Once Upon a Time Baby Names

Having trouble sifting through modern names? Take the time machine back to 1902 and have a peak at the bottom of the SSA list. Can I just say - the parents in 1902 had mighty fine taste. Allegra,F,5 Araminta,F,5 Athena,F,5 Calista,F,5 Camelia,F,5 Cassandra,F,5 Clarabel,F,5 Clio,F,5 Clover,F,5 Corina,F,5 Delphina,F,5 Elinore,F,5 Elodie,F,5 Eufemia,F,5 Euphemia,F,5 Fanchon,F,5 Frida,F,5 Gabrielle,F,5 Garland,F,5 Genevia,F,5 Honor,F,5 Isadore,F,5 Isola,F,5 (means island in Italian) Lidia,F,5 Lindy,F,5 Lotus,F,5 Malvena,F,5 Marcelina,F,5 Melrose,F,5 Oneida,F,5 Penelope,F,5 Pheba,F,5 Rafaela,F,5 Romana,F,5 Rosemond,F,5 Roxana,F,5 Roxy,F,5 Seferina,F,5 Valera,F,5 Vesper,F,5 Vietta,F,5 Vivia,F,5 Willow,F,5 Adrien,M,5 Ansel,M,5 Archer,M,5 Artis,M,5 Author,M,5 Ballard,M,5 Beecher,M,5 Benedict,M,5 Berkley,M,5 Blanchard,M,5 Calvert,M,5 Carlo,M,5 Cas,M,5 Colin,M,5 Cruz,M,5 Domenick,M,5 Essex,M,5 Estes,M,5 Fenton,M,5 Fidel,M,5 Flee

Minta,F,13 Selina,F,13 Stephanie,F,13 Tennessee,F,13 Beverly,F,12 Dinah,F,12 Maebelle,F,12 Sabra,F,12 Silvia,F,12 Sofia,F,12 Talitha,F,12 Chessie,F,11 Mozella,F,11 Osa,F,11 Alexandra,F,10 Clarabelle,F,10 Gracia,F,10 Isobel,F,10 Izetta,F,10 Maida,F,10 Margaretta,F,10 Melinda,F,10 Ottilia,F,10 Portia,F,10 Rosabelle,F,10 Amber,F,9 Gabriella,F,9 Isla,F,9 Jessica,F,9 Odette,F,9 Parthenia,F,9 Sonia,F,9 Stephania,F,9 Texie,F,9 Violetta,F,9 Beatriz,F,8 Genevra,F,8 Gregoria,F,8 Honora,F,8 Ingrid,F,8 Lana,F,8 Lunette,F,8 Marina,F,8 Meredith,F,8 Olivette,F,8 Roselle,F,8 Trixie,F,8 Arabella,F,7 Azalea,F,7 Capitola,F,7 Cleopatra,F,7 Corinna,F,7 Isadora,F,7 Jetta,F,7 Louisiana,F,7 Madonna,F,7 Maebell,F,7 Marilla,F,7 Natalia,F,7 Orlena,F,7 Snow,F,7 Tabitha,F,7 Valentine,F,7 Vivienne,F,7 Adriana,F,6 Alexandria,F,6 Assunta,F,6 Blossom,F,6 Delfina,F,6 Dove,F,6 Eul

Interesting boy's names from the 1902 top 1000. Some of these sound right at home in 2012, over hundred years later, but were used much less back then. Glenn,M,185 Oliver,M,181 Morris,M,150 Warren,M,149 Jerry,M,148 Vincent,M,148 Mack,M,147 Wesley,M,145 Isaac,M,143 Nathan,M,143 Sylvester,M,135 Max,M,132 Calvin,M,130 Glen,M,123 Roland,M,116 Felix,M,114 Johnie,M,113 Dave,M,112 Ellis,M,112 Nicholas,M,112 Gordon,M,109 August,M,108 Irving,M,104 Mark,M,104 Matthew,M,104 Jake,M,102 Adam,M,99 Mike,M,99 Emmett,M,98 Franklin,M,97 Marshall,M,94 Forrest,M,91 Roscoe,M,90 Ross,M,90 Nathaniel,M,88 Phillip,M,87 Gus,M,85 Reuben,M,82 Aaron,M,78 Tony,M,74 Roger,M,73 Grady,M,70 Johnny,M,70 Noah,M,69 Elijah,M,66 Bob,M,64 Dale,M,63 Owen,M,63 Timothy,M,62 Bruce,M,60 Forest,M,59 Monroe,M,59 Troy,M,59 Emory,M,58 Leland,M,58 Wiley,M,57 Silas,M,55 Grant,M,54 Harrison,M,53 Carroll,M,52 Ch

