Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Lucy is if Latin origin and means light, the feminine form of Lucius.

I have to admit that Lucy has been a favourite of mine for a while. I love that it is so simple.

Scrolling through my list I noticed that I had a number of different forms of Lucy. Some of the names listed below I must admit, are quite far away from the original form of Lucy and all have different sentiments.

When I think of Lucy I see a sweet little daddies girl, with blonde hair, and doe eyes. Lucianna I start to think of a more outgoing dare-devil. Lucille is very strait laced. Lulu though, conjures up images of family pets.

My favourites are Lucinda and Lucia. Anyone have a particular favourite form of Lucy listed or unlisted for a girl or boy?

Girls

Lucy

Lucie

Luci

Lucille
Lucilia
Lucilla
Lucia

Lucinda

Lucetta

Lou

Luce

Lucette

Luciana/Lucianna

Lucida

Lucienne

Lucina

Lucine

Lusita

Lulu

Lucretia

Boys

Lucius

Luke

Lucas

Lucien

Lucio

Lucian

Luca

Hester

Hess-ter

It's a new name I've started to think about and quite like, if not love.

Recently, name wise, I've been in a bit of a rut. All my old names I used to love, I'm now close to deleting from my name list. In the hours in between, when my kids are sleeping, or my husband has taken them out to wear down their energy levels, I discovered (or rather re-discovered) Hester. I really took notice of it for once. At first I simply loved the name Hettie.

I'm a big nickname person currently. Loving names like Minnie, Lottie and Artie, but I'm a firm believer that a nickname cannot possibly be the first name. By all means, call them Minnie at home, but allow them to have some sort of choice of their name in, for example, their professional lives. They may prefer for their boss to call them Minerva and to friends and family to call them Minnie. Its always hard however, to love the name the nickname comes from isn't it? You see Minerva, makes my face scrunch up. Hester however is a breath of fresh air. I think teemed with a jazzy middle name Hester could be just right!

Hester "Hettie" Violet, Hester Louise May, Hester Lucille, Hester Tallulah Rose? I'm not sure about the middle names, I'm still mulling them over!

What is also important is the meaning! I love the meaning of names, I've always found my own name's meaning rather boring "Laurel Wreath" while people, like Sarah's name (especially special when a child) means "Princess". When I was smaller I was very angry at this boring meaning. Hester's meaning is "Star", it is of Greek Origins and a variant of the name Esther.

Another variant is Hestia. If my hubby didn't like Hester, I think I would then move on to convincing him to like Hestia, the Greek Goddess of the Hearth. Now, it's funny when I looked up Hetty it had a different meaning again, this time 'Myrtle Leaf', 'Star' (as was Hester) and 'God Rejoices'.

There have been many famous Hester's over time. Hester Prynne is the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlett Letter". I haven't read it but I'm hoping shes a good, gracious and strong willed Heroine.
Hester Thrale was a British diarist, author, and patron of the arts. Her diaries and correspondence are an important source of information about Samuel Johnson and eighteenth-century life.
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope is remembered by history as an intrepid traveller in an age when women were discouraged from being adventurous.

Hester is also a place in Western Australia, named after a settler, Edward Godfrey Hester. There is Hester Street in Manhattan. It is a symbol of Immigrant history, used in the 1975 film 'Hester Street'

I'm going to continue thinking about Hester and Hettie. Its close to the top of names I like. But then again on my list there are hundreds of names, especially for girls. I had better keep mulling it over and get back to the children, bed night stories, perhaps I'll get some inspirations from them for middle names, or other names to add to the never ending maybe list!

Austen Names

Elinor

Marianne
Margaret
John
Fanny
Edward
John Willoughby
Charlotte
Robert
Lucy


Elizabeth
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Jane
Mary
Katherine "Kitty"
Lydia
Charles
Caroline
George

Emma
George
Frank
Jane
Harriet
Phillip
Augusta
Anne
Henry

Catherine
Henry
John
Isabella
Frederik

My favourites are Harriet, Edmund and Henry. I love Kitty as nickname for Katherine. It's so much cuter than Kate or Katie! Lucy and Marianne are also lovely!

Austin and Olivia's Brother

I found you through the baby name snob's website. Maybe you can help us!
We're expecting our 3rd child, the second boy, in as few as 5 weeks. We've been looking at names for months, and this child does not have a name. Our other children's names are Olivia and Austin and our last name starts with an A.

We prefer names that are "normal", but not super trendy. We tend to like the status of Austin's name on the charts. Not too popular, but not unheard of.

More than likely, the baby's middle name will be Daniel, after my little brother. But, we're stuck on the first name. Some we like, but aren't sold on are:

Simon
Isaac
Mac
Weston (didn't know if this was too close to Austin)
Max

Any advice or thoughts on our name list?
Thanks! Tracy

--------------------------------------------------------

Hi Tracy

I'm loving your brainstorming. My favourite from your list would be Max, but what about the long version Maxwell or Maximilian.

From your brainstorming I think that Isaac, Olivia and Austin go great. The names really flow and Isaac Daniel sounds great.

I don't think that Weston is to close to Austin, but it doesn't seem to blend as well with Olivia as the other names do.

Some of these names I love and thought you might too. I'm going to list a few though just in case they are too popular I have included their current ranking

James (17)
Lewis (640)
Zachary (47)
Jordan (48)
Nathan (29)
Sean (83)
Cameron (53)
Dominic (93)
Evan (38)
Richard (181)
Aidan (59)
Colin (201)
Murdoch
Braden (293)
Mason (35)
Timothy (183)
Jonathan (26)
Andrew (12)
Paul (155)
Adam (72)
Nicholas (29)
Victor (111)
Ian (80)
Jackson (32)
Sawyer (424)
Merrick
Garrison (890)
Pierce (507)
Owen (58)
Lawrence (427)
Anton (832)
Angus (980)
Beckett (480)
Benson (995)
Conrad (758)
Fergus
Russel (888)

My favourite combinations:
James Daniel (Austin,Olivia, James)
Timothy Daniel (Austin, Olivia and Timothy)
Jonathon Daniel (Austin, Olivia, Jonathon)
Pierce Daniel (Austin, Olivia, Pierce)

Make sure you get back to us, with any other name ideas, or names your thinking of.

