Bottom of the Barrel: Michealangelo

In 2010, 6 American boys were given the name Michealangelo.

It's important to note that this post is not about the name Michaelangelo. It's Michealangelo, with the a and the e transposed. Neither of these should be confused with Michelangelo, the Renaissance artist.

To review:

• 6 boys named Michealangelo
• 39 boys named Michaelangelo
• 30 boys named Michelangelo

I don't know whether these spellings are intentional or if they're mistakes on the Social Security applications. In any case, it's probably a tough name to spell over the phone.

From the Dustbin: Homer

From 1880 until 1915, Homer was a top-100 name in the US. It went through a long, slow decline over most of the 20th century, finally dropping out of the top 1,000 in 1984.

Three years later, The Simpsons debuted as a short on The Tracey Ullman Show. Creator Matt Groening named the dad, Homer, after his own father.

Today, Homer is synonymous with the jaundiced, bumbling doofus, rather than the classical poet. Unfortunately, I think that association will be insurmountable for at least the next century.

See also: Kermit.

Beyond Hope: Deliverance

In 18th-century New England, Deliverance was a unisex name. Deliverance Greene of Newport, RI was a girl, while Deliverance Wakefield of Boston was a boy.


Beyond Hope is a recurring feature that highlights unusual virtue names.

Bottom of the Barrel: Orchid

In 2010, 8 girls were given the name Orchid.

When you're over Lily and Rose, and even Iris and Dahlia seem too common, there's always Orchid. If that's too literal, you could try one of the various genera in the orchid family:

• Amalia
• Arethusa
• Brassia
• Calypso
• Eria
• Laelia
• Ludisia
• Lycaste
• Ophrys
• Promenaea
• Vanda
• Yoania

Presidential Siblings

I saw this one on a baby name board and thought it was fun (paraphrased):

I have two sons, Jackson and Lincoln, and just found out I'm expecting another boy! We didn't set out to have a presidential theme for our kids' names, but since it happened, we sort of like it. We'd like to give boy #3 a name that goes with his brothers', but without being too conspicuous. We'd also like a name with a good nickname (the boys usually go by Jack and Linc).

Fun! I love a history challenge! Let's evaluate all the presidents' names for viable options:

• Washington: Wash! It might be a little over-the-top paired with Lincoln, but I like it.
• Adams: The -s is a little tricky — it's almost Adam, but not quite.
• Jefferson: Jeff! This is a real possibility.
• Madison: has gone over to the girls
• Monroe: probably too girly (due to Marilyn Monroe) — Mariah Carey's daughter is named Monroe
• Quincy Adams: I don't really like Quincy — a little too precious, like Chauncey
• Jackson: already got one
• van Buren: no
• Harrison: Harry! Another possibility.
• Tyler: too boring. If you really want to fly under the radar, Tyler would be a good choice, but it's no fun.
• Polk: too ripe for teasing
• Taylor: see Tyler
• Fillmore: see Polk
• Pierce: slightly more daring than Tyler/Taylor, but would make the theme less obvious than Washington or Jefferson
• Buchanan: I sort of like this one, w/ nn Buck. It might be a little tricky to spell, and Buck might be too close to Jack, but it would keep all the kids' nicknames ending in -k.
• Lincoln: covered
• Johnson: not good with Jackson. Also teasing.
• Grant: Great! No nn, but you won't really need one.
• Hayes: More daring than Harrison — again, no nn.
• Garfield: is a cat
• Arthur: Of all the names that would preserve the theme, but make it slightly less obvious, Arthur is my favorite.
• Cleveland: Family Guy may have made this less of an option. Also, Cleveland/Cleve doesn't sound particularly modern to me.
• Harrison: I still like it.
• Cleveland again
• McKinley: going to the girls
• Roosevelt: If you want subtlety, this is not a good choice. Not a terrible name, but definitely bold.
• Taft: If you go the one-syllable route, go with Grant.
• Wilson: Will! Sounds good to me, and not too overt.
• Harding: no, no, no
• Coolidge: The obvious nickname, Cool, seems to be trying too hard.
• Hoover: see Harding
• Roosevelt: Roosevelt is probably out, but what about Franklin? Great name, though people might assume that you think that Benjamin Franklin was a president.
• Truman: I passed over this one at first, but it's growing on me a bit. I don't like it as much as Wilson, but it's a legit name.
• Eisenhower: not subtle
• Kennedy: has become a girl's name
• Johnson: see previous Johnson
• Nixon: I feel like it's too soon, unless you really are a Nixon fan. I mean, Jackson is still a controversial figure in some circles, but the general public is fairly indifferent. Nixon is still divisive, so I wouldn't use it unless I were really a fan.
• Ford: Possible, but not doing much for me.
• Carter: A very popular name, would preserve the theme, but not be too obvious.
• Reagan: girl
• Bush: no
• Clinton: Clint? Probably too soon.
• Bush: no
• Obama: not subtle

