Names Amanda Likes

Once a powerful Roman clan name, Cecil has lost much of its potency over the years, though it retains a strong presence in the sports and jazz worlds. Past bearers include film giant Cecil B. DeMille, poet Cecil Day Lewis, father of Daniel, and photographer Cecil Beaton. Fictional Cecils appear in Oscar Wilde's play, Lady Windemere's Fan, E. M. Foster's A Room With a View and the film Lee Daniel's The Butler.

Kyron is a masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a modern variant of Kieran (from Irish Ciarán meaning 'little dark one'), a form of Cyron (from Greek 'kyrios' meaning 'lord'), or a contemporary creation. With its strong, modern sound and accessible two-syllable structure, Kyron gained modest popularity in English-speaking countries starting in the 1990s and continuing through the 2000s. The name appeals to parents seeking something distinctive yet easy to pronounce, with the trendy 'y' spelling adding a contemporary feel. While uncommon in historical records, Kyron fits well with current naming trends favoring strong-sounding boys' names with unique spellings and cross-cultural appeal.

Madeline, a lovely name with a soft and delicate image, is an old-fashioned favorite that returned to favor in the 1990's, combining a classic pedigree with a cute nickname option: Maddy.

Biblical name long associated with the fallen-yet-redeemed Mary Magdalen, now rising improbably into the ranks of the fashionable among parents hungry for classic yet distinctive girls' names. The Magdalene and Magdalena versions are perhaps even more stylish. Can be shortened to Maggie or Magda but the full version is prettiest. One of our new favorites!

Foreign variations of Mary are definitely the way to go; this one has a nice Dutch-girl feel. It also works as a cultural crossover name, e.g. between European languages and Japanese.

The addition of the h makes it more Old World, which is not the direction you want to push Matilda in.

Has a pure, clean aura, but is also evocative.

A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.

A cool, windswept, surfer babe-magnet in 1965, a nice dad -- or even granddad -- today.

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."

An appealing name almost unknown in our culture but with roots in several others; worldlier than cousins Celia and Delia.