Good Luck!

Paper Names

Here are some of the births this week from Perth.

The Girls:

• Saskia Gina
• Catalina Isabella
• Summer Mazkenzie
• Eleanor Christina
• Indyana (Siblings Moses and Samson)
• Lexie Alice
• Layla Matilda
• Lilly Benita
• Phoebe Ann
• Eliana
• Elspeth Lucy
• Ruby Peggy May
• Charlotte Valentine

The Boys

• Luca Antonio
• Theo George
• Jed Tiger
• Blake Kevin
• Darcy Ryder
• Jarvin Francesco
• Oliver John
• Lachlan Martin
• Jacob Harry
• Stirling Reuben
• Romeo Giovanni
• Eli Peter
• Cruz William

Melbourne Cup

In Australia we had the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 2nd of November. It's a big day of racing and on!

Well any child (Gunner, Apple, Story) should glad they didn't get any horse for a parent. Who knows what there names could have been. They are defiantly very crazy. I thought it would be fun to see, if you had to choose one of these names for your child which would it be?

• Shocking


• Crime Scene


• Mourilyan


• Master O'Reilly


• Harris Tweed


• Alcopop


• Viewed


• C'Est la Guerre


• Kibbutz


• Newport


• Daffodil


• Munsef


• Gallions Reach


• Leica Ding


• Ista Kareem


• Allez Wonder


• Capecove


• Basaltico


• Zavite


• Spin around


• Roman Emperor


• Fiumicino


• Warringah
  

I'm thinking "Roman Emperor"? Maybe Daffodil for normality's sake. Daffofil could be acceptable within botanical themed names.

Beatrix Potter

As a mother, you read thousands of books to your children. Exciting, fun books, goodnight books, time to relax kids!

A childhood favourite of both my children and mine is author Beatrix Potter. We've all read them (I hope). Famous Peter Rabbit is my favourite. As a quick post, I thought that I would point out how cute some of these names were.

Well lets start with the author herself - Helen Beatrix Potter. Helen or Helena are beginning to come into use. Beatrix or Beatrice are names which continue to grow in popularity (though not too much). Its sophisticated and fun, and you have to love the nickname Bea!!

Jemima Puddle duck also has a lovely name. Jemima is a favourite of mine at the moment. Its oh so British I would say. Its great as a first or middle name.

She uses, in her books, distinguished boys names such as Peter, Tom, Benjamin and Samuel aswell. These are names which last through the ages, and can easily be teemed with a lively middle name, if you wish, to jazz them up such as Kingston, or Leif, or maybe Rafael?

What do you think?

Sweet Sibset

Of course people know about Pearl Lowe, singer in the 1990's. Her daughter's paternity revealed to be Gavin Rossdale's. Its a gossip guru's dream story.

Of course when I hear Pearl the first thing I think of is "Fantastic name!!!" but I have to say that I find her children's names to be even more adorable. They are probably totally opposite to anything I would use but they are cute English, nicknamey types of names with loads of character!

The names are Daisy, Alfie, Franky and Betty! Adorable or what?

Lou Sulola

Heidi Klum (soon to be Heidi Samuel) and Seal Samuel's awaited fourth child has arrived, Lou Sulola.

Lou is certainly short, sharp and cute and goes with her choice in nickname for daughter Leni.

I thought why not use Lou as a nickname and call her daughter Louise, Louisa, Louella, Eloise, Lois, or even Louisiana.

Her other children as follows:

• Helene "Leni"
• Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu
• Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo

She's used less middle names for little Lou but this goes in accordance with Leni's lack of middle name I suppose. There's not much on the name Sulola. It is an african name to honour Seal's heritage and like the other children's middle names it has personality!

Lou Sulola is a pretty adorably name! The family can even lengthen it to Loulou! One thing for sure Louise or Lou will increase in name popularity after Heidi and Seal have used it.

Congratulations guys!

Baby Lo

A reader, Karin Marie has a little girl named Amerie Lynette and is looking for a girls name for baby number 2 - "Lo".

Her favourites are Eloise, Rosemary/Rose/Rosemarie, Harlow, Opal, Pearl/Perla, June, Marigold, Aurora, Jainey, Estelle/Estella, Rene/Renee, Iris, Isla, Hazel, Esme, Mariella, Wrenn, and Fern.

And wants to incorporate a family name such as Ann, Francis, Carol, Coral, Poppy, Betty, Jane, Ruth, Mary or Marie.

___________________________________________________

Sorry for the very very very late late late reply but little Rosemary has been keeping me on my toes.

Firstly, can I just say that you have fantastic taste and it goes without saying that I think Rosemary is a super little girls name! Eloise too was on our final girls list - and it gives you your nickname Lo. Poppy and Jane are also beautiful. But please, please don't put her in the middle spot.

I think any of the names you like could work really well. Isla, Esme and Hazel are stylistically symmetrical with Amerie. Though I would discount Fern and Wren, which for me, are a bit too..."hippie" for Amerie's sister.

I'm liking the idea of Caroline. Perhaps Coraline? You get the family meaning, as well fitting in perfectly with Amerie's name in an unexpected way. Come to think of it a Caroline could easily shorten to Lo.

Frances, for the family meaning and the sound, could work smashingly. Frances has the "F" element of Fallon as well as the "Ann" sound. And its Grandpa's middle name! But if your after something a bit more feminine why not Francesca?

Speaking of Ann, it seems to be that you have your heart set on a version of Ann. Though I would not recommend Annette. Lynette and Annette are both lovely names but the "-nette" theme might be a bit over doing it.

I have suggested a few other "Ann" names below to put in the middle spot (or otherwise if you change your mind about the a's).

Hope you like the names I have suggested. Good luck with your little girl. She must be coming soon (if she isn't already here)!

Annabel

Annika

Anita

Annora

Anneliese

Annarose - A soft name that honour's both your sister and Nanna Carol Rose

Angela or Angelina or Angelica - my fave's Angelica

Anastasia

Nancy - My favourite Ann-Spin-off. She's so perfectly vintage and sooo due for a comeback!

Betsy - Love it! In honour of Nanna Betty. I suspect this one will be coming back real soon.

