Once Upon a Time Baby Names

Derived from the Old Norse word kildr , meaning "a spring [of water]," Kelda is a name that sounds like you've probably heard it somewhere before - but haven't. Pronounced KEL-duh, like Zelda with a K. However, it is not a name regularly used in any Nordic countries. There is a chance that any usage of the name is more closely tied to -lda ending names in general, like the trend of -n or -ella ending names today (Braeden, Lexibella, etc), which would mean someone took a name like Kelsey and combined it with the ending of names like Zelda. It is more likely it comes from the Northern English word keld , also meaning "a spring," which would explain where and how often it has been used. Upon first glance it also seems like a Germanic name, along the lines of Hilda, and the Norse kildr is cognate with German quell of the same meaning. However, its usage could have started from a surname referencing where that person was from, just like Winston or Colton. T...

Like  Tannen , Oren is a very subtle winter or Christmas name. From Hebrew, Oren means "pine tree," and it is the word for orange in Welsh. Oren is also very close to the names Orin and Oran (Odhran) - Gaelic, meaning "pale green." Spelled Orrin it is both a place name and a Scottish name meaning "pale-skinned," but also in Scottish the spelling Oran means "song."  Ören  is a  Turkish  word meaning "ruins" and is used as a surname and place name. Oren  has been used in the Old Testament and on several modern, not very well known namesakes, both as a first and last name. The Hebrew version is regularly used in Israel. In 2013 there were 108 boys given the name Oren in the U.S., and it hasn't been used so much since the 1920's but it has been used steadily since 1880. Orin was given a bit less in 2013 with only 64 boys, while Orrin was an equally popular spelling with 62 boys. Oran was only given to 20 boys the same year. Bein...

Nelleke is the female Dutch version of the Latin girl's name Cornelia, meaning "horn; war horn." It is a pet form just like Nell. Pronounced NELL-eh-keh, this name also shares a fun resemblance to the name Nellary which was used by Frank L. Baum in the Wizard of Oz book "The Lost Princess of Oz," in which Princess Ozma cannot be found. Nelleke is so rare to English speakers that I cannot say for sure it has ever been used in the U.S. There are not any very well known namesakes, but a quick Google search reveals that the name is in steady use. Nelleke Noordervliet, for example, is a Dutch writer, and Nelleke Penninx is an Olympic medalist (rowing) from the Netherlands. Cornelia, a familiar but unused name, was once very popular. In last ranked in 1965 but had been in the top 200 when the SSA started keeping name records. In English she became more widely used in the 17th century, possibly thanks to the Dutch. We get the word cornucopia from the same root as h...

Surely "O, Tannenbaum" sounds familiar around this time of year, and Tannen makes an excellent and unexpected choice for a boy's Christmas themed baby name. Tannenbaum means "fir tree" from tanne and baum , therefore Tannen as a baby name refers to that tree as the plural of tanne . Tannen in Old English can refer to the occupation of tanning hides and is sometimes seen as a variant of Tanner. In the song, tannenbaum refers specifically to the Christmas tree, but this is a modern change to the original, non-Christmas themed song. The German "O Tannenbaum" was originally a long song in which the fir tree is thought of as a faithful tree, but when the author changed a few lines as the idea of a Christmas tree got more popular, it wasn't hard for listeners to change the meaning of the song altogether. Later the German title was changed to "O Christmas Tree" in America. There are many different kinds of fir trees, many of which are s...

Olivine (French prn. oh-liv-EEN, American/English prn. OLL-iv-ine), named for its light olive green color, is a mineral formation found under the earth's surface. When this mineral becomes gem quality we call it "peridot," pronounced PER-ih-doe, which is the French word for olivine (thus the French "-doe" ending and not PER-ih-dot). This name is also sometimes taken as a variant of Olivia, which didn't actually mean "olive" in the beginning. Some types of olivine have been discovered on meteors, the moon, Mars, and further into the depths of the universe. It can also be found naturally all over the world, including a beach in Hawaii. Peridot is the birthstone for August, and was a loved stone of the ancient Egyptians - it may have even been Cleopatra's favorite. Peridot is one of many similar names the gem has gone by, but most sound very close, such as peridon and peritot. Olivine is an exceedingly rare baby name for girls in the U.S...

