Thursday, August 23, 2012

My Top 25 Favorite Boys Names


As I said in my last post I recently rebuilt my favorite names list from the ground up and discovered several new favorites along the way. 

In this post I'll be talking about my new top 25 favorite boys combos and why I like them. 


My Top 25 for Boys 
  1. Edmund Laurence - Edmund has been a favorite of mine for a while and I wrote a whole post on it once. Laurence honors my paternal grandfather who I was named after so it's a very special name to me. Recently I've loved this combo more and more, it just seems so handsome to me. I don't like the nicknames Ed or Eddie but recently I've been liking the nicknames Mund / Mundy and a guilty pleasure of mine now is the nickname Mud / Mudd, silly I know but I still think it's rather cute. 
  2. Ciaran Michael - Ciaran has been at the top of my favorites list for many years and although I put it further down on my list I find I cannot give it up altogether. Michael is my surname and although it's a bit common to use as a first name I really like the idea of using it as a middle name.
  3. Nathaniel Welcome - Nathaniel is a family name that I've come to love quite a lot in recent years, I like this spelling because it is the one used on my family tree and fairly easy for most people to remember. Welcome Shippee is the name of my dad's four time great-grandfather who was a Quaker during the time of the Civil War - the story goes that although his faith kept him from actual fighting he joined his local Infantry and tended their horses. Anyway, I like the story and the name is a unique one that my parents and sister seem to like as well so I'm proud and happy to add it as a middle name for further consideration. 
  4. Silas Matteson - I had Simon toward the top of my favorites list for quite a while but I've recently started to think it sounds a little too posh and less of a favorite but I find that Silas is growing on me more and more lately. Matteson is a family surname that I like rather a lot.  
  5. Mark Douglas - Not too long ago my parents and I were discussing names and my dad mentioned that he liked short and strong names for boys like Mark and since that discussion I haven't been able to get Mark out of my head so I'm trying it in my top five combos and finding I'm starting to love it. Douglas is my mom's stepfather's name and he's such a special part of our family and makes me like the name more and more.
  6. Emmett Simon - Emmett is one of those names that I've liked for quite a while, probably longer than Edmund (what a thought!), I find it quite handsome and thankfully it's not very popular in the USA although it does seem to be in the UK and Ireland. Simon honors a family member and I can't get rid of it altogether so I'm using it as a middle name which seems to work well.  
  7. Pearce Colin - Pearce is a family surname (sometimes pronounced like "purse" but I prefer the "Pierce" pronunciation) which has been growing on me lately. I usually put Pearce as a middle name but I'm liking it more and more as a first name so I paired it with my father's name Colin and although the name don't quite flow together perfectly I am rather liking it.
  8. Elias Matthew - Another E name that has slipped into my top 10. I'm not a huge fan of Elijah but so like Elias which is the Greek version, and I've noticed that this is one of seven names that end with -s that I've added this time around. I love Matthew but because of some associations I probably won't use it as a first name, it does make a handsome middle name though!
  9. Aidan Stone - I know similar sounding names are quite popular right now (aka Hayden, Caden, Brayden) but to me Aidan is different, it's such a handsome Irish name and with my grandmother's middle name / family surname Stone the meaning of combo is "fiery stone" which has always been quite handsome to me. 
  10. Henry Tilney - Okay, yes this combo is a bit cheesy but I recently realized that the real reason why I love Henry is because of my favorite Jane Austen hero, plus I couldn't quite come up with a clever middle name for Henry so I just went with the full on Northanger Abbey reference. 