Jeanine - This could be another way (outside of Janet) to honour Jane

Rosanna

Rosabel - another darling way to get Rose and honour Auntie Carol

Dolores - I can almost see you looking straight over this one without considering it. But think of the nicknames. Lo, Lolita and Dolly are all beautiful. Dolores has really started to grow on me and you are guaranteed she will be with only one in her class.

Penelope (Poppy is a logical diminutive, Lo is too and I LOVE this name SO MUCH!)

Hermione

Dorothy

Aurelia

Fiona

Flora -just darling, my Rose's sweet middle name and another way to get Lo.

Camilla/Camille

Fleur

Iona

Theodora

Phoebe - a smashing sister for Amerie! Adore them together!

Pictured: The Linnet Bird for baby Amerie Lynette.

Celebrity Babies on the Way

It seems tis' the season for celebrity babies. Just in the past week or so we have seen an innumerable amount of Celebabies enter the world.

• Ellen Pompero welcomed a baby girl with a name out of this world (excuse the pun) -Stella Luna


• Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prince Jnr. dubbed their baby girl Charlotte Grace


• Ms Heigl-Kelley adopted Naleigh, and we will just have to thank god she is really Nancy Leigh. Though does any one else wish she was a Nancy Lee instead?


• Jude Law's illegitimate baby girl was christened the incredibly popular Sophia


• Juanes and wife Karen welcomed Dante


• and Amanda Beard named her baby boy Blaise Ray.


• Oh and lets not forget the outrageous Sparrow James Midnight! A perfect fit with Harlow Winter Kate in my opinion. But I seem to be one of the few that dislike her (meaningless and entirely ridiculous) name.

Celebabies due in the upcoming months are sure not to disappoint in the name department.

• Hiedi Klum and Seal are expecting a baby girl to join siblings Leni, Henry and Johan. I'm so looking forward to this one. I'm expecting something short, sweet, and familiar but uncommon.


• Kedra Wilkinson and Hank Basset are expecting a their first, a baby boy. I have a feeling she might be having Hank the Tripp. But who knows? I could be wrong.


• Marcy Rylan, from her show Guiding Light, and husband Don Money are expecting their first, and she has been calling it a he.


• Ashely Jensen, who's BFF with Rebecca Romijn, hasn't found out the sex of her baby. Her and her husband Terence Beesley are due in October.


• Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen is one of the many Victoria's Secret Angels expecting. Her baby boy, who she has announced will be Gabriel will join half brother John Edward Thomas from her husband Tom Brady's previous marriage.


• Fellow Victoria's Secret model Karolína Kurková is pregnant with her first. The sex is unknown to her.


• Jenna Elfman is expecting a sibling for brother Story Elias. I'm hoping its a girl simply because I'm curious what the female equivalent of Story is. India perhaps? Maybe Ever or Sage? We will just have to wait and see.


• Maya Rudolph is expecting a sibling for the fantastically named Pearl. What a breath of fresh air this baby's name is going to be.


• Scrubs' Judy Reyes is expecting a baby girl.


• Another Victoria's Secret Babe is expecting a babe of her own. Adriana Lima and husband Marko Jaric are due in December.


• Leelee Sobieski and husband Adam Kimmel are keeping the sex of their first baby a surprise.


• Days of Our Lives actors Arianne Zucker and Kyle Lowder are due is December


• Kourtney Kardashian has already said she will not be using a K name. Something tells me this little one has got more chance of being a Diamante or a Wynter than it has being an Elizabeth or a Charles.


• Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey are excited to give little curly-haired Levi a little brother or sister.


• Lastly, Jillian Reynolds of Good Day LA will welcome her first in January.

Told you it was the season for Celebrity Procreating.

Also, she may not be a Celebrity but you may remember Marilyn. Marilyn was looking for a name for her 4th. As it turns out Marilyn recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl with a lovely name - Daisy Aurora. Isn't she a doll?

Our Baby Girl

Edward Peter Nole is so happy to finally be a Big Brother and can't stop showering his little sister with kisses and cuddles. I can see why too, our baby girl is so beautifully delicate and is so terribly loved.

And to me, her name is the most beautiful name yet.

Rosemary Flora Claire enterted the world on the 6th of September a couple of weeks earlier than we anticipated and like her, her name is adored.

'Remy' gets her name from her Great Great Grandma Mary, her Great Grandma Victoria Mary, both of her Great Auntie Maria's, her Great Great Nanna Elizabeth Mary Royal, her Great Great Aunty Claire and her Great Great Auntie Rosina.

Rosemary is perfectly settled into the world already. When she isn't sleeping peacefully, playing happily with her big brother or eating plentifully she has her eyes wide open looking around her new home.

The Trend Continues

I guess you can cite it the "Twilight Trend", the trend of combining the names to create a truly individual name for your child used by Bella and Edward when naming Renesmee Carlie Cullen.

I'm personally not a big fan at all. The latest (not sure whether I should say victim or perpetrator) 'couple' to choose this method is Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley. They are adopting a daughter from Korea and naming her Naleigh after her mother Nancy and Sister Leigh.

Tell me would you ever use this method? Do you have to select individual names which mix right? Can we stop creating and prevent our children from having out of wack names. Naleigh its not a bad name but what's next?

Just Arrived!

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that on Sunday the 6th of September Sarah and Nathan had a gorgeous little girl, a sister for Edward Peter Nole and a beautiful Fathers day present for Nathan!!! Both mother and daughter are healthy and happy.

I went to visit Sarah today and her daughter is just adorable. I'll let Sarah tell you all about the perfect name they chose. I'm sure shes dying to tell you all!

Laura

Perdita

I was curious about this name. I heard this name and am quite taken by it! Pronounced per-DEE-tah, its got a fantastic sound to it - I love the 'Perrrr'!

With a fantastic sound the meaning is even better! As many of you will probably be aware, it was created (as quite a few names were) by Shakespeare! A young heroine in "The Winter's Tale" was named so. Her father abandoning her as he thought she was not his daughter. Rescued by a Shepherd she later fell in love with a Shepherd. Of course ending with a happily ever after! It was therefore used for its meaning: Lost.

