A Summer Word Cloud

Tomorrow is the start of the school Summer holidays here in the UK and I will be travelling to different places in the country. This sometimes involves a lack of Wifi and so the blog will be going on holiday for most of the Summer. There may be a couple of holiday posts but I am posting this so no-one is alarmed if I don't post for a few weeks. 

So Happy Holidays! I am leaving my readers with a word cloud of childrens' names I found on Instagram. There are names from book-loving families, nature-loving families and families with Pinterest-worthy homes. Some names are ordinary but beautiful, some quite daring. Enjoy!

This is also my 34th post - a milestone for someone who never thought she had the perseverance to write every.single.week for an extended period of time.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Names

In 2004, Apple Blythe Alison Martin daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow was born. There had been 'celebrity' baby naming before but Apple is the one that everyone remembers. 'Who would name a child after a fruit?' is what people say. Not everyone wants to be as bold but still would like a fruity (or vegetable-themed) name meaning. 

Names meaning vegetable :: Aina, Nana, Nanako.

Names meaning fruit :: Kiri, Minoru, Miyu, Ephraim, Pomona.

 Avalon

 Momoka
 Momoko

Yuuna
Yuzuki 

Linden 

Philomela 

Kyou
Mai 

Airi
Dardan
Perry 

Aeron
Jagoda
Marja 

Cerise
Kirsikka










I was really surprised to see that most most of the names were international. I was expected some names in at least the UK top 100. But because they are word names, it would be weird to have a fruit name in your own language. It would be like naming your child Grapefruit and I really don't think that is going to catch on anytime soon. And the last name of the day - Cicero meaning chickpea in Latin. 

New Surname Names :: H

Inspiration :: Hollis (art by James Hollis)

Halsey

Origin: English

Meaning: Habitation Name

Similar Names: Elsie, Ashley, Hallie.

Hann

Origin: English

Meaning: Variation of a Medieval name

Features: 

Similar Names: Anne, Hannah, Hans.

Harran

Origin: English

Meaning: Nickname for a tall, thin person

Similar Names: Aaron, Hayden, Holden.

Harriot

Origin: French

Meaning: Variation of the name Henri.

Features: A alternative formal version of Harry.

Similar Names: Harriet, Harry, Hetty.

Hart

Origin: English

Meaning: Stag

Features:

Similar Names: 

Hasel

Origin: English

Meaning: Hazel tree

Features: Hazel is seen as such a girl name that Hasel could be a compromise for boys.

Similar Names: Hazel, Rowan, Hayes.

Heikkilä

Origin: Finnish

Meaning: Nickname for Henry

Features: Exotic and pretty.

Helyn

Origin: English

Meaning: Person from Hayling

Features: Familiar sounds. It modernises Helen.

Similar Names: Helen, Ellen, Celyn.

Hendra

Origin: Cornish

Meaning: Habitation name

Features: Sounds heathery and wild.

Similar Names: Alexandra, Henry.

Henley

Origin: English

Meaning: Habitation name

Features: Similar to Henry but with but of expensive flair. Also a place name.

Similar Names: Henderson, Henry.

Hermida

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Hermit

Features: A Hermione alternative for those who are not a fan of the Harry Potter links.

Similar Names: Hermione.

Herriot

Origin: English and French

Meaning: Variation of Henry

Features: It links to the famous vet James Herriot and could be a good choice for those in the veterinary profession.

Similar Names: Harry, Harriet.

Hilse

Origin: German

Meaning: Lives near a holly tree

Features:

Similar Names: Elise, Elsa.

Halliday

Origin:

Meaning:

Features:

Similar Names:

Hollis

Origin: English

Meaning: Lives near holly trees.

Features: A cool-person name with lots of energy. 

Similar Names: Holly, Holiday, 

Houston

Origin: Scottish

Meaning: Habitation name

Features: Place name, word name and surname name - a hat trick of features.

Similar Names: Camden, Austin.

US vs UK :: 1904

Inspiration :: Herman (art by Nada Herman)

1904 takes us into the 21st Century - Edwardian Britain and a period of change. Again we see more nicknamey names in the US chart for girls. There are two types of boys names I see standing out -the clunky Ronald, Gerald, Clyde and Eugene in both charts and the 'posh' names like Hubert and Percival in the UK charts that have too many connotations for use nowadays.

Names that were in the US chart but not the UK chart in 1904

Names that were in the UK chart but not the US chart in 1904

Creative Baby Naming :: Tilly & the Buttons

Inspiration :: Françoise (painting by François Krige)

Being a name nerd, the first thing that I look for when browsing sewing patterns are their names. The names of the patterns are important in attracting the right customer and they add to your business style. My next part of my creative baby naming venture will look at designers’ pattern name choices – to analyse, praise or criticise.

