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A Mother’s Day Give-Away

May 13, 2012 By appellationmountain 54 Comments

Bold Baby Names by Sarah Douglas

One of my favorite destinations in the name-o-sphere, hands down, is For Real Baby Names.  It’s an elegant concept.  Sarah simply gathers up armfuls of the loveliest, daffiest, no-way-they-named-their-baby-that, how-cool-they-named-their-baby-that names in the English-speaking world.  She hits post and we devour every single Ellis Creed, Landry Ulrich, Boone Elijah, and Ruth Delaney.

Addictive.

Now she’s gathered them up in an eBook, and I can confidently say that it is very different from any baby name guide I’ve ever read.  It’s something like the Cool Baby Names that Pam and Linda of Nameberry offered up a few years ago.  And yet this is different.  Sarah passes no judgement, but all of the names she lists are, well, bold.  Some of them are throwbacks – like Godfrey and Lois.  Others are daring, but not unknown, like Leta and Neo.

But the real joy in Bold Baby Names is the sheer number of never-before-heard names she’s included.   Hannablue and Trella, Timber and Wake – if any of them ring a bell, it is likely because you’ve read them previously on her site.  And no matter what this week’s Social Security data reveals, Sarah’s book will be chock full of names beyond 1,001.

Sarah is generously giving away a copy of her eBook to one Appellation Mountain reader.  To enter, simply leave a comment with your favorite bold name.  Need inspiration?  Visit Sarah’s site for fresh ideas.

Entries close Friday evening, May 18.  The winner will be chosen at random Saturday, May 19.

 

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Comments

  1. Hayley says

    May 19, 2012 at 3:56 PM

    I love my daughter’s name and I believed it was bold before and still now 20 months later! Saoirse… now d aughter number 2 needs to be named… I have less than a month the pressure is on! I love Scout and Story and so many literary names but my husband believes we need to keep with our Gaelic theme we have going (Lochlann too!)

    Reply
  2. Sarah A says

    May 18, 2012 at 8:03 PM

    Boy: Tiberius

    Girl: Primrose

    Reply
  3. punkprincessphd says

    May 17, 2012 at 8:09 PM

    I suspect I only go for the bold names: usually between “virtue” names and hardcore Irish Gaelic ones.

    Bower and Caisel (“Cash-el”, Irish meaning castle) on the boys’ side

    Legacy and Dubheasa (“Dov-essa”, meaning dark waterfall) for the girls.

    Reply
  4. Katie L says

    May 17, 2012 at 2:48 PM

    Benaiah. We are planning to use this for a boy… probably Benaiah Boaz.

    I’ve always liked Amaryllis for a girl and we have toyed with using it as a middle name!

    We have 2 children so far, our firstborn (a boy) is Elijah and our second born (a girl) is Ketzia.

    Reply
  5. Kay says

    May 17, 2012 at 11:36 AM

    Bright for a boy
    Allegra for a girl

    Reply
  6. Angie says

    May 16, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    Ooooo! I like Oona too. How many names begin with a double o?

    Lately I’ve been digging Belsante, Constantine, and Tova.

    Reply
  7. Candy says

    May 16, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    Love Saffron and Prairie for a girl.
    Boys are always harder for some reason but Seneca and Arrow are names I’d love to use.

    Reply
  8. Caitie says

    May 15, 2012 at 4:57 PM

    My favourite right now is Oona.

    Reply
  9. queenofshibas says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:30 PM

    Mariot (pronounced Marriette), a medieval pet form of Mary

    Reply
  10. Liz says

    May 15, 2012 at 11:11 AM

    I love obscure virtue names: Solace for a girl, Valor for a boy.

    Reply
  11. Emma/Voornamelijk says

    May 15, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    Werner or Walter for a boy (I love old German names; I know they’re horribly oldfashioned in the US – as they are in NL actually) and probably Hedwig for a girl (or something similar ‘old’, like Welmoed or Lidewij).

    Reply
  12. EmilyNH says

    May 15, 2012 at 9:12 AM

    I’m quite a fan of Digory, lately.

    Reply
  13. Maggie says

    May 15, 2012 at 6:34 AM

    Birdie

    Reply
  14. Rachel says

    May 15, 2012 at 6:16 AM

    Remedios.

    Reply
  15. Kaeli says

    May 15, 2012 at 4:24 AM

    I love love love so many bold names, and am getting some great new ideas from the comments!

    My absolute favorite is Atlas.

    I hope this will be our first son’s name!

    Reply
  16. Larkin says

    May 15, 2012 at 4:02 AM

    Ransome for a boy.

    Reply
  17. Megan M. says

    May 15, 2012 at 12:26 AM

    I really love the name Dare for a girl. I read a biography about Dare Wright, the woman who created the Lonely Doll childrens books, and it never once explained where her name came from. Infuriating. But I love it.

    Reply
  18. liz says

    May 14, 2012 at 11:07 PM

    Agnes Lark is my fave.

    Reply
  19. Elisabeth says

    May 14, 2012 at 8:55 PM

    I love Sorrel for a girl, but it is terrible with our last name and my husband doesn’t like it. Sigh…

    Reply
  20. Neka says

    May 14, 2012 at 8:24 PM

    My favorite bold name is
    Ocarina Bluebell
    Ocarina is a small egg-shaped wind instrument with a mouthpiece and holes for the fingers and my mother’s and I’s favourite flower.