Some other occurrence of this name include:

• The name of a sky ship in Neil Gaiman's Stardust in which the main characters travel
• The adult female Dalmatian in the 1961 Disney animated film 101 Dalmations
• A minor satellite of the planet Uranus
• A type of American native bees
• Perdita Felicien Canadian track athlete
• Perdita Huston women's rights activist

Names which sound like it include Perlita. Pearl is becoming an astoundingly popular middle names, and it is a variant of Pearl.

And Perita, a Hebrew name, a variant of Peri. It has the meaning Result or Outcome.

These are a few cute names which I hope interest you! They're defiantly quirky, feminine and unused. Get your hands on the names before they get used :D

Rachel Griffith & Clementine

About a month ago Rachel Griffith had a daughter. Sarah and myself were deadly curious what she was going to call her baby, as so far all of the names have been dead Australian. She had Banjo Patrick and Adelaide Rose. Banjo, of course, is the Poet and writer Banjo Patterson and Adelaide is the city. We were talking about names she might use (as said in an earlier post) such as Perth, or Melbourne. Matilda was a possibility for a girl. So we were surprised when she called her daughter Clementine Grace. There is no doubt that its a beautiful name- meaning 'my merciful'. But this brings up the whole issue of sticking with naming patterns by default of your first child. In my opinion if two are at least in the 'theme' then the rest should follow. For example Jamie Oliver, whose children all have botanical related names. (Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Petal Blossom Rainbow). For each name it is the parents choice and I don't think names should necessarily be decided by themes. My children certainly couldn't be more different- Kirsty, Aurora and Blake- but it never was an issue. I guess what ever pleases the parent!

Namesakes?

Some loves are a little irrational. Maybe even all loves. And sometimes, beyond all reason, you can fall passionatly and irrationally in love with a name.

To you Chloe is the perfect name. You dont care about popularity. It dosent matter that your cousin had a Chloe last year nor that your sister's name is Zoe. It dosent really compliment your last name. You dont really care for Cornelius and Chloe as a sibset - to you they are hardly within the same style and you absolutely hate matching initials. Your worried that your husbands family would struggle pronouncing it with their strong accents. And he also dated a Chloe for 3 years back in college. But every time he says "How about Amelia?" you have to hold back the tears.

Its not your fault really. Its beyond your control. You daughter will be Chloe.

Well I might have developed a bit of an irrational love. You could try an tell me that this name is probably a bit too "Star Baby" and far too flighty for Edward's little sister.You could try and tell me about how silly it sounds with our long Italian surname. It wouldn't matter.

So whats stopping me from declaring my love for her with a beautiful perfectly-named daughter in 6 weeks time? (if it is a daughter)

Just one problem. Can I, Sarah, really name my daughter Seraphine?

According to some, yes.

I went to school with an Elizabeth. Her Mom, Beth, named her so without even realising she was naming her daughter after herself. And rightly so. Elizabeth's named fitted in beautifully with those of her siblings, Alexandra, Josephine and Christopher.

I ran into Liz recently to discover that she has 2 little girls, Isabella and Alyssa. "How sweet
" I said. "All the girls in your family are all Elizabeths". And apparently this was news to her.

The diffence between me and Beth or Liz is that I am not oblivious to Seraphine's resemblence to my own name. Ignorance is no excuse so it is most definate that I will not be having a daughter called Seraphine in 6 weeks time.

Flapper Boys Names

We did the girls - now its time for the boys!

Boys names seem to fluctuate less than girls name so some of them are still quite popular today. They probably always will be. But there is nothing wrong with that. Classic names are well liked by everybody. Even those that opt for ultra-modern names tend to resort to these timeless favourites in the middle spot. And they come with an abundance of nicknames. I mean how cute is a little Alby from Albert!

There are also others that are due for a comeback. But all of them have the touch of sophistication to boot.

Otis and Henry are my favourites aside from the obvious Edward. In fact you might see me posting about a small one of these in about 6 weeks time.

Enjoy!

George

Richard

Edward

Donald

Frank

Harold

Paul

Raymond

Walter

Henry

Kenneth

Arthur

Albert

Eugene

Clarence

Earl

Ernest

Warren

Theodore

Frederick

Clifford

Glenn

Calvin

Milton

Everett

Otis

Emil

Cornelius

Sterling

Truman

Wilfred

Ferdinand

Ambrose

Anthony

Help for Angela

Her children:

Selvin Alexander

Mishel Nahomi

Hadassah Grace

Avalon Laura

We won't be finding out the sex so need to come up with two names. Our youngest daughter we finally agreed on a name the week before she was born and I have a feeling this one will be no easier. I don't want very trendy, cute or made up names so any suggestions would be so very welcome. I love the names Isla, Willow, Anja, Shepherd, Oliver and Makai.

The girls:

Saskia: Of Danish and Old German Origins this name means 'the Saxon people'.

Arissa: Meaning best it is a variant of Arista.

Narissa: Variant of the Greek name Narine it means 'sea nymph'.

Ayelet: I have to say I am in love with this name. It is a very delicate and feminine name meaning

Raphaella: The meaning of this name is "God Heals". If its Raphaela or Rafael its an adorable name, which would suit a chubby cherub.

Evedene: This name is a variant of such names as Eve, Evaline and Evelyn. It means life animal. An unusual name I see it working with your other children's beautiful names.

Morganne: Is a virtually unused name, meaning 'brightness', if used for a first or middle name I think it brings character into any name.

Havannah: I hadn't heard of this name before and am quite taken with it! Its a place name of course being the capital of Cuba.

Roshelle: A delightful french name which I of course class with the name Gisele. Meaning little rock it can be shortened to Elle or Ellie.

Helena: Decreasing drastically in popularity over the past 10 or 20 years I think this name could use a revival. Helen has been a name for many beautiful and intelligent women, of course Helen of Troy. Meaning 'Shining Light"

Lilia: Lilly is currently such an overused name as it Leila. So its no suprise it means Lilly the flower.

Linnea: Of Scandinavian origins it means lime or linden tree. It is also the name of a mountain flower which is small and pink. All little girls of course love the name pink so make sure to tell her if choose it!

