Once Upon a Time Baby Names

This girl's baby name is Welsh in origin, and it derives from Arianrhod, meaning "silver circle." Arianrhod was a Celtic goddess associated with the moon. Pronounced arh-ee-AHN-wen, it means "blessed silver."  Arianell  is a related name meaning "shining silver." Arianwen verch Brychan was the daughter of legendary 5th century Welsh chieftan Brychan Brycheiniog, and in more recent times we can find the name on celebrity Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood, and even in the book series The Magician Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo as the character of the Snow Spider. Arianwen had no U.S. data, nor does Arianell or Arianrhod.

Diletta D'Andrea Diletta (dee-LAY-tah, dee-LET-tuh) is an Italian girl's name that comes from the Latin word dilecta ( diligere , diligo ) meaning "preferred, diligent, to be loved by choice." It is used in Italy and Switzerland and the numbers  are going up , I first saw this name over at  The Well-Informed Namer  along with some other Italian beauties. Nicknames for Diletta could range from Dila, to Letta, to Letty, to Dita. There are only a few namesakes, such as opera singer Diletta Rizzo Marin, actress Diletta D'Andrea, Italian swimmer Diletta Carli, and journalist Diletta Petronio. In the Italian language version of Gone With the Wind , Scarlett and Rhett's daughter is Diletta instead of Bonnie. Diletta is also a character name in a novel by Frederico Moccia. Diletto is the masculine form of the name. Diletta has not been used in the U.S.

Ingram was on the U.S. top 1000 twice in 1883 and 1890, so it's been a long time since this name got a little love. It is even rare in the U.K. and Wales. From German, this name means "Ing's Raven," although the first element has contested meaning due to it's similarity to "angel" and "angle," with a possible connection to 'Anglo-Saxon, and a possible meaning of "Raven of Anglia." This medieval name has quite a few Noble namesakes dating all the way back to the 8th century. One famous modern namesakes is Ingram "Gram" Parsons, the country musician.

The Gemma Augustea Onyx (ON-iks) is a tricky name. People often think it's a name they can't use, but for what reason? Raw onyx is anywhere from a golden-beige to smoky black. Polished onyx is usually shiny black and can be made into a wide variety of jewelry pieces. A banded variety of the mineral chalcedony, it's sibling is the agate stone and the only difference between them is which way their bands run. Sardonyx is the beautiful red variety of onyx, which was used by Roman warriors to represent Mars, the god of war, but you can find yellow, blue and green shades too. While onyx is Latin, it ultimately comes from Greek word meaning "nail" or "claw." Historically it has been used since ancient times for ornamental carvings, cameos, bowls, and other works of art. It's also mentioned in the Bible. Elsewhere, Onyx was used as the name of a planet in the novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx , as a comic book character from the DC Universe, is the na...

In medieval Wales the descriptive word  llwyd , meaning "grey," was corrupted to Lloyd, and since the double "ll" sound in Welsh is so hard to make if you don't have a handle on the language, it came out Floyd for English speakers. The namesake that comes to mind first is boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who is a junior. The story on his name isn't clear, but because we know he is Floyd Jr., we can assume his father was named Floyd because it was a moderately popular name in the year he was born, 1952. It ranked in the top 100 in 1886, 1889, and 1893. In 2015 it was given to 107 boys, a far cry from the 1,864 boys given the name in 1952. However, there is a chance Floyd Sr. was named after boxer Floyd Patterson, who won the Olympic gold medal in the middleweight division the year 1952. There has been a hurricane Floyd, tropical storm Floyd, and two songs with the name. Over a dozen places in the U.S. are named Floyd. Pink Floyd is an English progressive...

