Name Trends: Say yes to ‘S’

I adore the end in -s names, but my surname starts with an S. Otherwise I would have named my youngest Agnes or Charis in a heartbeat.

I don’t think Lois “sounds terminally dated” especially when you consider that is could be another way to get to the nickname Lola.

So Dorcas is fresh, but Doris is terminal? I rather like Doris and think it could make a comeback….

I adore Alice, and my husband wanted nothing to do with it. We discussed Beatrice (or Beatrix) and Bess was discussed as a nickname if we use Elizabeth as it’s my favorite of the nicknames.

I’ve heard Carys discussed a lot, and have always liked it. Does Eloise count in this trend? It hits the Ellie as well as the -s trend and I’ve heard quite a few people consider it.

I have loved Lettice (my husband thinks it sounds like lettuce, boo), Thais, Lilias, Glennis, Hollis, and Ellis for a while. I tried for Ellis as a name too, but again, I got resistance from my husband. It’s my favorite gender-neutral name (actually about the only one I like!)

Interestingly, I’ve lately been culling through the beyond the top 1000 SSA list and weeding out the good or interesting names with fewer than 100 uses. Quite a few of these hit my list.

I have to agree with the Dorcas? over Doris comment. I just can’t see Dorcas making any comeback.
Regarding the Up and Comers: Some of these names are very pretty/interesting like Anais, Amaryllis, Annalies, Lettice, Ines, Persi, Hollis, Carys; while I think others like Dorcas, Chloris, Glynis, Pallas and Memphis should stay in the dated out of fashion closet.

I absolutely love Florence. Something about the letters it uses and the “fl” sound. I also really like Agnes, Annalise, and Lois. I actually know a baby Lois, and think it’s just darling.

I have never liked girls names ending in s, and especially the iss sound feels very ugly to me. The only one on the list that I do like is Bess and come to think of it I love Tess and also Cass, so maybe one syllable,s ending names have a different feel to them.

I love s endings! Agnes, Prudence, Annelise Beatrice and Glynis are a few of my favorite names.

Thanks to this post, I am totally crushing on the name Lotus right now… I love most ends-s-names, and this one either had not occurred to me or just never seemed so sweet!

I noticed the rise of Genesis in both California and New York recently. I’m not sure I understand where this girl’s name came from. It’s obviously Biblical, but I have to admit that I’ve never heard it as a girl’s name until quite recently. Is there a reality TV show star with this name or something?

Sorry, but Ailis is usually pronounced “EYE-lish”, so the S trend doesn’t really factor, imo.

Like Julie, my surname begins with S, so many of my favorites are out. However, my surname ALSO ends in S, so any name that begins, ends or just contains an S, is just S overload. It’s so dissapointing because two of my favorite names not only blend right into my surname, they actually sound like a completely different name of the opposite gender! Julius turns into Julia, and Iris turns into Ira. Boo.

OK–agreed–Dorcas is off the up-and-coming list, and Ailis removed because of the pronunciation. (And Lois gets a pass.)

Those with S-starting surnames, I definitely feel your pain. In my case a particular bummer with all the s-ending boys’ names I love: Rufus, Silas, Miles etc

I adore ‘s’ enders, especially on boys! Rufus & Cassius are in our top 7. And from the list of girls above: Agnes, Florence, Frances, Bess, Clarice (darn that Hannibal!), Iris, Isis (If we hadn’t named the dog so!) and lovely, lovely Lettice. Lettice Coralie Jane sits on my long list as a dark horse, long shot. I’ll never take Lettice off my list! (Maybe Maud Lettice ____?)

The only one I could see myself using is Agnes… I adore Agnes!

I love Agnes, but I think I like Agatha even better.

Bess & Tess are long-time favorites, too.

I’m with Lola – Rufus is one of my favorites. And I know a boy called Ellis – very handsome on a little guy.

I do think you can make a case for some of these names as a new trend, particularly Alice, Beatrice, Iris and perhaps Carys. But while I personally really like the name Artemis, and considered it for my baby-to-be, I don’t think you can call it “up and coming” when it was given to 21 girls in 2010. “Chloris” is even less up and coming, given that at most four girls were named that last year.

I had always believed that “Lettice” was pronounced “le-TISH-ah” (as a variant spelling of Letitia). Is it ever pronounced to rhyme with the vegetable?

Lettice is pronounced exactly like the vegetable! le-TISH-ah is Letitia.

I really like Beatrice. Does this make me lame?

Lillias is so pretty, Memphis is totally cute.

I dont think James and Jules “tiptoed” into the girls section. The boy names that have are Reece and Alexis. Not one of my favorite endings for girls.

Also, isn’t Ellis a boys name?

seriously? how old are you people, like 87? most of these names should stay back in the 1800′s where they belong; quite a lot are just horrendous!

and lettice? is it pronounced the same as lettuce? if so, that is just cruel.

I adore the name Eirilys (I-ril-lis)!!

[...] day before Agnes’ birth announcement, Nameberry posted a Say Yes to S list, about choices from Lotus to Leatrice that could join Alice and Frances among the [...]

In case that anyone wants to see Nameberry meaning for name Thais (It has no link in the note), I found it under Thaïs =)

Just read this post & the responses…I, too, crush on S names but both my name & my husband’s start with S and our last name starts and ends with S! I know that I need to move on from most of my favorites and find S-less names to add to my list! However, I just cannot seem to muster the strength to break-up with some of the S names on my list! I tried moving them to the bottom or putting them in italics but I just cannot seem to delete them completely…

Beatrice and Clarice are two of my all time Victorian loves! My husband will have nothing to do with them