The top 10 'E' names of 2012

Hey guys!
Week 5: 'E' names!
Enjoy!

GIRLS:
Name: Emma
Rank: 2
My opinion: If you know me, you know that this is my least favorite name ever. Every Emma I have ever met has been incredibly rude and bratty. Therefore, I can not stand the name.

Name: Emily
Rank: 6
My opinion: I am actually starting to like Emily. I know, I know. "It is SO similar to Emma, so how can you like it?" Emily has that extra "lee" sound at the end that I love. Plus, she can go by "Emmie".

Name: Elizabeth
Rank: 10
My opinion: I love love love this name. It is so beautiful, classic and feminine with endless nickname opportunities.

Name: Ella
Rank: 12
My opinion: This name has really grown on me the past few days. It used to be my #2, but I grew out of love with it. Now, I am growing back in love with it. So pretty.

Name: Evelyn
Rank: 27
My opinion: My great-aunt's name is Evelyn. I do not like sound of it, and like I said with Daisy last week, it sounds old ladyish to me.

Favorite 'E' girls' name: Ella
Least favorite 'E' girls' name: Emma

BOYS
Name: Ethan
Rank: 3
My opinion: I am not fond of this name. It isnt used a lot where I live, but the one Ethan I do know is a bully, so I try and avoid him- and his name- at all costs.

Name: Elijah
Rank: 13
My opinion: This name is so cute! I personally wouldnt use it, but I think it, with the nickname Eli, is adorable.

Name: Eli
Rank: 44
My opinion: I love this name so much as a full name rather than a nickname! I find it so handsome and strong-sounding!

Name: Evan
Rank: 47
My opinion: I have mixed feelings about this name. I dont mind it, but my cousins' cousin just had a baby GIRL named Evyn (pronounced like Evan), and I am liking it more on a girl.

Name: Easton
Rank: 96
My opinion: LOVE LOVE LOVE! There is nothing I dont like about this name! So cute!

Favorite 'E' boys' name: Easton
Least favorite 'E' boys' name: Ethan

Have a great week!
~Ali

The top 10 'D' names of 2012

Hey guys!
Week 4: 'D' names!
Enjoy!

GIRLS:
Name: Destiny
Rank: 113
My opinion: I really do not like this name. I do not see it aging well at all.

Name: Delilah
Rank: 154
My opinion: "Hey There, Delilah. What's it like in New York City?" This song is all I can think about when I hear this name. Don't get me wrong, I love this song, but not the name.

Name: Daisy
Rank: 172
My opinion: This is my great-grandmother's name. Therefore, it makes me think of an elderly lady. I can not picture it on a little girl or anyone under the age of 80.

Name: Daniela
Rank: 191
My opinion: This name is so pretty. It reminds me of a little girl with tan skin and curly brown hair with a flower in it. So cute!

Name: Danielle
Rank: 232
My opinion: I am shocked that Danielle is this far down on the charts! I expected it to be in the top 100. I think it is adorable, but prefer it as a middle name.

Favorite 'D' girls' name: Daniela
Least favorite 'D' girls' name: Delilah

BOYS:
Name: Daniel
Rank: 11
My opinion: I absolutely love this name. It has been my #2 boys name for as long as I can remember. I cant wait to use it someday to honor my best friend in the whole wide world, Daniel.

Name: David
Rank: 19
My opinion: I don't like this name. All of the Davids I know are over the age of 16, so I cant picture it on a little boy or a baby.

Name: Dylan
Rank: 31
My opinion: I have mixed feelings about this name. I like it in full, but I would never use it because I wouldn't want him to be called "Dyl" or "Dyl Pickle"

Name: Dominic
Rank: 70
My opinion: This is my second favorite boys' name staring with 'D'. I find it so rugged and handsome. Also, the nickname "Dom" is absolutely adorable.

Name: Damian
Rank: 97
My opinion: I am surprised this name is on here. I have never met a little Damian and didn't think it was very popular. I don't mind it, but I much prefer the similar name Damon.

Favorite 'D' boys' name: Daniel
Least favorite 'D' boys' name: David

Have a great week!
~Ali

HELP!

I'm in name crisis! Currently, I have no clue what to do with my girl names! I have a top three, but I dont think they make any sense together. Here are my top three;
Loretta Claire
Cory Alison
Téa Jacqueline

So, can any of you suggest some names/combos you think I'd like to fit better?

The top 10 'C' names of 2012

Hey guys!
Week 3: 'C' names!
Enjoy!

