New baby names are those that have never (or rarely) been used until recent years, but are red-hot for children now. 　　Each generation wants to do things differently from the last. For some parents that means looking wider for baby name inspiration, and choosing a name that they’ve never heard...

　　For her round-up of the Nameberry 9 newsiest names this week, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel asks us to think about why we sometimes shy away from trendy baby names. 　　I’ve heard parents fret that they can’t use Harper now that the Beckhams have bestowed it on a daughter. Suggest that...

　　There are several hot trends in middle names 2012. 　　One is the Middle Name with Meaning — family surnames, place names, virtue names you might not use in first place but that make for distinctive middle names. 　　Another is using two middle names, often to honor family members. 　　And then...

　　This week, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel ‘s picks of The Nameberry 9 newsiest options focuses on the trend for  short and sweet baby names. 　　Are miniature names growing on you?  There have been Nameberry posts and discussion threads, and a steady uptick in birth announcements for children with very short...

　　The official list of U.S. Most Popular Names 2011 will be revealed this Friday, and so in advance of that announcement, we’re asking YOU to predict: 　　What do you think will be the 2011 Most Popular Names? 　　Will Jacob and Isabella hold their top spots?  If not, which names do...

　　The most popular baby names of 2011 are officially here, with Sophia unseating Isabella to become the the new top girls’ name in the U.S.. 　　Jacob remains the most popular name for boys for the 13th year in a row.  An Old Testament name that means “supplanter” and a cousin...

　　Over 1500 new baby names joined the Social Security extended list this year, 641 boys’ names and 896 names for girls.  Nephele, one of the original Berries, tallied all the new baby names for us from the complete list of names given to five or more children in the U.S....

　　This week, for The Nameberry 9, Appellation Mountain‘s Abby Sandel looks at new names that might make their way onto future Top 1000 lists. 　　Are you still drowning in data? I had barely finished devouring every bit of analysis regarding the new US Top 1000 before the state data started...

　　There was a time when we thought—rightly or wrongly– of regional names in terms of stereotypes—prim and proper appellations in New England, sweetly feminissima Southern belles, Tex-Mex cowboys out west. Now, though, it sometimes seems that baby names have become more and more homogeneous across the United States, but if we...

　　Linda and I have spent a lot of time over the years tracking the ups and downs of baby names and making sense of the movements.  Often, it’s possible to divine trends in the popularity lists: Girls’ names that end in a are marching up the ladder in seeming unison,...

　　British name maven Eleanor Nickerson, aka Elea, has her finger on the pulse of naming trends in the UK. 　　For most people outside of the UK, “British Names” are typified by the old Victorian legacy of Empire and afternoon tea, or the ethereal mystery of ancient Celtic folklore. The stereotype...

　　It’s another morning with British baby names in the London Telegraph here, and this time I thought I’d focus on charming sibsets from the recent birth announcements. 　　I always love the slightly off-kilter (from the American perspective) British baby names plus the eccentric string of middle names. But including the...

　　Just like Oz, Nameberry has a Wizard: Our engineer and partner Hugh Hunter.  One of the wonderful things Hugh can do, besides creating the digital structure of the site and keeping it running, is to produce lists of names that meet certain statistical criteria: Names whose popularity peaked in 1937,...