Once Upon a Time Baby Names

Ivelisse (ee-vel-eess) is a name you'll find in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and very rarely in the U.S. There's a handful of namesakes from the Latin community to represent this name, such as Ivelisse Echevarria, Puerto Rico's greatest softball pitcher, and Ivelisse Blanco, who competed in the Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics. The name Ivelisse is said to mean "life," from some obscure Spanish or French origin. The likely explanation is that Ivelisse comes from Eve, meaning "life," and had the -lis/-lisse ending tacked on to sound more feminine, like Elise. However, it could also come from Ivette, the Spanish form of the French name Yvette, meaning "yew," (possibly combined with Elise ) or the names Evelyn and Evelina, which have debated meaning. You can find it spelled several ways: Iveliz, Ivaneliz, Ivalisse, Iveliss, Ivelice, Ivelys, Evelisse, Evaliz, and Yvelisse. In Bulgaria, Ivelina and it's masculine form Ivelin can be found. One of my favo

Cathay - Better known as William Cathay in order to fight as a soldier, the woman named Cathay Williams was the first African American woman to enlist in the military. Her name sounds a bit like Kathy, making it familiar, yet Marco Polo used it to refer to China. Belle - Sojourner Truth, defender of women's rights, was born Isabella Baumfree and called Belle. Belle is not in the top 1000. Sojourner helped recruit African American troops for the Union during the Civil War. Poppy - Not only do we wear poppies on Remembrance Day thanks to the poem "In  Flanders Fields," but a poet named Moina Michael also wrote a poem in which poppies symbolized the blood of heroes. Araminta - Harriet Tubman was born Araminta and known as Minty (and while Minty may not make the best nickname today, Minna, Minta, or even Ana might). The Underground Railroad is one of the most famous parts of the Civil War. Hattie and Harriet , for the same reasons above. Jeb - Jeb Stuart, aka J

There were 45 new additions to last year's top 1000. Here are highlights and thoughts. Azalea - A great flower name addition. Coraline - Making a giant leap to #823, I'm surprised this Neil Gaiman favorite didn't make it on the list when the movie Coraline came out. Titan - An intriguing choice. Foster - Foster the People, or surname chic? Denzel - I'm also surprised this name didn't make it on the list a long time ago (Denzel Washington). Thiago - A very spunky and classy choice. Mack - I love this name. It reminds me of the 1920's for some reason. Katrina - Another name I love. Winter - I knew it wouldn't be long before this one shot up the charts. Elissa - A very pretty, feminine name. Aubrielle - This one definitely fits in with a lot of other popular names, and also with Aubriana, which also charted for the first time Katalina - Another elegant, feminine choice.

2012 Top 10       1. Sophia (22,158)                                       1. Jacob (18,899)      2. Emma (20,791)                                        2. Mason (18,856)      3. Isabella (18,931)                                      3. Ethan (17,547)      4. Olivia (17,147)                                         4. Noah (17,201)      5. Ava (15,418)                                           5. William (16,726)      6. Emily (13,550)                                         6. Liam (16,687)      7. Abigail (12,583)                                       7. Jayden (16,013)      8. Mia (11,940)                                            8. Michael (15,996)      9. Madison (11,319)                                     9. Alexander (15,105)     10. Elizabeth (9,596)                                    10. Aiden (14,779)

....Donatella, with or without the nickname Donna (because you could also go with Tella, Ella, or the tomboy Donnie) ...Belladonna, the mysterious plant ...Domina, which has the same meaning as Donna ...Donelle, a French twist ...Donia ...Doncia, meaning "sweet" ...Donya ...Donnalina ...Donina, with the possibility of Doe as a nickname ...Dontia Or, Donahue, Donovan or Donnelly for a boy.