If you’re looking for some eye-opening  name moments, try browsing  through some vintage name books and you might be surprised to discover just how dramatically perceptions of some  names have changed over time.  In some cases what we think of as perfectly valid current choices have actually been written off as dead and gone.  Today’s popular Ava, for instance, was rarely thought worthy of inclusion  in most name books, even fairly recent ones.  But one generation’s dusty skeleton can be reborn as another’s darling baby boy or girl, so it’s a risky business to write off a name (at least post-Etheldred period),  as can be seen from the comments below about some names we love today:

 ABIGAIL – turned into a cant term for a lady’s maid, and thenceforth has been seldom heard even in a cottage  (1884)

DEBORAH – has acquired a certain amount of absurdity from various literary associations which prevent ‘Deb’ from being used except by the peasantry (1884)

CHLOE –  its main use has been by pastoral poets   (1945)

ESME – is now sometimes given to girls   (1945)

MATILDA —   among the most disliked names for girls   (1967)

SOPHIA – went out of fashion in the 19^th century   (1945)

VICTORIA – is now almost obsolete  (1945)

COLIN — by the 16^th century was regarded as a rustic nickname and it gradually died out altogether  (1945)

CONNOR –  now survives mainly as a surname  (1945)

ELIJAH—it died out in the general 19^th century deline of biblical names, but not before it had established its shortening to be Lige (1979)

Masculine names like HARRY, JACK and SAMUEL are rarely used for babies today   (1950)

ISAAC, ABRAHAM — names from the Old Testament are disappearing  (1967)

JONAH – most everywhere regarded as sissy  (1967) (more…)

Ava is one of the biggest recent baby name success stories, jumping from almost the bottom of the Top 1000 twenty years ago to #4 last year–and it could be heading for #1. I’m certainly hearing it everywhere I go, in the street and in the supermarket, and seeing it on popularity lists worldwide. This brings to mind two questions: A) What can you substitute if you like Ava but don’t want such a trendy name? and B) Is Ava the name that will knock Emily out of top place or will it be one of the other leading contenders?

Here are a few ideas if you’re looking for an answer to A:

AVALON. Deriving from the Celtic word for apple, this is a very romantic place name–it was an island paradise in Celtic and Arthurian legend where it was a beautiful island renowned for its luscious apples, the place where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged. In the present day, it’s the main city on the California island of Catalina.
Starbaby namesake? Daughter of 24 and Heroes actress Rena Sofer.

AVERY. If you’re looking for an alternative with a unisex-surname spin, this is it. The only problem is that Avery is pursuing Ava up the popularity list–and also, if you care about literal meanings, ‘Elf ruler’ doesn’t have much revelance in the modern world.
Starbaby namesake? Daughter of Angie Harmon & Jason Sehorn. NEWS FLASH: Amy Locane just had a daughter she named Avery Hope.

AVIS. A vintage birdlike name which, like cousin Mavis, was once more popular in England; here the dated ’s’ ending (as in Doris and Phyllis) and the rental-car connection lessened its chances. But now it’s old-time, funky feel gives it some degree of nostalgic charm.
Starbaby namesake? Daughter of Baldwin brother Daniel.

EVA. Several glamorous Evas–Longoria, Mendes, Green–have given Eva a popularity boost. But bear in mind that in several cultures Eva is pronounced Ava, so though it may not look as trendy, the sound’s the same.
Starbaby namesake? Dixie Chick Martie Maguire’s twin daughter.

ADA. Sounding as fusty as Ava did ten years ago, Ada is in line for a possible piggyback revival. Trivia tidbit: Ava Lovelace, daughter of the poet Byron, is considered to have been the very first “computer programmer,” 19th century style.
Starbaby namesake? Not yet.

NOW TO QUESTION B–Do you think it will be Ava or some other name that will be the first to knock Emily out of top place?

For twelve years now, since 1996, the most popular name for girl babies has been Emily.  But it looks like Emily’s reign as the top girls’ name may be coming to an end–something we won’t know until the next Social Security list comes out in May.  In all fairness,  Madison or Emma deserves to take the top spot–they’ve been hovering around it for so long, but there are five other newer names that are hot enough to threaten Queen Emily’s supremacy.

What’s interesting about four of the five current contenders , Addison being the exception, is that they’re trendy without the sound or feel of trendiness typical of some of the high-rated names of a few years ago–Tiffany, Brittany/Britney, Ashley–that flashed onto the scene, became red hot, and then faded.  The difference with the present group is that they have deep roots, both historic and literary, and though they are clearly feminine, they also have strength and substance.

