By Linda Rosenkrantz 　　I’ve long loved Lola, and lately I’ve been crushing on Viola and Finola–which inspired me to take a look at what other ola names there are, and was pleased to find that there are lots of options, coming from several different ethnicities. As opposed to the diminutive ina-ending, ola‘s...

　　By Abby Sandel, Appellation Mountain 　　Names from the Middle Ages are fascinating. They’re often quite similar to those parents love today, but tend to be almost entirely overlooked. 　　Nameberry has long had the Coolator. I would call this the Medievalizer, except that sounds like a torture device. 　　Instead, this is...

　　Let’s have some fun. 　　List your Top 5 girls’ names.  In order if possible.  With explanations for why you love them so much, if you like. 　　Your Top 5 might include names you’ve chosen for your own daughter or names you plan to use.  Or it might just be a...

　　Let’s find some more offbeat boy names for Ralphie‘s new brother! 　　Sara writes: 　　Oh, Name Sage, please help! 　　Two years ago, we named our first son Ralph. We loved how it was uncommon but how it still felt familiar. We also wanted a one-syllable first name to go with our...

　　She loves bold boy names no one else is using. He says not so fast! How can they compromise on a name for Alexander “Wolfie” Wolfgang‘s brother? 　　Karina writes:We’re expecting our second IVF miracle in October, a little brother for Alexander Wolfgang. 　　We struggled to name our first son. I...

　　She loves rare and unexpected names. He likes to keep it more traditional. Sound familiar? It’s the classic tug-of-war between too-common and too-out-there for this couple. Let’s help them name a brother for Scout Valentine. 　　Desperate writes:I’ve just found out I’m expecting baby number two, a sibling for Scout Valentine!...

　　Want to know the most popular unisex names? We’ve crunched the numbers for you. 　　Our definition of a unisex name is one that’s used for both girls and boys with a split of at least 90-10. (For the most popular names, there are always a few opposites recorded, like the...

　　Unisex nature names blend two of the coolest categories of baby names right now, so it’s no wonder they’re attracting a lot of attention! 　　The top gender neutral names in the US include several nature-inspired options, and the natural world is also a wonderful place to look for unique unisex...

　　It’s hard to imagine Lauren, Lindsay, Madison and Sydney as anything other than girl names. But rewind 100 years and they were used mainly — or even exclusively — for boys. So were a lot of other names that are now more female. 　　Unisex names are rarely perfectly gender-balanced. They’re...

　　Of all the names starting with B, names with a “Bo” sound are the biggest trend. The most popular for boys, are Bodhi, Beau and Bowen. Beyond them, there are plenty more names for boys and girls with the same cool sound. 　　Popular Bo namesBeauThe most popular name with a...

　　In tough times, new parents are drawn to baby names with good meanings. 　　From direct word names like Loyal and Halo to names with less overt positive meanings, like Vida "life", Elio "sun" or Salem "peace", names with great meanings pepper the list of the fastest-rising baby names in the...

　　Malibu Barbie, Bambi, Wednesday. What is this trend of referencing childhood nostalgia with baby names? 　　We're calling it kindercore names. Kindercore, coined in 2019, is the design aesthetic characterized by decor in primary colors and simple shapes. 　　Like this style, kindercore names harken back to childhood. Specifically, kindercore names reference beloved characters in...

　　VINTAGE NAMES: What era are you? 　　Unless you’re a baby namer focused on finding a newly created or cutting-edge name, chances are you’ve considered using one from the past.  But which part of the past?  An ancient name or one from earlier in the 20th century? 　　So, the question of the...

　　Once more this year the list of most popular names—particularly for girls—is vowel –heavy, with six of the top ten names starting with A, E, I or O, and five more filling out the top twenty. 　　As a result, naturally, there are fewer consonant-starters visible, some letters practically non-existent.  One...

　　The question of the week is: 　　Is there a name that to you seems to have everything going for it and yet hasn’t caught on?  Do you have a theory as to why it’s been neglected?  Maybe it’s a Nameberry fave that outsiders haven’t discovered or maybe it’s your own personal pleasure...

　　Sure, Thanksgiving is about sweet potatoes with little marshmallows on top, but it’s also about family. That’s why, as we approach the holiday, our coverage of Thanksgiving baby names is focused this year not on Pilgrim names or turkey names but on the new style in family names. 　　Family names...

　　Julie writes:We have two boys, Benjamin John, nn Benji, and William Henry, nn Will. Our third on the way is a girl and we are really struggling with her name. 　　For our boys, we quickly settled on classic names and used family names for the middles. There doesn’t seem to...

　　Nameberry has been happy to host Abby Sandel's Name Sage column and to bring our visitors her wise naming advice for several years now. Here, Abby's accumulated naming wisdom (so far). Thank you, Abby, for your wonderful column. 　　The act of choosing a name is deceptively simple. Just a few...