Northern Minnesota Real Names (Sept 8th)

I thought it might be nice to give you some names that are actually being used in the area I live, Northern Minnesota (Northern Midwest USA).

Boys
Abel Denis
Bentley Grey
Chase Converse
Tristan Daniel
Jordan Thomas


Girls
Averie Ann-Marie
Lydia Rae
TWINS - Joy Agnes and Sherin Faith

I love to see Agnes used, even in the middle position. It has become a recent sweetheart of mine. Anything stick out to you?

Deft or Daft: Everest

"E" names are popular right now, especially for girls, but in general. Ethan, Elijah, Eli, Evan, and Easton (along with Ian) are all in the top 100 boys names with names like Elliot, Emmett, and Elias also trending. Everett, currently ranked at 214th, reached its peak back in 1915 at 89th, spending over ten years in the top 100 names. It is one of those "grandparent" names that is feeling fresh again and is currently on the rise. Everett is a great name, but what if you want something a little more unique with a little more zing? What not give Everest a try. Literally one letter different, but with an entirely different feel. Everest is a place name, referring of course to Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Mount Everest has become synonymous both with the power and wonder of nature, and with the endurance and vision of mankind. Because of its simalarity to commonly known masculine names like Everett and Ernest it is a natural fit and does not feel "out there" as some other mountain names might (like Denali or Ranier might.. although these also sound like great names to me). Everest might just his that sweet spot - unique but familiar, easy to pronounce, good meaning.

So what do you think, is Everest deft or daft?

Name Rainbow: Green

Names with Green Meanings

Boys
Berilo - A Pale Green gemstone, the name is Spanish and Greek. Related to the feminine Beryl. The stone is thought to be good luck.
Denver - While this will stick out as a Place name to most, the word itself is actually old English for green valley.
Irvin - A Gaelic name meaning "green waters". Can also be spelled Earving.
Greeley - An old English name meaning green meadow.
Hewney - An Irish name meaning simply green.
Vardon - An old french name meaning Green Knoll. The emphasis is on the second syllable.
Verdell - Another French name, again emphasis on the second syllable, meaning green.
Verlyn - Uncertain origin, but with root Ver, may be interpreted as Green
Vermont - Another place name, with actual meaning Green Mountain.
Vireo - A name that references a small green bird.

Girls
Beryl - A Pale Green gemstone, the name is Spanish and Greek. Related to the masculine Berilo. The stone is thought to be good luck.
Cheryl - The origins of Cheryl are unclear, but one theory is its a variant of Beryl.
Chloe - This is a Greek name meaning "green shoot" and meant to symbolize fertility.
Chloris - Another greek name, this one meaning  a greenish yellow shade, related to the goddess of vegetation
Esmerelda - A Spanish variant of the name/gemstone Emerald, with much more feminine
Fern - a word name referring to a luscious green plant
Jade - a deep green stone used similarly to gold (decoratively and to display wealth) by Asian cultures
Midori - A Japanese name meaning green, this name is also associated with many products and places.
Olive - a shade of green, or a word name referring to a food that is often green, this name is RAPIDLY rising in popularity (it has going for it that its a word name, which are trending, it is a nice stand in for Olivia, which is top ten, and it has some celebrity/hollywood usage recently) - it has climbed from unranked to 368th in six years. If it keeps up that rate, it will be top 100 in 2-3 years.
Teal - A shade of bluish green, and a bird of the same color.
Turkessa - An opaque blue-green stone mined in Turkestan and Persia
Verde - The word for green in Spanish, also could be spelled Verda
Verna - Of Latin origin, this name means spring green, related to the masculine Vernon
Viridiana - Another Latin name meaning green, I love the flow and phonetic sound of this name. Other variants include Virdis, Viridia, and Viridian
Yara - A Brazilian pagan goddess with green hair

Shades of Green
Brunswick - a series of green pigments made using copper
Celadon - a pale greyish shade of Green often used in Asian pottery
Emerald - light and bright, also a gemstone
Harlequin - more strongly associated with a diamond pattern, but also a bright yellowish green
Hunter - word/job as name? Or a beautiful dark shade of green.
Kelly - the name Kelly doesn't mean green, but it is the same word as the traditional Irish "true" green.
Malachite - a green mineral, similar in sound to Malcom, Micah, or the biblical Melchior
Neon - I know it can be applied to any color, but could it also be a quirky name?
Paris - besides a city, and epic character from Troy, Paris is a blue-green shade.

What do you think? Any keeps? The discovery of Viridian was one of the things that inspired me to create a baby name rainbow! I also love the name Verdi for a boy, which while it technically is after a composer, conjures up images of green due to its similarity to the Spanish Verde. 