The Denzell family armorial Denzel is a Cornish name that originated as a surname meaning "from Denzell manor (which is in Cornwall)." Denzil may have been an original spelling. Denzel was given to 186 boys in 2015. It is worn by famous actor Denzell Washington, who is actually Denzel Jr. His father was named Denzel after the doctor who delivered him - presumably Denzel was his surname, and (also presumably, the doctor was Caucasian). He has said that his father's name is pronounced DEN-zell, while the actor's name is commonly pronounced den-ZELL. Denzel can be traced back to a John Denzel of Cornwall who died in 1535. He was Attorney General to Elizabeth of York, the Queen Consort, and his regal home was the "manor of Denzell," otherwise known as Lanherne, in St. Mawgan Parish. This historic site once belonged to the noble Arundell family. Denzel Whitaker is another actor who was named after Denzel Washington, Denzel White and Denzel Curry are rap...

For being such a pretty flower, Amapola , which is Spanish and Filipino for "poppy," has seen no statistical usage in the U.S. It has never made the Spanish popularity charts either. To my knowledge there is only one namesake - Maria Amapola Cabase, a Filipino singer/actress, but there is a song titled "Amapola" by Joseph Lacalle, a 2014 flim titled "Amapola" from Argentina, cargo airline Amapola Flyg, and La Amapola was the ring name of Mexican pro-wrestler Guadalupe Ramona Olvera. The name Poppy is a bit more popular and has a bit of a cult following (or it might be more accurate to say it is a hipster name or some other trendy label) as it is currently lurking just beyond the top 1000 with 257 girls given the name in 2015. That's a dramatic rise from a decade before, when only 57 girls were given the name in 2005. It's also increasing in popularity overseas, ranking pretty well in Australia (#73), New Zealand (#45), Northern Ireland (#32...

The baby name Maynard (MAY-nard) is from Anglo-French Mainard, ultimately Old High German Maganhard, meaning "mighty and brave." There are a few famous namesakes, such as Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of the metal band Tool, American artist Maynard Dixon, actor Rex Maynard Linn, 1930's movie cowboy Ken Maynard and trumpet jazz player Maynard Ferguson. On TV, there was a Maynard in "Desperate Housewives" and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," as well as the movie "The Sasquatch Gang." The name peaked in 1922 at #278, but was only given to 16 boys in 2015. Mayne could make a good nickname. Menard and Maynor are unusual variants. Maynor was given to 23 boys in 2015.

Ziggy Stardust With the passing of David Bowie recently I thought Ziggy would be a good name to cover.  Listed since 1988 with five births that year, Bowie probably inspired new parents after he starred in the 1986 film "Labyrinth," a cult classic. Jareth, the name of his character in that movie, began use as a baby name the same year it came out. Some people mistakenly believe Ziggy Stardust, the persona created by Bowie (born David Jones) in his early years, is a completely made up name; however, Ziggy is a German diminutive of Siegfried, meaning "victorious peace," and Sigmund, meaning "victorious protection." As a nickname Ziggy simply takes from the first element, therefore meaning "victorious." Bowie saw Ziggy as the name of a tailor business while traveling, and Stardust came from an American act called "The Legendary Stardust Cowboy." Coincidentally, another music legend Bob Marley's son called Ziggy was born David (bu...

Quade is a boy's name that sounds like Quinn and Wade. Only 34 boys were given this name in 2013 - no girls. That number hasn't varied much since the 1980's when it started being used regularly, and I can't help but wonder if part of its usage was inspired by actor Dennis Quaid, who started acting in the 70's, or maybe his brother Randy Quaid. Quade started life as McQuade, a Scottish clan name. Rugby player Quade Cooper is the most well-known namesake with Quade as a first name, while baseball coach Mike Quade might be the most well-known namesake with that surname. Quade Hermann is a female radio host for CBC.

Sutton in an English unisex name meaning "from the southern homestead/south settlement," which could make it the perfect name for someone with Southern roots. In 2013 Sutton ranked at #832 for girls, making great leaps in popularity. Unfortunately it does not rank on the boy's side - the difference in numbers being 316 girls in 2013 and 183 boys, but it has been used for both since at least 1963. Regardless of gender, it is still better known as a place name, used internationally. Sutton Foster, broadway star, currently stars in the new TV show "Younger" on TV Land, and here's a fun fact: the story is based on a book of the same name by Pamela Redmond Satran, one of the co-founders of baby naming website Nameberry . In other TV history, Sutton Mercer was a character played by Alexandra in The Lying Game, which has since been cancelled. Sutton Foster is really the only well-known real life namesake.

