman general Coriolanus, immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play;
• Flip open your copy of Livy and find this tragic tale: the counsel Verginius had a lovely young daughter called, naturally, Verginia.  A higher-ranking Roman noble decided he wanted her for his own, and managed to outfox her dear daddy. Rather than surrender Verginia to the lecherous schemer, her father killed her.  The story appeared in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Saverio Mercadante’s opera, Virginia.

Some associate the names with the Latin ver – spring.  Others connect Virginia to virgo – maiden, which might connect to virga – young shoot.

Fast forward to the sixteenth century, and Virginia was the first English place name in the New World.  Sir Walter Raleigh initially recorded it as Wingina, after the leader of the Secotan Indians.  It was quickly changed to Virginia to honor Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen.

When Ananias and Eleanor Dare welcomed their daughter in the fledgling settlement in 1587, they gave her the name of their new home.  Virginia Dare vanished with the rest of the settlers.  The only reason we’re confident of her birth is that sole survivor, John White, was her grandfather.  He’d left the colony to drum up support in England.  Three years later, he returned to find little more than a mystery.  The lost colony is now part of North Carolina – and American legend and lore.

Virginia was gaining in use in the early twentieth century.  Then came bestselling novelist Ellen Glasgow’s 1913 novel, Virginia.  The name entered the Top Ten in 1916, and stayed through 1928, peaking at #6 in 1921.

Between her Roman roots, Americana style, and fashionable V sound, Virginia could be coming back into vogue.  Other 1910 favorites – like Lillian, Alice, and Ruby – are back.  But Virginia dropped to #617 in 2009, her lowest ranking yet.  Could the virgin association be such a killer?

Two great namesakes stand out:

• Virginia Woolf remains one of the 20th century’s most highly regarded literary figures, known for a string of 1920s novels, and the enduring essay A Room of One’s Own;
• Coroner’s assistant Philip O’Hanlon won immortality for his young daughter when he wrote to the New York Sun make an inquiry about Santa Claus on her behalf.  Francis Church’s immortal response: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” has since become the most reprinted editorial in the English language.

Nickname Ginny boasts plenty of Harry Potter style, though the red-headed heroine was Ginevra.  Gina is also a possibility, as is Gigi.

But you’ll have to get over the fear that the name holds too many teasing possibilities.  It is a valid concern, but the nicknames and pronunciation should put her at a distance.  She’s more classic than Savannah, less expected than Ava – and far less common than either.