The boys’ names that ranked among the Top 1000 in 1880, the first year for which statistics were kept, include hundreds of choices no longer in use – or at least very rarely heard.  Some of the categories of lost names overlap with the now-obscure girls’ names, while others are different.

Nickname-names, for instance, so packed with lost names for girls, include some lost choices for boys, though more of the nickname names in use in the late 19^th century are still widely used today: Joe, Jack, Jake, Jim, and so on.

Those nickname names we’re not hearing much of any more but which were popular in 1880 include:

CHAS

CLEM

DELL

DOSS

DUFF

ELZIE

FRITZ

LAFE

LON

LUM

MART

MOSE

NEWT

ODIE

ROLLIE

SIM

(more…)

For several years now, word names have been singled out as being at the extreme edge of cool—we may have been guilty of pushing that edge ourselves at times.  But I’m starting to wonder if it’s time to pull back a little, and put the brakes on.  Celebrities have tried to outdo each other to sometimes eye-rolling effect in the effort to find a ‘unique’, attention-grabbing word name : I’m not naming names but I might mention a few words like zeppelin and pirate and peanut.

Of course there are word names and there are word names and probably the most acceptable and appealing are the centuries-old Virtue names created by the early and most zealous Pilgrims to display their righteous religiosity.  Though  such excessive male phrase-names as Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith and Fly-fornication are long gone, the simpler girl virtue names have not only survived but some are now downright trendy: Grace, Hope, Faith, and, more recently, Felicity, True and Honor.

Other worthy examples include:

AMITY

CHARITY

CLARITY

COMFORT

MERCY (more…)

I walked into a Tribeca nail salon last weekend, killing time before a lunch date, and there getting a manicure was Gwyneth Paltrow.  And the adorable little girl quietly rearranging the nail polish colors?  None other than the infamous Apple.

Call me starstruck, but watching the tall (yes, very tall), gorgeous Gwyneth – who was wearing what seems to be the New York Yummy Mummy uniform du jour of black riding pants, black riding boots, and a baggy tee shirt — talk to her daughter, I thought: Apple is a really cute name.  A little quirky, maybe, but not deserving of all the ridicule that’s been heaped on it.  Cute.

So that got me thinking (I had a lot of time to think, while pretending not to be staring at Gwynnie) about other cute celebrity baby names.  Not bizarre celebrity baby names, not trendy celebrity baby names.  Just the cutest choices of recent years.

Here, my nominees:

ADELE GEORGIANA (Molly Ringwald)

APPLE BLYTHE ALISON (Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin)

BIRDIE LEIGH (Busy Phillips)

BRONWYN GOLDEN (Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance)

CALLUM LYON (Kyle MacLachlan)

CHARLIE TAMARA TULIP (Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O’Connell)

CLEMENTINE JANE (Ethan Hawke)

COCO TRINITY (Diane Farr)

DEXTER LLOYD (Charlotte Church)

DOLLY REBECCA ROSE (Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O’Connell)

DOMINO CARMEN (India Hicks)

DONOVAN RORY MacDONALD (Noel Gallagher)

EMME MARIBEL (Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony)

EVER GABO (Milla Jovovich & Paul Anderson)

EVERLY BEAR (Anthony Kledes)

FRANCES PEN (Amanda Peet)

HARLOW WINTER KATE (Nicole Richie & Joel Madden)

HENRY STORY (Minnie Driver)

KENZO LEE (Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou)

MABEL PAINTER (Chad Lowe)

NAHLA ARIELA (Halle Berry)

OTIS TOBIAS (Tobey Maguire & Jennifer Meyer)

PETAL BLOSSOM RAINBOW (Jamie Oliver)

SPARROW JAMES MIDNIGHT (Nicole Richie & Joel Madden)

SUNDAY ROSE (Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban)

SUNNY MADELINE (Adam Sandler)

SURI (Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise)

TALLULAH RUTH (Damon Dash)

VIGGO MORIAH (Taylor Hanson)

WILLIAM HUCKLEBERRY (Kimberly Williams & Brad Paisley)

Agree?  Disagree?  What would you add?

Guest blogger Susan Chesney writes about the evocative place and nature names of the California desert.

One of my favorite places is the California desert, because in that silent place there are many secrets.  Most people drive through the desert as fast as they can with their windows up, radios blaring, and air conditioners on. They don’t know about the gray-green sagebrush that grows in little clumps away from the highway, and that hidden among the clumps might be a bleached antler, lying in the sand. What if they knew that outside the town of Bishop, there are several hot ditches, natural and soothing hot springs, waiting to be soaked in, free of charge? Or what about this secret: that the desert is unpolluted– there is very little trash and the skies are a deep blue. I love the mirage effect out in the desert. There is a blend of haze and heat that shimmers and is mystical. In the movie “Lawrence of  Arabia”, when asked why he loves the desert, Lawrence replies, “Because it’s clean.”

Among the precious secrets of the California desert is the treasure trove of names that dot the landscape along with the cactus, lizards, and Joshua trees. There are little towns, rivers, lakes, hills, plants, animals and even colors in the desert that can provide inspiration for babies’ names. Some of these names are comfy or even popular like Owen and Joshua. Others are vintage, offbeat and quirky such as Aberdeen and Rosamond. So let’s wander out under the cottonwood trees that grow next to the crick (creek), set up some lawn chairs, and talk about California desert names.

Some place names from the California Desert:

ALABAMA – the Alabamas, hills that are older than the High Sierras

ABERDEEN – Aberdeen trailer park

BERNARDINO – San Bernardino County, goes all the way to the Nevada border

BISHOP – biggest town in the Owens valley

(more…)

Nameberry intern and guest blogger Danielle Miksza loves all things vampire, including the strange and wonderful world of vampire baby names.  She enlightens us on the options.

Vampires seem to be everywhere these days: in books and movies, on television and the internet, even occasionally living next door.  As a twenty year-old who believes Halloween should be declared a national holiday, I can’t help but be consumed by the vampire craze.

One reason for my vampire obsession is that they are portrayed as dark and lonely creatures nobody quite understands.  As an only child, I was often lonely growing up.  I did odd things such as talk to myself or giggle at absolutely nothing.  People were a bit unnerved by me and kept their distance.  So yes, when I read about a vampire feeling like an outcast from the rest of the world, I have an idea of what that feels like.

More reasons for my vampire fanaticism: I stay up all night; I hate the sunlight, and garlic does not agree with me. Who knows? I could be a bit of a vampire myself.

Once you look past the fangs and blood lust, vampires are actually quite attractive. Who could resist a guy with incredible strength, gorgeous eyes, pointy yet very white teeth, and a handsome name? Stephenie Meyer gave us girls one of the greatest gifts of all in her series Twilight: Edward Cullen. Just the thought of that immortal makes me light-headed. He’s rich. He’s gorgeous. And he’s telepathic. How often do you come across guys like that?

(more…)