Sunday, April 1, 2012

Names I've Been Liking - Spring


Wow! It's been quite a while since I posted here! My interest in names is always there but sometimes I take a break from talking about them. I usually always play name games at Behind the Name which often brings up names that become new favorites.

Below are some names that I've been liking more lately or just been thinking about recently.


Boys Names:
-- Alan / Allan - Sometimes I like the sound and sometimes I don't but I've been liking more and more recently. Since watching the Robin Hood TV series my favorite character is Allan A Dale so I like that spelling best.

-- Benjamin "Ben" - I grew up with several Bens so the name was fairly common sounding to me but recently I've liked it a bit more and sort of added it to my list of "would use if I couldn't use my favorites" or "would use if my spouse liked it". The name has a wholesome sound to it that I like.

-- Declan - I've heard this used more recently in films and I'm really starting to like it. It's Irish and cute, I'm only worried that it sounds a bit stuck up. What do you think?

-- Edgar & Edwin - Because I love Edmund I'm starting to like other Ed- names with the nickname "Ned". I like both of these a lot more than the very popular Edward but still a lot less than my favorite Edmund. I dislike "Eddie" as a nickname but am starting to like "Ned" and "Ted".

-- Elliott - I love the double TT ending on boys names like Emmett and Garrett so even though this name is a bit more popular it's definitely on my extended favorites list.

-- Fiachra - pronounced FEE-akh-ra, it's an Irish Gaelic name that means "raven". I've considered it from time to time and I rather like it mostly because it's Gaelic but it is a bit tricky to pronounce. I like the look of it though.

-- Guy - Watching Robin Hood has put this name in my mind too. I've only ever met one Guy and he was a nice guy (hehe). I don't think I'd ever use it but I like it a bit more now.

-- Lennox - I like this as a surname but I'm also starting to like this as a boys first name. To me it has definite Scottish connections but also a bit posh British. I've also seen it as a girls name which is okay but not a favorite.

-- Philip - This is another more common name that has started to grow on me. I don't mind it now and even like the nickname "Phil" a bit, but "Pip" would be even better!

-- Piers - I've seen this a few times recently on TV personalities and I rather like it. Pierce and Pearce are favorites so I'm liking Piers too.

-- Solomon "Sol" - This I like because it's a family name and a Biblical name but recently I've liked the sound of "Sol" so it's held more interest recently. I don't really like Saul though.

-- Tiernan - This another name I heard on Robin Hood and it reminded me how interesting it is. I love Ciaran, Kieran and Kiernan so Tiernan isn't too far of a stretch. It's been added to my extended list of favorites but is creeping it's way into my top 20. :)



Girls Names:
-- Amelia "Amy" - I've heard of Amy being used as a nickname for Amelia but recently I've seen it used twice, once on my friend and again for Amy Pond in the newer Doctor Who series. I've really been starting to love this combination! I adore Amy as a first name so I'm not sure I'd want it to be just a nickname but I'm having a fun time considering it because I like Amelia and it's kind of sad that I wouldn't be able to use it too if I used Amy. I sort of like the idea of naming two daughters Amelia "Amy" and Eleanor "Lena". What do you think of that?

-- Breezy - I've seen this recently and thought it was lovely that parents would give their daughter such a sweet name.

-- Camille - Usually I find Camille and Camilla very stuck up but recently I've found Camille to be a very beautiful name! I like the nickname "Cammie" too.

-- Elaine - The lady I would for is named this and I've seen it on a little girl before too so I'm liking it a lot more recently. Ellie or Ella would make nice nickname. Does it sound too old to you?

-- Hester - I like the name Esther but the H in Hester has always seemed a bit harsh but recently I've been liking it a lot more. I like the nickname "Hes" too which is a bit odd for me.

-- Kindred - I heard this used recently on Behind the Name and immediately liked it. I love Virtue names and this one is quite similar. I've never met anyone named Kindred but I'm still liking it. What do you think?

-- Laura - Because my name is Laurie I've never really wanted to name a girl after myself so I haven't liked similar names such as Lauren, Laurel, Lori or Laura. But I do love Laurence for a boy because it's my grandfather's name and recently I've been liking Laura a lot more for a girl. I find it to have a lovely old-fashioned sound which I love and the connections to Laura Ingalls Wilder doesn't hurt. Laura has moved to my extended list of favorites and is definitely one I'd consider using now.

-- Loveday - I watched The Secret of Moonacre recently and rather liked this name. It's a bit strange if you think about it literary "love" and "day" but when put together it has a lovely sound. Do you think it's too strange?

-- Martha - This name has always sounded boring to me but after watching Doctor Who recently I started liking the name more. There's also Marty from the Love Comes Softly series and her full name was Martha. I don't really like the nickname "Marty" very much but "Mari" which be nice or "Mattie".