GIRLS:
Name: Chloe
Rank: 11
My opinion: I think this name is super cute. It has really been growing on me lately, but I cant picture it on a 40 year old woman, so I don't think it ages well.

Name: Charlotte
Rank: 19
My opinion: I love Charlotte! The nicknames (my favorite part of any name) are endless! Charlie, Lottie, Carly, Cara, Char, Lott, and the list goes on!

Name: Claire
Rank: 45
My opinion: This is one of my favorite middle names. I think it works well with virtually any first name. So pretty.

Name: Camila
Rank: 48
My opinion: Honestly, I am shocked that this name is on here. I have never met a Camila of any age and am surprised at how popular it is! I do not like it, however. I do like Mila, though.

Name: Caroline
Rank: 80
My opinion: Caroline was my second favorite name a few weeks ago. I fell in love with some other names, and it fell off of my top 5. I do still love it, and like it's close sister-name Charlotte, Caroline has many nicknames: Cara, Carly, Carol, Lina, Cali, etc.

Favorite 'C' girls' name: Caroline
Least favorite 'C' girls' name: Camila

BOYS: 
Name: Christopher
Rank: 23
My opinion: I dont even know where to begin with this name. Like Alexander, I do not see appeal, I do not like the nicknames and I do not understand why it has remained so popular.

Name: Caleb
Rank: 32
My opinion: Awwwww, Caleb! I love this name. It is absolutely adorable and I would use it in a heartbeat!

Name: Christian
Rank: 33
My opinion: Although close to Christopher, I MUCH prefer Christian. It is one of the only Chris- names I like, though I hate the nickname Chris.

Name: Carter
Rank: 36
My opinion: This name has grown on me over the years and I do [kind of] like it now. 

Name: Cameron
Rank: 54
My opinion: Crooked nose is all I think of when I hear this name. For those of you who dont know, the meaning of Cameron is "Crooked nose". Pleasant, huh?

Favorite 'C' boys' name: Caleb
Least favorite 'C' boys' name: Christopher

Have a great week!
~Ali

Genderswap Names!

Hey all,

Long time, no blog. Summer started out in a really busy way for me and between being busy and not feeling like I have much to say about naming, this blog kind of fell on the backburner. However, recently Jamie has been talking about doing a bit of an overhaul and it all sounded so exciting I couldn’t help but get pumped up about names again! For my return post, I thought I’d talk about something that’s really been on my mind lately. For those of you who know me, you’ll know I generally do not like boy names on girls, however, I’ve recently been considering using Austin on a girl. This is a big change for me and is inspiring this post! So here are my favorite boy names on girls and vice versa!

Boy names on girls

Name: Austin

SSA ranking: 58 on boys, n/a on girls

Meaning: great

Why I like it on the wrong gender: I blame my mother and Blake Shelton. Had I not been a girl, my mom would have named me Austin. She has said that for a while she planned on Austin for either gender, but my dad said no. I think I could pull of being a girl Austin and could see it on my future daughter too! The Blake Shelton song of the same name in which he uses Austin as a nickname for a girl just cemented my love.

Name: Robin

SSA ranking: n/a

Meaning: diminutive of Robert (bright fame)/the red bird

Why I like it on the wrong gender: this name is so strongly associated to the bird to me and I’ve just always found the birds kind of feminine. I also adore Robin on How I Met Your Mother and think the name fits her to a t!

Name: Arden

SSA ranking: n/a

Meaning: high place

Why I like it on the wrong gender: the first time I heard this name was for a beading store in Toronto. I didn’t even know it was an established name at first, I just knew I liked the sound. The only Arden I’ve met is a girl and she’s so gorgeous, hilarious and smart that I couldn’t not love it on a girl.

Girl names on boys

Name: Aspen

SSA ranking: 504 on girls, n/a on boys

Meaning: aspen tree

Why I like it on the wrong gender: I really don’t understand how this is a girl name to be honest. To me, it fits in the boy tree name crew with Ash and Birch. I think it’s so masculine and strong and love the place association too.

Name: Sapphire

SSA ranking: n/a

Meaning: sapphire stone

Why I like it on the wrong gender: I’ve always loved sapphires as stones, but had never heard of it as a name until I read Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore. A male character in that novel is named Sapphire “Saf” and I fell in love with both the character and the name.

Name: Fallon

SSA ranking: n/a

Meaning: leader

Why I like it on the wrong gender: this name sounds so much like phallic!! I really can’t even begin to see it as feminine. I’d rather see a girl named some of my favorite boy names than a girl named Fallon.

