October 2016
By ru_anthrogirl
Updated Sun Jul 17 2016
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Last baby! We have 4 children already: John Tanner (called Jack), Phoebe Elizabeth, William Andrew, and Bennett Edward. All of the children's middle names are each a nod to our family trees. Bennett, we thought would be our last child, and so adopted some whimsy in this reference to Pride & Prejudice. We like classic names that don't enjoy too much popularity, a name that a child can grow into. We're not hipsters, trendsetters, or uptight curmudgeons. Although proudly American, we have very definite British leanings. I love names that begin with E, F, and L.
- Boone
Origin:
English from FrenchMeaning:
"blessing, lucky"Description:
Boone is one of the advancing herd of lean and lanky cowboy names with a laid-back, backwoods, Western feel—and surprising French roots. It's inevitably linked with legendary frontiersman Daniel, and also with the positive connotations of the word boon. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.
- Callum
Origin:
Scottish form of Columba, LatinMeaning:
"dove"Description:
Callum, a charming Scottish name high on the list in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, is rising through the ranks in the US now too. And it comes complete with the easy nickname Cal.
- Cole
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"swarthy, coal black"Description:
Cole -- a short name that embodies a lot of richness and depth -- has long been associated with the great songwriter Cole Porter. It's quite popular in Scotland.
- Eamon
Origin:
Irish variation of EdmundMeaning:
"wealthy protector"Description:
Eamon is one of the traditional Irish names that has not yet emigrated to the US. This Irish name pronounced ay-mon was popularized by early president of the independent republic Eamon de Valera (birth name George), who was born in the United States to an Irish mother and a Cuban father. Eamon definitely has possibilities as a successor to the epidemically popular Aidan/Aiden.
- Ethan
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"strong, firm"Description:
Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive. Given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible film series, Ethan has fallen from its peak at Number 2 in 2009 and 2010, but is still popular in the US along with several other countries.
- Flynn
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"descendant of the red-haired one"Description:
Flynn, a charming Irish surname, is still used only quietly, despite its easygoing, casual cowboy charm, unlike Finn which is a star of this genre. Flynn was the choice of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr for their baby boy, and is also the middle name -- used as his first -- of a son of Miranda's fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson, of Gary Oldman's son Gulliver and Marley Shelton's daughter West.
- Grey
Origin:
Color nameDescription:
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if slightly somber—choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney named their son Leo Grey.
- Griffin
Origin:
Welsh, variation of GriffithMeaning:
"strong lord"Description:
Griffin is one of the newer and most appealing of the two-syllable Celtic surnames. In English, griffin is the name of a mythological creature, half eagle, half lion. It re-entered the list in 1983 after an absence of 75+ years.
- Leith
Origin:
Scottish river nameMeaning:
"wet"Description:
This is an unusual surname and geographical name of medieval Scottish origin that might serve as a possible alternative to the aging Keith, though it's a bit tough on the tongue. More popularly spelt Laith in Scotland itself, which happens to correspond to an Arabic name meaning 'lion'.
- Oliver
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"olive tree or elf army"Description:
Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts in the US and throughout the English-speaking world, along with a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland.
- Owen
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"young warrior; well-born"Description:
Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.
- Rhys
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"ardor"Description:
There's Rhys and there's Reese (now more popular for girls) and there's Reece, and we particularly like the traditional Welsh spelling, which entered the list in 2004, possibly influenced by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, of The Tudors, and Welsh-born actor Rhys Ifans.
- Seth
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"appointed, placed"Description:
The long-neglected name of Adam and Eve's third son after Cain and Abel, Seth is appreciated for its gentle, understated presence -- and strong middle-name potential. It reached a high of Number 63 in the year 2000.