Tilly and the Buttons

Martha
Marigold
Dominique
Fifi
Coco
Bettine
Orla
Françoise
Arielle
Agnes
Miette
Mathilde

Tilly and the Buttons’ bright, classic sewing patterns have names in a distinctly French style. She uses tailored names like Arielle, Miette and Mathilde to reflect the nature of her fitted garments alongside familiar vintage choices like Agnes and Martha and the lighter style of Fifi, Coco and Orla.

The highest placed name in the UK top 1000 is Mathilde (at number 30) and then Martha (at number 69). Coco, Orla and Agnes are ranked further down the list. Coco and Orla are very pertinent to the fashion world with links to Coco Chanel and Orla Kiely. This adds a touch of glamour to the list which balances out some of the datedness of names like Dominique.

As a sort of sibset, the names work very well together. She has a specific naming style but with a lot of variety. From unusual to familiar, from shorter to longer names.

Sewing pattern name ranking :: 4/5

Name Data :: Origins of Names

Inspiration :: Maya (art by Maya Hayuk)

The name Maya has many different origins - Greek, American Indian, Spanish, Latin and Hebrew. It seems like many different languages had the same 'idea' at the same time.

I would have expected to see most names coming from Latin and Greek with others coming from English. But there was an overload of Hebrew names in the top 100 - England loves traditional, Biblical names like Hannah and Jacob. Surprisingly, there weren't many Greek names (like Thea, Phoebe and Leon). 

When we break the data down into the different genders, we get a more detailed picture. Latin or 'other' origins are favoured for girls and Hebrew or Celtic names for boys. This fits the theory that girls are more likely to be given aesthetically pleasing names (aka. flowing Latin names like Amelia) whereas boys are given names with history and status (aka. 'Strong' Biblical names).

And more than one quarter of all names in the top 100 were diminutives. They are gradually taking over our ranking charts!

New Surname Names :: G

Inspiration :: Gardiner (art by Jeremy Gardiner)

Gable

Origin: French

Meaning: Feature of architecture.

Features: A word name that doesn't sound too wordy. Also contains 'able' which is a positive sound to most ears. 

Galera

Origin: Spanish and Catalan

Meaning: Sailor/Shipbuilder

Features: Pretty name with a meaning that could be used for honouring a friend or family member.

Galiana

Origin: Spanish and Catalan

Meaning: Rooster

Similar Names: Julianna, Eliana.

Garcia

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Bear

Similar Names: Darcy, Cynthia, Grace.

Gardiner

Origin: English

Meaning: Occupational name

Features: Occupational name with a nature twist.

Garland

Origin: English

Meaning: Maker of Garlands

Features: Beautiful, occupational meaning with a gender-neutral air.

Gildea

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Servant of God

Features: Exotic sounding with

Gioiella

Origin: Italian

Meaning: Joy

Features: Frilly with a lovely meaning and the option of the nickname Ella.

Similar Names: Ella, Joelle, Joy, Giulia

Gren

Origin: Swedish

Meaning: Branch

Features: Good meaning, simple name. Unfussy but not too light.

New Surname Names :: F

Inspiration :: Farren (painting by David Farren)

Farren

Origin: English

Meaning: Occupational name for an oxherd

Features: Neutral sounds and fits in the popular two-syllable, -n ending surnames.

Similar Names: Darren, Aaron, Mason, Soren.

Feehally

Origin: Liverpudlian

Meaning: Variation of Fitzhenry

Features: Sounds Irish, energetic and friendly.

Similar Names: Rafferty, Flannery.

Fennell

Origin: English

Meaning: Grower or seller of fennell

Features: Nature name, occupational name with the option of the nickname Nell.

Similar Names: Merrill, Fern, Nell.

Fiala

Origin: Czech

Meaning: Violet

Features: Beautiful meaning, unusual with familar sounds.

Similar Names: Viola, Fenella, Nuala.

Fiorelle

Origin: French

Meaning: Little flower

Features: Pretty with lots of French flair.

Similar Names: Elle, Flora, Isabelle.

Flinn

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Reddish

Features: Has similarities to Finn but looks less flimsy than Flynn. It would make a really cool girls' name.

Similar Names: Finn, Flynn, Sloan. 

Foy

Origin: French

Meaning: Faith

Features: Simplicity in one syllable.

Similar Names: Faith, Roy, Fay.

Freidis

Origin: Jewish

Meaning: Joy

Features: Lovely meaning, unusual ending.

Similar Names: Freya, Frida, Phyllis.

Power and Popularity :: Part 1

Inspiration :: Oliver (picture from Oliver Twist)

Often one of the first criteria a couple have when choosing a name is that it ‘isn’t too popular’. Often we look at names that are within a certain rank – like looking at names below the top 100 or top 1000. But using the ranks as a guide can be deceiving. For one thing, the birth counts for boys and girls are different. The name Oliver (1^st in 2014 for boys) was given to 6649 babies but Amelia (1^st in 2014 for girls) was given to 5327 babies. In this first post in a series on the statistics of baby name popularity, I’m going to show you what popular and unpopular really look like in the real world.

