11 Most Notable Names of 2011

I believe you meant Rafael Nadal not Rafael Nadar for the tennis star

I loved Pippa until I found out what it means in Italian.

I like Asa a lot, although I’m not sure why…I think I like the Colonial feel it has. Asher is nice, too.

Are you sure Rory isn’t gaining its acclaim from the popularity of Doctor Who? Rory is one of THE BEST characters in the most recent seasons.

minorbeatrice: Pippa’s still a favorite of mine but it’s also pretty unsavory in Swedish. Since I’m a Yank, I’m not worried about Swedish or Italian. Just name her Philippa so she can go by that in Italy or Sweden! That’s what I’d do, anyway.

Of the rest, I like:
Asa
Atticus
Viola
Mac (but my boys go by it to their friends, it’s the first part of our surname!)
Rooney
Gatsby
Rafael!
&
Elvis

As for Mitt, blech.(I live in his state!) And Newt? Gag! Never!

Gabrielle has never appealled to me because of Gabby. My Mother used to tell me I was too gabby, meaning I talked too much. I’ve never liked Gabrielle/a because of that.

Another odd Kat name that’s made *my* lists is Katterli. I keep seeing it in the credits of the movies I watch. Watched “FrightNight” the other day (with yummy Anton Yeltsin) and her name was in the production credits.

Interesting, Katterli.

I do love the peppy nickname of Pippa, and the full name of Phillipa/Felipa. Also, Kate is a sweet/simply nickname for Catherin/Katherine/etc.

While I have no problem with the name Asher, I find Asa a more atractive option.

Neither Harper nor Atticus does anything for me.

I love Viola and Octavia, especially as alternatives for parents who like Violet or Olivia but want something not as trendy. Violet and Olivia are trending high, where Viola and Octavia aren’t even on current lists, but still recognizable as names.

Siri… meh. Mac, however, has some appeal IMO (puts me in mind of yesteryears Tom’s, Bill’s and Steve’s). Apple still hasn’t grown on me… but I guess it could have been worse, it could have been Honeycrisp!

Out of Mitt and Newt, I choose… Willard! Really, the best option

I could see where Rooney would find appeal and where Katniss might have a harder time catching on… neither are quite what I find appealing in a name however.

Hadley does nothing for me, but it’s not a bad name. However, Gatsby does less… Really, Gatsyby?!!

Rory is such a cute name, but for me it feels more of a nickname. I LOVE Rafaela/Raphaela as a girls name however. It’s got a princess-y/beautiful feel and Rafe/Rafa or Ella would make a cute nickname

Gabby is a cute nickname, and Gabrielle (or Gabriella) is a cute name. I’m also seeing Brielle used more as a nickname for Gabrielle.

I’d much rather see Elvis come back then Presley be used on a girl! I think Elvis is such a fun/funky choise, sad to see it dropping off

I really like Asa, much better than Asher. I can’t stand most of the other names, although I do like Octavia and I like Viola better than Violet. I really dislike both Harper and Atticus. Philippa is a great name, and Kate/Kitty is the name of my daughter.

Oh, and by the way, Catherine is a Royal Duchess, not a Countess. It’s the former Sophie Rhys Jones who is HRH the Countess of Wessex.

I used to have Siri on my top 10 list about 10 years ago. Now I doubt my DH would go for it and it does seem weird that she would share her name with a piece of technology.

I’m not a big fan of any of the names on this list. I think I probably like Pippa/Phillipa best though.
Hadley is also a character in Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series that was the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood so that might also be why the name is becoming popular.

@miloowen, I could be wrong but I believe Kate while a Duchess is also a Countess and Baroness. The Queen gave them the titles after the wedding.

I was going to use Siri in a book I was going to write, as a nod to my sister Siri and because of it’s Swahili meaning, secret which was very important to the character, but I DO NOT in any way want the character associated with anything that has Mac/Apple written on it, so I had to change it. She’s now Leto, although it’s not an Arican name. It means hidden one and has a lunar connection so it’s close to perfect.

I also love Elvis. It’s a wonderful name, and I’m happy to see it drop out of the top 1000, since I would lik eto only use really rare names for my children… ^^
Viola is also a favourite, and Asa is gorgeous

Philippa has long been a favorite of mine, although my husband hates it so we will never use it.

Viola was also very high on our list. So pretty, and one we’ve loved for a while, although the draw for us was the Shakespearean connotations.

I’m not a fan of most of the others to be honest.

I really like Asa, Viola and Rory.

I dont mind Rafael, but I really like the nickname Rafa for a boy (in Portugal all Rafael’s go by Rafa).

Pippa I don’t care at all, but Philippa is a lot better. I’d stick with that.

Rooney is ok but feels very surname-y.

Octavia is a decent name, but I just dont like it.

Harper I like on a boy, but not on a girl – same with Hadley.

Asher and Atticus are overrated. All the others are hideous.

Oops missed the last 2.

Gabrielle I quite like, the nickname Gabby is cute.

Never cared for Elvis, I do think it’s finally dead. I quite like Presley though, on a boy, it feels fresher. Maybe its because of Cindy Crawford’s gorgeous son Presley, I’ll always prefer it on a boy.

I like Harper, and Brielle

i like robyntai (robyn-tye) and im the only one ive met