My favorites are Washington, Jefferson, and Harrison.

Also viable: Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, Hayes, Arthur, Wilson, Truman, Carter

For examples of babies named after every one of the presidents, see this series.

Bottom of the Barrel: Absalom

The Feast of Absalom, Mattia Preti, 1661

In 2010, 8 American boys were given the name Absalom.

In the Bible, Absalom is the son of King David. He was exiled for a time because he killed his older half-brother, but, in his defense, he had a pretty good reason. The name is familiar to most modern Americans because of the famous Faulkner novel, Absalom, Absalom! which parallels the Biblical story in many ways.

With Abraham in the top 200, I think Absalom could be a great alternative for the adventurous parent.

From the Dustbin: Louisa

Looking for a real classic that is right in line with today's trends, but isn't in the top 1,000? Look no further than Louisa.

It's got all the antique charm of Clara, the familiarity of Julia, the international appeal of Sophia, and the literary pedigree of Harper, all wrapped up in an easy to spell, easy to pronounce package. You can even use the nickname Lucy if you like!

Despite its obvious good points, Louisa has been out of the top 1,000 since 1970. Louise held on a bit longer (dropped out in 1992), as did the Spanish Luisa, which sits right at the border of the top 1,000, popping up in the 990s every few years.

I say it's time for a Louisa comeback. Appellation Mountain agrees with me. Make it happen.

Beyond Hope: Experience

 Meet Experience Tarbox of Wenham, MA (d. 1739).

I find names like this one immensely reassuring. Sure, there are terrible names today, but are they really so much worse than the terrible names of yesteryear?

Bottom of the Barrel: Hester

In 2010, 5 American girls were given the name Hester.


I think of Hester as the sweet, demure cousin of the formidable Esther. Perhaps that characterization comes from Hester Gray, the L.M. Montgomery character, or from Lee Scoresby's tender daemon in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Whatever the reason, Hester strikes me as lovely and soft, like a whisper.

Yet, the two most famous pop-culture Hesters are no shrinking violets. One is Hester Prynne, protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and the other is "Hester the Molester" from John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany.

When I have seen this name discussed on baby name boards, it seems that most people think that these two associations render Hester untouchable. I don't agree. While having a name that rhymes with "molester" is potentially unfortunate, it doesn't seem to be hurting the equally rhyming Esther, which is currently #267 nationally. The other objection — that Hester Prynne was a slut — makes me a little sad for all the 10th-grade English teachers out there whose labors have obviously gone to waste.

Should I Still Use Harper?

Paraphrased from a hundred baby name board posts:

I am 39 weeks pregnant with a girl. My husband and I are completely in love with the name Harper, but I just found out that David and Victoria Beckham recently named their daughter Harper. I'm afraid it's going to get super popular. Should we still name our little girl Harper, or go back to the drawing board.

Stay with Harper.

Yes, it's true that celebrities like the Beckhams can send a name through the popularity roof. But, in this case they were not trendsetters — they were just jumping on the Harper bandwagon.

