One of our most popular blogs of the year was the one in which Elisabeth Wilborn of You Can’t Call It It transformed the Top 100 girls’ names — and the following week, the most popular boys’ names — into choices with the same feel but more distinction and style.

This is the kind of exercise that Linda and I have long offered in our books, with our If You Like X, You’ll Love…. feature, in which we substitute fresh ideas for overused favorites.  You can see dozens of such lists here.

But what if the name you want to move beyond isn’t popular, really; isn’t exactly overused but just, to your thinking, too trendy?  What if you want to take an already-stylish and distinctive name and just scooch it toward being….more distinctive?

That’s what we tried to do here.  We bet you clever berries will have lots more ideas of trendy names and possible substitutes: We’d love to hear them!  Here are some of ours:

girls

Instead of Ariana….Aurora

Instead of Delilah….Salome

Instead of Esme – Maisie

Instead of Eden….Celeste

Instead of Harlow…. Hepburn

Instead of Isla…..Ida

Instead of Lila….Lilac

Instead of Matilda ….Magdalena

Instead of Ruby…Rudy

Instead of Scarlett…Indigo

Instead of Seraphina…Serena

Instead of Stella – Estelle

Instead of Thea….Dora

Instead of Violet…Magnolia

boys

Instead of Asher….Asa

Instead of Atticus….Cassius

Instead of Cullen….Curran

Instead of Emmett….Ephraim or Bennett

Instead of Harrison….Jefferson

Instead of Henry…..Frederick

Instead of Hudson…East

Instead of Hugo….Hugh

Instead of Justice….Justus

Instead of Mason…Booker

Instead of Milo…Malachy

Instead of Oscar….Osias

Instead of Rhys….Rex

Okay, your turn.