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Matis is a masculine name with multiple cultural origins. It can be seen as a variation of Mathis or Matthias, which derive from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, meaning 'gift of …

All of my favorite names (a constantly growing list!!). These are the names that make me feel happy and bright. I imagine self-assured, intelligent, passionate people with all of …

… follow ELEANOR? Will LEONA follow FIONA? Will LUCILLE follow LUCY? Will MAIRE follow CLAIRE? Will MAISIE follow DAISY? Will MILLY follow LILY? Will MYRA follow TYRA or MYA? Will OLIVE …

By Abby Sandel, AppellationMountain What makes a name real? To think bigger, what makes a word real?  That’s the question raised by English professor and language historian Anne Curzan …

What names are quintessentially ‘British’? I see this question a lot but it’s a hard one to pin down. Do we mean solely British in origin, or only British …

Sweetly vintage, Maisie is rising the charts alongside Daisy, Mabel, and Maeve. Here are some alternatives!

A US president, a mermaid, and much, much more, here are some alternatives to the bright and fun Madison. Most of these can also use the nickname of Maddie.

Looking for a niche source of rare baby names? Try the comeback kids of 2022. These names were once used for babies in the US, but then vanished for decades …

Your grandparents’ names are about to become cool again. The prevailing theory surrounding vintage baby names is called the 100 Year Rule. Names cycle in and out of fashion, and …

… and other annoying things that never seem to go away. Similarity shapes popularity because it makes things feel familiar. Whether a certain song takes off or a new car becomes …

… list: Finley (Number 204), Allie (255), Leslie (371), Hallie (566), Kailani (875), or Landry (918). Madison (along with other Top 1000 spellings Maddison, Madisyn and Madyson) made her own debut …

Mermaid names have made it big in recent years.  There’s Madison, Darryl Hannah’s character from Splash.  Disney christened The Little Mermaid Ariel in 1989, and she and her …

Baby girl name you love but fear is overused? Here are some possible substitutes.

With French baby names, two clear trends have emerged: short, simple, two-syllable names and the return to vintage/ancient names. With a heavy preponderance of girl names ending with …

Since the beginning of US history, from the time of George Washington on, aspirational parents have bestowed presidential surnames (with a few exceptions like Eisenhower and Bush) on their sons …

by Ren Williams Many of the stories about the recent US Popular Names list focus on the names at the top and on the rise: the Sophias and Jacobs, Khaleesis …

By Linda Rosenkrantz A particularly international list of babyberry arrivals this month, including such names as Etain, Iseult, Mairead, Pérola, and Evadne in first place and, as middles, Gearóidín, Kallista …

Mariska Hargitay honored her Hungarian heritage when she used Miklos as one of the middle names for her son August in 2006.

Makes SONATA even more feminine and musical

Makes hot name Finley kind of Phyllis-like -- which is not a good thing.

Makes the jaunty Remy a little more nicknamey and feminine. Remi is on the rise for both girls and boys, having entered the Top 1000 for boys in 2019.

Makes Jane anything but plain.

Makes Severin and Severus a little less, well, severe.

Makes a Biblical favorite new and interesting.

Makes Susan or Susie more buzzy.

Madison, Addison, and Emerson are fairly well established in the US Top 1000 for girls, and now, some parents are considering Sonny and Sonnie for their daughters too. Given to …

Makes the intriguing Olga even more so.

Makes Ida more feminine but no more fashionable.

Makes Geraldine seem positively groovy.

Makes a serious name frilly and feminine, which, depending on your viewpoint, might be a good or a bad thing. In this case, we vote good.

Makes Donna into a cool twenty-first-century unisex Irish surname.

Making its debut to the US charts in 2023, Cimani was given to 67 baby girls. It's possibly a variant of Simone, taking some inspiration from Imani and Amani …

Stella Maris ("star of the sea") is an historic title for the Virgin Mary, in use since at least the early medieval period. Although it actually arose from a scribal …

Praxis makes perfect? Though this mythological name sounds boyish, it's a female name, an equivalent for Aphrodite.

Rogan makes a great, roguish alternative for the more popular Logan, Ronan and Rowan. 

Pell makes an unusual middle name choice. And if grandpa Seymour was a fur trader, you might do better to honor him by naming the baby Pell.

Kostas makes the ancient emperor's name more approachable.

Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it …

Zenovia makes Zenobia even more unusual. This mythology-adjacent name is worth a look.

Vincenza makes romance of Vincent. Vincenza Gerosa was one of the founders of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere and was later made a saint.

This makes Milan sound like less of a place, more of a name.

Kylah makes Kyla feel like an old biblical name, but it's only a reproduction, not a real antique.

Like Maisie, Archie, and Jamie, Kirsty is a Scottish diminutive that is equally established as a name in its own right. Derived from Kirstin or Kirsteen — Scottish forms of Christine …

Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the …

Gala makes the name more festive.

Desi makes Desiree a lot cuter and more boyish.

Ralph makes a clunky cute vintage choice for a boy, but what about for a girl? It did appear in the US stats in the early half of the 20th …

Tassos makes this venerated Greek name more earthy and approachable.

Unless you're making an intentional homage to the Maya civilization, the traditional spelling Maayan will prove less confusing.

Ikenna's meaning makes it a subtle way to honor a father or grandfather. Ikenna is the name of a popular YouTube star.