Girls 1. Sophia - Sofia (which also ranks), Sonya/Sonia/Sonja, Sophie/Sofie/Sophy, Zofia, Zosia, Sohvi, Zsofika, and Zsofia 2. Emma - Ima, Imma, Ema,  Ermintrude, Trudy, Irma , & connected to Emily which is #7 3. Olivia - Oliviera, Olivera, Olivette, Olivie 4. Isabella - Isa, Sabella, Belle, Babette, Elisa, Elisavet, Elizabeth (#10) and her variants 5. Ava - Eve, Eva, Hava/Havva, Chava, Evelia, and Evita 6. Mia - as a variant of Maria this one has too many to list, but examples include Moira, Mariska, Mariella, Miriam, Marika, Mirja, Maureen, Mimi, Marietta, Maiken and Mya 7.  Emily - see Emma which is #2, also Aemilia, Amalia, Amelia, Amma/Ama, Emelina, Emmeline, Emilia, Emilita and Emmy 8. Abigail - other than the Biblical Greek variant Abigaia, Abigail really only has spelling variations such as Abigayle and Avigail 9. Madison - meaning "son of Maud," there are no other versions and in other languages Madison is not used on girls as it is a surname only 10. ...

Sadie, meaning "princess," comes as a nickname from Sarah. Here are five ways you can use Sadie without Sarah. Sandra, a short form of Alexandra, meaning "man's defender." Saranda, an Old Greek word meaning "forty." Sadira, a Persian name meaning "lotus." Sadia/Sadiya, meaning "lucky" in Arabic. Saida, pronounced SAY-duh, a variant of Zaida meaning "lucky, fortunate" in Arabic.

Unless you try really, really hard. It seems like it would take too much effort to turn Nancy into Nansie or Alexander into Alyxzandurr. But these are the kinds of names that most everyone is familiar with and knows how to spell correctly. Well known Biblical names such as Ruth, Paul, Daniel, Jacob, Hannah, Rachel and Rebecca. One-syllable names such as Kay, Ace, Belle, Jean, May, Lee, Flynn, Jack and Rue. Word names such as Peace, Arrow, Fable, Charisma, Hope and Faith. Plant/natural world names such as Fern, Ruby, Clover, Snow, Pearl, River, and Willow. Traditional nicknames such as Beth, Sue, Joe, Bob, Tom, Mike, and Ben. American staples such as Nancy, Carol, Ronald, Gregory, Rose, Marie, Mary and Alexander. Hollywood classics such as Ava, Audrey, Humphrey, Clark (and Gable), and Shirley. Top ten names such as Emma, Isabella, Mason, Noah, William, Emily and Elizabeth. Pop culture names such as Casper, Isis, Leia, Neo, Gatsby and Ziggy. International favorites s...

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 ...

Polaris from the X-Men comics Polaris (po-LAR-iss or po-LAIR-iss - to each his own) is known as the North Star in the night sky, the Lodestar, traditionally also known as the "guiding star" or "pole star." The name means "of the [north] pole" in Latin, while the Greek name for it meant "dog's tail" in mistaken reference to the constellation Ursa Minor in which Polaris resides. Many believe it is the brightest star in the sky, but it is actually the 45th brightest. It does, however, play an important role in navigation because it remains nearly motionless. Polaris has been used in some fiction, although nothing very recognizable. It was used three times in the DC Comics universe for the fictional Polaris star system or Polaris Galaxy, on a Super Mario Galaxy character, in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and for three computer games. Polaris aka Lorna Dane was an X-Men character with the power of magnetism (fun fact: Magneto is...

Anchor - word name Anthem - word name Bayard - French meaning "auburn-haired" - lots of history here Beric - English meaning "grain farm" Brandell - Old Norse meaning "sword" Briscoe - Old Norse meaning "birch wood" Chaplin - English occupational name for a clergyman Connery - Irish meaning "dog-keeper/keeper of the hound" Gent - word name Gracian - prn. GRAY-shen, a variant on Graciano, "grace/gracious" Gresham - English, "village surrounded by pasture/grazing homestead" Helix - word name Hyram - phonetic spelling of Phoenician/Hebrew name Hiram, "exalted brother" Kline - variant spelling, German, "small" Lucan - historical, Roman poet Moxon - English surname, "son of Margaret" Murdoc - Celtic meaning "sea, seaman" Oaken - literal spelling of what Aiken means Obsidian - cooled lava/volcanic glass, "stone of Opsius," possibly "power" Phill...

Viola: a baby name, a flower, a color, a butterfly, and a musical instrument. While the viola instrument, which is slightly bigger than a traditional violin, is pretty much called the same thing worldwide, viola the plant is called a violet in English speaking countries. And just in case you needed an extra motive to use this name, check out Lago Viola, a beautiful lake located in Italy. As a name, Viola is a bit vintage - much more so than Violet, which currently ranks at #69. Viola literally means "violet" in Latin, and is a word name in European countries. The simple difference between Viola in America and Viola elsewhere is that Americans tend to pronounce it VY-ol-uh, whereas other countries stay true to the Latin vee-OH-lah. Violette/Violeta/ Violetta is the only other used variant. There have been countless namesakes over the years, including British children's writer Viola Bayley, Queen of Bohemia and Poland Viola Elizabeth of Cielszyn, poet Viola Garvin,...