Lia, Lily, Nicholas & Daniel- Ali's Favorite Names

Hi! My name is Ali and my posts will be up on Mondays!
I am so excited to do my first blog with these amazing ladies!

Today, I will be sharing my personal favorite names, their meanings and origins and the reason(s) why I love them.

First up are my top 3 girls names, followed by the boys.

My favorite girls name of all time is Lia. Lia is the Italian variation of the name Leah, and is pronounced [LEE-ah]. In Hebrew, the meaning of Lia is "weary". In 2011, it ranked #378 on the SSA top 1000 list. 

Ever since I was 9, I have loved the name Leah. I named one of my American Girl Dolls Leah and used to bring her everywhere. When I found the spelling Lia in a baby name book and saw that it was Italian, I fell even more in love with it. I am 50% Italian, so this name was truly a perfect fit. When I have my first daughter, her name will be Lia, even if my spouse doesnt agree.

At #2 is Lily. Lily is an English name and means "lily", as in the flower. On the SSA list in 2011, it ranked #15. Lily is a newer favorite on my list. It has only been around for about a year. Within a week, it went from not being on my list, all the way to #2 and hasnt moved since. I like Lily because it is a short, sweet name and Lily flowers are beautiful. Also, it is a great way to honor my great-grandmother, Daisy.

Aria is my #3 girls name. Aria is another Italian name and means "lioness". When I say the name Aria, it sounds light and melodic. It jumped 196 spots from 2010 to 2011, and landed at #157. I began liking Aria when I first started watching Pretty Little Liars. The character of Aria Montgomery is played by the beautiful and talented Lucy Hale. Aria was once my #2 name, but after I realized it rhymed with my #1 name, Lia, I took it off of my list entirely. Last month, it showed back up and rose to #3.

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My favorite boys name is Nicholas. Nicholas is a Greek name that means "victory of the people". In 2011, Nicholas ranked #42, after dropping 5 spots from the previous year. I love Nicholas because it is a strong name and has many cute nicknames; my favorite being Cole. Also, it was the name of my great-grandfather, who passed away in April of this year. He was an amazing man and is the reason I love this name so much.

My second favorite boys name is Daniel. Daniel is a Hebrew name that means "God is my judge". Despite being in the top 20 since 1952, and ranking in at #10 in 2011, I only know 3 Daniels. All 3 are 16 years and older, one of them being my best friend. My friend Daniel, or "Danny", has been there for me through all my ups and downs. He is the reason why I love this name so much and I would love to use it to honor him one day.

Finally, my #3 boys name is Aidan. Aidan is an Irish name that means "little and fiery". Aidan and all of the different spellings of it put together would put it in the top 5, but standing alone, Aidan is #107. Aidan is often thought of as "trendy" because it gained so much popularity in recent years, but that doesnt bother me. I have no real reason why I love Aidan and all similar names, such as Brayden, Caden, Zayden, Hayden and Jayden, I just do.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have an amazing week!

~Ali