Pilar: Pronounced PEE-La this is a Spanish name meaning pillar. I thought I would include some Spanish names due to the choices of your other children names.

Preah: Preah Vihear is a place in Cambodia, located near the border of Thailand. I'm forming a bit of a crush on 'P' names!

Evita: Variant of the Hebrew name Eva its meaning is life.

Isleta: A variant of ever popular name Isla I love the sound of this name. Isleta comes from the Spanish language and means "Little Island."

Malaya: A place name it means the state of Malays. It was named by British settlers. Also has been used for naming a boat HMS Malaya, a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the Royal Navy.

Maribel: A modern blend of Mary and belle this was a highly popular name in the 1960s however is hardly used currently. Its a more original name that those of Claribel which is highly popular.

Olive: As you liked the names Willow and Isla and think this is right up your street. A variant of Olivia it means Olive tree.

The boys:

Paxton: Of old English origin it is a place name It is also derived from the Latin "pax", meaning "peace", and the Old English "tun", meaning "settlement".

Arlon: An Irish/ Gaelic name and meaning Promise. Its a beautiful name which would be easy to team a middle name with.

Soren: Variant of Severus meaning apart.

Loudon: The German name means low valley. It has a fantastic sound!

Ezekiel: Of Hebrew origins it means strength of God. In retrospect however it is part of the increasingly popular biblical baby name trends.

Micah: We have heard of the cute girl name MEEKA on this blog but there is also a masculine variant. Again of Hebrew origins it is a variant of Michael.

Niklas: variant of Nicholas I love this funky spelling. It means victorious person.

Arden: I have a love of A names and this is no difference. Meaning great Forrest it is the surname of a Shakespearean character. It was popular in the early 1900s.

Ramiro: Portuguese and Spanish origins it means renounced counsellor. Its an upbeat fun name.

Salomon: This name means peace. You can alternatively use Solomon, depending on how you feel about the spelling.

Olivander: You liked the name Oliver so I wasn't sure if you wouldn't like this alternative. Its definatly got style. It means olive tree.

Levander: A Mediterranean name with alternatives including Evander.

Cute Coraline

So I'm sure everyone with young kids keeps up with movies or T.V shows. A little outing to take your precious children to have a little bit of a break in the dark quiet cinema. Well Coraline the movie is coming out in Australia I couldn't help but think what a cute name! Its got a bit of a tropical edge to it but I don't think it would be out of whack with other trendy names. Its actually quite a normal name. So I thought I would explore a bit about this name.

So Coraline is a variance of Coral a nature name being natural sea growth, often deep pink or red in colour. While Coral was popular in the 1990s Coraline is an un-ranked name so you don't have to worry about popularity issues.

The 3D fantasy film is based on Neil Gaimans novel Coraline and focuses on a child who finds her way into a parallel world.

Nicknames include Cora, Corrie, Lina, Lynne/Lin.

Different spellings and similar names include Coralyne, Coralline, Koraline, Coralie.

I'm adding this name to my list, I'm quite taken with it!

Octavia

I stumbled across this name when watching a Roman documentary. I have to say the Roman's had some great choices in names. Octavia Minor was the sister of the first Roman Emperor Augustus (also known as Octavian). She was also the wife of Mark Antony.

Octavia, of Latin origins, of course means eight and was often given to the eighth child of a family during the Victorian Era in England. It is the feminine version of Octavius.

This name is feminine and I believe quite stately. A strong name which should not be used lightly. I think I could see this name used in a family with Petrova's or Edwards, perhaps even used with a Darion (a favourite of mine lately).

Variants or similar names to Octavia include Octaviana, Octavianne, Octavie, Octiana, Octoviana, Ottavia, Tavia, Tavie and Tavy.

In my opinion I'm not to fond of the nicknames of Tavie or Oct. Tavia is not bad as they go. Hope your also keen on the name. Let me know your thoughts!

Octavia

Baby name question

I am expecting baby #3 in September and am getting very stumped for a boy's name. We have a son Cason Nathaniel and a daughter Mira Ashlyn. If this one is a girl we are thinking either Camille or Holland, but the boy name has really left me searching and searching and coming up with nothing! Our last name is one syllable starting with M, so we are avoiding one syllable first names. After naming our son Cason I have some small regrets about how it falls in with all the trendy Caden/Aidan kids now, so I am extra leery of anything that might even turn out to be trendy later. For this baby, I have thought of Simon, Rueben, Bowen, Sullivan, etc... but nothing really thrills me. I guess, like a lot of parents, we want something uncommon but also not weird. Help!

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First of all we apologise for how long it has take to return your question. I hope that the pregnancy is going well and that name ideas are going strongly. I love Camille as a girls names. Its very feminine and gentle. I also love your children's names of Mira and Cason. There fantastic names not to off beat but not to popular that you can think of hundreds of others with the same name. I hope that this post is helpful in choosing a boys name. Make sure you let us know when you have the little angel, we also love to know what people decide in the end.

Kieran - This is an old Irish name with plenty of charm! Its meaning is black. It is only ever so slightly popular decreasing currently as people go for more off the track names.

Keaton - This has a fabulous meaning House of Hawks. Used as a last name Its is of old English Origins.

Konrad/ Conrad- Virtually an unused name this is of German and Polish origins meaning a bold advisor. Conrad is however a common Last name so may if your not to keen on popular last names this may be a miss.

Titus - This is a bit off the track from your brainstorming ideas like Simon and Reuben but I think it could work with Mira and Cason. Meaning defender it was the name of a Roman Defender. Loads of Characters and heaps of history.

Cameron: This was a popular name in the 1980s and 1990s. It means crooked nose. I tell you some name meanings are just so wacky! It is most popular in Scotland.

Beckett- A girls or boys name (though i much prefer it in masculine context) it is of English origins meaning Beehive or bee cottage. This is an unused name.

Lincoln - This is such a strong masculine name. It just oozes strength. Of old English origins it means Lake Colony. Nicknames like Link.

Seamus - Of course an Irish name, this is a cute name full of character. I can just imagine a cheeky toddler with this name! This is variant of Hebrew name James (I didn't know that).

Pierce - Quite a suave name of course everyone knows it from Pierce Brosnan. It means rock. Unused its peek in popularity in 2004.

