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! Jaclyn writes: We have a baby on the way and are looking for […]
READ MORE >>Belle: Baby Name of the Day
Belle recently arrived in the US Top 1000, after years of languishing behind Isabella and company. Our review of the newest names to the US popularity list continues today. Belle: Beauty This names comes from French, but it’s rare as a given name in France. In Latin, bella means beautiful. It became belle in French, and traveled to English, […]
READ MORE >>Welcome Clooney Twins: Ella and Alexander
The Clooney twins have arrived! Amal and George Clooney welcomed a son and a daughter earlier today, June 6th. We weren’t sure what the famous couple’s naming style might be. Over the last few months, first-time father George famously joked that he’d name them after his tequila company: Casa and Amigos. Instead, the Clooney twins […]
READ MORE >>New Boy Names 2017: Lyle, Fox, and Wesson
New boy names 2017 include comeback kids, the freshly invented, and a few we’ve been waiting for. Last month, the US Social Security Administration released the new popularity data. 42 boys’ names ranked in the Top 1000 that did not appear in the prior year. The list published in 2016 worked out to 39 new names. In […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: 23rd of 2017
Welcome to June! With the rising heat and all this sunshine, I have summer names on the brain. I wrote this post way back in 2008, but it still speaks to me today. Though I left my favorite Leo- name off the list: Leocadia. And really, I’ve always been attracted to the idea of remaking it into Leocadie. While […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Twin Sisters for Cecily Kate
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! Kara writes: We have a daughter named Cecily Kate, and she has twin […]
READ MORE >>Foster: Baby Name of the Day
Foster fits with preppy boy names like Carter and Parker, but might count as a virtue name, too. Our series profiling names new to the US Top 1,000 continues today. Foster: Surname Name In Old English, fostor referred to food, and more generally to support. We’ve been using the word to refer to child-rearing since the 1200s; not […]
READ MORE >>Surprising State Favorites 2017 Edition
Yesterday, I went looking for unusual baby names in the state Top 100s, and unearthed 100 surprising state favorites. Let me explain: the US Social Security Administration publishes a Top 1,000 for the country, but also Top 100s for every state, as well as the District of Columbia. At first glance, the lists look just […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: 22/2017
I have a theory. Popularity can be a good thing in some cases. Names that feel bold, even outlandish, transform as they become more familiar. There’s a sweet spot in the process. For some names, there comes a moment when it feels fresh and unusual – but is popular enough that a great many people […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: A Brother for Alice
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! Mikaela writes: We have one daughter. Her name is Alice Mariella. Girls’ names […]
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