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gabhart's baby name dna
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Cadmus
Greek
"one who excels"
Cadmus is the name of the serpent-slaying hero of Greek mythology who also founded the city of Thebes and is credited with inventing the alphabet. Its ancient feel might appeal to modern parents…
Locke
English
"enclosure or fortified place"
Usually adding an e to the end of a name makes it more feminine, but Locke is at most recent count used only for baby boys. Still, this stylishly strong one-syllable name is theoretically…
Farley
English
"fern clearing"
Actor Farley Granger set it in motion, now could be a gentler alternative to Harley.
Cuthbert
English
"famous, brilliant"
Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from…
Hartford
English surname
"deer ford"
British habitational surname that calls to mind the Connecticut capital
Hewitt
English, Scottish, and Irish surname
"descendant of Hugh; one who lives near the wood clearing"
Modern way to honor an ancestral Hugh.
Wendell
German, English
"wanderer; to travel, to proceed"
This name has hardly been used since Wendell Willkie ran for president in 1940, and it may not quite be ready for revival yet. Still, clunky grandpa names like Lionel, Douglas, Benedict, Carl, and…
Daley
Irish
"assembly, gathering"
Much stronger than Dale for a boy.
Hawkins
English
"hawk"
A surname that originated as a diminutive of Hawk.
Diesel
German, from a pet form of Mathias
Diesel, which you can think of as a word name for the fuel or as a German surname that derives from a pet form of Matthew or Mathias, is a new entry to the American name lexicon thanks to celebrities…
Gunther
German
"battle warrior"
When it's spelled with two dots over the ' u ' in German, Gunther is pronounced GUWN-ter, but it has a much softer sound when the 'h' is voiced by English-speakers, as it was, for example, for the…
Kipling
English surname and place name
Kipling calls to mind writer Rudyard (b. Joseph) Kipling, author of the stories familiar to schoolchildren Gunga Din and The Jungle Story. Certainly, Kipling is a friendlier name than Rudyard these…
Ogden
English
"from the oak valley"
Rarely used surname, associated with humorous poet Ogden Nash.
Wellington
English surname from place name
"people living in the hamlet in the cleared area near the temple"
Wellington is a tony-sounding English surname turned baby name by pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who calls her son Wells for short. It's also the middle name of one of the Sweet Home sextuplets, Blu…
Sumner
English occupational name
"summoner"
Billionaire Sumner Redstone, the nonagenarian owner of CBS and Viacom, practically has a monopoly on his first name — for now. But Hunter, Asher, and Ryder have ushered in a major vogue "-er" names,…
Jed
Diminutive of Jedidiah, Hebrew
"beloved of the Lord"
Cowboyish short form that's both macho and cool. Got prime time exposure on The West Wing .
Hesperus
Greek
"evening, evening star"
Hesperus or Hesperos is a figure in Greek mythology who is the personification of the Evening Star or Venus, the son of the dawn goddess Eos. There's a Longfellow poem about a tragic shipping voyage…
Montague
Literature, French
"pointy hill"
The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo, Montague has a touch of old-fashioned grandeur about it. With clunky-cute nickname Monty and similar sounds to Montgomery, it has been used as a given name…
Reeves
English occupational name
"bailiff, sheriff, local official"
Sleek and cool, Reeves is the plural form of the Medieval occupation name, once associated with a local official who enforced feudal obligations, whose role may be equated to that of a sheriff or…
Sigmund
German
"victorious protection"
The connection to Freud is a strong one, but this German name has a strong and interesting sound and great nickname potential: Ziggy, Iggy, Sim, Sid...