Before 2004, Harper was not in the top 1,000 names in the US. As recently as 1990, it was a very uncommon name, distributed fairly evenly among boys and girls (in 1990, 12 girls and 11 boys were named Harper — it was generally a boys' name before the mid-1970s). In 2004, Harper debuted in the top 1,000 names for girls at #887. By 2010, it was up to #119, with no indication that it's slowing down anytime soon. In other words, Harper was headed for the top 20 long before little Harper Beckham was ever conceived.

Today, many people cite their love for Harper Lee as the reason for choosing this name (note: Harper Lee's given name was Nelle — and her father's name was Amasa!). The data does not really seem to bear that out. Harper did not show up on the SSA extended list (for either boys or girls) in 1962, after winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. It's been a standard in high school English classes for decades, but it didn't inspire a new generation of little Harpers until the last couple of years. It didn't get a boost from a big anniversary or movie — the book turned 50 in 2010, long after Harper's jump on the charts, and there hasn't been a major movie adaptation in recent years either.

I don't doubt that plenty of people love To Kill a Mockingbird, but that's not enough for a name to fly up the charts the way Harper has. For that sort of popularity burst, a name needs to coincide with pre-existing trends. Right now, androgynous, spunky surnames for girls are very hot — think Piper, Harlow, Emerson, Kinsley, Ellery, Addison, etc. The literary connection gives Harper some serious credentials, but I don't think its popularity has much to do with America's reading habits.

So stay with Harper. It was trendy when you fell in love with it and it will continue to be trendy for the next few years. The Beckhams may have given it a boost — perhaps it will reach the top 10 or rise faster than it otherwise would have — but they won't change its fate much. Your daughter will have her name for a lifetime, so base your decision on how you feel about the name, not on transient tabloid covers.

Bottom of the Barrel: Fenway

In 2010, 5 American boys were given the name Fenway.

On the one hand, these kids have a lifetime of "Green Monster" jokes ahead of them. On the other, Fenway will remain beloved, even as players wax and wane in their popularity and culpability for epic collapses. Just check out the popularity of Jacoby, as in Red Sox star Jacoby Ellsbury, which broke the top 100 in Massachusetts in 2008 after the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series, only to slip back out after disappointments in later seasons.

2010 also saw 22 boys named Wrigley, though I'll leave it up to you to decide what that says about Cubs fans vs. Red Sox fans.

From the Dustbin: Florence

It's been 30 years since Florence fell out of the SSA Top 1,000. A top-10 name around the turn of the century, Florence stayed in the top 100 until WWII and sank like a stone over the next four decades.

Is the US ready for a Florence comeback? I say yes! Reasons:

• Hot in the UK: Appellation Mountain covered Florence back in 2009. Since then, Florence has been tearing up the charts in the UK. It popped into the top 100 in 2008, and in 2010 it was up to #54, right between spunky Matilda and stylish Amelie.
• Old Lady Chic: With Old Lady names like Stella, Lillian, and Evelyn trending up at the moment, there is great potential for other pre-WWII names to jump on the style train. Is Florence more of a Mildred than a Hazel?
• Botanical/Geographic Double-Whammy: Botanical names like Lily and Jasmine are very popular right now. So are city names like Brooklyn and London. So why not a name like Florence, that's both botanical and geographical? In 2010, there were only 75 little girls named Florence; at the same time, there were 74 named Lundyn. My point is this: if you are looking for a fresh-sounding city name, go with Florence over coming up with an alternative spelling for London.

The only real downside I see is that the nicknames for Florence tend to be slightly unattractive. The modern euphemism, "Aunt Flo" has probably ruined Flo, while Flossie is cute, but perhaps a bit too barnyard. I'd probably advocate Flora (which is a lovely name on its own), or an updated alternative like Ren or Lora.

Beyond Hope: Supply

I suppose Supply is related to Increase, as in, "I hope that God will Supply me with faith."

The surname is rather unfortunate, though (especially for a minister). Other members of this Massachusetts family include Experience Clap, Desire Clap, and Preserved Clap. Their patriarch was, of course, Roger Clap.

Terrible names: not new.

