Nature, Place and Word Names
Baby names drawn from nature, from places, and from words are the focus of these news stories and analysis on the latest baby name trends and most recent lists of popular names. For more news. lists, names, and inspiration on nature names, place names, and word names, visit our Unique Names page.
Sun Jun 22 2014
Place Names for Babies: Malaysia’s Hot, Argentina Only Warmish
Place names are among the hottest baby names, and now the website Swimmingly shows us just how hot many country names are when it comes to being translated for babies.
Tue May 27 2014
Girls’ Name Hazel: Will a new movie make her the next Jennifer?
In the 70s, “Love Story” shot the name Jennifer into the stratosphere; Nick Turner wonders if “The Fault in Our Stars” could do the same for the already ascending Hazel.
Tue Apr 15 2014
The Diverse Nature of Nature Names: Daphne, Dresden and Sage
Guest blogger Brooke Cussans shows some different ways you can approach nature names, straight on (River, Rose) or more subtly (Daphne, Paloma).
Sun Mar 30 2014
Whimsical Nature Names: Some quirky animal and flower choices
Brooke Cussans offers some nature names you certainly won’t hear every day: which of them do you think are usable? Tigerlily? Wolfgang?
Sun Mar 09 2014
Southern-Fried Baby Names: Rhett, Scarlett and Savannah
From Aimee Reneau Tafreshi, names that conjure up images of the American South–plus what names are currently most popular there.
Sun Jan 05 2014
Noun Names for the New Year: Dahlia, Deacon, Dior and Velvet
Abby Sandel’s Nameberry 9 newsiest names this week includes word names like Deacon and Zephry and Crimson and brand name Dior. How do you feel about this genre?
Sun Jan 05 2014
Twelfth Night Names: From Airi to Wren
What names do partridges and pear trees bring to mind? K. M. Sheard of the blog and book “Nook of Names” has some imaginative, free-associative, Twelfth Night ideas.
Thu Dec 19 2013
Winter Solstice Names: Odin, Demeter and Ivy
It’s the WInter Solstice, and Dantea–aka Angel Thomas–takes the occasion to introduce us to some relevant choices from the plant and pagan deity worlds.
Thu Dec 12 2013
Buried Treasures: Vintage names from lost New England towns
Angela Mastrodonato uncovers some names that were lost with four New England towns in the 1930s–such as Clementina, Marietta, Cyprian, Lowell and Lucius.
Wed Dec 04 2013
Sundance Catalog Names
Annesley and Sienna, Indigo and Reverie: The Sundance Catalog features names in keeping with its cosmopolitan cowgirl fantasy.
Tue Nov 12 2013
100 Top Word Names of 2012: Hunter, Hope–and Henry?
As guest blogger Nephele demonstrates here, not all word names give away their identities as such–as in Martin, Morgan and Maya. It’s fun to see the sometimes surprising dictionary definitions of these names.
Sun Nov 03 2013
German Names With Flair: Fritz, Lorelei, and Otto
Her last name is misleading: Berry Juice blogger Angela Mastrodonato is of German descent. Here she offers a wide selection of attractive names that contradict that culture’s somewhat stodgy reputation.
Thu Oct 31 2013
Jersey Boys and Girls: Trenton, Edison and Elizabeth
Denise K. Potter wants a little respect for her home state–and for all the great baby names you can find living there.
Thu Oct 10 2013
All-American Names: From Dixie to Franklin to Tallulah
Angela Mastrodonato of Upswing Baby Names looks at names that are strictly, 100% born and bred American; from Twyla to Tallulah to Tex.
Thu Oct 03 2013
The Blooming of Lily
Nook of Names’ K. M. Sheard traces the ups and downs of the name Lily, and its surprising origins– which have nothing to do with the flower.
Tue Sep 24 2013
Animal Baby Names: Rare specimens
Brocken, Zebrule, Cabrilla–these and more unusual names of unusual animals and birds suggested by Dantea for inclusion into the menagerie of baby names.
Sun Sep 22 2013
Tasty Baby Names: Food possibilities from Romaine to Kale to Clementine
Aimee Reneau Tafreshi takes us on a trip through the market to discover some highly unusual food-related name possibilities, such as Pinto, Sorrel and Romaine.
Sun Aug 11 2013
Luna, Ozzie and Vernon: Bold Girls, Vintage Boys
In this week’s Nameberry 9, Appellation Mountain’s Abby Sandel wonders whether we name girls and boys the same way, as evidenced by the latest most noteworthy names.
Tue Aug 06 2013
Unusual Nature Names: Ever hear of Addax? Ambretta? Fen?
Angel Thomas, known to us as Dantea, has come up with some interesting nature names we can pretty much guarantee you’ve never heard before–but might be interestingl enough to consider if you’re looking for the truly unusual.
Tue Jun 25 2013
Animal Baby Names: Which would you use?
Animal baby names are a fashionable new category, with starbabies named Bear and Birdie and Bunny leading the way. And then there are those animal names that send their messages more subtly, like Lowell, which means wolf, and Paloma, meaning dove. Which would you choose, and why?
Tue Jun 25 2013
Celestial Baby Names: Star names that twinkle and shine
Anna Otto of waltzingmorethanmatilda.com scans the night sky for the best names of stars and constellations. But which of them do you think would be usable for a baby?
Sun Jun 23 2013
Word Names in the Top 1000
Words as names? The infamous North aside, a surprising number of other word names are to be found in the 2012 most popular list–and Kelly Brady of Name Freak! presents the evidence.
Tue Jun 18 2013
Color Names: Thinking outside the Crayola box
If you’re looking for a color name beyond Violet, Scarlett and Blue, Berry Juice blogger Dantea has come up with some truly unusual choices, from Aero to Xanthene.
Mon Jun 17 2013
Nature Names: For the apple of your eye
The generic Apple is only the beginning when it comes to delicious, fruity names. Brooke Cussans of Baby Name Pondering offers you a bushel full of more subtle names related to the apple, many kids’ favorite fruit. Anyone care to bite?
Tue Jun 11 2013
What’s Your Favorite Place Name?
Place names have opened up a whole new world of possibilities as first names. Which are your favorites, and why?