Sunday, November 14, 2010

Alternatives to Common Names

I got the idea for this blog from a question that Grace (Grace63) asked me on formspring the other day. The popularity of names doesn't really bother me. Some of my favorite names are very popular but that would not stop me from using them. I know, however, that a lot of people are put off using some names because of their popularity so here are my ideas for more unusual alternatives to common names.

Girls

Ava:
Ada - This name is very similar to Ava but a lot less common and has a nice old-fashioned feel to it.
Aveline - This name is more elaborate and feminine than Ava and you could use Ava as a nickname if you wanted.
Avelina - This name is super feminine and has both Ava and Lina as possible nicknames.
Avia - This one might be a bit too similar to Ava for some people but it is very sweet and pretty.

Eva:
Aoife - pronounced (EE-fah) this Irish nam is a softer sounding alternative to Eva.
Eve - Eve is an even shorter and simpler name than Eva, great if you like uncomplicated names.
Evelyn - This is a very grown-up and sophisticated sounding name.
Evelina - This name is ultra feminine and super pretty!

Emily/Emma:
Emme - From what I see on formspring, a lot of people like this name. Eventhough it ends in the 'ee' sound which can make names seem childish the spelling of this name makes it seem more grown-up.
Emmeline - The conection with Emmeline Pankhurst makes me think of this as a very strong and willful name!
Emilia - A beautiful Shakespearean name, the only problem is it will get mixed up with Amelia a lot.
Emmalina - One of the more elaborate Em- names, this name is very princessy sounding!

Anna:
Anya - This is a simple yet exotic alternative to Anna.
Annika - This is a pretty Scandanavian alternative to Anna.
Annabelle - This is a sophisticated and old-fashioned sounding name which could use Anna or Belle as a nickname.
Annabeth - This is even cuter and spunkier than Annabelle.

Lily:
Lillian - A more grown-up version of Lily that can still use Lily as a nickname.
Liliana - This name is extremely feminine and exotic sounding.
Líle - This is pretty Irish name is prounced LEE-lah and means lily.
Lilou - This French name meaning 'lilies' is even cuter than the English Lily.

Elizabeth:
Lizbeth - This name sounds like a contracted version of Elizabeth it is pretty and unexpected.
Elizabelle - This ancient name would be great if you like both Elizabeth and Isabelle.
Elspeth - This Scottish form of Elizabeth comes with the sweet nickname Elsie.
Elisa - This Italian diminuative of Elizabeth is short, sweet and very cute.

Ella:
Eleanora - This name sounds old-fashioned, sophisticated and princessy.
Della - This is a short form of names like Adela and Adelaide and it makes an unexpected alternative to Ella.
Elsa - This short and sweet name is easy to spell and pronounce and is much less popular than the similar sounding Ella.
Elena - I love this name pronounced el-AY-nah but if tou pronounced it like Elena from formspring (ELL-en-ah) it would make an even better alternative to Ella.

I had less inspiration for the boys names than for the girls but here is what I came up with:

Boys

Aiden:
Eamon - pronounced AY-min this nam is of Irish orgin like Aiden.
Adrian - This name sounds similar to Aiden but is different enough not to get confused with it.

James:
Seamus - This is the Scottish form of James and it lends an funky celtic vibe to the name.
Jay - This cool, modern sounding name is a short form of James.
Jameson - This name means 'son of James' and would be a graet choice if you want to name your son after his father who is called James.

William:
Gwilym - Pronounced GWIL-im this is the Welsh form of William.
Illiam - This is the Manx form of William, it's cool but will probably get confused with William all the time.
Willem - This name is very cool sounding but has the same problem with it as Illiam.
Uilleam - pronounced OO-lim this name would be less confusing than Illiam or Willem but the spelling might be a problem.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Twin Names

This blog is going to be about twin names - this was suggested by Sophie (AmliaRose) on formspring.
A lot of people choose really matchy nams for their twins such as: rhyming names like Jayden and Kayden or names with a specific theme such as Summer and Autumn or Hope and Faith. I don't like matchy names for twins because I feel that twins should have their own seperate identities and using names that are too simelar would lead to them getting mixed up more than they would usually.
Some ideas that I like for naming twins are:

Names that start with the same letter.
This may seem to suggest matchy names to some people but I think names that start with the same letter can create a sense of unity as long as the names don't sound too similar like Emma and Emily, Natalie and Natasha, Jayden and Jayda or Christopher and Christian.
Some same letter combinations that I like are:

Abigail and Alice
Caroline and Charlotte
Emily and Eleanor
Calum and Catriona
Damon and Daniela
Logan and Lucas
John and Joseph

Biblical Names
A lot of parnts use pairs of biblical names for twins. I usually like these pairs and think they can work very well. Some biblical pairs that I like are:

Elizabeth and Mary
Leah and Eve
Jacob and Leah
Benjamin and Rachel
James and John
Caleb and Joshua
Benjamin and Jacob


Names of similar legnth
I think this works particularly well with longer names but it can work with short names too names with the same number of syllables tend to go together without seeming matchy. Some good same legnth pairs that I like are:

Elizabeth and Alexandra
Olivia and Isabella
Abigail and Emily
Nicolas and Sophia
Benjamin and Abigail
Thomas and Joseph
Benjamin and Nicholas

Names of the same origin
Names that are too different can be almost as bad as names that are too simelar as they don't seem to be connected at all. Using names of the same origin can make names seem like they go together and have a connection.

Aurora and Calista
Alessandra and Gabriella
Élodie and Océane
Catriona and Isla
Calum and Isla
Ciaran and Aine
Asher and Levi
Luca and Nico
Lachlan and Ruairi

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Intressting finds from the French top 200!