ETA: Of course, these names were not dirty/funny in the 17th and 18th centuries. The equivalent word in use then was "pox," a word so dirty that you could be fined for telling a joke that included it.


Beyond Hope is a recurring feature that highlights unusual virtue names.

Bottom of the Barrel: England

In 2010, 7 American girls were given the name England.


With London still trending robustly upward and Ireland in the top 1,000, perhaps England was inevitable.


And yes, there were also 7 girls named Scotland.

A Name for Two Centuries

Yay! A real naming challenge!

Emily writes,

I'm finding myself in a bit of a tight spot when it comes to naming one of my characters: a little girl. Being an avid name nerd, I take naming my characters very seriously. I won't go into a lengthy plot description, but part of my problem is that the parents of this character (who happen to be my main characters) are from two different time periods. The other part of the problem is that I'm terrible at naming girls.

Let me start by telling you about this little girl's family. Her mother's family is from the present day. Her mother's name is Marissa Evelyn Hardy, called Riss. Evelyn is her grandmother's name. Riss's twin brothers are named John Howard, called Jack, and Benjamin Floyd, called Benjy, also after grandparents.

Dad's family is from the Victorian era. His name is Edward Otis Williams, called Odie, with Edward being his grandfather's name. Odie and Riss have one son, named Ezra Grover Williams. Grover was the name of Odie's late brother who passed away right before Ezra was born.

Since family names are important to them, I've selected either Christina or Molly as the little girl's middle name. Christina is Riss's mother and Molly is Odie's mother. Which one I choose really depends on the first name. I'm looking for a first name that would work well in any era since my story does involve time travel. Another thing to keep in mind is that Odie is very religious, so a Biblical name would be a plus.

Let me know if there's something I need to clarify to help you with picking out names. I really appreciate your help, because I'm stumped!

What an interesting puzzle!

I started my brainstorming by comparing the Social Security Top 1,000 lists from 1880 and 2010, just to see what sort of names would sound good in both eras. Some that caught my eye as making a good sibling for Jack, Benjy, and Ezra were:

• Emma (#3 in 1880 and #3 in 2010): This would work fine, but it's no fun. Fits the criteria, but it's too expected.
• Clara (#12 in 1880 and #167 and rising in 2010): Clara still feels very Victorian to me — it is gaining popularity now, but still has that antique charm. Think Clara Barton (whose full name was Clarissa Harlowe after the heroine in the novel Clarissa).
• Cora (#15 in 1880 and #276 and rising in 2010): Another sweet, antique name. I think Cora has a bit more spunk than Clara.
• Nora (#56 in 1880 and #159 in 2010): Great on its own or as a nickname for Eleanor, another name that would work well in either era.
• Lily/Lillie/Lillian (Lillie was #34 in 1880 and Lily was #17 in 2010): Like Emma, Lily isn't setting me on fire, but would work just fine. For a Victorian flavor, spell it Lillie, or go with Lily for a more modern spin.
• Addie (#83 in 1880 and is often used as a nn for #11 Addison in 2010): The popularity of Addison, along with the sound-alike Maddie names (Madison/Madelyn/Madeline, etc.) might skew this name too modern.
• Charlotte (#91 in 1880 and #45 in 2010): Charlotte is equally at home in a parlor and on a playground. It sounds a little proper next to Jack and Benjy, and the nicknames would be different for different eras (probably Lottie in 1880 and Charlie in 2010). It's not really a great match with Ezra either.
• Adele (#240 in 1880 and #908 in 2010): Adele may not be very popular in modern times, but its old-fashioned charm (and the singer Adele) are bringing it back. It might make a good full name for Addie.

Other possibilities are Sadie, Amelia, Flora, Nell, Ella, Daisy, Celia, and Elsie. The problem is that these names aren't Biblical or particularly religious-sounding. Some, like Charlotte and Adele, sound too much like socialites who might summer in Europe, rather than sounding at home with Ezra. Others, like Addie and Emma, don't sound quite serious enough. Cora and Nora are sweet, but perhaps a bit too matchy with Ezra. I like Clara — it's not Biblical, but I think it's sober enough. From this list, the only one I can really see fulfilling the religious requirement is Lily/Lillie, since the lily is a symbol of purity used around Easter.

