The baby name Beau blends vintage appeal with a bright, upbeat sound. Thanks to Mercy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. brings to mind an old school fashionista, a gambler with a heart of gold, and a Southern gentleman, too. And now, today’s Baby Name of the Day also belongs to the youngest […]
READ MORE >>Boy Names Starting with A: Asa, Arlo, Abram
Time to focus on boy names starting with A. It’s quite the popular initial, second only to the letter J, slightly ahead of L and M. A staggering 107 individual baby boy names beginning with A appear in the current US Top 1000, as compiled by the Social Security Administration. That’s well over 10% of […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: 5.21.23
First up: Appellation Mountain is now on Patreon. It’s a mix of naming advice, analysis of naming trends, and exclusive lists. (And yes, bonus analysis of the new data release!) Plus patrons can access: Exclusive discounts on private name consults Priority for #namehelp on the site Priority for requesting featured names Please consider joining! ELSEWHERE […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: A Brother for Margot Irene
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! Nicole writes: We have a three year old daughter named Margot Irene. I […]
READ MORE >>Mermaid Baby Names: Ariel, Melusine, Yara
What is it about mermaid baby names? Mermaids captivate us. Almost inevitably, they’re fish-tailed enchantresses, something like Disney’s Ariel. At other times they’re ferocious, even dangerous. (Think Harry Potter’s ferocious merpeople.) They combine our love for the sea and an appreciation of the fantastic. Mermaid baby names aren’t nature names, necessarily, but many of them […]
READ MORE >>Fastest Rising Boy Names 2023
These are the fastest rising boy names 2023! This list might look a little different than some others. That’s because it’s based on count – the actual increase in numbers of newborns given the name during calendar year 2022. Most lists default to rank. That means that Theodore was the #10 name last year and […]
READ MORE >>Best New Baby Names 2023
What are the Best New Baby Names 2023? There are plenty to choose from. In the May 2023 data update, 46 girls names’ debuted in or returned to the rankings, along with 45 new boy names. From those lists, I’ll choose eight boys’ names and eight girls’ names as the best of the best. What […]
READ MORE >>Fastest Rising Girl Names: 2023 Update
When it comes to baby name data, there are two ways to think about it: rank and count. The fastest rising girl names by rank are those that leap from #959 to #634. (That’s Arleth, by the way.) But those numbers obscure something very interesting. Something that’s revealed if we look at fastest rising girl […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: 5.14.23
If you’re celebrating today, Happy Mother’s Day! And if today is hard for you, sending love. By now you’re probably aware the Social Security Administration has unveiled its annual gift to the world on Friday – the new popularity data. When I first started following the data with intention, this was The Best Day Ever. […]
READ MORE >>New Girl Names 2023: Amayah to Zhuri
Ready for the new girl names 2023 list? Every year, the Social Security Administration releases the updated list of the most popular names in the US. They publish the Top 1000 names for boys and the Top 1000 names for girls on the Friday before Mother’s Day. The new list is based on birth data […]
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