  11. Eamon Matthias - Yes, another E name! I love Eamon because it's the Irish Gaelic form of Edmund and it's just so handsome. I usually pronounce it EE-mon instead of generally accepted AY-mon pronunciation. I can never decide whether I like Matthew or Matthias better so I've included both on my list as middle name. 
  12. Gideon Levi - I love Biblical names and Gideon is one of those that always feels fresh, youthful and handsome to me. Pairing it with Levi might be too many Biblical associations but I do love the sound of the names together.
  13. Benjamin Asa "Ben" - I've known a few Bens but recently I've been (haha!) thinking about what a dependable sounding name it is, it's wonderful historical connections (like Benjamin Franklin) and how I haven't heard it used for younger kids as much lately so I've added it to my top 25 to try it on for size. Asa is one of my mom's favorite Biblical names so I always enjoy including it and it makes this combo unique.  
  14. Ian Kenneth - In the discussion on names where Mark was talked about I mentioned Ian and my dad sort of shrugged and said it was pretty much just "John by any other name". While that's true I'm realizing that I do like most of the John related names (Ian, Evan, Owen, Hans, Ewan, Eoghan, Sean, Jack, Hugh, Ioan, Johann and even Jacques) but this Scottish version is still my favorite. Kenneth is not only a Scottish name but it honors uncles and grandfathers or great-grandfathers on both parents families.
  15. Roderick Theodore "Roddy" - Roderick honors the last name of the first elderly lady I cared for so I like the idea of using the name to honor her, but I've also started liking Roddy more and more recently. Theodore has also been growing on me but it also honors the elderly lady's first name. 
  16. Kieran Dermot - As much as I love Ciaran I do have this thought in the back of my mind that the original Irish spelling might be too difficult for most people so I've added the Kieran spelling to my favorites list. Dermot is just another favorite Irish name. 
  17. Ezekiel Peleg "Zeke" - Another E name that has really been growing on me lately, especially with the nickname Zeke. Peleg is an obscure Biblical family name that I've always liked and enjoy including on my list. 
  18. Titus Abel - Titus is almost as much a favorite as Silas but it does seem to have a tad harsher sound to it. Abel is another Biblical family name that I just love. 
  19. Callum Neil - I love Callum because it has a similar sound to my other favorites Ciaran and Colin and means "dove". Neil is another Irish name that has been growing on me more so I paired the two together.
  20. Sebastian Luke - Sebastian is so handsome and I've always liked it with Luke as a middle name.  
  21. Garrett Keagan - I like Garrett a lot and it reminds me of Emmett - Irish and incredibly handsome. Keagan is another favorite Irish name so I've paired them together this time and while it's not my favorite combo I do like it. 
  22. Declan Miles - Declan is one of those Irish names that I've always liked but some times seems a little too posh but I'm giving it a try paired with Miles which I also like but not really as a first name. 
  23. Jack Willoughby - Again I love me my forms of John and although Jack was originally a nickname I really like it as a full first name. Willoughby is such a charming name and it makes the combo so cute. The similarity of this name to the villain of Sense and Sensibility is purely unintentional (well, almost). 
  24. Crispin David - Crispin has the same meaning as my mom's maiden name and I've liked it ever since I read a book whose hero was a boy with this name. David is my dad's middle name and it's also a name on our family tree. C names and E names - my list is full of them! :)
  25. Tiernan Rhys - I like Ciaran / Kieran / Kiernan but Tiernan recently caught my eye and I've been liking Rhys too so added it to the list and it seems to make a nice pairing. 

