User-created list
My Favorite Names~
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The names
Noah
Hebrew
"rest, repose"
Noah is nearly a patriarch of popular baby names at this point, going from Old Testament graybeard to Top 10 name in 2009, hitting Number 1 in 2013, and now settled into second place in the US for…
Gabriel
Hebrew
"God is my strength"
Gabriel is a Biblical favorite, an angelic choice that's lighter and less patriarchal than some of his Old Testament brethren. Derived from the Hebrew name Gavri'el, Gabriel combines the elements…
Madison
English
"son of Matthew"
Since we wrote a book called Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana , encouraging parents to move beyond overused names, it's no secret what we think of this trendy surname name, inspired by a…
Caleb
Hebrew
"dog; whole heart"
Caleb is an attractive Old Testament name that has been in the US Top 100 for nearly three decades now. Consistently popular but never too popular, Caleb feels more like a classic than a momentary…
Andrew
Greek
"strong and manly"
During its Top 10 heyday in the late 90s and early oughts, Andrew was one of the "cooler" classic boy names, an update on the old guard Roberts and Richards. While there are still plenty of babies…
Anna
Variation of Hannah, Hebrew
"grace"
Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne. Anna is the Latin form of…
Brooklyn
English Place name from Dutch
"marshland"
Extreme makeover: Brooklyn has gone from jokey Borough Boy name in the 1990s to a leading girls' name starting with B . The status of New York's Brooklyn as hipster heaven is ironic as few bona fide…
Brandon
English
"broom-covered hill"
Brandon, a forebear of the Braden-Caden pack, had a great run of popularity over several decades, being in the Top 10 from 1992 to 1998, one of its inspirations being hearthrob Brandon Walsh played…
Alyssa
English variation of Alicia
"noble"
Alyssa was in the Top 20 from 1997-2010 and peaked as the 11th most popular girls’ name in 1998 and 1999 but has become less popular in recent years. It's related to the flower alyssum as well as to…
Caitlin
Irish variation of Catherine
"pure"
An Irish and Welsh form of Catherine, Caitlin was a boom name of the eighties, rocketing from obscurity (Americans first heard it via the wife of doomed poet Dylan Thomas) to the height of popularity…