Sheridan

 

Old Hollywood actress Ann Sheridan

Sheridan is an Irish Gaelic surname meaning "seeker; peaceful" of which a playwright and Civil War general share as a namesake. In 1996 the masculine surname made it to the top 1000 list for girls (I wonder if the potential nicknames Sherry and/or Dani made that possible?), dropped off between 1998 and 1999, then came back between 2000 and 2002. It had been in the boys top 1000 in the 1890's and 1930's/40's for just a few short years, when Dan was probably the go-to nickname. As this was a masculine surname, much like Grayson, I have a hard time labeling it as "unisex." So, even though it is primarily used for girls now (9 boys in 2011 vs 48 girls), and isn't used nearly enough to firmly determine male/female (these are the lowest rankings since the peak in 1997), I am putting this one on the boys side.

Ingela

Ingela is a variant of Angela in some countries, like German (from engel), but means "Ing's protection" or "guarded by Ing" in Scandinavian/Old Norse. Ing, the Norse goddess, was also the foundation for Ingrid, meaning "Ing's beauty." Ingela dates back to at least 1692 in Northern Europe, but world wide may date as far back as any record of Angela. There were no babies named Ingela in 2011 or 2010, and my guess is you won't find more than a small handful of Ingela's in U.S. records of birth, and even White Pages tells us there are only 118 in the U.S.

Ingela Olsson was a Swedish actress from the 90's, Ingela Forsman a popular lyricist, and Ingela Klemetz was responsible for an art gallery exhibit on Northern Women in Chanel. There was also Ingela Gathenhielm, known as the "Shipping Queen," a Swedish privateer and pirate during the 1700's with her husband Lars. There actions were sanctioned by King Charles XII of Sweden.

Humphrey

 

Yes, not a name you hear every day, and not a name most parents think to use. In fact, Humphrey (HUM-free) was only given to 6 baby boys in 2011. It wasn't much better in the U.K., where it was only used 13 times in 2011. Rare indeed, yet so familiar. Not to mention intriguing nicknames: Hum, or Free. Many can still recall the charming actor Humphrey Bogart, who was in over 50 movies between 1928 and 1956, a year before he died. (I was shocked to learn my husband had no idea who he was, considering the American Film Institute ranked him the greatest male star in the history of American film.) He is most famous for "Casablanca" (1942) and "Sabrina" (1954). He starred alongside some gorgeous leading ladies, such as Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall (whom he married), Audrey Hepburn and Katherine Hepburn. This cultural icon known for playing hard, yet noble characters would be a great namesake for a baby of film or Broadway buffs, and what's more is that he was born on Christmas day.

This vintage name of Old German origin means "peaceful warrior, peaceful bear" and was popular in medieval times, along with other y-ending names like Jeremy and Geoffrey. Saint Humphrey (Hunfrid) lived in the 800s AD, and the monk turned bishop turned abbot was one of many forced to flee during the Norman invasion, later returning to his place in France to rebuild. The name Humphrey can be found in a few other unexpected places, like on the son of King Henry IV, who became the first Duke of Gloucester, and who was named for his grandfather. There was a jazz musician named Humphrey Lyttleton, and a famous whale called Humphrey the Humpback.

Humphrey last appeared on the U.S. top 1000 in 1894, with no recurrences despite the actor's popularity. In fact, Bogart most likely saved the name from extinction, as it was being forgotten and fading closer to obscurity. Sometimes you can find Humphrey as a surname - it was that of Lyndon Johnson's VP, and Humphrey Bogart got it from his mom's maiden name. Humphries may be the more familiar surname. Humphrey appears in literature as well - Shakespeare's Henry IV, Tobias Smollett's Humphrey Clinker, Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, and the children's book The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney. He's even mentioned in Harry Potter.

So what do you think? Is Humphrey ready for his vintage revival? Don't let the first four letters influence you too much, as "hump" is said differently than Humphrey, and most are familiar enough with the name to pronounce it correctly as HUM-free. If it bothers you but you do like the name, consider using a legit variant such as Homfrey, Humfrey or Onofre.