I came across the list of the top 200 names in France in 2009 and I thought I would share some of my most interessting finds the with you. This post concentrates on girls' names because I didn't think the boys names were that intersting.

Here are the names:

Coralie – This is a very pretty and feminine French name that means 'little maiden'.

Celeste - This name has a sophisticated and old-fashioned feel. It's meaning of 'heavenly' makes it even more appealing.

Noeline – This is a pretty and feminine variant of Noelle and would be great for a Christmas baby.

Inaya - pronounce 'in-EYE-ah' this exotic sounding Arabic name means concerned and fits in well with names like Maya and Amaya which are growing in popularity.

Amina – This is a very sweet sounding Arabic name that has a great meaning of 'honest and hopeful'

Elodie - This pretty French name would make a good alternative to Emily.

Violette - Pronounced 'vee-oh-LET' this is the French form of Violet and is even prettier that the English form.

Angèle - This beautiful French name more or less speaks for its self.

Laurine – This name has a very elegant, French feel and would make a good alternative to names like Lauren and Laura.

Enora – This is an interesting and unusual form of Eleanor.

Solène – Pronounced 'sol-ENNE' this graceful sounding French name means solemn.

Clementine - This is an interestind and unusal but not unheard of name with a spunky feel.

Elina – Pronounced 'el-EEN-ah' this is a pretty and feminine form of Elena.

Mila – Pronounced (MEEL-ah) this is a short and sweet slavic name with the wonderful meaning of 'gracious and dear'.

Aya – Pronounce 'EYE-ah' this is a Japanese name with a fresh, modern feel.

Maissa - Pronouncd 'my-EES-ah' this exotic sounding name would make a great alternative for the popular name Melissa and Marissa.

Marine – This name is a variant of Marina and is fresher and more interesting than Marie.

Amandine – This is a pretty and feminine form of Amanda with the beautiful meaning of 'lovable'

Melina - This a pretty and exotic sounding name which means 'honey'.

Maeva – Pronounced 'MAY-vah' this is an exotic sounding Tahitian name.

Anais – pronounced 'an-eye-EES' this is an interesting and exotic form of Ana.

Lilou- Pronounced 'lee-LOO' this is a very cute name that means 'lillies'

Léa - Pronounced 'LAY-ah' this name is more interessting and much less popular than the common name Leah.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Isabella, Gabriella....

Long ultra-feminine names ending in the ah sound are very popular at the moment. This is not supprising as these names are not just beautiful and girly but also strong and they tend to age well. Some of these names such as Isabella and Gabriella and incedibly popular at the moment but this is my list of names that fit into this category but are a little bit less common. Enjoy!



Alessandra - This is the Italian form of Alexandra and has a very stong meaning - defender of men.



Anastasia - This name means ressurection and was the name of a Russian princess.



Arabella - This name seems ultra-girly and princessy to me and is great alternative to Isabella.



Aurelia - To me this name is old-fashioned in the best possible way and it's meaning of golden isn't bad either.



Aurora - This is a beautiful Spanish name that means dawn. It was also Sleeping Beauty's name and what little girl wouldn't want to share her name with a Disney Princess.


Callista - This is a beatiful name thet means most beautiful.

Catalina - I fell in love with this name because of the Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor. To me this name suggests beauty, elegance, stregnth and power.

Cressida - This is a very unusual and feminine name that was used by Shakespeare in his play Triolus and Cressida.

Danica - This name is very delicate sounding and means morning star.

Daniela - A beautiful Italian name that has the cute unisex nickname Dani.

Eleanora - This is an even girlier version of Eleanor and means bright shining one.

Evelina - A beautiful and exotic variation of Evelyn. With Ev- names being so popular just now Evelina would fit in well.

Florentina - An even girlier alternative to Florence or Flora.

Francesca - Italian names are very popular just now and Francesca is one of the prettiest.

Georgiana - An even girlier form of Georgia and Georgina with the cute nickname Georgie.

Ilaria - A pretty Italian name that is more or less unheard of in English speaking countries.

Juliana - similar names like Julie, Julia and Juliet are popular at the moment so Juliana should fit in while also staning out.

Kerensa - A pretty Cornish name meaning love.

Lucetta - I first heard this name in The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. It's a sophisticated name which comes with the nickname Lucy.

Mariella - A diminuative of Maria which makes a great alternative to more popular -ella names.

Marina - An elegant Shakespearean name meaning from the sea.

Natalia - A nice alternative to thesuper popular Natalie. It means 'born at Christmas' and would be great for a December baby.

Nerissa - This name was created by Shakespeare and means 'sea nymph'.

Ophelia - A sophisticated Shakespearean name that would make a great alternative to Olivia.

Paulina - A very pretty female form of Paul.

Ramona - A beautiful, old-fashioned name that is ready for a come back.

Rosalina - Rose names are gerneally very pretty and this one is ultra-feminine.

Selena - An elegant name that means moon, this would be a good one for a baby born a night time!

Seraphina - This incerdibly extravegant name was used by Ben Afleck and Jennifer Garner for their daughter. I has a very stong meaning of 'ardent and firey'.

Tallulah - A Native American name meaning 'leaping waters'. It is unusual and interesting.

Tanyella - A girlier alternative to Tanya.

Teresina - A fresh and feminine form of Teresa.

Veronica - A pretty sophisticated name which ages very well. It's made even cooler by having a song - Veronica by Elvis Costello.

Vittoria - The Italian form of Victoria meaning victory, it's strong and beautiful.