This was one of those delicious mornings when I allowed myself to dip into the recent British baby names in the London Telegraph birth announcements. As usual, they didn’t disappoint (can you tell that my speech has suddenly acquired a British cadence?) and I managed to pick up on some actual trends.

　　The first is that, now that Americans have started following the British lead and using two middle names, the Brits are upping the ante by using three. Four first names total, ala Charlie Gaspar Geoffrey Langton: that’s one major new trend.

　　But in another way, British parents have started imitating Americans by using surnames and word names as middle names: besides Langton, there’s a Macmillan, a Melrose, a Tiger and a Capability here.

　　Some British baby names seem much more fashionable there than in the U.S.: Martha, Nancy, India, Alice, and Agatha for girls; Edmund, Otto, Hector, Ralph, and Benedict for boys. I guess we know why they use Benedict and we don’t. But can someone British please explain to me your fondness for Alfie and Archie?

　　There also seems to be a trend toward having several charmingly-named children of one sex, followed by a charmingly-named child of the other sex, creating a family out of a storybook. I mean, when I read about little Hector, George, Inigo, and Alfred welcoming sister Poppy, or imagined Lettice, Beatrice, and Agatha gathered around the cradle of baby brother Atticus, I nearly abandoned this blog to rush off and write a series of adventure tales starring these lovely siblings.

　　Here, the new baby names from England:

　　Girls

　　Agatha Annie

　　Amelia Scarlett India (sister to Orlando, Felix, and Willoughby)

　　Calypso Angelica (sister for India)

　　Cleo Elizabeth (sister for Toby)

　　Eliza India Peta

　　Helisent Sophie Isis

　　Hermione Cecily Mabel

　　Jemima Daisy Ophelia

　　Kitty Violet Larissa (sister to Noah, Jago, and Cassius)

　　Minna Julia Rose

　　Nancy Grace Elizabeth (sister for Martha)

　　Oriana Tiger

　　Poppy Elizabeth (sister for Hector, George, Inigo, and Alfred)

　　Tabitha Daisy Kate

　　Theodora Grace Primrose

　　Boys

　　Alexander Rafael Thomas Collett (Xander)

　　Arlo Patrick Antony

　　Atticus Oliver Ernest (brother for Lettice, Beatrice, and Agatha)

　　Benedict Ralph Oliver

　　Buster Thomas James

　　Charlie Gaspar Geoffrey Langton (brother for Jorge)

　　Deano Oriano

　　Digby Rollo

　　Edmund Tillan Carmac

　　Ferdinand Archibald Speir

　　Geordie Malcolm Andrew

　　Hamish Francis Eagar (brother for Hugh and Xander)

　　Laurence Cornelius Melrose

　　Ludovic John (brother for Otto, Max, George, and Toby)

　　Maximilian Xavier (brother to Marta Rose)

　　Monty Dyson Apollo (brother for Mitzy)

　　Peregrine Guy Richard Jago

　　Ralph Jerome (brother for Clementine and Cecilia)

　　Rocco Edward Baird (brother for Felix and Oscar)

　　Wilbur James Macmillan

　　Zebedee Ebenezer Jay (brother for Badger (child? dog? actual badger?), Clementine, and Florence)

　　Twins

　　Beatrice Rose and Rory Benedict

　　Henry Capability and Edmund Thomas

　　Thomasina May and Tristan John Horatio