Life and loss are all around us. Sometimes writing about new life brings me nothing but elation. Pure joy. This week? It’s been far more complicated. Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix welcomed a son named River, in honor of Joaquin’s late brother. I teared up. And then … Chrissy and John. My heart aches for […]
READ MORE >>New Names Showdown 2020: Girls Opening Round
It’s the girls’ opening round in the 2020 New Names Showdown! Wondering what that could possibly be? Once a year, the Social Security Administration releases the Top 1000 most popular baby names. We talk a lot about the fastest rising names and the new Top Tens. But the real Christmas morning part for me? All […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: A Sister for Nora Clair
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! Carrie writes: Please help us find a name for Nora Clair’s sister! We […]
READ MORE >>New Names Showdown 2020: Boys Opening Round
It’s the boys’ opening round in the 2020 New Names Showdown! What, precisely, is the New Names Showdown, you ask? Every year, when the Social Security Administration releases the Top 1000 most popular baby names, there are newcomers. (And some that leave.) Some of the newcomers have been on the list before, but others are […]
READ MORE >>Rarest Boy Names: Wheeler, Dacre, Rui
These are the rarest boy names of our moment. What does that mean? Every one of these was given to 50 or fewer boys born in the calendar year 2019. If you’re thinking, “wait – 50 isn’t exactly rare …” consider this: Liam, the #1 name in the US, was given to over 20,500 boys. […]
READ MORE >>Baby Name River: Scenic and Soulful
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 […]
READ MORE >>Best New Baby Names 2020: Cleo, Callahan, Rome
Time for my choices for the best new baby names 2020. When the new baby names data is released, a certain number of names make the US Top 1000 that weren’t there the prior year. Some had hibernated for decades. Others are all-new debuts. Either way, it’s exciting to see which new names have arrived. […]
READ MORE >>Baby Name Josephine: Elegant and Spirited
The baby name Josephine feels traditional and elegant, sparky and spirited. Thanks to Lola for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. JOSEPH The name Joseph has millennia of history. A Biblical-era name, it means “he will add” in Hebrew. The first notable Joseph, of course, married Mary and raised Jesus. There’s also Joseph of […]
READ MORE >>Girl Names Starting with F: Faith, Francesca, Fern
Quick: name some girl names starting with F. You can, of course. There’s classic Frances and daring Fable. We all think of Faith and maybe Fern and Fiona, too. Overall, when it comes to letters, relatively few F names for girls come to mind. In fact, the most popular of the girls names starting with […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: What’s Wrong with Try-Hard?
There are a zillion ways to be criticized. I mean – for anything, really. But parenting, in general, tends to trigger strong opinions, ones that we sometimes feel perfectly entitled to offer. (Nevermind whether we were asked.) Lately I’ve heard names criticized for “trying too hard.” I kind of get it. It’s like when Amy […]
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