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 […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: A Sister for Kellan and Kendall
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! Melissa writes: We are having a surprise third baby – we don’t know […]
READ MORE >>Boy Names Starting with B: Benjamin, Bowie, Bronx
Ready for a bumper crop of boy names starting with B? At first glance, it’s a fairly ordinary letter. J, A, and M all rank higher. So do C, L, and E. But then comes B. After all, B is for boy. A handful of popular sounds dominate. There are all of the Ben names, […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Fourth Four-Letter Boy Name
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! Emily writes: We have three boys, and we’re expecting our fourth! Our sons […]
READ MORE >>Winter Girl Names: Ivy, Lumi, and Snow
Winter girl names range from the obvious – think weather – to the subtle – like names that mean white. Some boast centuries of use and broad familiarity; others are novel and seldom heard. And a few fall somewhere between, the new nature names right at-home in the twenty-first century, wintry equivalents of River and […]
READ MORE >>Baby Name Peter: Dashing Classic
The baby name Peter counts as a classic, from saintly origins to favorite children’s stories. Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. PETROS The first Saint Peter was a fisherman turned apostle. Born Simon, Jesus nicknamed him rock – petros. The Roman Catholic church considers him the leader who picked up […]
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