How to Get Your Nickname: Gus

I was recently inspired by this post at Swistle Baby Names to do a post on the nickname "Gus". in the post, the letter writer states that she is considering the name August, but only because they like the nickname Gus. As I pointed out in the comments, there are many other ways to come to Gus! This is one of those nicknames that was used to be a "funny" name when I was a child. My dad would throw it out there when he was pretending to forget one of our names, or we would use it to name a frog we caught. Now it is the exact kind of nickname that seems just right - a bit of vintage charm with cute familiarity, like Hank and Fred (fifteen years ago, Jack would have fit this category). On to the name!

August/Augustus/Augustine - All of these are derived from Latin meaning "great, magnificent". The different versions carry different feels though. August can come off as a "quirky" word name due to its use as a month. Augustus feels regal and Roman, while Augustine has a religious tone. These also offer the adorable nickname "Augie".

Aengus/Angus - Technically speaking, these two names are pronounced similarly, though I am sure you will find plenty of people will pronounce the the same or switch the pronunciations. Aengus (with a long "a", rhymes with bay) is the original Gaelic name, which means "one choice". Angus is the more anglicized version, and is pronounced Ann-gus.

Argus -  I have discussed this name before in the Harry Potter "A" post. It is a Greek name meaning vigilant guardian.

Fergus/Ferguson - This is another Scottish/Irish name, meanig "supreme man, highest choice". This may be one of my favorite options! It reminds me of other names that I like but not quite enough to use, like Vernon and Fern.

Gustavus -  Pronounced Gus-Tay-vus, this is a "last name as first name" related to as Scandinavian name meaning "royal staff". It is also the name of a University.

Lugus - Pronounced Lou-gus, this is a Welsh name meaning "shine". It is very similar to the more common Lucas, but with a little twist to make it unique.

Magus - This Latin name related to the word "magic", meaning sorcerer.  It sounds similar to the more feminine Maggie. I would be a bit worried about the phonetic nearness to Maggots however.


In addition to the above names which make the nickname Gus a no brainer, there are also names  that would get to it a little less directly, for example, Auguste (aw-goost), Gustav (Goo-stawf) are the more European pronunciations of some of the names above. Other options would be Magnus (Latin for "great", as in magnificent), Agathius (Greek meaning good, honorable), Eligius (french/Latin for "chosen"), Eugenius (Greek for "well born"), Giorgius (a variant of George), or Sergius (a variant of Sergio)/

Of course, if none of these strike a chord, just use Gus!

Literary Inspiration: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, with the recent new film, is "in Fashion. How about the names from it though? The book actually has a plethora of names, as the narrator (Nick Carraway) decides at one point to list ALL of the people who are at one of Gatsby's parties. I don't think I can possible expound on every name, but I would like to list as many of them here as possible, and comment on some that interest me.

The Main Players
Nick Carraway
Jordan Baker - I have always liked the name Jordan, which is odd since typically I am not attracted to unisex names. Seeing this in the novel, which is set in the 1920s, made me curious about how long exactly it has been unisex. Looking up the data, it would appear that choosing to name a female Jordan was quite risque when the book was written (1925). Jordan did not appear in the top 1000 names for girls until the 1970s, and it wasn't until the 80s that the name became very popular for boys or girls. I don't think its coincidence that the name's rise for both genders coincides with Michael Jordan's rise to fame.
Jay Gatsby - An adventurous parent or literature lover could go for the name Gatsby. The sound itself is quite pleasing, the question is if that is a character you would want to honor!
Daisy Buchanan - A cute flower name that has stayed in the middle of the charts for sometime. With Lily so popular right now (currently 16th), and other flower names also trending (like Violet, Ivy and Iris), I am surprised Daisy is actually slowly declining (very slowly). 
Tom Buchanan
Myrtle Wilson
George Wilson 
Meyer Wolfsheim - Meyer would fit nicely in with the "last name as first name" trend that continues, yet it hasn't been in the top 1000 since 1928. I think its probably that Oscar Mayer brand that has done this (pronounced the same way).