-- Melody - I have a dear friend with this name and I've really been liking it a lot lately. So pretty!

-- Rhiannon - This Welsh name has actually always stumped me with the pronunciation because I've never seen or heard of anyone with the name before. Recently I watched a film set in Wales and the heroine had this  name and it was nice to actually hear how they pronounced it: REE-awn-uhn. I can pronounce it every time now and I this it's beautiful!

-- Rosa - The heroine of Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood is named Rosa Bud and since finding out more about the story I've been liking the name Rosa a lot more now. I think it's very pretty!

-- Rose - I've always liked this but it's so popular as a middle name that I've steered clear of putting it on my favorites list. But watching Doctor Who made Rose a good candidate for a first name to add to my extended favorites list. Right now I can't decide whether I like it better or less than Rosa but I do like the nickname "Rosie" for both of them.

-- Ruth - I love this because it's Biblical and my mom's step-grandma has this name so it would honor her. Usually I prefer it as a middle name but recently I've started liking it more as a first name. Too plain?

-- Temperance - In the detective show I've been watching recently the main character is named Temperance and I was reminded how much I like it, especially with nickname "Tempy"! Since it's not used as much as a word lately I'm starting to think it's more usable. What to you think?


Do you like any of these? 
Which would you consider using for a son or daughter?


What names have you been liking lately?



4 comments:

Mel said...

I fairly much leaped when I saw a new post!

I love that a lot of the names you mentioned here begun growing on you after seeing a character in a film/tv series. I often fall in love with names the same way.
I loved a lot of your boys names. Declan is one I recently wrote down too! How odd :) I never liked it but I met a darling little boy at work. His mother called him "Dex" which I assumed was short for Dexter but when she turned around and referred to him as Declan I pratically melted over the name.
I think Lennox is very interesting for a boy's name. Since reading it here it has begun growing on me. And Tiernan, isn't that such a great name! I just love it, the way it written and the way it sounds.

Of your girls names I love Amelia. Right now it's almost (if not) at the top of my list for girls names. I also don't even mind the variations like Emelia or Emilia.
Kindred is gorgeous. When I think of it I immediately associate it with Anne of Green Gables and how she speaks about kindred spirits. Which is lovely. I don't think I would ever use it, but I'm still going to write it down just in case!
I'm not a fan of Loveday, it is a bit strange but it does look quite pretty.

A few names I've really been liking lately for girls have been: Louisa, Aliena (I love the way it's pronounced like A-lee-en-uh but I can't get past the "Alien" part in the name. Is that silly? Haha maybe Eliena would be better), Juliette, Lottie (I suppose as a nickname for Charlotte, but I just love Lottie) and Anastasia.
The only two names for boys that I have recently began to love are Declan and Eryn. I saw the spelling variation of Erin on a boy and fell in love with it. As Erin is my middle name I thought that it might be a nice idea to file it away in case I ever wanted to pass the name along. I thought Eryn coupled with a more masculine name like Eryn James or Eryn Jonathan or something like that could work.

That was a beautiful post. I love reading about the names that your currently liking :)

Miss Laurie said...

Mel,
Glad you enjoyed this post! I had fun writing it. It's been a while for me.

It's easier to start liking a name while watching a TV program because you get to see a face and hear the name used and pronounced by various people. Usually it's the names of the characters I like that get my attention or help change a previously held dislike for a name. :)

That's so neat about seeing a little boy named Declan! Dex is actually a cute nickname, I like it for Declan and it also makes Dexter more interesting. I've heard Dec used as a nickname for Declan before (like in the British comedy team Ant & Dec) so Decs or Dex isn't that much of a stretch. Have you seen Leap Year? Actor Matthew Goode's character is named Declan O'Callahan and he had a lot to do with changing the image of the name.

Emilia is very pretty! It's a bit close to Emily and Emma but I still can't help loving all the Em- names even though they are popular.

Yes, Kindred definitely reminds me of "Kindred Spirits" in Anne of Green Gables! hehe

Louisa is pretty and has a royal sound to it, so does Anastasia. Juliette is very pretty, I almost like the spelling more than Juliet. I like Lottie too but it is more of a nickname to me and although Charlotte is alright it's not a favorite. I'd never heard of Aliena before, it looks very pretty and it sounds pretty too. Eliena is nice too.
Eryn for a boy is interesting, it's nice that it would be "your name" (kind of like Laura and Laurence are for me). I's used to seeing Erin on a girl but Eryn for a boy (especially something like Eryn James) is rather nice.

Thanks for the long comment! hehe :)

Claire said...

I know quite a few Briannas and Brees with the nickname "Breezy".. might be something to think about!

rer said...

Ooh i do like Loveday, melody, and Kindred alot. Good thing i dont plan on having anymore because id be fighting for Kindred a little. Lol i like just Love as a first name. Id probably put day as amiddle name for it. Cute.