Here are some selected names from the top 1000 in 1902. This is not the complete list (you'll have to see the Social Security Administration for that). These are just names which are very interesting. There is one big difference between today's SSA extended list and that of 1902 - the pool of names in much larger today. #1000 on the charts in 1902 was given in 13 girls, while today, Damaris at #1000 was given to 250 girls. Are you shocked to see any of these names in the top 1000 of 1902? Betty,F,580 Lola,F,565 May,F,560 Lottie,F,537 Charlotte,F,524 Opal,F,498 Mable,F,478 Goldie,F,473 Estelle,F,472 Eula,F,466 Caroline,F,452 Iva,F,438 Henrietta,F,437 Vivian,F,425 Sylvia,F,411 Genevieve,F,410 Etta,F,400 Amelia,F,355 Madeline,F,355 Marian,F,338 Naomi,F,327 Olga,F,321 Geneva,F,308 Barbara,F,306 Amanda,F,301 Matilda,F,290 Estella,F,283 Frieda,F,282 Sophie,F,279 Hannah,F,271 Sally,F,266 Luella,F,262 Isabel,F,2

After the girl's top ten, the list is as follows. Some of these names are very popular at the moment, like Violet and Grace, while others may be left behind (Bertha, I'm looking at you). Lillian,F,3063 Gladys,F,2809 Edna,F,2754 Mildred,F,2750 Dorothy,F,2707 Annie,F,2664 Grace,F,2642 Emma,F,2514 Bessie,F,2448 Rose,F,2444 Clara,F,2432 Bertha,F,2372 Frances,F,2326 Mabel,F,2280 Hazel,F,2238 Irene,F,2210 Gertrude,F,2207 Pearl,F,2100 Minnie,F,2055 Martha,F,2030 Catherine,F,1896 Myrtle,F,1884 Edith,F,1853 Ida,F,1836 Esther,F,1833 Louise,F,1832 Eva,F,1727 Elsie,F,1720 Sarah,F,1710 Agnes,F,1676 Josephine,F,1566 Nellie,F,1566 Laura,F,1559 Lillie,F,1533 Ella,F,1525 Julia,F,1501 Ruby,F,1458 Viola,F,1447 Beatrice,F,1429 Carrie,F,1376 Mattie,F,1353 Thelma,F,1310 Mae,F,1261 Jessie,F,1240 Alma,F,1229 Lena,F,1225 Hattie,F,1163 Blanche,F,1159 Evelyn,F,1151 Mamie,F,1127 Lucille,F,1087 Cora,F,1081 Stella,F,1075 Willie,F,1071 Lucy,F,1065 Ma

If the hundred year rule is any accurate, interest in these names should be rising or already in place. Browse the internet and you'll find many mammas-to-be seeking advice on these names, though I'm not sure about Frank and Robert. Girls: Mary,F,14485 Helen,F,5967 Anna,F,5288 Margaret,F,5011 Ruth,F,4384 Elizabeth,F,3694 Florence,F,3509 Marie,F,3423 Ethel,F,3295 Alice,F,3135 The next two are Lillian and Gladys. Gladys still has a long way to go. Boys: John,M,7908 William,M,6616 James,M,5592 George,M,4223 Charles,M,3361 Robert,M,3180 Joseph,M,3098 Frank,M,2756 Edward,M,2294 Henry,M,2153 The next two are Thomas and Walter.