Garrett- Or if you wanted Gareth means gentle one. It is an uncommon first name though popular last name. It is currently ranked 124.

Darion -Of Greek Origins it means Gift. Ranked 804 in American Baby names.

Atticus - I have to say i have quite a name crush on this name. Of course known through to Kill a Mockingbird. It means from the Athens. It is thought to be the name of the first publisher in the Roman Empire. It is currently ranked 683

Campbell - Of Scottish and Gaelic origins it means crooked mouth, here we go with the strange meanings again. It is not ranked in the top 1000 baby names.

Leonard - This means lion strength and is of German origins. Popular in the early 1900s it is a rare first name today.

Gregor/Gregory - Meaning watchful and vigilant this is an old name used marred by shortenings such as Greg. I prefer Gregory however for its strong sounding masculine name.

Remus- Its a charming old name this one being the Latin word for oar. Not ranked in the top 1000 its got loads of character as it off the beat from current trends.

Hamon/Hammond- Is an old German name meaning home Protector. With its quaint meaning and and fabulous sound whats not to love? It is a surname also.

From this list my favourite choices would be Atticus, Darion, Keaton and Remus. If you have any other ideas for names make sure to comment back! We would Love to know how name brainstorming is going! Good luck!

New Arrival

Roger Federer, tennis world number one and his wife Miroslava "Mirka" Federer have had twin girls. Born on Thursday the girls are called Myla Rose and Charlene Riva .

Myla pronounced MYE-lah means merciful and is the feminine version of Myles.

Charlene pronounced Shar-LEEN is the feminine version of Charles meaning a free man.

While Myla has grown in popularity since 2005 Charlene has decreased in popularity since the 1990s. The middle name choices of Rose is of Latin origin the flower a symbol of the Virgin Mary while Riva is the short version of the Hebrew name Rebecca as well as being French word for shore.

I especially like Myla out of the choices. Myla is quite new age while as Charleen is quite a 50s throw back name. I'm a bit disappointed also on their choice of Rose. It seems a too easy choice what with Eve also. I'm glad however they teemed Charleen with a more upbeat middle name Riva to for go the past.

Congratulations Roger and Mirka!

Coming Up!

Sorry to all those waiting to have their baby name emails and comments answered in a post yet(I think there is about 3 of you now). I promise Laura and I are going to set some time aside to do them soon. In the meantime, you can look forward to whats coming up in the next month:

• The 1920s Boys Names Post is coming up soon as a follow up for the Gourgeous Girls I posted about a few weeks ago.
• The Botanical Girls Name Post is also well overdue as the follow up to the Beautiful Boys from about a million years ago.
• There will be, at this stage, 3 posts for readers that have requested a little helping hand with choosing names.
• And you know those Name Crush Posts I sometimes write? Well, they are going to be turned into a regular once a month thing. Look out for our new Name of the Month posts.

Greeks Gods and Goddesses

Often people look for names with a certain sound, a certain ere, a certain letter. If you want a name with a fantastic meaning behind it and history Greek Gods and Goddesses may be just the place to start looking. Some of these names previous I had not heard of and am truly falling in love with.

Olympian Gods:

Zeus (Zoo-s)is the god of the sky and ruler of all the Olympian gods. Lord of the sky, the rain god his weapon is a thunderbolt. The name Zeus means living.

Hades (Ha·des) is the the brother of Zeus and was Lord of the Underworld ruling over the dead. He is also God of wealth due to the precious metals and jewels underground.

Hestia (Hes-te-a) is the sister of Zeus and is the God of Hearth, a symbol of the house. In cities there were fires dedicated to Hestia never allowed to be extinguished. This is so children would enter the house and family safely.

Hera (HARE-ah) wife of Zeus she is the Greek Queen of Heaven, due to her husbands infidelities was often names goddess of marriages.

Aris (A-Ris) is the son of Zeus and is the God of War, disliked by both his parents. He was thought of as blood stained and a coward.

Athena (a-THEE-nah) is the daughter of Zeus and Greek virgin Goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She was Zeus's favourite child and so was permitted to use his thunderbolt. She is also supposed to of invented such instruments as the bridle.

Apollo (Ah-POH-loh) is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister being Artemis. He is the God of music and the god of healing, teaching man of medicine. He is also the God of truth and light. He drives the sun chariot across the sky.

Aphrodite (Af-ro-die-tee) is the Goddess of love, desire and beauty. She was said to have been born from the sea foam so Aphrodite also translates to mean 'foam'.

Hermes (HER-mees) was the most intelligent of Olympus Gods and was the messenger for them. The fastest of all Gods he was the son of Zeus and Maia. He is also the god of thieves and commerce, the guide also for dead in the underworld.

Artemis (AR-te-miss) is the goddess of chastity, virginity, hunting, the moon, and the natural environment. She is the daughter of Zeus and her twin brother is Apollo. She is protector of the young presiding over child birth. In contemporary society Artemis may also be a boys name.

Titans

Gaea (GAY-ah) is the Goddess of Earth and mother of all the Titans.

Rhea (REE-ah) was the wife of Cronus. He swallowed all their children. She however tricked him into swallowing a rock saving her son Zeus. Lucky escape! Her names means flowing.

Phoebe (FEE-BEE) is the titan of the moon. The feminine version of Phoebus, meaning bright.

Thea (THEE-AH) is the goddess of whom light derives from. She is the mother of Helios (sun), Eos (dawn), and Selene (moon).

Atlas (AT-LESS) was forced to hold the world upon his back as he supported Cronus over Zeus. Holding the world was a punishment by Zeus. His names therefore has connotations of strength and power.

Metis (MEE-Tis) was the titan of the fourth day as well as planet mercury, presiding over the power of wisdom and knowledge. Zeus ate her as it was heralded that her second child would replace him. This name has also be known to be a boys name.

Other Gods

Demeter (dih-mee'-tur) is the goddess of corn and grain, overall the earth, fertility and agriculture. Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped, she therefore put a curse on earth to make the plants die. It was agreed Persephone would spend six months in the underworld, during this time her mother grieves for her- winter.

Persephone (per-SEHF-ə-nee) is the daughter of Demeter and is the goddess of spring time. She was abducted by Hades into the underworld where she became queen of the underworld for six months a year.

