It is with great sadness that we report the death of one of our most treasured contributors, K. M. Sheard.  Kay ran the delightful website, Nook of Names, and was the author of a giant, encyclopedic compendium of name information, Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Names, which we have found to be...

　　By Abby Sandel 　　Taylor Swift’s latest video is a who’s who of Hollywood stars, up-and-coming singers, and supermodels galore. 　　(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo YouTube Bad Blood Taylor Swift) stars Taylor as a sort of James Bond/Wonder Woman/Katniss Everdeen warrior extraordinaire. After her fellow BFF-spy betrays her, she enrolls in assassin school and assembles...

　　Alice writes: 　　My husband and I are expecting our first baby girl in June after having four boys, and we CANNOT agree on a girl’s name. 　　Our sons are Dashiell Zion, Jedidiah “Jedi” Kai, August Simon, and Lincoln Atticus. The surname sounds like McLachlin. 　　We’re looking for a name that...

　　Choosing the right brother names involves striking the right balance. Ideally, brother names should be coordinated in a clear way — such as style or origin — but you want the names to be distinctive, so the brother set doesn’t feel too matchy. 　　Looking for brother names with similar style is...

　　Fifteen hours into labor, a new nurse came into our hospital room and gave us a cheerful hello. My husband and I looked away from the television. The 2010 Winter Olympics were on though neither of us were paying much attention.  　　Just after midnight, I’d woken up to my water...

　　Aiden and boy names that rhyme with it have been all the rage since around the year 2000. Have you ever wondered about the history of this name trend? Or what the most popular Aiden-names are today? 　　Join us for a dive into this wave of names that swept the...

　　Alanna Shore, stay-at-home parent, and her husband Keith, artist and art director of Mikkeller Beer, live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with their four children. 　　In May they welcomed their latest arrivals, twins named Nico Gianna and Jasper Graham. Here, Alanna shares the story of how she and Keith named their...

　　Surnames used as unisex baby names offer fresh, modern-sounding options that aren’t too tied to one gender. 　　Last names as first names are always in fashion. Some lean strongly to one gender, as we can see in the USA’s list of popular names. Harper and Avery are mostly given to...

　　Gender neutral names are susceptible to the same shifts in popularity as traditionally gendered names, but these shifts can differ between the sexes. This makes it more interesting to examine the directions of unisex names, which fluctuate in girl-boy ratio from year to year. 　　Nameberry defines gender neutral names as...

　　What makes a Southern name? Just a unique blend of tradition and modern style. 　　Parents in the American South are famous for passing on family names to children, for example by repeating first names, or using mom's maiden name as a first name. This means that classics like John and...

　　New York baby namers love sleek, streamlined girl names like Rose and Claire, while Dallas favorites like Willa and Evangeline bring a touch of Southern charm. 　　Scottish namers are drawn to rugged boy names with a local flavor, such as Innes and Struan. And in Auckland, New Zealand, you'll find...

　　Cottagecore baby names are part of a recent aesthetic trend defined by an appreciation for romanticized rural life, according to The New York Times. Hobbies such as bread baking, embroidery, and mushroom foraging are among the wholesome, nostalgic elements of the cottagecore lifestyle. 　　Cottagecore names, too, evoke this bucolic way...

　　Ever since we started exploring and writing about baby names, Pam and I have been intrigued by the concept of sweet-spot names, those that fall in that perfect position of not being epidemically popular—so common that their distinctive images to be diluted—yet not extreme enough to raise eyebrows or cause...

　　Baby namers desperate for truly undiscovered baby names have always begged us for our secret list of unique names that nobody but nobody else has. You know, the truly wonderful baby names with deep history and wide appeal that somehow remain completely undiscovered. 　　The only problem was we didn’t have...

　　Popular names by state can look very different from the national count. Find out which states' top names conform to the US popular names list and which go in a different direction. 　　Olivia and Liam held on to their titles as the most popular names in the United States for...

　　They're living in Japan, so their new daughter's name needs to bridge two cultures - just like brothers Raiden and Renzo. Plus, they're hoping for something that feels meaningful to their family. The Name Sage tries to check all the boxes! 　　Clarice writes:I'm really hoping you could help me out...

　　Considering changing your baby's name? You're not alone! 　　A few weeks after their son's birth in February 2022, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott announced that they had changed their little boy's name. “That was the hardest thing that I’ve ever done in my life...I’m still like, ‘Did I make the...

　　Rainbow baby names — names for a child born after the loss of another — can be a way to mark a time of mixed emotions. Some parents find it helpful and meaningful to choose a name that both acknowledges the loss and celebrates new life, commemorating the past and...