Next, I looked over my list of Biblical names to see if anything fit the bill. I rejected some, like Sarah, Rachel, and Rebecca as too classic — they would work in any era, but don't really belong to any (though Sarah nn Sadie is a possibility). Others, like Hannah, Abigail, Jerusha, Jemima, and Tabitha read more colonial than Victorian. That left me with these:

• Persis (not in top 1,000 in 1880 or 2010): Persis was an early Christian who is mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans. Her name has never been very popular, but I think it is elegant. L.M. Montgomery gave this name to the daughter of one of her heroines, which makes me think that it would be acceptable to romantic Victorians/Edwardians.
• Judith (#889 in 1880 and #872 in 2010): Though its 20th-century popularity may keep Judith out of the running, I included it because it is similar to Ezra in that its popularity has varied widely in the past 130 years, but it almost exactly as popular now as it was in 1880. I think Judy is adorable and sounds among popular modern nicknames like Lucy and Lily, but can see how it might sound a bit too Baby Boomer.
• Susanna (#336 in 1880 and not ranked in 2010): This is a possibility. Though it isn't ranked now, it is not unfamiliar. I think the problem is nicknames. Susie? Nan? Zuzu? Nothing really grabs me.
• Julia (#240 in 1880 and #908 in 2010): A sweet name that would be at home in either era. The problem is that you want a name that really says "Victorian," and Julia is just too steady and reliable. Even during its least popular decades over the last century, it was still in the top 150.
• Ruth (#93 in 1880 and #348 in 2010): Ruth has some potential. Unlike most of the names on this list, Ruth is an Old Testament name, which pairs well with Ezra. It's in a long, slow decline after a few decades in the top 10 (1892-1930), but I can see Ruth being a refreshing choice for people who like Ruby and Lucy. It feels a bit more serious than Jack and Benjy, but is great with Ezra.
• Phoebe (#217 in 1880 and #309 in 2010): Now we're cooking. Phoebe was a prominent early Christian (an associate of Paul's), whose name was stylish in 1880 and is in the midst of a robust comeback. I think that Phoebe Christina could be a great name. Nickname Fi? Bee?
• Lydia (#77 in 1880 and #111 in 2010): This is my favorite. Another early Christian, Lydia would be a good choice for a religious family. It was a top-100 name in 1880 and is poised to break back into the top-100 in the next 3 years. Lydia never really went away, but it was less popular over most of the 20th century, meaning that it still retains a whiff of the Victorian. The nickname Lyddie would be perfectly familiar to Victorians and fits in well with the Addies of both eras. I can see Lydia and Ezra as siblings as easily as Lydia, Jack, and Benjy.

So, I think my frontrunners are Lydia, Phoebe, Ruth, Clara, and Lillie. One question: is Molly a nickname for Mary or Margaret, or is it just Molly? I ask because I find Molly sort of a difficult middle name in terms of flow, though I ultimately think that meaning is more important than flow.

• Lydia Molly or Lydia Christina
• Phoebe Christina
• Ruth Molly or Ruth Christina
• Clara Molly or Clara Christina
• Lillie Christina

Of these, my favorite is Lydia Christina. Commenters, please chime in with votes, critiques, or new suggestions!

Bottom of the Barrel: Barnabas

In 2010, 9 American boys were given the name Barnabas.

I can definitely see Barnabas appealing to a certain crowd. I live in a city in the Northeast, where I see plenty of under-5s named Julius, Sebastian, and Lucius. If you're trying to name little Leonidas's brother, Barnabas seems like a reasonable choice. I would imagine that most modern boys named Barnabas go by Barnabas, not Barney.

