By Linda Rosenkrantz

　　May was an extraordinary month in the Nameberry Birth Announcement forums. We had a girl named Tully, boys called Godric and Endymion and Ignatius, middle names Lilac and Nickleby, brothers Atlas and Apollo, and nicely paired twins August Matthias and Thomas Nathaniel.

　　Parents drew inspiration from sources as varied as the Old Testament, Simon & Garfunkel songs, The Nutcracker ballet, Robert Plant, The X-Files, and, (you can’t say the Nameberry community isn’t literary)—Charles Dickens, the poet Keats, Truman Capote, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter

　　Here’s the complete list for May baby names of our berries.

　　GIRLS

　　Adelaide Louise, sister of Isla Rose and Magnolia Ann

　　“I chose her middle name, Louise, in honor of a Lou in my family and felt like the meaning, “warrior,” fit her tiny personality already. The rest of the first names on our list just didn’t feel right, so Adelaide she was. Then I remembered that I had posted the nameberry poll and hadn’t checked it… I went back and checked it and Adelaide was also the berry winner (by a hair!). I also love the meaning of Adelaide (Noble, kind) and the heritage and history that it holds. We plan to call her Daisy but also love her full name so that may stick!”

　　Cecilia Lilac, sister of Theodore Lewis, Sebastian Hugo, Edmund Leo and Philomena Lucy

　　“We chose Cecilia with Nameberry’s help and Lilac was something that caught my fancy as I pored over lists and other members’ signatures for inspiration. I thought they paired beautifully and I love lilac flowers and color, my husband even just bought two lilac trees that we will plant in our yard in baby’s honor…The deal breaker for Cecilia was definitely the Simon & Garfunkel song and its link to music and religion. A lot of people get turned off by the meaning of “blind” but with such excellent other associations we didn’t even care.”

　　Clara Linda, sister of Alice Caroline

　　“I have loved the name Clara since I was a kid watching The Nutcracker and thankfully my husband liked it as well. Linda is after my MIL who is just smitten with her new granddaughter, I struggled with the sing-songy sound of her full name for a while, but now I just love how sweet it sounds.”

　　Eloise Claire, sister of Charlotte Lucy and Vivienne Grace

　　Evvie Rose

　　Kate Emmaline, sister of Karisa Rose, Kalena Grace and Evan Theodore

　　Leonie Ruth, sister of Rosalie Matilda

　　“We love that her name means “lioness who is a compassionate friend”! For us, it brings to mind Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia.”

　　Miriam Catherine (nn Miri), sister of Anna Eve

　　“We were drawn to the strength and beauty of the name Miriam, as well as its biblical connection. And the sweetness of its nicknames makes it feel just right for a little girl.”

　　Stella Marguerite, sister of Vivienne Rose and Georgia Violet

　　Tully Rose, sister of Poppy Kate and Lennox Jacob

　　BOYS

　　Atlas Thomas, brother of Apollo Allan

　　“Atlas was a name that we both liked and agreed on, and we felt went well with his big brother’s name.”

　　August (“Auggie”) Matthias, twin of Thomas Nathaniel and brother of John Sebastian and Anne Gabriella

　　Endymion Atlas Faramir (nn Teddy), brother of Cornelia Hermione Winter

　　“Endymion is a Greek name of John Keats fame. In the original myth he was a young hunter considered to be the most beautiful of all mortals…Endymion is the subject of several poems (my favorite being the one by Oscar Wilde), as well as paintings and books. Since our son is a May Day baby, we wanted a Robert Plant name as I can’t help but associate him with the May King, and Endymion is definitely the most Robert Plant name in the world…Faramir was my husband’s pick, as The Lord of the Rings was the book his mother would often read to him and his brother when they were children …Endymion Atlas Farmer is a whole lotta name and probably a bit over the top, but we love it and it suits our son to a T.”

　　Frederick Arthur (“Freddie“)

　　“As a nickname we mostly call him Freddie, which is what drew my husband to the name.”

　　Godric Nickleby, brother of Gabriel Christian and Emrys Atticus

　　We love literary names and pulled Godric from Harry Potter and Nickleby from Nicholas Nickleby.”

　　Harbor Alister

　　“Harbor is a nature and word name my husband and I loved and is also a nod to my maiden name. Alister acknowledges our British Isle heritage and my husband chose the spelling after Alister McKenzie, the golf course designer. It was fun looking up how many Harbors were born last year on the SSN list that came out the week he was born. 27 boys and 53 girls. He’ll be one of the few on next year’s list!”

　　Ignatius Cy

　　“Ignatius Cy is named for the fiery boy we hope he grows to be, and after his paternal grandfather. I’d also like to announce his older sister, Philomena Eloise, who was stillborn last year in February.”

　　Jesse Michael, brother of Francine Marguerite

　　Leo Minzi

　　“For his first name, we were looking for something short, strong and rich with history. Leo fit those requirements perfectly for us. Minzi honors Leo’s Chinese heritage.”

　　Louis Barnaby Fox, brother of Milo Christopher, Viola Mary Blue and Zelda Lydia Rose

　　“Louis (pronounced Lou-EE) won out in the end because it honors New Orleans where I’m from (because of Louisiana, because it’s French and because of the jazz legend Louis Armstrong). Barnaby was a name crush I had for the longest time and just had to use and my husband had fun choosing his middle name of Fox.”

　　Oscar Fox (Ozzy), brother of Linus Matthew and Betsy Lucille

　　“Oscar is a name that my husband suggested with our first child, but I wasn’t feeling it. Then, I suggested it for our second child, but husband wasn’t feeling it. This time around, we both loved it, so Oscar was on our leaderboard the whole pregnancy. For the middle, I wanted a spunky nature name. And as two X-files fans, Fox Mulder is a legend.”

　　Samuel Robin Hall

　　“Samuel is after my husband’s paternal grandfather. We also just love the meaning behind the name. His first middle name, Robin, is after my maternal uncle who passed away when I was a child. Sharing with my mother, aunt, and grandmother that we would be using Robin’s name for our son was one of the most meaningful moments of my pregnancy. His second middle name, Hall, is my maiden name. My dad was more honored than I expected…and it has turned out to be an apt choice because our boy came out looking just like my dad!”

　　Silas Tucker

　　Check out olsen’s expanded explanation here.

　　Sullivan Mac (Sully), brother of Fletcher

　　Thank you SO much to those of you who suggested the name Sullivan when I was looking for an alternative to the name Griffin after my husband changed his mind…I would never have had it on my radar if it wasn’t for you guys!”

　　Thomas Nathaniel, twin of August Matthias and brother of John Sebastian and Anne Gabrielle

　　Truman James, brother of Lucille Beatrice and Lennon Wallace

　　“Like his siblings, he has a middle name after a loved family member. He is named for an artist we admire (Truman Capote, other kids named after Lucille Ball and John Lennon.) We love that his name represents truth and honesty, whereas Lucille has always represented happiness to us and Lennon, love. So now we have a trifecta of names representing the 3 virtues we find most precious.”

　　So what’s your favorite from this fantastic assortment?