Bonnie

Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie is Scottish, meaning "fair," "attractive" and "pretty." From the French word bonne, meaning "good." Often, a child was said to be "bonny" regardless of gender, so long as that child displayed a happy nature, and this term features in some songs and literature (such as Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing). Today, "bonny" is still a word used to mean "pretty," especially in Scotland. It is now considered vintage in the U.S., having been used as an endearing nickname, even as a pet form of Bonita. There is an old nursery rhyme that makes Bonnie appropriate for a child born on Sunday. Bonnie Blue was the daughter of literary characters Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. Then there is the famous bank robber Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie & Clyde fame). And for all you Harry Potter fans out there, this is the name of Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny Weasley. Not a Harry Potter fan? It's the name of the witch in The Vampire Diaries. Some rarely heard variants include Bonnebel/Bonnebell and Bonnibel/Bonnibelle. Bonnie last ranked in 2003, but it appeared regularly since 1880. It hit #33 in 1941 and 1946, the highest ranking. In 2011 it was just outside the top 1000 with 218 births. Bonnie would make an exceptional alternative to other B names in the top 1000 at the moment, such as Bristol, Brooke, Brynlee and Briley. For the record, so would Betty (163 births) and Betsy (129 births).

Shenoa, Shenoah, Chenoa

A Shenoa Diamond

Shenoa is a bit hard to dig up info on regarding the meaning and origin. Variants include Shenoah and Chenoa, and multiple pronunciations including SHEN-oh-ah, CHAY-no-uh and CHEE-no-ah, so take your pick, as no one is going to fight you on the right version. Most baby name websites have it listed as a Native American name meaning "dove," from the word chenowa, "dove of peace" or "white dove," which is inaccurate according to various Native Americans, but is backed up by the state of Illinois in this bio, where there is a city called Chenoa, supposedly pronounced CHEE-no-uh. The more likely possibility is that it was once a Native American place name, and Wikipedia claims it is based on one of the Native American words for the Kentucky River here. Some sites even claim it means "a radiating presence of love," which has nothing backing it up. Considering the listed meanings, there is only evidence to support it as a unisex name. A possibility for nicknames is Shea or Noah for boys, Shay or Noa for girls, although Shen is an option as well.

The name is usually as common in Australia as it is in America. There is a jeweler called Shenoa Diamonds, a famous Spanish pop singer named Chenoa, and a rock band called Shenoah. There were no babies named Shenoa in 2011, but there were 23 baby girls spelled Chenoa. I believe this name would be a great way to honor realtives or ancestors in the Kentucky area or those with a Native American background. It would be a good idea to get the insights of your relatives, and they might have something to contribute to the meaning of this name that I couldn't find online. If anyone has any new information, I'd love to hear it.

Elowen

Elowen is a recent Cornish baby name meaning "elm." It may not take off in America like the last Cornish hit, Jennifer, but it's certainly pretty. She's part of a "linguistic revival," as Appellation Mountain puts it here. Her nickname could be Ellie, Elle or Ella, or a more unusual choice, Wendy. The pronunciation of Elowen is "ell-LOH-en," though most Americans will probably stick with "ELL-oh-wen." Please note that it is not spelled Elowyn. There is a similar name, Eowyn, but if you spell it Elowyn it will no longer be the Cornish name meaning elm tree, just some creative name.

Other great Cornish names include Penrose, Chesten (the Cornish form of Christine), Demelza, Denzel, Hammitt, Kerensa/Kerenza, Meraud (very similar to French gem name Emeraude, both meaning emerald, but Meraud is pronounced "meh-row"), Merryn, Morwenna, Tremain, Emblyn, Jory, Massen, Treeve and Cotton. Here's's a link to a post on Cornish names that includes Cornish saints and word names.

Theresa

Today's name is Theresa, which comes with the cute nicknames Tess, Tessa, Terra, or Reese/Reesa. There's Terry and Tracy, but they've fallen out of favor and seem dated. Theresa is Greek, meaning "late summer, to harvest (which is synonymous with to reap/gather)." It's most famous namesake is Mother Teresa, and what a great person to share a name with, although there were two other saints with this name. Theresa is teh-REE-sah, but you could also opt for Terese/Therese, said teh-REESE.

The first known namesake was the Spanish wife of Roman nobleman Paulinus from the 5th century. Apparently she was a writer who other women were fond of, thus giving her name to their children.
Here is a lovely list of international variants: wikipedia

Looking for something a little more unusual? Try Theria, which may have been a variant at some point, as both Theria and Theresa may come from the name of the Greek island Therasia. Theresa reached it's height around 1960 and is no longer on the top 1000 as of 2010 when it ranked at #928, a slow decline over the decade. Still, it is just below #1000, having 211 births in 2011. That being said, I don't see it coming back into the top 1000 any time soon, as Tess and Tessa have taken over with their similar, yet more modern sound. Tess in 2011 was #925, on its way up, and Tessa was #229, sort of hovering around that spot since 2000.

Amethyst

Well, I lost my list of planned February posts, so I'm a little behind and frustrated. Believe it or not, a little effort goes into lining up the names I post, as I want each pair to fit well together. In my opinion, anyway. But, until I've covered each month's birth stone, you can at least expect me to have a post on a birth stone every month until August, since the first one I covered was this past September, sapphire.