While St. Barnabas was an important member of the early Christian church, I can't really see it being a popular choice among modern American Christians. It seems to me that Christians who wish to signal their Christianity through their children's names have borrowed heavily from the Old Testament. Nothing says Christianity like Judaism, so we have lots of little Jeremiahs (#52) and Josiahs (#77) running around, not to mention the Levis (#70) and Elijahs (#18). It's not that early Christian names like Matthew and John have fallen out of favor — though Peter, Paul, and Mark have seen better days — they're just so unremarkable after long generations of use that they don't really signal "Christian" in the aggressive way that Hezekiah does.

What do you think? Barnabas: urban hipster or brother to Nehemiah? Neither? Both?

Dorcas's Naming Philosophy: Claiming Names

I recently read an article on Nameberry advising prospective parents to claim names early and refrain from "name-napping," i.e. stealing a baby name claimed by a close friend or relative.

I think that this is awful advice. Consider the following:


Scenario #1: Claimed But Unused

Imagine that you and your significant other are having a boy and decide that you both love the name Noah. You announce the name to your family and your younger sister has a fit because Noah has been her name since she was 15 and she claimed it and how dare you! Yes, your sister may have claimed Noah, but that does not guarantee that she will ever really use it. There are too many unknowns:

• maybe her SO will hate Noah
• maybe she will only have girls
• maybe her kid's last name will be Ochoa
• maybe she won't have any kids
• maybe her taste will change

It's hard enough to choose a name without taking into account other people's tentative plans. How would you feel if you passed over Noah — the name you loved — because you sister had claimed it, only to have the name go unused due to one of the above reasons? This happens lots of times — one sister/friend will forego a name out of deference to a previous claim, only to be shocked/hurt/disappointed that the claimer uses a different name for her real life kid. Sometimes the claimer doesn't even know she "claimed" a name — maybe she told you it was her favorite name when she was 21 and forgot to tell you that she changed her mind at 33.

Rule #1: First born, first dibs on names.


Scenario #2: But That's MY NAME!

I know plenty of women who have "claimed" a name (sometimes multiple names) and are very hurt when close friends use those names. Most of the time, the names are very common. Frankly, I just can't see the point in arguing over who thought of Emma or Jack first. There are a bajillion Emmas and a zillion Jacks, so you'd better get used to sharing.

On the other hand, I can see how it might hurt if you feel like you came up with a special, unique name and then felt it had been stolen. Solution: keep your unique name to yourself. That way, if someone uses it before you get the chance, you will know it is pure coincidence, not malice.

Nameberry says:

Announce your baby name choices early on. If you have an absolute favorite name you’re sure you will use, don’t make a secret of it. Planting it in everyone’s mind as “your” name can help avoid problems later.

This is a terrible, terrible idea. If it's a common name, you can't own it, so don't try. You're going to look like selfish twit if you try to act like Bella is your own personal property. If it's an uncommon name, drawing attention to it is playing with fire. Chances are that your sister/cousin/fried never would have considered Wilfred if you hadn't brought it up.

Rule #2: No one owns a name.


Scenario #3: Honoring Grandma

One circumstance that can be a little tricky is the beloved family name. Maybe you have a dear grandmother named Matilda. You and your sister-in-law get pregnant within weeks of one another and independently decide to honor Grandma Tillie. Don't bother fighting over who was closer to Grandma — you all have the right to honor someone you loved (and it doesn't hurt that her name is back in style!). I don't really think it's a problem for cousins to share a name, especially if that name is honoring a beloved family member. If it really bothers you to have two Matildas, you can divvy up the nickname territory or use Matilda as a middle name or use Grandma's middle name. But please don't follow Nameberry's advice by announcing all this publicly — a private conversation between the two sets of parents is best. And remember that you are all trying to show your love for Grandma, so please be generous.

This actually was a concern for me when my daughter was born. My same-age cousin's girlfriend was due just 6 weeks after I was, and it was possible that we would both use a version of our beloved grandfather's name (especially because my cousin is also named after my grandfather). My husband and I didn't share our daughter's name with anyone else in the family before she was born, but we did talk to my cousin and give him a heads up. Turns out they weren't considering that name at all, but if they had been, it wouldn't have changed our decision. And, most importantly, we did not conduct this conversation over Thanksgiving dinner.

