I love my daughter’s name, every bit of it. As time has passed, I’ve found reasons to love it even more. But despite having no reservations about our choice, I did experience the strangest pang of regret the other day. We never seriously considered the nickname Clary. Our daughter is Claire Caroline Wren, called Clio. […]
READ MORE >>Great Halloween Baby Names Contest 2019: The Winners
Drum roll, please! The winners are in for this year’s Great Halloween Baby Names contest. But before we talk about this year’s results, let’s look back at the last few years. In the very first year of competition, we pitted witch names against vampire names. Turns out they’re very different kinds of choices. Amelie and […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Oklahoma, Baby!
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! Tia writes: My husband and I live on a ranch in Oklahoma, so […]
READ MORE >>Mickie: Baby Name of the Day
Mickie brings to mind a catchy 80s pop song and an iconic mouse. But how does it wear on a real child? Thanks to Anna for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. He or She? This name feels unisex – or at least as gender neutral as Charlie. What do the numbers say? Spelled […]
READ MORE >>Unique Girl Names: Over 100 Wearable Choices
First things first: this list of unique girl names doesn’t mean you’ve never heard of these names before. Unique means one of a kind. When it comes to names, that sets the bar pretty high. Just ask the 123 parents who named their children Unique last year. (Can you imagine going through kindergarten as Unique […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: Shooter and Citizen
Let’s talk about names at the fringes. The longer I’ve written about names, the more I’ve come to believe that few names are really problematic. Some choices might feel just awful to you, and lots of names won’t be right for your family. But is there anything inherently wrong with being named Liam or Emma? […]
READ MORE >>Great Halloween Baby Names Contest 2019: Boys Final
Time for the final round in the boys’ Great Halloween Baby Names Contest 2019! Your votes have narrowed it down to just two names left. But before we get to the very last contest of the season, let’s take a look back at where we’ve been. All of this year’s contestants are drawn from Vampire […]
READ MORE >>Great Halloween Baby Names Contest 2019: Girls Final
Your votes have narrowed down the field to two final names! But before we get to the two beguiling finalists, let’s review the girls’ SemiFinals in the Great Halloween Baby Names Contest. To recap, all of the names in this year’s showdown are drawn from Vampire Diaries and its two spin-offs, The Originals and Legacies. […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Getting Over Piper
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! Lauren writes: Our journey to parenthood has been a long one, but we’re […]
READ MORE >>Hattie: Baby Name of the Day
Hattie shares the same style as favorites like Millie and Ellie. Our Baby Name of the Day comes from this list of girls’ names inspired by Sadie. HARRIET There’s no Hattie without Harriet. And there’s no Harriet until we have Henry. Let’s back up. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources lists the earliest […]
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