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I Just Love Names!

phunkjedi
By phunkjedi
Updated Tue Sep 14 2021
As long as I can remember, I have had a minor obsession with names. What do they mean? How do the represent their bearer? How do they flow together? Nicknames?! I have been paying attention to name trends for over ten years now and don't even have any children! It's fascinating to see what is en vougue for a generation! This is a list of names I have fancied over the past 15 years or so. Some have been inspired by people I have known, some from books, and some on meaning.
  1. Arlo

    • Origin:

      Irish or English

    • Meaning:

      "between two hills"

    • Description:

      Quirky cool Arlo is now well and truly back. Last year it broke into the US Top 200 boy names and consistently ranks among the most popular boy names on Nameberry.
  2. Luna

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "moon"

    • Description:

      The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10 status in the US and its widespread international popularity.
  3. Leo

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "lion"

    • Description:

      Leo is a strong-yet-friendly name that was common among the Romans, used for fourteen popes, and is now at its highest point ever in the US thanks in part to Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio.
  4. Asher

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, blessed, happy one"

    • Description:

      Asher—an excellent, soft and sensitive Old Testament choice—is a baby boy name on the rise, and is a Nameberry biblical favorite.
  5. Lily

    • Origin:

      English flower name

    • Meaning:

      "lily"

    • Description:

      Lily is the most popular of the popular delicate century-old flower names now making a return, thanks to its many irresistible attributes: a cool elegance and a lovely sound, a symbol of purity and innocence, and a role in Christian imagery.
  6. Juniper

    • Origin:

      Latin tree name

    • Meaning:

      "young"

    • Description:

      Juniper is a fresh-feeling nature name -- it's a small evergreen shrub -- with lots of energy. A new favorite of fashionable parents, Juniper joins such other tree and shrub names as Hazel, Acacia, and Willow.
  7. Ethan

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "strong, firm"

    • Description:

      Ethan is a name that succeeds in being at once classic and fashionable, serious and cheery, strong and sensitive. Given a big boost via the name of the Tom Cruise character in the Mission Impossible film series, Ethan has fallen from its peak at Number 2 in 2009 and 2010, but is still popular in the US along with several other countries.
  8. Lola

    • Origin:

      Spanish, diminutive of Dolores

    • Meaning:

      "lady of sorrows"

    • Description:

      A hot starbaby name – chosen by Kelly Ripa, Chris Rock, Lisa Bonet, Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, Carnie Wilson, and Annie Lennox, and used as the nickname of Madonna's Lourdes – Lola manages to feel fun and sassy without going over the top. Be warned, though: "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets," to quote a song from the show Damn Yankees.
  9. Quinn

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"

    • Description:

      Quinn is one of the first popular Irish unisex surnames, a strong and attractive choice on the rise for girls but still popular for boys. Quinn was used for about 2600 baby girls and 600 boys in the US last year.
  10. Eden

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "place of pleasure, delight"

    • Description:

      Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the 17th century.
  11. River

    • Origin:

      Nature name

    • Description:

      River shares the tranquil feeling of all the water names, and seems to have pretty much escaped its past strong association with River Phoenix and his unfortunate fate. Actor Joaquin Phoenix named his son with actress Rooney Mara after his brother River.
  12. Wesley

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "western meadow"

    • Description:

      Reminiscent of the Old West, with rugged charm and a gentle, easy-going feel, Wesley has long been a staple on the US charts.
  13. Wyatt

    • Origin:

      English surname

    • Meaning:

      "brave in war"

    • Description:

      Wyatt has been hot, which is to say cool, for several years now. With its easy Wyatt Earpish cowboy charm, it's relaxed but still highly respectable.
  14. Edith

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "prosperous in war"

    • Description:

      Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image.
  15. Fiona

    • Origin:

      Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "white, fair"

    • Description:

      Fiona entered the American consciousness with the opening of the 1954 Broadway musical Brigadoon, but didn't come onto the U.S. popularity list until 1990.
  16. Willow

    • Origin:

      English nature name

    • Meaning:

      "willow tree"

    • Description:

      An ancient tree that figures in literature from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and is believed to possess magical powers, Willow is a lovely name, as graceful as its inspiration.
  17. Warren

    • Origin:

      English from French

    • Meaning:

      "park-keeper"

    • Description:

      Long lingering in limbo, Warren suddenly seems to be on the cusp of revival. One of the oldest recorded English surnames, Warren's popularity in the U.S. dates back to the nineteenth century, and by 1921, reached its peak at Number 24.
  18. Althea

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "with healing power"

    • Description:

      Althea is a poetic, almost ethereal name found in Greek myth and pastoral poetry, associated in modern times with the great tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win at Wimbledon.
  19. Valerie

    • Origin:

      French variation of Valeria

    • Meaning:

      "strength, health"

    • Description:

      The name of a martyred medieval saint, Valerie has been on the popularity list since its earliest publication in 1880. Though it peaked in the 1960s, remaining in the Top 100 until 1988, it still doesn't sound terminally dated; the association with the word valor gives it a sense of boldness and makes it one of the special group of girl names that mean strong.
  20. Anya

    • Origin:

      Russian diminutive of Anna

    • Meaning:

      "grace"

    • Description:

      Anya is a Russian variation of Anna, which came from the Hebrew name Hannah. Anya is the form found most frequently in Russia, Poland, and other East European countries, while Anja is the spelling usually preferred in Germany Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and The Netherlands. In the Hungarian language, Anya also means mother.