Appellation Mountain

Name Help: A Twin Sister for Ruby Rose

July 1, 2022 By appellationmountain 12 Comments

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed.

We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight!

Marie writes:

My husband and I are expecting our first, and I thought we had a girl’s name all set. Ruby Rose has always been my #1 name. It’s what I wanted to name the kitten we got when I was in fifth grade. (That didn’t happen, and looking back now, that’s a relief, because I’m not sure I could name my baby after the cat!)

The twist? We’re expecting TWINS!! Both girls.

Here are our ideas:

[Read more…]

Musical Baby Names: Aria, Lyric, Chord

June 30, 2022 By appellationmountain 16 Comments

Musical baby names cover a wide range of categories. We borrow some favorites from song titles – Jude, maybe. Or Delilah, Iris, or Lucy. Song titles feature an astonishing number of girl names. That’s not counting names inspired by Broadway musicals or operas. The name Carmen might have you humming “March of the Toreadors.” And there’s more […]

Baby Name River: Scenic and Soulful

June 29, 2022 By appellationmountain 9 Comments

The baby name River combines our love of the outdoors with a spiritual side. Thanks to Felecia for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. RIPARIUS Before the baby name River was ever given to a child it was – obviously – a word with Latin origins. Riparius referred to a riverbank; it was corrupted into […]

Best New Baby Names 2022: Birdie, Kylian, Soleil

June 28, 2022 By appellationmountain 1 Comment

These are my choices for the Best New Baby Names 2022. What, precisely, does that mean? Most years, the US Social Security Administration releases the official Top 1000 most popular names for girls and boys born in the prior calendar year. That means that our current list debuted in May 2022, and includes data from […]

Girl Names Starting with E: Eva, Emery, Evangeline

June 27, 2022 By appellationmountain 8 Comments

Girl names starting with E include some of the most popular choices. At least two qualify as regal, saintly classics. Dozens more feel like sweet spot choices for a daughter, names that feel feminine without being too frilly. Plenty of them are familiar, but not wildly popular. Of course, E names for girls as a […]

Sunday Summary: From Tony and Steve to Kamala and Riri

June 26, 2022 By appellationmountain Leave a Comment

We’d planned to take a Big Family Trip in the summer of 2020. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But earlier this month, we finally made it to California! There was whale watching. A beach day. And, of course, Anaheim. If you haven’t been, Disney’s California Adventure is home to the Avengers Campus. My daughter met Ms. […]

Name Help: Should We Name Him Gable?

June 25, 2022 By appellationmountain 14 Comments

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! Erin writes: We are expecting our first boy this fall! We both have […]

Name Help: A Sister for Camden and Declan

June 24, 2022 By appellationmountain 15 Comments

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! Rachel writes: My husband and I are having our third and last baby. […]

Margaret Nicknames: Margot, Maisie, Greta

June 23, 2022 By appellationmountain 15 Comments

Margaret nicknames abound. It’s not quite as versatile as Elizabeth, but it comes close. After all, Margaret ranks as an enduring classic. It comes from the Greek word margarites, meaning pearl, via the Latin Margarita. Medieval Crusaders returned from the Holy Land with tales of the 4th century Saint Margaret. Legend told that she battled […]

Baby Name Saskia: Sharp and Lovely

June 22, 2022 By appellationmountain 17 Comments

The baby name Saskia is sharp and lovely, an unexpected girls’ name that might be just right for a daughter. Thanks to Ellen for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. SAXONS A group of Germanic peoples, the Saxons lived near the North Sea in Germany during the Middle Ages. Dig into the etymology of […]