Category: International Baby Names
By Linda Rosenkrantz
In 1789, when George Washington was unanimously elected the first president of the nation—the first elected president in the world– there was a lot of discussion about what he should be called. John Adams and others favored royal titles such as Your Highness and Your Majesty, even His Exalted Highness. Washington himself was said to be relieved when the humbler President was settled on.
How astonished would George be today if he could flash forward and see all the American babies being given those very exalted regal titles he rejected? This trend is not limited to pop royalty either: numerous titles from the British peerage and other international kingdoms, as well as words related to them, are being bestowed by all parents on their little heirs. Some of these royal baby names are already in the Top 1000–let’s take a look at those first.
What makes you love a name? It might be that it has family significance, calls to mind to an inspiring person, or just sounds really cool. The names in the news this week show that there are lots of ways that names can have a positive vibe.
Many of the most popular baby names in the US have their roots somewhere else: Germany (Emma) or Ireland (Liam) or ancient Greek or Hebrew (Sophia and Noah). That’s a lot like the melting pot of cultures that is America itself, but there are also authentically American baby names. These include Native American names, obviously, but also place names most closely identified with the US, names of American heroes, as well as baby names invented in the USA.
In celebration of the 4th of July, here is a collection of 76 American baby names that might inspire your own choice.
Where do you get naming inspiration from? One of my favorite things in the world of names is learning the stories behind why parents choose the names they do – that’s part of what makes the monthly Babyberry announcements so much fun to read.
The news this week features names from lots of different sources, from family to food to far-flung countries. Whether you’re suffering from namer’s block or just curious about where parents get their ideas from, here are some stories for you.
This week’s news includes a wealth of names from Canada, lots of celebrity boy names, and naming stories from the worlds of rugby and baseball.
Names around the world: Octavian and Emilie
There’s a lot of online fanfare about the release of new name data, but have you ever heard of a real-life ceremony for the latest name stats?