Rule #3: Be discreet. Generosity wouldn't hurt either.

From the Dustbin: Amasa

Like many name nerds and people who expect to have more children, I keep a personal name list.

My list is a mishmash of family names, names I've happened across at work, names I've read on blogs and boards — really anything that has caught my attention as a possible name for future offspring. My list is fairly eclectic in terms of popularity, encompassing top-50 names (Lily, Samuel), names that are top 1,000 but not top 100 (Luna, Conrad), and names that are not in the top 1,000 (Oona, Pasquale).

But I never expected that one of the names on my boy list wasn't just out of the top 1,000, but not even on the extended SSA list. That name: Amasa (uh-MAY-suh).

Let's be clear — the extended SSA list is huge, encompassing nearly 34,000 names (about 20,000 for girls and 14,000 for boys). The list does not include very rare names (fewer than 5 uses) due to privacy concerns, but still, 5 uses is not a very high bar. Some of the names on this year's list include Ebenezer (for a girl), Nevaehtnes (Heavensent backwards), Stalin, and Zzyzx. My point is that a name has to be really, really unusual to get left off the list.

When I noticed that Amasa was not on the 2010 list, I was a bit surprised, but not totally shocked. Wondering when it fell into oblivion, I started working backward through the lists, first one year at a time, then five years at a time, then a decade at a time. But there was no Amasa in 2009. Or 1995. Or 1950. Or 1880.

With each new list, I thought for sure I'd see Amasa pop up — after all, it's a Biblical name (maybe not a hero, but not really a villain either), and there were plenty of Amasas in 19th-century America: Amasa Leland Stanford (founder of Stanford University), Amasa Lyman (influential Mormon), and half a dozen members of the House of Representatives during Reconstruction. I just thought it was a normal name — not common, for sure, but along the same lines as Asa or Amos or Abel or Abner any other of those short, A-, Biblical names. This is, perhaps, where my biases as an historian and a New Englander show through. There really were plenty of Amasas in New England in the early 19th century, so I thought it was just a regular old name.

I finally did locate Amasa in a few of the SSA lists — it pops up at the very bottom of the 1925, 1922, 1918, 1913, and 1890 lists, with 5-8 uses in each case. Very, very rare. This name doesn't need a revival; it needs an excavation.

It almost makes me a little sad that I can never use it, as my daughter's name starts with Am- and it would be too matchy. Someone else will have to take up the challenge. If you want a rare name — like, unicorn rare — that is nevertheless a name with a long and respectable history, is easy to spell (if perhaps a bit vowel-heavy), and would be right at home with Theodore and Walter,  Amasa would be a grand choice.

Beyond Hope: Rezolved

Behold: Rezolved Stevens (d. 1792), Mansfield Center, Connecticut

Proof that Americans have been replacing boring letters with zippier equivalents for centuries!

Bottom of the Barrel: Ahnesty

In 2010, 6 American girls were given the name Ahnesty.

I like virtue names. I even like weird virtue names. I think that Reverie is lovely and wish that Freelove didn't have X-rated connotations.

But I do not particularly like misspelled virtue names. Usually, there is little point in quibbling over the "correct" spelling of a name. Who cares if you spell it Catherine or Katherine or Kathryn? I mean, when we get into Qhathyrynne territory, I might start to raise an eyebrow, but I'm generally ok with choosing among various received spellings of names.

Virtue names are a little different, though, because they are common nouns. In my mind, Catherine and Katherine are equivalent, but Grace and Grayce are not. In the latter case, you have taken a word with meaning and turned it into a hollow string of sounds approximating a virtue name, but fundamentally different. Perhaps this is an arbitrary line to draw — after all, Katherine comes from the Greek word for pure, which starts with a K, so isn't the C version just made up? I think not — Katherine/Catherine is a name that exists in many forms in many European languages, some of which use a K and others a C, and the fact that Catherine is a separate word from catharsis makes a difference. If someone wanted to name an English-speaking child Catharsis, I would insist on the C.