Hania (HAN-yah, HAH-nee-uh) is a Hebrew variation of Chania/Channah, meaning "resting place; grace of the Lord" and also a Polish diminutive of Hannah, meaning "grace, gracious." Hannah is an Old Testament name which became Anna in the New Testament. Chania is also a city in Crete which the Greeks called Kydonia, meaning "quince." Spelled Haniya this name is taken to mean "to be happy." There are a few namesakes for Hania - most recently Vin Diesel chose this name for his daughter, but also Polish pop singer Hania Stach, English actress Hania Barton (sister to Mischa), and Hania Mufti, a human rights activist from Jordan. In the Bible this was the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel. Hannah was a childless woman who prayed to God for children and was then blessed with six of them. Samuel became a warrior and judge of Israel. The name Hannah was not used regularly until after the Protestant Reformation, but it was favorited by the Puritan...

Catkin (KAHT-ken, CAT-kin) is a name that, at first, might seem entirely made up for the sole purpose of its cute two-syllable combination. It has a fun and pleasing sound, yet it is a botanical word name (much like Katniss) used to define the flower clusters on some types of trees, including oak, birch, hazel and willow. It came about from the late 16th century Dutch word katteken , meaning "kitten," and probably in reference to the kitten's poofy tail. Catkin is also a literary name, as seen in Antonia Barber's children's book Catkin , illustrated by P.J. Lynch, and  Where is Catkin by Janet Lord. There's another in Cloud Atlas , the book and movie, and a character in The Heir of Mistmantle by Margaret McAllister. If you are into flower fairy art, it is worth checking out Cicely Mary Barker's illustration from 1923 entitled "Hazel Catkin Fairy" from the book Flower Fairies of the Winter . (Hazel Catkin would be a cute combination, as ...

Connelly is a name you will find much more often as a last name (Jennifer Connelly, for instance) rather than a baby name, but lately it has been used for both boys and girls, likely because it fits in with such names as Connor, Colin, Cassidy, Kennedy, Delaney and Ainsley. For girls specifically, it can be seen as a modern update to Colleen. Since it originated as a surname,  Ó Conghalaigh ,  it is considered unisex. Some experts claim Connelly (KON-ell-ee) is an Irish Gaelic name meaning "valiant hound/wolf," from con and gal , while others say it means "love," from the word conal. I believe neither of these translations are modern. If we take a look at Connor, which means "dog/wolf lover" from  Conchobhar, and Conall, which means "strong wolf," and Conley, which means "chaste fire," then the likely meaning of Connelly is "valiant wolf." As a last name, there are just under 30,000 people in the U.S. with this name. As a...

Italian luxury clothing designer Miuccia Prada Long before my love of names, my decision to start a blog, and the hunt for perfect names for friends and family, was a little girl growing up surrounded by Italians. I was always meeting another Anna, Maria, Silvana, Lena, Rose, etc. Occasionally, I'd meet someone with a name I hadn't heard before, such as Domenica, Claudia or Antonella, but they were likely named after a grandparent. But I would think to myself, there has to be a break in tradition at some point. A daughter named Mariana, named after her grandmother, shouldn't be expected to name her daughter Mariana as well, right? But then, that's not how Italians do things. Not the ones I know, at least. And then, the way I was raised, I can't help but want to reuse a name, because of the memories. It's a constant battle of family names, good memories, and the image of a chic little Italian baby eating chocolate gelato as she walks down the beach of Chiai...