Eros (E-Ros) the son of Aphrodite is the God of Love. His weapon the bow and arrows, stunning coups into uncontrollable love.

Eris (E-Ris) the Goddess of Discord was often snubbed by other Gods. She followed her brother Aris into battle with son strife. The Trojan Horse was a result of of not inviting Eris to a wedding.

Pan the son of Hermes and Penelope was the God of Shepard's. He is perceived as merry and happy frequently dancing with nymphs

Girls Names of the Roaring 20's!

You know how you keep seeing flapper dresses in the shops now? Well they're coming back! And guess what. Baby Names from the 20s are too. They have been for a while and will undoubtely keep coming back.

Need Proof?

Olive is back in the top 1000. Julia Roberts named her starbaby Hazel and SJP just had Marion Loretta. And speaking of starbabies lets not forget about the growing popularity of Violet. Rose has become a staple middle name next to Grace who has also hit the popularity stakes for first names. Lillian and Evelyn are now American favourites with their fellow top 100 members Audrey and Charlotte. And Ruby is close on their tails sitting just outside the top 100.

All of these names are 1920's favourites.

Though you may be a little too late to use these if your are looking to stand out of the crowd we have plenty of other 20s favourites for you to choose from that are equally dazzling and are destined for a comeback. As a sucker for vintage names (I did name my son Edward) Ithem (just perhaps not Fannie, Dorcas or Fairy). My faves are the red.

Agnes

Barbara

Beatrice

Belinda*

Bess

Betsy

Betty

Billie

Clementine

Delores

Donna

Dorothea**

Dorothy

Eleanor

Eulalia

Flora

Florence

Gwendolyn

Harriet

Helen

Henrietta

Louise

Lucy

Mabel

Margaret

Mary

Maudie

Mavis

Mildred

Millicent

Minnie

Nancy

Opal

Pansy

Regina

Roberta

Rosemary

Thelma

Theodora**

Wilhelmina

Wilma

Winifred

*I love this with the darling little nickname Bindi

** It is my ULTIMATE fantasy to have twin girls called Dorothea and Theodora!

Up-to-Date Royal Names

My mum loves reading all the Hello's which have the Royal on the front with titles like "Is William engaged to Kate" etc etc. There are always stories about monarchs from across the globe and some of the names are quite all right! Princess Beatrice is even popular. So here's a taste of what the rich and traditional call their children with some cute nicknames. Tell me what you think!

England:
-Elizabeth and Phillip (Lizzie, Liz, Phil)
-Charles and Camilla (Charlie, Milly)
-William (Wills, Bill)
-Henry (Harry as he is commonly called)
-Andrew (Andy)
-Beatrice (Trixie, Trix, Bea)
-Eugenie

Spain:
-Juan Carlos and Sofia (Sofie)
-Filipe and Litizia (Fil, Lettie
-Leonor (Nora)
-Sofia (Sofie)
-Elena (El, Ellen)

Monaco:
-Albert II (Al, Bert)
-Caroline (Carol, Carry, Car)
-Andrea (Andy)
-Pierre
-Charlotte (Lottie)

Denmark:
-Margrethe (Marg, Margery, Maggie)
-Frederik and Mary (Fred, Freddie)
-Christian (Chris)
-Isabella (Bella, Issy, Belle)
-Joachim

SJP twin girls

(SJP and James)

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick twin girls have arrive and their names are as sweet as ever!

Her first child names James Wilkie now has twin sisters Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge. Elwell and Hodge are family names.

Marion is of English origin, a variant of Mary and meaning 'star of the sea'. And of course is well known because of Maid Marion of Robin Hood.

Tabitha is of Aramaic origin and means 'gazelle'. I of course have always loved this name from the show Bewitched, Samantha's daughters name.

I think overall James, Marion and Tabitha goes well together.

Congratulations and all the best to them!

Another Name Crush

Its 13 weeks to go! And we thought it was about time to stop making the decision harder for ourselves by continuously adding names to our lists and sit down and nut out our top 10 girls and boys.

I don't know if you have ever tried to choose you favourite name in the world out of I don't a Billion. Its harder than you might think - but we did it. It took the better part of our Sunday but we did it. We now have a top 10 (well 11 for girls) and I think we might be a the right track - no more names that are unusable (like September with Edward for example) and no more names we can't both agree on.

All was well until we turned on the TV. Some renovation competition was on. Just as well we couldn't find the remote (we are so sick of renovations) because one of the judges names caught our attention.

Isn't it a lovely name! It is a variant of Sybil which I'm not too keen on for my own use but don't mind at all. It means 'prophetess, oracle' and is from Greek origins.

What do you think?

Is it worth it spending hours convincing Nathan to get her on the list?

Or do you think that perhaps she is middle name material?

I would LOVE to know.

A Late Helping Hand

Many moons ago we received a question by a reader to help us name her 4th child. And I'm so sorry it has taken so long to get back to Marilyn. You see, we are renovating at the moment to make way for our new baby and it is all a bit stressful.

My first instinct when I got this question was to get my baby name books and have a flick through but this does leave me a limited supply. I think my second instinct might have been a bit more on the money. I don't like to poach ideas from other blogs for originality's sake but my fellow blogger Lola from Lola's Onomastic Fits seems to have quite similar tastes to this reader. So I requested her help to answer this question. Please welcome her as our guest blogger and please visit her blog! This will be a very long and concentrated post!
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I've been asking this question to all the great name-people I can find, so hopefully you have some ideas for me! We're expecting our fourth baby in August and not finding out the gender. I'm looking for girl and boy name ideas that fit well with our current three boys: Abraham Thomas (Abe), Sebastian Dane (Sebby or Seb), and Malachi Norris (Ky). I like names that can be dignified but I also like nicknames that allow a little flexibility/casualness.For girls names, I love nature names like Violet (Lettie)---but is that getting too popular? I also love Daisy but wish I could use it as a nickname for a longer name (Marguerite is one idea, but I think it would confuse people). I like Indigo, Juniper, Calla, and others---but don't know if they fit with my boys' names? I'm not set on a nature name; I also like Jemima and Josephine and many others.So---any ideas?? I would appreciate any feedback you or your readers have. :) Thanks!!
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Lola writes:
Marilyn,
This is indeed a challenge; your boys have fabulous names, one & all, and I'm sure we'll find something equally fabulous for their sibling!