Amethyst is February's birth stone, a beautiful purple gem, as you can see. I have long loved Amethyst as a baby name since, although it is a little quirky, it offers options for those of us who love names like Amber, Angelina, Amy, Violet, or any other names we are drawn to but would not use.

Like Violet, which is ever popular, Amethyst immediately conjures up the image of a distinct purple color, and like Ruby, also ever popular, it gives us thoughts of pretty gemstones. However, Amethyst has never graced the top 1000. In 2010 there were only 62 baby girls born named Amethyst.

Amethyst, a semi-precious form of quartz, is Greek, meaning "not intoxicated." The Greeks took this literally and wore amethyst as a form of protection against the effects of wine, sometimes even placing the amethyst in the wine itself. Tibetan Buddhists believe the stone is sacred to Buddha. Today people still believe in amethyst's calming properties, its ability to promote serenity, provide peace, and help with addictions.

With amethyst being such a common jewelry store find, and with accessable nicknames like Amy or Ama, it certainly won't be your fault if people have difficulty with this name. It should be just as easy for people to understand and pronounce as Amber, yet your child will probably never meet another in her lifetime.

Columba

Since the last post featured a bird of prey, today's name is Columba, Latin, meaning "dove," the symbol of peace. It is the name of a constellation, three saints, and a term lovingly used for the United States. It is not to be confused with Columbia, the country in South America, although the two names do share a connection.

Columba and its variants have become a symbol of peace beyond the name's meaning. America was the name of the continent, Columbia was the female personification, the name based on the surname of Christopher Columbus, who discovered it. This is also how the country of Columbia got its name. As we all know, the New World was intended to be the "Land of the Free," where everyone could come to be rid of religious persecution. Columbia was intended to mean "Land of Columbus," but Columbus means "dove" just as Columba does. As Columbia represented a sentiment of the Americas, Columba now symbolizes peace in all forms (not simply religious).

6th century St. Columba that converted Scotland to Christianity, and although he was male, there were two other saints of the same name that were female. If you're having a boy and still want to use a peaceful name such as Columba, try Colm, Culver or Callum. Other female names meaning "dove" include Paloma, Aloma, Colombe, Columbia, Columbana, Jemima and Yonina. Also, see this post for names that are peaceful.

In 2010 there were 6 baby girls named Columbia, but none named Columba. There were also 8 boys named Colum.

Seraphina

Seraphina is Hebrew, meaning "burning ones" or "fiery ones." It is the Latin and feminine form of the word seraphim, which are the six-winged highest ranking angels of God. The meaning is intended to describe these powerful fiery-winged angels, not the feathery-winged ones we typically think of. These angels were warriors.

Despite the fact that Jennifer Garner and Ben Afleck used this name for one of their daughters, the name is still quite rare, even though it is one of the most looked-up baby names. It was also the name of a 13th century saint (technically four, I believe, but the other woman was born named Sveva and two were male - Serafino and Serafim), being very popular in medieval Italy.

There are a few different ways to use this name: Seraphina, Serafina, Saraphina, Sarafina, Seraphine, Saraphine, and Serafine. In 2010 there were 12 baby girls named Sarafina, 9 Saraphina, 6 Seraphim, 5 Serafima, 79 Serafina, 107 Seraphina, and 17 Seraphine.

Seraphina has a range of nicknames, from Phina to Fifi, Sera to Nina, depending on how the full name is spelled.

Peaceful Baby Names

Everyone knows how stressful the holidays can be, but everyone also knows how peaceful those silent nights can be. Here is my holiday list of names that are peaceful...

Dove, the universal symbol of peace.
Columba, pn. co-LUM-ba, meaning "dove." There is a St. Columba.
Paloma, Spanish, also meaning "dove." In 2010 Paloma ranked at #698.
Aloma is the shorter form of Paloma, meaning "dove."
Callum, from Scottish Gaelic Calum, a variant of Columba, meaning "dove." Calumina is the female variant.
Culver is Old English from the same root as Callum, meaning "dove."
Jemima, Hebrew, meaning "dove."
Yonina is also Hebrew, meaning "dove."

