
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.




I think Azalea would be my favorite one right now.
Right now my favorite bold name is Seneca for a girl. I know that’s probably crazy!
My favorite would have to be Astrid, my daughter’s name. 🙂
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.
My favorite bold names for boys are: Percival (Percy), Nightingale and Evergreen.
My favorite bold names for girls are: Agatha, Pomme and Artemis.
Bold names are the only kind I like…Georgiana, Prairie, Percy (f), True (f), Eller, Amos, Rand & Theodore!
Arrow!
Dempsey for a girl.
I really love North.
It’s hard to choose, of course, but I love Oakley for a boy, and Lennox for a girl.