Firstly, I'm not entirely sold on Marguerite, nickname Daisy being confusing. I mean, the French word for Daisy is Marguerite! And while it may confuse a few, I'd consider it a learning experience for those few. Hey, give them a chance to learn something new, right? :) Marguerite is elegant enough to sit well with your boys. And It is sprightly and feminine, to stand apart well. There are also plenty of other nickname options for Marguerite, if she so chose, too. Maggie, Meggie, Maya, Rita. But daisy is my favorite nickname option too.

Now, you also mentioned Violet (Lettie) and wondered if that was getting popular. I'm a Yank and Violet here is leaping up the charts. Violet now stands at 184 of 1000 and that's pretty spectacular to me. Violet didn't chart but sporadically between 1971 & 1998! Spectacular rise here. Makes me wary of it myself.

Now, you also mentioned Jemima & Josephine which completely makes me smile. Josephine is my 5 year old and Jemima is my #3 name for a potential sister. Jemima in particular would be spectacular with your boys. Biblical, naturey (Jemima means Dove) and absolutely beautifully feminine, Jemima would easily be *my* choice if I had your boys.

Indigo is a bit out of step with Abe, Seb & Ky and Indy is quite masculine a nickname to me (I think Jones & 500 right off the bat).

Juniper feels a bit off too, more naturey, not as elegant, and June is a lovely nickname option (as is Juno) but I'd rather see Juno right off with June as a possible nickname. Juno's awesome and feels far more elegant alone than Juniper or June. How awesome is the queen of heaven (according to Roman Mythology), the protectress of women & marriage and the goddess of finance too. Really, just all around strong & elegant!

Calla works too, tiny, elegant and naturey but in a line, Abraham, Sebastian, Malachi & Calla? I want to sing "One of these things is not like the other ones, one of these things just doesn't belong..." like on Sesame Street.

But some other random thoughts:
Oliver - Ol, Ollie
Gabriel - Gabe
Henry - Harry
Raphael - Rafe, Rafa, Ralph
Simeon/Simon - I have one, he goes by Sim fairly often. I still wish I'd gone with Simeon. So much snappier! He could also go by Sy.
Atticus
Dominic - Dom
Phineas - Finn, Finny
Edward - Ed
Demetrius
Jasper
Absalom
Julian/Julius - With your boys, I think Julius fits better but you may prefer the more modern feeling Julian.
Gideon
Barnabas - Barnaby
Edgar
Ephraim (ef-ram)
Moses
Linus
Adrian
Solomon - I've been thinking "Sol is pretty neat" myself.
Samson - Sam

Jemima - Jemma, Jem, Mimi, Mim
Sarai
Josephine - my daughter's name, she goes by Josie, Posy, Poppy, Fifi Effie & Jo. Talk about options!
Solange - Ange, Sol
Chaya
Lillian - Lilly
Miriam - Miri
Zipporah - means "dove" just like Jemima.
Angelina - Ange
Valentina - Val, Tina
Lucia - Lucy
Noemi
Magdalena - Maggie, Lena
Salome
Cecelia - Cecily
Audrey
Phoebe
Susannah - Susie, Sukie, Lily, Rose (Susannah means rose but earlier, meant lily)
Genevieve - Gen, Evie, Eve
Dinah
Esther
Beatrix - Bea, Bee, Trix, Trixie
Elspeth
Amira

But my top 3 for each (for you): Josephine, Jemima & Susanna/h (I prefer Susanna, most people prefer Susannah) with Marguerite a runner up. Raphael, Simeon/Simon & Solomon (with Phineas a runner up).

I hope that at least gives you a starting place, Marilyn (I LOVE your name, too!) and if you need any other thoughts, ideas or just general feedback, feel free to ask, I'd love to help some more!
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NFATE writes:
We are very sorry it as taken this long to get a reply out of us but hopefully the what we lack in punctuality we make up for in quality of our responses.

I really like the names you mentioned. Calla is 100% divine! I think as you have only had boys so far I think you could probably get away with just about anything if its a girl, especially considering the difference in styles of Sebastian, Malachi and Abraham. If I were you I would be considering something quite long though. Perhaps Calla could be used as a nickname for Calliope (Cal-Eee-Oh-Pee) or Calantha?

Violet too is wonderful. I don't think she is getting too popular either. As you might have seen I did a post on her popularity in Australia. Even if she is 'too popular' I think that if you truly love it then you should just go ahead and use her. If your a yank your more likely to run into a little Karen, Jacqueline, Jillian or Angel, and how many of those do you know?

So here are my suggestions. Instead of doing things in the way we usually do them round here (a name then a little bit of information about it) I think for consistencys sake I might just do a big list with nicknames like Lola.

The boys:
Kenneth - Ken
Wesely -Wes
Theodore - Theo, Teddy, Ted
Phillip - Philo, Phil,
Graham - Grey
Declan -Dec
Arthur - Art, Artie
Everett - Rhett
Walter - Walt
Russel - Russ
Ernest - Ernie (Oh I just adore this name! I have been dying to sugest him for ages!)
Gilbert - Gil
Augustus - Gus
Angus - Gus
Callum - Cal
Alistair/Alasdair - Ali
Clifford - Cliff (One of my favourite books of all time is Lady Chatterly's Lover)

The Girls:
Persephone (per-sef-uh-nee)
Anais (ahn-na-ees) - Annie
Matilda - Mattie, Tilly, Tilda
Rhiannon - Rhi
Constance - Connie
Viola - Vie (just incase you want an alternative to Violet)
Giselle - Elle
Aurora - Rory (Laura's beautiful little girl)
Georgia - Gia, George, Georgie
Gwendolyn - Lyn, Gwen, Wendy
Sylvia - Sylvie, Via (on my list)
Ayelet (eye-let or ah-yeh-let) so its like Violet with out the V
Seraphina - Sera, Fifi
Iolanthe - Io
Diana-Di
Ophelia-Fifi
Alice -Ali, Al