The chart below shows the proportion of babies named out of each section.

You can see that the amount of babies given a name from the top 100 is very similar to the number of babies given a name from outside the top 1000. The remaining third shows a breakdown of the number of babies given a name ranked between 100 and 1000. I was really surprised by the number of people that choose a name outside the top 1000. This means that it is popular to be unusual so even though your child may be the only person in their class with their name, it won’t stand out as much because most other people will have an unusual name of their own. But this is okay because most parents don’t want their child to be standing out for a ‘weird’ name – they just don’t want their child to be 1 of 3 Emily’s in a class.

Talking of classes, I made a chart to show what the name popularities would look like in a class of 30. To do this I worked out the percentage of babies born out of the total babies born for each 100 section of the chart. I then found that percentage out of 30. It uses the same colour code as the pie chart above.

If your 2014 born child was in a classroom there would be:

9 children with names within the top 100

3 children with names ranked from 100-200

2 children with names ranked from 200-300

1 child with a name ranked from 300-400

1 child with a name ranked from 400-500

1 child with a name ranked from 500-600

1 child with a name ranked from 600-700

1 child with a name ranked from 700-1000

11 children with a name outside the top 1000

Of course this is only a model and can’t perfectly predict every classroom. There are going to be some clubs and groups that children are part with like minded parents. This means that there may be more of a certain type of name. I wonder whether this makes parents more fussy about popularity – they have a skewed view because the other parents they associate with are naming their children similar names. When, in the big scheme of things, the names they are choosing are not that popular.

New Surname Names :: E

Inspiration :: Emlyn (Painting of Newcastle Emlyn)

I seem to gravitate towards E- names when choosing names to put on my personal lists but sometimes I cannot find less popular choices. I love the likes of Emily and Emmeline although sometimes I just want something new and exciting. My favourite on this list has to be Elizalde for her spunky z and elegant, sophisticated style. I added a new category of 'similar names' so you can see how these more unusual names can be used as alternatives to chart toppers.

Eade

Origin: English

Meaning: Nickname for Edith

Features: Short, sweet with a neutral sound.

Similar Names: Eve, Eden

Ealey

Origin: English/Irish

Meaning: Habitation name

Features: Nicknamey sound but a ‘proper’ name.

Similar Names: Ellie, Eli

Eame

Origin: English

Meaning: Uncle

Features: Simple with a pleasing sound.

Similar Names: Emmy, Emme, Emma.

Ebi

Origin: English

Meaning: Wild + Boar

Features: Cool –i ending and the simplicity of three letters.

Similar Names: Eli

Echelle

Origin: French

Meaning: Ladder

Features: Has the supermodel style –elle ending but without the popularity of Estelle or the dated feel of Michelle.

Similar Names: Estelle, Michelle, Elle.

Edzard

Origin: German/Frisian

Meaning: Edge, brave, strong.

Features: The z updates Edward but keeps a familiar feel.

Similar Names: Edward, Ezra.

Elcy

Origin: English

Meaning: Elf victory

Features: The c spelling seems to make it more of an androgynous name and adds a bit of a sensible touch to the nicknamey Elsie.

Similar Names: Elsie, Eli, Lucy.

Elizalde

Origin: Basque

Meaning: Topographic name

Features: A rarer, fresher version of Elizabeth with one fewer syllable to worry about.

Similar Names: Elizabeth, Mathilde, Isolde.

Elphey

Origin: English

Meaning: Elf battle

Features: Not the most substantial of names but longer than Alf or Fay/Fey.

Similar Names: Alfie, Fey.

Elzas

Origin: German/Jewish

Meaning:

Features: Sounds unusual but strong and easy to pronounce.

Similar Names: Ezra, Eleazer, Eliaz.

Emary

Origin: English

Meaning: Bravery and power

Features: The fashionable Em- beginning and classic Mary ending make this much more than a creative spelling of Emory.

Similar Names: Emory, Mary, Emily,

Emberry

Origin: English

Meaning: Bravery and power

Features: A daring choice with a subtle naturey twist.

Similar Names: Ember, Huckleberry.

Emmel

Origin: English

Meaning: Bravery and power

Features: A tailored version of many popular girls’ names. It has a soft but not airy sound.

Similar Names: Emmy, Emmeline, Amael.

Emslie

Origin: Scottish

Meaning: Habitation name

Features: Another variation on popular girls’ names and a useful way to link a name to Scotland.

Similar Names: Lindsey, Leslie, Emily.

Emson

Origin: English

Meaning: Variant of Emma

Features: Different to the rising Emerson and more sleek as it only has two syllables.

Similar Names: Emerson, Emma, Anderson.

Esslin

Origin: English

Meaning: God + protector/helmet

Features: Easy to pronounce, strong meaning and a pretty surfer style sound.

Similar Names: Agnes, Evelyn.