    Reply
  21. Heather says

    May 14, 2012 at 7:40 PM

    Oh dear oh dear what a choice…. I want to say my favorites, Veronica and Dexter, are at least a little bold. Also: Jethro, Abel, Harvey & Cordelia, Gwen, Odette, Lenore.

    However, I’ll go with a more definite bold name that I love: Barnaby. Just love that sound.

    Reply
  22. Emma says

    May 14, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    As I commented on your Sunday Summary, my favourite bold name for a girl is probably Swan.

    For a boy, it’d have to be Navy; well if Blue can work, why not? 🙂

    Reply
  23. Neka says

    May 14, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    My favorite bold name has to be
    Ocarina Bluebell
    Ocarina is a small oval-shaped wind instrument that makes a beautiful whistle-like sound, while Bluebell is my mother’s and I’s favorite flower.

    Reply
  24. dreadedjaws says

    May 14, 2012 at 6:56 PM

    I think Azalea would be my favorite one right now.

    Reply
  25. Eva says

    May 14, 2012 at 2:37 PM

    Right now my favorite bold name is Seneca for a girl. I know that’s probably crazy!

    Reply
  26. Amy3 says

    May 14, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    My favorite would have to be Astrid, my daughter’s name. 🙂

    Reply
  27. Jodi says

    May 14, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Oooh, that’s such a tough question. I guess my kids’ names would be considered bold by some, but I’ll go for bolder still. Lately I’ve been loving Sepphora. I thought it would be kind of fun for a seventh child, though it’s actually related to Zipporah, which means “bird” apparently.

    Reply
  28. Sarah.Jane says

    May 14, 2012 at 8:49 AM

    My favorite bold names for boys are: Percival (Percy), Nightingale and Evergreen.
    My favorite bold names for girls are: Agatha, Pomme and Artemis.

    Reply
  29. KatieB says

    May 14, 2012 at 8:43 AM

    Bold names are the only kind I like…Georgiana, Prairie, Percy (f), True (f), Eller, Amos, Rand & Theodore!

    Reply
  30. Mo says

    May 14, 2012 at 1:49 AM

    Arrow!

    Reply
  31. Claire says

    May 13, 2012 at 9:45 PM

    Dempsey for a girl.

    Reply
  32. Jessica says

    May 13, 2012 at 8:33 PM

    I really love North.

    Reply
  33. Chantal says

    May 13, 2012 at 7:54 PM

    It’s hard to choose, of course, but I love Oakley for a boy, and Lennox for a girl.

    Reply
  34. Emily says

    May 13, 2012 at 7:45 PM

    Boy: Erastus or Seaborn (couldn’t decide)
    Girl: Quenilda

    Reply
  35. Christina Fonseca says

    May 13, 2012 at 6:50 PM

    My absolute favorite bold name is the biblical Jerusha, and I find myself oddly attracted to Zerrick Dolan, posted a few months back.

    Reply
  36. Raquel Somatra says

    May 13, 2012 at 6:49 PM

    My favorite bold name is Yuna. I’d never use it, but I would be delighted to meet another person with that name.

    Reply
  37. EVB says

    May 13, 2012 at 6:00 PM

    Hudson Vann, because it sounds like a tri-state area moving company.

    Reply
  38. Whitney Gigandet says

    May 13, 2012 at 5:58 PM

    I love so many “bold names,” but my favorite of this exact second is Loki 🙂

    Reply
  39. Ashlie says

    May 13, 2012 at 5:11 PM

    My absolute favorite is Wake for a boy. I also love Clear for either.

    Reply
  40. Marlo says

    May 13, 2012 at 4:40 PM

    Desmas

    Reply
  41. Marlo says

    May 13, 2012 at 4:35 PM

    Desmas AKA the Penitent Theif

    Reply
  42. Anne says

    May 13, 2012 at 4:31 PM

    The boldest name on my list is Aster. I love it for a girl but just don’t know if I’d have the guts to give that name to my child.

    Reply
  43. Martha says

    May 13, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    Probably my son’s name, Archer.

    Reply
  44. megalady says

    May 13, 2012 at 2:19 PM

    One that’s on my and my husband’s short list of names for a future daughter is Cortana Esperanza Faye. She’s not our top choice but I feel like she’s bolder. 😀

    Reply
  45. British American says

    May 13, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    I really like Zebedee. 🙂

    Reply
  46. Erin says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    My favorite bold name would be Guinevere. The grace and strength are unparallelled!

    Reply
  47. nicole says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:41 PM

    Gosh I love so many bold names.. but I think October on a girl would be my all time fave

    Reply
  48. Jennifer says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:29 PM

    Bold boy name: Montgomery
    Bold girl name: Decima

    Reply
  49. Emily says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:28 PM

    The named I loved the most growing up was Saffron, which I think is a pretty bold choice. I still adore it, but don’t think I will ever use it on a child.

    Reply
  50. Sophie says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:25 PM

    Pimm!

    Reply
  51. Meg says

    May 13, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    …so hard to choose just one… I guess at the moment would be tie between “Sainty Reed” and “Tua Vittoria” 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day!

    Reply
  52. Natalie says

    May 13, 2012 at 12:47 PM

    It’s hard to choose just one but I think my favourite bold name would have to be Penn, I would easily call a son it.

    Reply
  53. Night says

    May 13, 2012 at 11:58 AM

    My favorite bold name?

    Story.

    I want it so bad to be my first child’s name.

    -Night

    Reply

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