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Baby Name Trends: From Classic to Hip

Author: Alli Ross

Goodbye Bertha, Hello Kaitlyn! The top baby names of today break with tradition and follow-up on new trends. Because choosing the perfect name can be a daunting task, many informative web sites have been launched with parents in mind.

A name is central to a child's earliest sense of identity. It's often the first word he or she learns to read and write. Naming trends of today are defined by celebrities, literary classics, and even name brands. Look no further than your favorite book, car, or brand for baby name ideas. Names like "Armani", "Del Monte", "Infiniti", "Celica", "Chevy", and "Lexus" are increasing in popularity.

Unisex names are another trend that is gaining steam. Parents are using names such as Jordan, Madison, Devon, Bailey, Parker, and Logan on boys and girls. However, when naming a baby, parents must consider if it invites potential teasing. Boys are often targeted more heavily than girls.

Want to add a twist to your baby's name? Another naming trend includes spelling classical names untraditionally. There are usually at least five different ways to spell any name. This way, you can add variety to a classical favorite.

You could also use a name inspired by nature. Examples for boys include Ashton, Avery, Birch, Bradley, Grant, Holden, Landon, Logan, or Wesley. For girls you could use Beverly, Brooke, Erica, Hayley, Lauren, Lillian, or Olivia.

Want a crafty name? Bailey, Baker, Carter, Cooper, Foster, Mason, Porter, and Turner may be more your style. However, you can�t go wrong with the following chart-topping baby names, whether you prefer the 1900's or the 1990's.

Names of the 1900's:

Boys: John, William, James, Charles and Robert
Girls: Mary, Helen, Elizabeth, Marie, and Alice

Names of the 1990's:

Boys: Michael, Christopher, Joshua, Jacob, Andrew, David, and Tyler
Girls: Ahley, Emily, Sarah, Amanda, Taylor, Megan, Kayla, and Nicole

Best of luck. ; )

About the Author

GranMamma is the webmaster at the Baby Names Box - http://www.babynamebox.com - Where you can explore over 6,000 baby names and their meanings. Read articles on parenting, family, home and gardening. Be sure to say hi to GranMamma!

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Baby Names

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Baby Name Meanings

Author: Michael Barrows

Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning �Who is like God�), I�m really proud of my name. And I think that I � mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my mother would probably disagree; I think the phrase �little devil� would probably pass her lips if she was describing me during many stages of my childhood.

But then, my mother has her own issues; apparently her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning �Little Darling�. Hmmm, that isn�t the way I used to think about her during those regular occasions when she was punishing me for my �not like God� behaviour�!

And that�s the fun of baby name meanings � parents make naming decisions based on many, many different reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, uniqueness and �it just sounds really nice.� But � in the Western world � we rarely do any real research into the history or real meaning of names. So when the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her �really nice sounding� name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes hilarious.

You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a connection between the two. For example, my eldest brother Clive is apparently �a cliff dweller�, which is coincidental, since he lives at the top of a very long steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities � consider the following:

Badu (as in r n�b singer Erykah Badu): African name meaning �Tenth born child�

Winona (as in actress Winona Ryder): Sioux name meaning �Firstborn daughter�

Aaliyah (the late r n�b singer): Arabic name meaning �High, exalted�

Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name meaning �Cheerful�

Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names usually have connections with very positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or surname �Kaur�, meaning �Princess�, whilst the boys have the middle or surname �Singh�, meaning �Lion�.

An African friend of mine once mentioned that many Africans are given a second name corresponding to the day of the week on which they were born. I think is a really nice tradition, but in my case, my middle name would be �Sondo� (born on Sunday)!! Hmmmm�

Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking about for your �bundle of joy�, its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And it�s never been easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.

Your search may yield some surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name �Malory� is French and means �Bad luck�. You could get round this by spelling it �Mallory�, but this means �Without good fortune� in Old German!

Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by different meanings of the same name; for example �Leah� is a beautiful girl�s name, but what does it mean? Well�

� In Hebrew it means �Cow� or �Weary one� � uugghhh! � In Greek it means �Glad tidings� � In Assyrian, it means �Mistress, ruler�

And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid �Bacia,� � its Ugandan meaning is �Family deaths ruined the home!�

For more information and advice, check out the baby name meaning resources at http://www.all-about-baby-names.com.

Enjoy your search and happy baby naming!

About the Author

Michael Barrows is a web publisher specialising in niche marketing. Check out the wealth of baby resources and pick up his FREE ebook "Baby Tips for New Parents" at his website; http://www.all-about-baby-names.com

...

Baby Names

Back To Snippet


Back To SITEMAP

Baby Name Meanings

Author: Michael Barrows

Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning �Who is like God�), I�m really proud of my name. And I think that I � mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my mother would probably disagree; I think the phrase �little devil� would probably pass her lips if she was describing me during many stages of my childhood.

But then, my mother has her own issues; apparently her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning �Little Darling�. Hmmm, that isn�t the way I used to think about her during those regular occasions when she was punishing me for my �not like God� behaviour�!

And that�s the fun of baby name meanings � parents make naming decisions based on many, many different reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, uniqueness and �it just sounds really nice.� But � in the Western world � we rarely do any real research into the history or real meaning of names. So when the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her �really nice sounding� name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes hilarious.

You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a connection between the two. For example, my eldest brother Clive is apparently �a cliff dweller�, which is coincidental, since he lives at the top of a very long steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities � consider the following:

Badu (as in r n�b singer Erykah Badu): African name meaning �Tenth born child�

Winona (as in actress Winona Ryder): Sioux name meaning �Firstborn daughter�

Aaliyah (the late r n�b singer): Arabic name meaning �High, exalted�

Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name meaning �Cheerful�

Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names usually have connections with very positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or surname �Kaur�, meaning �Princess�, whilst the boys have the middle or surname �Singh�, meaning �Lion�.

An African friend of mine once mentioned that many Africans are given a second name corresponding to the day of the week on which they were born. I think is a really nice tradition, but in my case, my middle name would be �Sondo� (born on Sunday)!! Hmmmm�

Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking about for your �bundle of joy�, its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And it�s never been easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.

Your search may yield some surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name �Malory� is French and means �Bad luck�. You could get round this by spelling it �Mallory�, but this means �Without good fortune� in Old German!

Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by different meanings of the same name; for example �Leah� is a beautiful girl�s name, but what does it mean? Well�

� In Hebrew it means �Cow� or �Weary one� � uugghhh! � In Greek it means �Glad tidings� � In Assyrian, it means �Mistress, ruler�

And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid �Bacia,� � its Ugandan meaning is �Family deaths ruined the home!�

For more information and advice, check out the baby name meaning resources at http://www.all-about-baby-names.com.

Enjoy your search and happy baby naming!

About the Author

Michael Barrows is a web publisher specialising in niche marketing. Check out the wealth of baby resources and pick up his FREE ebook "Baby Tips for New Parents" at his website; http://www.all-about-baby-names.com

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