Category: Meanings of Baby Names
In case you’re not familiar with the term, a rainbow baby is one born soon after the loss of a previous baby due to miscarriage or stillbirth, the word used because a rainbow typically follows a storm, indicating optimism and hope.
By Melissa Willets
Since suffering a recent pregnancy loss, my family has done everything we can to honor the baby we so desperately wanted. From planting a tree, to naming a star after her, to creating angel baby necklaces, even in the midst of our grief, we find deep comfort by channeling our myriad of painful feelings in positive ways.
We hope to conceive again soon, which I have come to believe is the greatest opportunity to honor our beloved baby. For she would be gifting us with a life we would never have known, had we not been forced to say goodbye to her far too soon.
We’ve started to think about how to use the name we picked for our angel as inspiration for a rainbow baby name. Of course, we’d never reuse her exact name; I think I speak for all parents who have experienced loss that this feels beyond wrong.
Instead, we are considering these ideas:
By Carrie Steingruber
Spending a day on the water is an ideal way to escape the heat — or find new name inspiration. Even landlubbers can appreciate the swashbuckling rhythm and symbolic meanings of baby names inspired by boats and sailing. Most of these nautical names are outside the U.S. top 1,000 but don’t feel out of place with today’s trends:
By Linda Rosenkrantz
The color yellow is certainly one of the cheeriest in the crayon box, and in this sunniest of seasons, you may want to impart that optimistic vibe via the name of your summertime babe. These range from golden-toned names like Aurelia and Goldie to sun-related Soleil and Sunny to the bright yellow blossoms found in the garden. Here are our twelve best yellow names.
According to zodiac lore, the sun entered the constellation of Leo the lion on July 23, meaning that babies born between then and August 22 are ruled by its brave, strong and imperious influence. Whether or not you buy into the idea of astrology, it’s a major part of our culture, well worth mining for name possibilities.
If you wanted to commemorate your Leo baby’s sun sign in his or her name, there are a few different ways you could go. The most literal one would be to pick a name that refers directly to Leo. Luckily, there are more than a few great choices, for both boys and girls, that do.
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.