ADDISON is the name that’s had the most rapid rise, being the logical rhyming successor to the long-running Madison, and the first name in a while to have sprung from a TV show–Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice.  Currently at #11, it would be a long shot for first place, though it did reach that spot in two states

AVA is a name imbued with old Hollywood glamour via Golden Age star Ava Gardner and has taken off like a rocket, largely because of its use by a dozen or so current movie stars, starting with Reese Witherspoon.  It already headed the lists of nine states last year, and was #5 on the national list.

OLIVIA is a Latinate name popularized by Shakespeare for a leading character in  Twelfth Night and has continued to be used in literature all the way up to the contemporary kids’ book porcine character Olivia.  # 7 last year, it was also #1 in three states

ISABELLA was of course the Spanish queen who backed Cristoforo Columbo’s voyages, as well as being the name of a British royal, a character in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, in Jane Austen and in Wuthering Heights. Last year, it was #3 nationally, top name in nine states.

SOPHIA has been a favorite of British novelists, starting with the heroine of Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, and shares reflected cinematic stardust with Ava, this time via the sultry Sophia Loren.  Three states had this name at #1 last year, it  was #6 nationwide.

So these are the candidates.  Place your bets.

Daniel tops the boys’ chart for the very first time in the just-released 2007 New York City name popularity statistics, with Jayden rising to number two and long-time top name Michael falling to third place.    Isabella and Sophia tied for number one for girls, unseating Ashley and Emily.

The rise of Isabella and Sophia is interesting, but Daniel is the real story here — and not just because it’s number one in New York.  It’s also in first place in other big states like California and Illinois (though way down at number 25 in Alabama).  Daniel’s been in the nationwide Top 10 for many years now, but why suddenly the rise to Number 1?

Daniel, more than national number 1 name Jacob, is a natural for the top spot.  With a modern feel and traditional roots, Daniel appeals to a wide range of parents: Christian and Jewish, conservatives and forward thinkers, it relates to Danny Boy and Daniel in the Lion’s Den.  Plus it’s a name that crosses many ethnic lines: Its Spanish version, for instance, is just like its English one.

And there are fewer male names with this kind of widespread appeal than you might think.  Matthew is another one that qualifies.  Alexander, sort of.  William, okay.  Andrew, maybe.

But long-time favorites such as Joseph and James and Robert feel a tad traditional.  Anthony, a little ethnic.  Joshua and Justin and Ethan, too nouveau.

Daniel sits comfortably in the middle, with very few equals among boys’ names.

Famous Daniels include Webster, Boone, and Day-Lewis.  The name has been in the national Top 20 since 1952 and in the Top 50 since 1921.

A few other tidbits from the New York City popularity statistics: Ryan is the number one name for Asian boys.  Because of the large Jewish population, Chaya is actually in the Top Ten for white girls.  Giuliana, spelled this way as a possible tribute to Mayor Rudy, is on the popularity list.  And Brooklyn, the number 57 name for girls nationwide, is nowhere to be found.

Here’s the whole story on New York City names.

An expectant mom we know wants to name her daughter-to-be Madeleine.  But only Madeleine, not Madeline, not (God forbid) Madelyn.  What’s the difference?

Everything, in her mind.  Although the names can all be pronounced the same way, all have the same root (the Greek Magdalen) and the same meaning (high tower), they feel completely different to our friend.  Madeleine, the French version and the name of cookie Proust rhapsodized over, feels elegant, well-balanced, distinctive.

Madeline, on the other hand, which is the number one spelling of the name and the way the little Parisian girl of Bemelmans’ books spells it, feels too spare, too apt to be pronounced with a long i to rhyme with line or wine rather than with the more refined “en” sound at the end.

And Madelyn?  She shudders.  Like Carolyn or Kathryn, that feels like an attempt to “modernize” whose result is anything but.

Sophie/Sophia/Sofia is another great example of a name whose variations feel completely different to different parents.  The three versions together were given to nearly 27,000 baby girls last year — 7,000 more than got the top name of Emily.  But most parents who choose one form of the name that means “wise” in Greek would never choose the other.

Sophia is by far the most popular of the tree, at number 6 on the Social Security list, and is for English speakers the most classic version.  Refined and sophisticated, it feels grownup and, well, wise, a name that would serve any girl well throughout her life.

Sofia, the second most popular version at number 35, is favored by Latin parents and those who prefer a more phonetic (fonetic?), streamlined spelling.  Some parents in search of the exotic have gone all the way to Zofia.

Sophie seems saucy, a little grandma, a little quirky.  A Sophie is far less conventional and more animated than any Sophia or Sofia.  Sophie as a name is closer to Sadie or Millie, while Sophia’s equivalents are Isabella or Olivia.