Do you like any of these first name / middle name combos?

Are there any of these names you might consider using for a son?

Do Edmund and Ciaran sound good for brother's names?


Saturday, August 18, 2012

My Top 25 Favorite Girls Names


My goodness it's been a long time since I've posted on here! I'm very sorry for that but it's been a very busy few months which I'm sure you know if you follow my other blog. Names are never very far from my mind though wherever I go because of course I'm such a name nerd! :)

Over the last few weeks I've torn down my favorite names list and rebuilt it from the ground up. I worked on this project with my sister Bea who had never compiled a list of her favorites before so it was lots of fun! 

Of course even though I rebuilt my list many of the names are still names I've loved for years and years. This process has actually cemented my two favorite girls names and given me courage to add more family names that I love to my top favorite combos. 


So without further ado here are my top 25 favorite name combos for both girls and boys. Most of the names in the top 10 are ones that I'd very seriously consider and probably want to use for a daughter or son.


Because I want to give explanations I'm starting with just girls first then I'll do another post for my favorite boys names.

My Top 25 for Girls
  1. Amy Irene - Amy honors my dad's great-grandmother. Irene honors my maternal grandma who passed away. I do like Amelia nickname "Amy" but I also just adore Amy.
  2. Lena Pearl - Lena honors my dad's other great-grandma on his mom's side, she was always called "Dinny". Pearl is a middle name I'd always liked and it also honors a great-aunt of my mom's. If I could only have one daughter I might name her Lena Sally Irene because I'm loving Lena so much lately, almost more than my longtime favorite Amy. 
  3. Sally Stone - This was my paternal grandma's first and middle name and she was named after a great-grandma on her mother's side. Sally has really been growing on my lately, it still seems a bit dated sometimes but I really want to honor her since she passed away from cancer when I was age 13. I might use Sally as a middle name but as a first name I can't get away from using Stone.
  4. Mercy Ann - Dinny's grandmother was named this and my love for Mercy has been renewed since reading Amy Dashwood's Only A Novel. 
  5. Nora Catherine - Nora has been growing on me lately and I just like the sound of it with Catherine. Nora sounds like a good sister for Amy and Lena too.
  6. Eleanor Amelia - I wouldn't use these if I used Amy and Lena or Nora but I still love Eleanor so much and grown very fond of Amelia lately. I've considered naming two daughters Amelia nickname "Amy" and Eleanor nickname "Lena" but am not quite sure. These names do sound nice together though.
  7. Sadie Eliza - I love Sadie especially because it was originally a nickname for Sarah just like Sally was. I like Sadie Elizabeth but Eliza has been growing on me lately.
  8. Lydia Faith - I love Lydia, it's just so pretty and then Faith seems to suit it very nicely.
  9. Julia Hope - I've always loved Julia and it's on my family tree and Hope is such a great virtue and I do like the names together.
  10. Jane Adelaide - Jane is such a classic and of course honors dear Jane Austen. Adelaide is so pretty and fits Jane nicely with such elegance. 
  11. Clara Joyce - Clara is so pretty and has been a favorite for a while. Joyce honors my maternal grandma but I don't like it as well as her other name Irene.
  12. Petra Felicity - Petra is a name that I've always liked but have never had on my favorites list before so I'm trying it out to see if it grows on me more. It took me a while to find a middle name I like but Felicity seems to add a bit more spunk to it.
  13. Mary Frances - My dad's maternal grandmother's first and middle name, I have very fond memories of her and know she was as important to my dad as his mom was. I love Mary but usually use it was a middle name but wanted to consider it more as a first name.
  14. Beatrice Elena - Mary Frances's older sister and my sister is named after her. I like Beatrice a lot, it's so elegant and Elena is very pretty too. I'd use "Bea" as a nickname but might not actually use this name because my sister would have first pick to use it because it's her name.
  15. Phoebe Evangeline - just two I've liked for a while. 
  16. Anna Melody - I've been rethinking Anne and Anna lately, they really are so pretty even though a bit plain. I wouldn't mind having a daughter or a niece named Anna (my sister is considering this too). Melody honors my very dear friend and she has made the name really stand out as absolutely gorgeous to me. :)
  17. Margaret Ruth "Maggie" - I really like Margaret but am not brave enough to put it up there with Eleanor because my mom had a friend with this name and she'd probably think it was odd is I used it. Ruth honors mom's great-grandma who is a very special lady. I like the nickname Maggie or Maggie Ruth.
  18. Emma Cecily - I love Emma even though it's so very popular right now. I've always had Emma Claire on my favorites list but I'm trying Cecily this time because it's pretty and so lovely old-fashioned sounding!
  19. Jocelyn Opal - Jocelyn is a name my parents have always liked and especially because it's similar to Joyce my grandma's name. Opal is a name I like but it's also the birthstone for October when my parent's wedding anniversary is. I've been liking Jocelyn more lately since I've started pronouncing it joss-lynn instead of joss-eh-lynn. I do like the idea of "Joss" as a nickname. Probably won't use this name because my sister has already claimed it.
  20. Cassandra Isolde "Cassie" - I love Cassandra and it honors Jane Austen't sweet sister. Isolde is so pretty and the names together are a bit over-romantic sounding but I do like it. My cousin is Kassondra so I probably won't use this but I do like it. 
  21. Rosa Camille - I've been really liking Rosa lately and Camille is growing on me more and more.
  22. Grace Arabella - I love Grace as a first name and Arabella is so elegant.
  23. Laura Dorothy - Laura has been growing on me lately and I do like it but it's always seemed odd to me to name a daughter after myself (Laurie). I do want to use Laurence to honor my grandfather who I was named after and if I don't have a son I might use Laura as a girls middle name or maybe Laurie if it fits. Dorothy was the first older lady I ever cared for but it is a bit dated. 
  24. Charity Esther - I've been liking Charity more and more lately and Esther honors my first employer who is such a good friend to me.
  25. Eloise Margot - I always like El- names especially for girls and this combo still is so cute to me.

So this is the girls. I'm going to post the boys combos soon.

Do you like any of these first name / middle name combos? 

Are there any of these names you might consider using for a daughter?

Which names sound bests as sisters for Amy and Lena?