Paz, Spanish, in reference to Our Lady of Peace, means "peace."
Paxton (male) is from Latin and Old English, meaning "peace town."
Concordia, meaning "harmony," the goddess of peace after a battle.
Olivia, meaning "olive tree." Extending (giving) an olive branch is a symbol of offering peace. Fun fact: Shakespeare coined Olivia as a girl's name from the name Oliver.
Mira, which Latin, Slavic and Hindi. One of its meanings is "peace."
Axel, Hebrew, and Axelle, Old German, meaning "father is peace."
Nitsa, the German nickname of Greek goddess Irene, both meaning "peace." Yarina and Rena also come from Irene.
Amani, which is Kiswahili, means "peace."
Malina, Hawaiian, meaning "peace."
Chessa, Slavic, meaning "at peace."
Inga, Scandinavian and Old Norse, meaning "guarded by Ing." Ing was a god of fertility and peace.
Zulema, Arabic, meaning "peace."
Shalom, a Hebrew greeting, means "peace." Also Salome, Salama and Selima.
Wilfreda, the feminine form of Wilfred, means "desiring peace."
Winifred, Old English and Welsh, means "joy and peace."
Evania means "peaceful," as does Freda, Paccia and Pacifica.
Emeline can mean "peaceful home," as does Karinya.
Casimir, Polish, "announcing peace."
Farica, Frederica and Frederick, "peaceful ruler."
Geoffrey, "pledge of peace."
Milo, "peaceful."


Names that mean calm...
Galina
Halcyon, Halcyone, Alcyone
Lana
Janoah
Placidia
Lulu
Serena
Serenity

Cosima means "order, beauty."
Amity means "friendship, harmony."

And there's always plain old Peace...

Winter

Today's name: Winter, a favorite among message boards

Pronunciation: WIN-ter

Potential nicknames: Win, Winnie, Terrie

Origin: The Old English season name for the coldest months of the year.

Popularity: Winter only ranked twice since 1880 - it was #1000 in 1978 and #705 in 1979, both times for girls. In 2010 there were 217 baby girls named Winter and 12 baby boys named Winter, making this a unisex name. In 2011 there were 13 baby boys named Winter and 10 Wynter, and 237 baby girls named Winter, 145 spelled Wynter.

Fun fact: (1) Harlow Winter Kate Madden, daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden. Their son is named Sparrow James Midnight. (2) Winter Ave Zoli is an actress. (3) Gretchen Mol's daughter Winter.

Luna

Today's name: Luna
Also try Lunabelle, Lunabella, Lunette, Lunetta, Luneth, or even Crescentia

Pronunciation: LOO-nah

Potential nicknames: Luu, Lulu, Una, NaNa

Origin: Latin, meaning "moon." It can be traced back to the word lumen, meaning "light."

Popularity: Luna has always been mildly popular. In 1880 she ranked at #444, while today she ranks at #278 with 1,138 births in 2011. There were 934 baby girls named Luna in 2010, ranking at #343, along with 7 Lunabella's and 5 Lunabelle's. Luna has been popular in Belgium for a while now as a top 10 name.

Fun fact: (1) Luna is associated as the name of the Roman goddess of the moon. It is one of the names of Artemis. The Greeks called her Selene. (2) Luna Lovegood, a character in Harry Potter. (3) Luna can be a special name given to those born as the astrological sign Cancer, whose ruling planet is the moon. (4) Some of you might recognize the name Luna from the Japanese animated TV show, also a manga (Japanese comic) titled "Sailor Moon." Luna was the wise black kitty, with an enchanting side story in the comic version and one of the movies. (5) Luna is where the words lunatic and lunar come from. (6) A little girl named Luna will always have a special connection to the pretty green Lunamoth. (7) Luna Park at Coney Island.

Angel, Angela, Angelo

 

(source)

Today's name: Angel (Angela, Angelina, etc. & Angelo, Angelus, etc.)

Pronunciation: AYN-jel, AHN-hail, AHN-hel

Potential nicknames: Ang, Angie, Annie, Anne, Ana

Origin: Greek, meaning "messenger." Transfered in the New Testament and Church Latin to mean "messenger of God" with the rise of Christianity. Angelos was the first version of Angel, and Angela became widely used in the 18th century.

Popularity: Angel and its variants seem to be perpetually popular. In 2011 Angel ranked #52 for boys, while Angelo was at #298. For girls, Angela was #189 in 2011, while Angel was #216, Angelica was #373, Angelina #104 and Angeline #753. In 2010 there were 1,587 baby girls named Angel (ranking at #194 on the U.S. top 1000), 8,716 baby boys named Angel (ranking at #42 on the top 1000), 1,898 baby girls named Angela (ranking at #160), 1,143 baby boys named Angelo (ranking at #290), 3,110 baby girls named Angelina (ranking at #93), and even 32 baby girls named Angelic. There are a wealth of variants, including Angelia, Angeliese, Angelica, and all the variants spelled with a J instead of a G. The name Angel is certainly on the rise for boys in Spanish-speaking countries.