I am disappointed that Disney chose this name for their "The Princess and the Frog" character. Why? Because it's not Creole, French, or African (thus having little to do with the Disney princess's heritage). It likely comes from Tatiana, a Russian name from a Latin family name with no known meaning, as a short form. And the chances of it being used in 1920's New Orleans are slim to none, especially compared to popular names of the day like Fannie and Ruth. Disney was supposed to have named her Maddy (which would have been more accurate if it was a nickname for Madeleine), but it's similarity to a derogatory term, "mammy," made it less desirable, and I guess the public wanted something more in-step with our modern created nature, not caring about accuracy, so Disney found this gem that is one letter different from "tiara." Coincidence? And while Tiana's similarity to "tiara" is creative, it would not have been hard to find a d

  The Meeting of Orestes and Hermione Will Hermione forever be linked to the Harry Potter character? Will anyone search for her history before the wild success of Ms. Granger & Co.? Will people think you're crazy ? Let's start with how often Hermione is used. 55 girls were given the name in 2011, but the all time high was 74 in 2006. The name was used between 1898 and 1975, no more than 17 times in a year. So, very rare, but not unheard of. As the female variant of Hermes, Hermione means "messenger," and is pronounced  her-MY-oh-nee . Long before Hermione Granger was born, Hermione was a figure in Greek mythology. Her mother was "fairest of them all" Helen, who launched a thousand ships and ran off with/was abducted by Paris, the prince of Troy. Paris was promised the most beautiful woman in the world if he would name Aphrodite the most beautiful goddess. Hermione was nine when her mother left. Hermione's father was Menelaus, king of Mycenae

How do you know if a name is outrageous, or you're just over-thinking? Let's use  Andromeda  as an example. While everyone's opinions will vary - one person will tell you to use it, the next will say not to, Andromeda carries some well known associations, like the mythological princess, TV show, and the galaxy, that could help or hurt it being used today. Is it too long and dramatic or does it have the perfect amount of wow-factor? It's really a matter of taste and perception. General guidelines if you're having a hard time deciding: Don't use it if... - it is hard for the majority of people you know to say - it is hard to remember how to spell - it was used in an extremely negative light (like Adolph) - it is the name of something like a well known brand, company, product, or food (examples include Nivea, Siri, Apple and Kale) - it is a one-person name, like Oprah or Lucifer - it is overly sweet, like something you'd see on a child's fairy do

The potential problem I'm talking about is the Greek - andro element, which means "man." It can be seen in people names, medical terms and plant terms. Andrea and Alexandra are two popular baby names used that fit this description. (I would include Andromeda and Andromache in this, but they are extremely rare.) I don't know if Americans were once highly interested in the meaning and origins of names and then became disinterested over time, or if only a small percentage were and still are interested. Early in our recording of name statistics, parents were naming their children largely based on tradition, religious beliefs and honoring family, so I don't think the meanings of Alexandra and Andrea were deal-breakers. How is it possible to find the logic behind every female ever named Alexandra, for example? It is nearly impossible to say with any certainty that X percent of people named Alexandra, or Andrea, had parents that knew -andra meant "man" and h

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

Eponine in the latest movie A little while ago there was this debate  on Nameberry about the name Eponine (ay-po-neen), now in the spotlight because the movie  Les Misérables   is taking American fans by storm. Actually, there are several threads on the internet about this name, and it is a much-searched baby name. People will inevitably be curious about Eponine as a name for their daughter, and opinions most definitely vary on whether it should be used. Some say it is too much the character's name to be used on another face, some say the name goes back further than the play and can be a real choice. I'll give you the facts, and you can decide for yourself if Eponine should be used on today's babies. Eponine, French variant of Epona from the Latin name Eponina (sometimes spelled Epponnina), all meaning "mare," which is "female horse," and/or "great mare." The exception is Eponina's -ina ending, making it "little horse/mare."