Favorite Names

  1. Aria
    • Origin:

      Italian and Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "air; song or melody; lion"
    • Description:

      Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
  2. Axl
    • Origin:

      Variation of Axel, Scandinavian version of Absalom
    • Meaning:

      "father of peace"
    • Description:

      Guns 'n' Roses musician Axl (born William) Rose created this name by dropping a vowel, a la Barbra Streisand. The traditional Axel is more popular, though celebrity parents Fergie and Josh Duhamel deliberately chose the Axl spelling to honor her rock hero.
  3. Bronson
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "son of brown-haired one"
    • Description:

      This surname has a modern yet old New England feel, perhaps because of the association with the transcendental teacher and reformer Bronson (born Amos Bronson) Alcott, father of Louisa May. (One-time sitcom star Bronson Pinchot's full name is Bronson Alcott Pinchot.) A more muscular image comes via tough guy Charles Bronson.
  4. Coleson
    • Fallon
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "leader"
      • Description:

        Fallon is one of several boyish surname names introduced in the over-the-top 1980s nighttime soap Dynasty: they sounded cutting-edge at the time, but no longer.
    • Gage
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "oath, pledge"
      • Description:

        Gage was part of the craze for one-syllable surnames, with associations to tasty green gage plums and the mathematical gauge.
    • Harrison
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Harry"
      • Description:

        Harrison, a name made viable by Harrison Ford, is increasingly popular with parents who want an H name that's more formal than Harry or Hank but doesn't veer into the stiff Huntington-Harrington territory.
    • Jordan
      • Origin:

        English from Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "flowing down"
      • Description:

        Originally used for children baptized in holy water from the river Jordan, it became one of the leading androgynous names of the nineties. As the balance tips toward the boys' side, it's slipping on the girls' popularity chart. Alternate spelling Jordyn is now more popular for girls.
    • Marceline
      • Origin:

        Feminization of Marcel, French
      • Meaning:

        "little warrior"
      • Description:

        Balancing femininity, vintage charm, and fantasy nerdiness, Marceline is one to watch. Marceline the Vampire Queen from the 2010-2018 animated TV series Adventure Time brought her elaborate French name back into public consciousness. It re-entered the Top 1000 in 2020, after an 86 year hiatus, and rose into the 700s in 2021. Nicknames Marcie and Marcy are rising in popularity as well. Marceline may appeal to parents who like frilly, traditional, and sophisticated names such as Josephine and Genevieve.
    • Nicolette
      • Origin:

        French, diminutive of Nicole, feminine variation of Nicholas, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "people of victory"
      • Description:

        Nicolette is the ultra-feminine name of an enchanting princess in the medieval French romance, Aucassin et Nicolette, a name that got stacks of publicity in the heyday of Desperate Housewives and its star Nicolette Sheridan. It was also the name of Chloe Sevigny's character in Big Love.
    • Riley
      • Origin:

        English, Irish
      • Meaning:

        "rye clearing; courageous"
      • Description:

        Riley—an upbeat, friendly surname name—is red hot for girls and still going strong for boys. If you haven't been spending much time around babies recently, you may be surprised to learn that Riley is the most popular girls' name starting with R and also the Number 1 Irish name for girls in the US.
    • Shayne
      • Origin:

        Femininized variation of Shane
      • Description:

        This distinctive variation was chosen for their third daughter by the Eddie Murphys.
    • Suzette
      • Origin:

        French diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "lily"
      • Description:

        Suzette has a kind of clunky retro charm – so kitsch it's almost cool again.