For this reason, I am not a big fan of Ahnesty. I think that Honesty is an adorable name, just like its cousin, Honor. But Ahnesty does not cut it for me. It seems like a needless misspelling that robs the name of its exhortation to upright living.

In 2010, 181 American girls were given the name Honesty. I like this so much that I am adding it to my personal baby name list.

Also born in 2010: Aunesty (19), Onesty (5)

Also, Onesty reminds me of that movie That Thing You Do, where the band is called the Oneders and people keep pronouncing it o-NEED-ers.

Sister for Josephine

Stolen from a baby name board:

We're thinking about girl names for #2. DD is Josephine Hope (nn Josie) which were our grandmothers names. A new girl would have the MN of Pearl. No changing that. Last name is Italian, ends in -rosa.

I love Camille and Nina, but they were H's great aunts, the sisters to his grandmother Josephine. What a coincidence. I think his family would side eye that

My top runners:
Simone- He hates it
Monica- He hates it
Bianca- He thinks its a dogs name
Cecilia- He hates it and I'm waffling on it
Rosemary- our favorite name ever but AWFUL with our last name

I do not like newer trendy names like Harper, Piper, etc. I also don't like anything above the top 100. Nothing popular.

I think Hope and Pearl are wonderfully symmetrical middle names. I don't know if Pearl has family significance to match Hope, but if it does, so much the better.

Some things I notice about your naming style: you like feminine, but not overly frilly names that could travel well among many European naming traditions, favoring the long E sound spelled with an I.

Here are some names that fit those criteria: Marina, Emilia, Thalia, Lydia, Sonia, Louisa, Antonia, Dahlia, Karina, Liora, Daria.

Some others that don't have an I: Flora, Serena, Althea, Francesca, Sasha, Lena.

I think Emilia is a nice alternative to Camille and Lena is a good substitute for Nina:

Emilia Pearl ----rosa; Josephine and Emilia
Lena Pearl ----rosa ; Josephine and Lena

Lena/Lina can also be a good nickname for a name ending in -lina like Angelina or Valentina, but I think those are too matchy with Josephine.

Others I like are:

Antonia Pearl ----rosa; Josephine and Antonia
Louisa Pearl ----rosa; Josephine and Louisa (nn Lucy? Lulu?)
Althea Pearl ----rosa; Josephine and Althea

Bottom of the Barrel: Creedence

In 2010, 9 American boys were given the name Creedence.

Yes, like the band; no, not like the virtue (that would be Credence).


Bottom of the Barrel profiles unusual names from the bottom of the expanded SSA list (5-10 uses in the previous year).

Dorcas's Naming Philosophy: Sibling Sets

I don't think that sibling sets should "match" as in rhyme or share a theme, but I do think they should go together. By that, I mean that they should share some symmetry and sound like they come from the same time period/universe.

For example, if one child has a family name, I think that all the children should have a family name somewhere. Or, if one child has middle name that isn't a family name, but has some meaning for the parents (favorite author, song, flower, poem, etc.) the others should have similarly meaningful names. They should probably also have the same number of names — i.e. if one has two middle names, all should.

I also like variety in sibsets in terms of spelling/sound. If one sister has a name ending in -ia, I would try to avoid that ending for subsequent sisters. I also advocate different initials for siblings, if only to make it easy to label things! That's not a hard and fast rule — I'm not fussed if 2 out of 3 kids have the same first initial as long as the middle initials are different. If 2/2 begin with the same letter, that's not really a theme, but 3/3 probably is. I can live with a first initial theme as long as all the names are spelled correctly — i.e. no "Jinger." That's cheating.

Similarity in popularity is not a big issue for me. While parents who like one rare name might like another, I think that some popular names can work well with rare names. For example, I wouldn't bat an eye at a sibset of Olivia (#4), Beatrice (#834), and Clementine (not ranked).

A good rule of thumb: siblings should sound like characters in the same novel, but should have names distinct enough that a reader could keep them all straight.