Ksenia Solo of Lost Girl, pronouncing her name Ksenia, which can also be spelled Kseniya and Ksenija, is a Russian and Ukrainian variant of the Greek name Xenia (ZEEN-ya) meaning "hospitality." Other variants of Xenia include Oksana/Oxsana, Aksana, Xena, Xeniya, and Senja. Above is a video of one of today's most well known namesakes, Ksenia Solo, the Latvian-born Canadian actress from the TV series "Lost Girl." Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport is another well known actress. Ksenia Afanasyeva is a Russian gymnast who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Ksenia Sukhinova is Miss Russia 2007 and Miss World 2008. There are many more namesakes. Of note is  Tsarevna Xenia Borisovna of Russia, who was a beautiful and educated daughter of Tsar Boris Godunov. Tragedy befell her, but she ended up making her way as a nun, and her fictionalized character appeared in a film called "1612." There are two other princesses named Xenia. In 2012 the...

   Cedric (SED-rik) is an Old English boy's name meaning "bounty, loved." The name was invented by Sir Walter Scott for his 1819 novel Ivanhoe . He may have been inspired by or misunderstood Cerdic, the Old English name of the Saxon king that founded the kingdom of Wessex, although this name could be Germanic or Welsh (from Cedrych, meaning "pattern of bounty," or "from Caradoc," (Caradoc meaning "love") in origin. Cedric was later used by Frances Hodgson Burnett in the 1886 children's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy . Most recently Cedric was used in the Harry Potter series for the character Cedric Diggory. Cedric comes with the nicknames Ced and Ric. In 2011 Cedric ranked at #751, a decrease in popularity with the name given to 299 boys. It has been accounted for since 1890, but other spellings have been used as well, such as Cedrick, Cederick, Cedrik and Ceddrick. By 2016 the name fell a bit in popularity, at #914. Cedric the Ente...

  Alternatively spelled Rhidian from the 20th century, Rhydian (RID-ee-an) is a Welsh boy's name meaning "red," from the element rhudd (rudd), sharing some similarities with Rowan. An early Welsh saint may have had this name. There is a church  established by the saint in the 6th century Namesakes include British-Taiwanese actor Rhydian Vaughan (pictured above), Welsh singer Rhydian Roberts, novelist Rhidian Brook (who coincidentally wrote The Testimony of Taliesin Jones - I just wrote about Taliesin), and bass player Rhydian Dafydd for the band The Joy Formidable. As a name in the U.S., Rhydian has not been used more than four times in a year, and is therefore not recorded by the SSA. White Pages tells me that only one exists.

What kind of name can compete with Eponine? Any literary name can work, for girls and boys, but Monroe has the right contemporary feel for a boy, just as a random suggestion. While a lot of parents consider Monroe for a girl, most likely with Marilyn Monroe in mind, Monroe's vibe is very masculine. It falls into a few different categories: "modern hero" names (both for the 5th American president and Marilyn), surnames, and nature names. It even falls under the comic book category - Ororo Monroe was Storm's real name in the X-Men. Most recently, Monroe can be seen as a male character in the TV show Grimm, and was used by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for the female twin of their son Moroccan. This Gaelic name is composed of the elements moine (marsh) and ruadh (red), translating to "[from the] red marsh" and once applied to people living near the mouth of a river, with the meaning "[from the] mouth of the Roe River." Alternate spellings have been...

Miike Snow - Silvia I was going to include Silvana and Silveria and the male forms of this name in this post, but I think I'll save them for another time and just mention that all Syl-/Sil- names share the same meaning, "[from the] woods, woodland, forest." They all come from the name Silvanus, and he was the Latin god of the forest. More rare variants include Sylvette, Sylvina/Silvina, Silvania/Sylvania, and Sylva/Silva. Silvia is the major Latin version of the name, while Sylvia and Sylvie/Silvie are the English variants. Sylvie is usually thought to be French, but it can also serve as a nickname. All forms have a silvery, gilded, romantic and sophisticated image, while still being quite childlike and playful. While Sylvie has never ranked, Sylvia ranked from 1880 (and likely well before that) until now. In 2011 Sylvia ranked at #554, and has been in the 500's for the last decade. It has been slowly falling since it was #50 in 1937, which was its highest rank...