Invent-a-Baby-Name Challenge Champs!
By Abby Sandel and Linda Rosenkrantz
Whew!
If we’ve ever had the slightest doubts about the creativity of the Nameberry community, they are hereby gone forever.
When we announced our latest Invent-a-Baby-Name challenge two weeks ago, we expected something like the healthy response we got last time—which was 222 entries.
This time we were overwhelmed by 590 separate responses. And since we generously invited you to not limit yourself to a single suggestion, some of the comments packed with dozens of names, as you opened the floodgates to your inventive ideas, bringing the total number of names well into the several thousands. Our intrepid intern, Laura, counted 5,665 separate entries!
After painstakingly (and exhaustedly) considering every single name, we soon realized that it would be almost impossible to narrow down the winner to just one name.
And so we have broken it down into seven of the most highly represented categories—after realizing that inventing a name doesn’t have to mean completely creating one out of whole cloth, but could also include transforming words and surnames and place names that haven’t been used for real-life kids before into viable baby names. In fact, one of our prime criteria was wearability–could we see this name actually being used?
The overall winner for 2016 is at the very bottom of the post, but first, let’s look at some of the best invented names entered this year, with the favorite name in each category in boldface type!
PLACE NAMES
Real and imaginary, which place names could be the next London, Savannah, or Brooklyn?
Corinth–@Lu and @KiratheViolist
Elsinore @superllama
Finland @Gabe1216 – “a cool way to get to the nickname Finn”
Genovia @MelanieCora
Lisbon @Genevieve Apple
Rivendell @EmmaMay “an amazing LOTR middle”
Saratoga @denmama9 “a substitute for Western place name Cheyenne”
Tenerife @Wittyusername103
Yukon @lesliemarion; @BrennanotBrenda
SMOOSH NAMES
This was by far the most popular category.
Add an –ella or a –dora, and many names are completely transformed.
Amaluna – @CordeliaAnne
Analou @grace_newgrace
Annadora – @Theodora_Phoenix – gift of grace
Arabeth @dolphinmama, @cmwillard, @gummybear0724
Arastella @mom2one2
Claris – @TiffanyS – Claire + Paris
Dashton @Theodora_Phoenix, @graciebeth
Evermae @KatieNana “happy spring day”
Leodore @Angelicaecb
Lunabella @Theodora_Phoenix
Minabel @Abeltrotter
Williot @Louisa91
PURE INVENTION
Where’s the line between a smoosh and a completely new name? It’s a tough call! Here are some names that strike us as most original.
Aero @Reem151, @namenerd27
Ardo – @babynameaddict
Azella @dindlee
Barjo @clairels
Briary @alternativekeys
Brixby @trysaratops
Dainu @Myn
Elizette @alchemicallypurplefairy, @fluffykitten101
Ellatrix – @tree_loves_eth “Bellatrix without the B”
Esmerine – @OrchidLover
Evellia – @ElenaCroatia
Everson @Louisa91, @cmwillard, @tree_loves_eth
Finnix @homebytheriver
Floralie @JRideout, @emmakj111
Jaspian @emsky, @alliebelle
Killiam @missmarvelous
Livi @ KenzieJo
Lorian @bexlafon
Mardon @mellimoon
Mavery @Emilyjh
Megany @birdies
Rylo @SeaZuno86 “everybody loves a good ends in -o boys name”
Vinco @caroblaise “means I win in Latin”
Xanith @xhart
Xolo @frobskottle
Zaro @JLS123
Zosie @lyndskyns
SURNAMES
With last names like Mason and Harper in the current US Top Ten, parents are eager to promote new possibilities to the first name spot.
Berlioz @McCharlie
Carrigan @homebytheriver
Curie @pinholecamera
Dahl @weaverblue
Daltrey @Rhii
Farrow @lemlem
Hawkins @bandgeek10182, @SeaZuno86
Knightley @Louisa91
Locksley @Tolkeinlove – Robin Hood
Loxley @Aquadole – Robin Hood
Magellan @McCharlie, @ChiefTidalWaveEngineer
Minton @lesliemarion
WORD NAMES
Sure, these words have history. But they’ve seldom been heard as given names – at least until now.
Bolt @lovelynames, @keelyjoelle
Betony – @lesliemarion
Caliber @jimtown “high powered”
Castle – @Alimax
Chord – @mariank – musical term
Credence @jlstrk
Diver @Chrissy425
Evergreen @dolphinmama; @BrennanotBrenda
Fen @FizzySparkle
Fennec @larkrub101
Gladiola @lesliemarion
Helix @lovelyname, @McCharlie, @Bookworm857158367, @katoolah
Kestrel @Tay2thestars @ToyaB
Lanai @Renchickadee
Levity @frobskottle
Lively @Ashleylynnxoxo, @grace147
Linen @Readingclaygirl
Loden @lovelynames
Meridian @RoddyThlayli, @Apodosis, @Elle C.
Oasis @aquadoll
Pier @grace147, @blaise11
Psalm @Essa @GreenEyes375
Schooner @Daisy5683
Shore @shalispider, @grace147
Sunset @Laugh-Dream-Love
Taiga @ArdenT.Lee
Teller @larkub101, @Abby_Shield
Tourmaline @EasterBunny
Tracker @Louisa91
Trekker @ lyndskyns, @Sagebrush
Veranda @caroblaise, @lesliemarion, @graciebeth
Verily @wfuller
Wildrose @Alialioxenfree3
IMPORTS
Plenty of names take inspiration from languages other than English.
Adalet @Louisa91 “means justice in Turkish”
Corbeau @Essa “greenish black”Minoo @Louisa91 “paradise or heaven in Persian” (also French word for raven)
Mielle @kymbrrlee “from miel, the French word for honey”Miramar @Amy1512 “means look at the sea in Spanish”
Plume @Gondolin “French word name” though this fits with Word Names, too.
Seith @weaverblue “Welsh name meaning seven”
Yanci @Joiya “means liberty in Hausa”
ISN’T THAT ALREADY A NAME?
Yes, but they were not in our database!
Coppelia @Lu
Esmeray @JRideout
Regulus @Angelicaecb “One of the brightest stars … from Latin for Rex, king”
AND THE WINNER IS …
How can we narrow down over 5,600 names to just one favorite? We ruled out any that were already in our database, and also deleted names that made last year’s list of finalists.
That still left more than a dozen favorites, including Hawkins – a two-fer to cool nickname Hawk, lacy virtue name Verily, adventurous Magellan, the invented Rylo, and smoosh names Lunabella and Evermae.
But the winning name for 2016’s Invent-a-Name contest is TREKKER.
Bragging rights and credit in the database go to lyndskyns. (Sagebrush mentioned it, too, but lyndskyns was first.)
Trekker takes the prize because it fits right in with current trends. It’s outdoorsy and rugged, edgy and cool. It brings to mind hiking, even blazing a trail. Now that Wilder is in the US Top 1000, Trekker remains a viable under-the-radar pick.
It’s also one of the true rarities on this list. While some have been used in small numbers, Trekker has never been given to even five children in a single year – making it a truly novel name.
***Huge thanks to all you Berries for the incredible effort you put into this, and congrats to all who made the cut–especially those whose user names appears more than once!