You’ve spoken, and we now know which names advance to the Girls’ Quarter Finals in March Madness Baby Names 2019! Let’s look back at the Opening Round: Sweetly vintage Faye trounced Phryne, with over 80% of the vote! That’s not a surprise. Phryne draws lots of people to the site, because it’s such a curiosity. […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: A Brother for Gunther
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! Billie writes: We have a 3 year old named Gunther William and we […]
READ MORE >>Ada, Cady, Olive: Suffragette Names
Let”s celebrate women’s history month with suffragette names. These names belong to women who dared to change the world. They may feel sweetly vintage, but they convey strength and fearlessness, too. The name comes from the Latin suffragium – right of voting. Suffrage appears in the U.S. Constitution. Suffragist once referred to any one involved […]
READ MORE >>Imogen: Baby Name of the Day
We whispered Imogen down the alley, a name transformed by history and Shakespeare, too. Thanks to Natalie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day. Imogen: Literary Maiden The name likely comes from the Gaelic word inghean – maiden. First spelled Innogen – with a double ‘n’ rather than an ‘m’ – it may have […]
READ MORE >>Spring Baby Names: The Ultimate List of Lists
With warm weather comes Spring baby names. Maybe you’re expecting a child in the next few months. Or maybe the lighter, brighter days suggest the qualities you love in a name. Either way, these names run the gamut. They’re traditional and religious, modern and cool. Some of the lists tend towards the silly. Except it […]
READ MORE >>Sunday Summary: The Paradox of Naming
This weekend, my son’s hockey team lost the playoffs. It was worse than that, actually. After a long winning streak, they lost in the first round to a team they’ve beaten before. And it wasn’t close. It’s heartbreaking. And yet, it doesn’t really matter. Not even a little. The lessons of hard work and good […]
READ MORE >>March Madness Baby Names 2019: Boys Opening Round
The boys’ opening round of March Madness Baby Names 2019 is here! Way back in 2011, we first indulged in a little bit of onomastic bracketology. Oh, yes, I’ve heard that March is all about basketball. But ’round here? We’re all about baby names. And so we take the most popular baby names at Appellation […]
READ MORE >>March Madness Baby Names 2019: Girls Opening Round
Ready for March Madness 2019? Because the girls’ opening round is here! First, the background: since 2011, we’ve indulged in a little bit of onomastic bracketology ’round here. Yes, I’ve heard that basketball really is the sport to watch in March. But instead, we watch the most popular baby names at Appellation Mountain, as determined by […]
READ MORE >>Name Help: Avoiding Another Top Ten 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! Tabitha writes: We have two daughters: Charlotte, born in 2012, and Amelia, born […]
READ MORE >>The Most Popular Baby Names of the Century: John, Mary, and 66 More
What are the most popular baby names of the century? It sounds like a straightforward question. Except that there are different ways to measure usage. Are Steven and Stephen two names or one? Are we talking about the percentage of the population receiving a given name, or the name’s numerical ranking? On percentages, today’s #1 […]
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