Other Names
Chester Becker
Webster Civet - Webster, to me, is a great name. It immediately invokes the dictionary of the same name, and implies intelligence. It is a last-name first as well. It has never been to popular and hasn't been in the top 1000 since 942. Maybe its time to bring it back?
Willie Voltaires
Hubert Auerbach
Edgar Beaver - If Edward has been ruined for you by Twilight, but you love the name nickname Ed or Eddie, this might be a good place to look! I feel a nickname post for Eddie coming on...
Clarence Endive
Ripley Snell - I actually just met a newborn Ripley. It has never been in the top 1000 boys names. It is a last name first and is associated with "Ripley's Believe it or Not" here in the U.S. It has just the right level of quirkiness for some families. The Ripley I know is little brother to Rex. What a great sibset!
Ulysses Swett
Maurice Flink
Cecil Roebuck/Cecil Schoen
Newton Orchid
Clyde Cohen
Don S Schwartz
Arthur McCarty
G. Earl Muldoon
Ed Legros
James B. Ferret
Ernest Lilly
Gus Waize
Horace O'donavan
Lester Meyer - The name Lester used to rank pretty high on my personal list, because I saw it not as a "last name first", but rather as a place name for a river and park in my hometown. Now that I live in my hometown, the local connection doesn't seem as important. It is important, I think, to note that the names Lester and Chester both are much more popular in specific segments of the population - Amish communities.
George Duckweed
Francis Bull
Russel Betty
Henry L. Palmetto
Benny McClenahan
Jaqueline, Consuela, Gloria, Judy or June (the girls who were interchangeable) - I find it amusing that these are the names seen as interchangeable to the narrator. They don't seem all that similar! I did look into their popularity, and that is not where the similarity is coming from! Jaqueline and Consuela were virtually unheard back in that time period, while June and Gloria were quite popular. I wonder how Fitzgerald chose these names, or if he put much thought into them at all?
Faustina O'brien - While this name makes me immedietly think of the German philosopher and author Faust, it actually is a Latin name meaning fortune.
Ardita Fitz-Peters - The name Ardita is of Albanian origins and means "golden days". Ardy as a cute nickname?
Claudia Hip 


So, what do you think? Any names in here interest you?

Harry Potter Baby Names - H is for Hestia

Hannah - This is a Hebrew name meaning "God has favored me", a variant of Anna. (Hannah Abbot). It has experienced much recent popularity, ranking as high as #2 from 2000-2002, and is currently (We have 2012 data people!) 22nd.

Hermione - The "interesting" name of the series, due to its use on such a main character and its former status of completely unknown. It is pronounced her-my-oh-nee. It is of Greek origin and means "messenger", related to the other name on this list Hermes.  (Hermione Granger)

Helga - An old German name meaning "holy" or "sacred". This has never been in the top 1000. With other old names rising (think Ilsa and Adelaide for example), maybe it is due (Helga Hufflepuff).

Hestia - The Greek goddess of the hearth, this name has a lovely meaning and a nice sound.  (Hestia Jones)

Hedwig - Another Old German name meaning "strife". Perhaps less than ideal if meaning is important to you.
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Hassan - Pronounced hah-sahn, this is of Arabic origin and means handsome. It lingers in the second half of the top thousand due to its ethnic use. (Hassan Mostafa)

Hippocrates - Most people have heard of the Hippocratic oath, but I doubt many people have considered this as a given name. The meaning is technically "horse", but the main association would clearly be medicine, ethics and healing (Hippocrates Smethwick)

Hermes - The Greek messenger God, famous for his awesome sandals.

Hagrid - Okay, so this is a character's last name, but the books give it life as a first name since the character goes exclusively by this. The name references a giant in Greek mythology. (Rubeus Hargrid)

Harold - I have to admit, this name reminds me of a horror story from when I was little, but that shouldn't stop others from liking it. It is a Scandinavian name meaning army-ruler. (Harold Dingle)

Harry - The flagship name of the series. Despite the strong association with the book, it hasn't been "ruined" because there are lots of famous Harry's, most notably Prince Harry. Harry is old German for "home ruler". The bigger issue with Harry in America is pronunciation. To most American dialects, it is pronounced just like hairy. We often fail to get the strong "A" sound in names like this.

Hengist -  An Anglo-Saxon name used in the Arthurian legends as a minor character. It likely is related to an old word for Stallion (Hengist of Woodcroft)

Deft or Daft? - Coriander

So this is the first post of a series that will pop up now and then were I throw out some "out there" ideas for names that I either see somewhere, or pop into my head.

First up is Coriander!

Depending on your background, Coriander might strike you first as just a strange word, or if you know your cooking, a spice. It is the seed of the Cilantro plant and is used in a lot of wonderful dishes. With other spices and herb names making an appearance in the naming world (think Sage, Cayenne, and Ginger), why not this beauty?

I see it as a boys name. It shares a rhythm/style with Alexander, and if broken down can actually be seen as a compound name of Corey and Ander. Corey is an Old Norse surname currently ranked 351. Anders is a Scandinavian version of Andrew, meaning Lion, and is ranked 900th.

I don't think Coriander would stick out as odd due to these familiar components, but it would be a unique name. What do you think? Deft or Daft?