Fun fact: (1) Angel Clare, a male character in Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the D'Ubervilles." (2) Angel was the title of a TV series similar to/a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The main characters full name was Angelus. (3) Actresses Angelina Jolie, Angela Bassett, Angela Dickinson, Angela Lansbury and Angie Harmon. (4) Angel is not only a word name, but can be used to describe someone. The phrase "A perfect angel." (5) St. Angela Merici. (6) The highest ranking angels are called seraphims. (See Seraphina.)

.

Lavender

Today's name: Lavender

Pronunciation: LAV-en-der

Potential nicknames: Lavie, Andie, Enna

Origin: From the Latin lavandula/lavendula, a flowering plant in the mint family that blooms in shades of blue and lilac. The ancient Greeks called lavender nardus after the Syrian city of Naarda. The late Latin name meant "to wash," presumably because lavender was used to dye and scent fabric.

Popularity: Lavender joined other popular flower names of the 18th century and was used on both boys and girls, although it has never been as popular as Lily, Rose and Violet, especially in recent years. It is worth noting that during the flower-name-rage in the 18th century, every flower had a meaning, and lavender symbolized distrust. In 2010 there were only 23 baby girls named Lavender. In 2011 there were 34.

Fun fact: (1) During Roman times lavender was an occupational name for a washer-woman, presumably because lavendula meant "to wash." (2) The genus of lavender includes annuals, herbs, and small shrubs. It blooms in shades of lilac and periwinkle blue. The color lavender comes from the color of these plants. (3) Lavender is often found to have a relaxing scent, and is therefore used in aromatherapy, essential oils, and mineral baths, among other things. This goes back to Roman times when lavender was extremely expensive, used in bathwater to improve and scent the skin. (4) Culinary enthusiasts might recognize lavender being used in herbs de Provence. (5) Lavender was used as a holy herb in the biblical Temple and mentioned in the Song of Solomon along with other herbs. (6) Lavender Brown is a character in the Harry Potter series, and also a character in "Matilda" by Roald Dahl. (7) Lavender has also been used as an English surname.

.

Chamomile

Today's name: Chamomile (feminine, but could work for boys too if you shorten it to Miles, Mo or Cham) Also try the British spelling, Camomile.

Image via http://www.botanical.com/

Pronunciation: rarely SHAM-oh-meel, more often KAM-oh-meel or KAM-uh-my-ul

Potential nicknames: Cham, Chammie, Chamo, Moe, Momo, Mile, Miles, Milo, Millie

Origin: Chamomile in an English wordname, meaning "chamomile," also meaning "peace" and "spice." Wikipedia says the word chamomile derives, via French and English from a Greek word meaning "earth apple," which is weird and lovely at the same time. Chamomile is a plant that looks just like a daisy. It is widely known as a kind of tea that has a very calming effect, sometimes used as a sleep aid, sometimes used to calm certain organs like the stomach, and sometimes used for anxiety relief.

Popularity: If names like Sage, Clove and Saffron are getting more popular right now, why not consider Chamomile? There were no babies born in 2010 or 2011 in the U.S. named Chamomile, yet most are familiar with the word, and my guess is there hasn't ever been more than, say, 50 births in a year with this name.

.

Solomon

Today's name: Solomon (male)

Pronunciation: SAUL-uh-mun, SAH-lah-mun, SAH-lo-mon

Variant forms: Solomon, Salomo, Salmon, Salomon, Salomone, Shalmon, Sol, Solaman, Sollie, Soloman, Shlomo, Shalom, Sulayman, Zalman, Selman

Potential nicknames: Sol, Soul, Solo, Solly, Salo, Sonny

Origin: Hebrew, meaning "peace." Solomon is a Biblical name. He was the son of David and Bathsheba and became a king of Israel, known for wisdom, writing, and communication with animals.

Fun fact: The name Salem is related to Solomon, also meaning "peace." It was the name of an ancient city later identified with Jerusalem.

Popularity: In 2010, Solomon ranked at #467 in popularity in the U.S. In 2011 there were 597 boys named Solomon, ranking at #449.

Female version: Salome


.

Stellan

Today's name: Stellan (male)

Potential nicknames: Stell, Stellar

Pronunciation: STEH-len, STEL-lahn

Origin: Swedish, meaning "peaceful."

Popularity: In 2010 there were 41 baby boys named Stellan in the U.S. In 2011 there were 37.

Fun fact: (1) Using the male baby name Stellan could be a fun way to honor a female relative named Stella. (2) Stellan Skarsgard is a popular actor from Sweden, (as seen in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Good Will Hunting"), who now has a popular actor son named Alexander Skarsgard (of "True Blood" fame).