Sadly, I think that for this girl, genderswap names are a no no, even if I adore a few. I’m just not the kind of namer meant to call a daughter Austin Claire. However, if this inspires anyone else out there to use Austin on a girl, you can site me as your bad influence. What are everyone else’s fav gender swap names?

-Hayl

The top 10 'B' names of 2012

Hey guys!
Week 2: 'B' names!
Enjoy!

GIRLS: 
Name: Brooklyn
Rank: 29
My opinion: I think this name is so sweet, but I personally prefer it on a boy.

Name: Brianna
Rank: 51
My opinion: I don't like this name. It is way too overused in my age group. I know at least 10 Briannas, though I love the nickname Brie.

Name: Bella
Rank: 54
My opinion: I prefer this name as a nickname if it is in the first name spot. I like it as a nickname for Isabella, Isabelle, Annabelle & Annabella. I love Bella as a middle name!

Name: Bailey
Rank: 79
My opinion: I can't not think of my dad's dog when I hear this name. It is the name of many pets, but also the name of the adorable Bailee Madison. I do not see it aging well.

Name: Brooke
Rank: 102
My opinion: Brooke is okay. I never used to like it, but the incredibly talented Brooke Hyland from Dance Moms made me come around to it.

Favorite 'B' girls' name: Bella
Least favorite 'B' girls' name: Brianna

BOYS:
Name: Benjamin 
Rank: 16
My opinion: I love this name. It is my cousin's name and I would love to use it as a middle to honor him.

Name: Brayden
Rank: 39
My opinion: As I said last week, and will say probably every week, I love -aiden names, Brayden included. I find them so spunky, no matter how popular they get.

Name: Brandon
Rank: 56
My opinion: So cute! I can see this name on any age, child or man. It is so cute and doesnt seem like it would be as popular as it is. I never hear any little Brandons!

Name: Blake
Rank: 71
My opinion: I do not like this name. I am not sure what about it I dont like, I just dont see the appeal in it.

Name: Bentley 
Rank: 75
My opinion: SO cute! I adore this name! Another name I hear of all the time for dogs, but the association with the adorable Bentley from Teen Mom is more prominent in my mind.

Favorite 'B' boys' name: Brayden
Least favorite 'B' boys' name: Blake

Have a great week!
~Ali

The top 10 'A' names of 2012

Hi everyone!
Today, I will start a new series. I will go through the alphabet and tell you the top 5 names for boys and girls starting with each letter that ranked the highest in 2012. Girls will start, and boys will follow. I will give name, rank, and my [short] opinion of the names.
Enjoy!

GIRLS:
Name: Ava
Rank: 5
My opinion: I love this name. It is short, sweet and ages well.

Name: Abigail
Rank: 7
My opinion: SO cute! I love this name in full, and with the nickname Abbie.

Name: Avery
Rank: 13
My opinion: I don't like this one. Ever since someone mentioned that it sounds like 'ovary', I can't think of anything else when I hear it.

Name: Addison
Rank: 14
My opinion: I love Addison. I know most people prefer it masculine, I can't help but squeal when I hear a little Addie. Super adorable!

Name: Aubrey
Rank: 15
My opinion: Aubrey is SO freaking adorable, but SO popular. Yes, it is the 5th most popular 'A' name, but with the Aubree and Aubrie and Aubrey spellings together, it is WAY higher on the list.

Favorite 'A' girls' name: Aubrey
Least favorite 'A' girls' name: Avery

BOYS:
Name: Alexander
Rank: 9
My opinion: Definitely my least favorite of the boys list. I do not like the nicknames for it, the name in full or anything about it. Blech.

Name: Aiden
Rank: 10
My opinion: LOVE LOVE LOVE. I am probably one of the only people in the baby naming community who loves all the -aiden names, but I cant help it! I think they are so cute! I do prefer the Aidan spelling, though.

Name: Anthony
Rank: 15
My opinion: This is the middle name for my top combo, Nicholas Anthony. I think it works great as a middle name, but I am not a huge fan of it as a first name.

Name: Andrew
Rank: 18
My opinion: Super dooper cute! Andrew recently became my #3 boys names, switching spots with Aidan, who is now at #4. I love this name, as it is a family name, and I love the nickname "Drew".

Name: Aaron
Rank: 51
My opinion: I like Aaron. It isn't my favorite name, but I don't mind it. I wouldn't put it on my list, but if my husband had his heart set on using Aaron, I would definitely consider it.

Favorite 'A' boys' name: Andrew
Least favorite 'A' boys' name: Alexander

Well, that's it for today!
I hope you guys follow this series! It will be a long one!
Have a great week, and happy summer!
~Ali