Fourth of July Baby Names: Inspired by Summer, July, and Independence Day

Fireworks blazing against  a sky of deepening blue, sparklers crackling bright, and the lake shore: these are the images that the 4^th of July brings to my mind. It’s an American holiday with proud and patriotic panache, and an impressive pedigree. Though many of us appreciate the Fourth for its traditions—barbecues, lazy summer evenings, and red, white, and blue popsicles, Independence Day also turn out to be a fantastic inspiration for baby names. For this blog, I’ve put together a list of names illuminated in summer sunlight, and steeped in a brave historical background. From color names like Azure to Revolutionary War hero names like Thaddeus, here are my picks for Fourth of July-inspired appellations:

Revolutionary War Heroes and early American icons:

Revere (Paul)

Washington (George)

Jefferson (Thomas)

Ross (Betsy)

Sybil (Ludington)

Thaddeus (Kosciuszko)

Crispus (Attucks)

Hale (Nathan)

Hancock (John)- cool in theory but that last syllable might destroy all promise…

Franklin (Benjamin)

Colors Inspired by Red, White, and Blue:

Meaning red:

Scarlet/Scarlett

Crimson

Redmond

Rory

Rufus

Meaning blue:

Navy

Cobalt

Blue

Azure

Meaning white:

Blanche

Bianca

Ivory

Zurine- Basque name meaning “white,” pronounced: soo-REEN-yuh

Finnian

Candida

Alpin

…Stretches, but still lovely names I couldn’t help but add that have something to do with the color white:

Gwendolen

Bronwen

Olwen

Mairwen

Gwyneth

Gwyneira (Gwyn-ay-ruh)

Guinevere

Fintan

Fingal

Finn

Word Names:

Patriot

America

True

Unity

Summer

Star

Boston

July

Liberty

Brave

Bravery

Land

Free

Justice

Pledge

Anthem

Valor

Lake

Freeman

Names inspired by the month of July, sign Leo and Month Gemstone:

Leo

Leopold

Leonidas

Leonie

Leocadia

Ruby

Julian

Julius

Julia

Juliana

Names meaning Star, from “stars and stripes”

Stella

Asta

Estella

Estelle

Estrella (es-tray-uh)

Star

Names meaning summer or having to do with summer:

Tesni- Girls’ Welsh name meaning “warmth from the sun”

Sunniva- From behindthename.com: Scandinavian form of the Old English name Sunngifu, which meant "sun gift" from the Old English elements sunne "sun" and giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.

Somerled- meaning “summer traveler”

Vera- Derived from Albanian verë "summer"

Suvi- Finnish girls’ name meaning “summer”

Theresa- could be derived from Greek θερος (theros) "summer"

Apollo- god of the sun and light

Helios- “sun” in Greek

Elio- Italian variation of Helios

Marisol- “sea and sun”

Savitri- girls’ name: “relating to the sun” in Sanskrit

Solveig (SOOL-vie)- Norwegian, Swedish: “sun strength”

Sorin- m, Romanian- “sun”

Theia- mother of the sun god Helios

Inspiring "I" Names: The Ignored and the Iridescent (Girls' Edition)

"I." It's one of the most common words in the English language; and yet, one of the most unusual first initials. I names are incredibly rare, but often incredible. A century or so ago, there were more I names in the SSA Top 1000 than there are today--names that fit into the turn-of-the-century's preference for simple and tailored names: Irene, Ida, Iva, Inez. Now, I names are coming into vogue once again, with recent spotlight-stealers like Isla and Ivy, Isabella and India all having been used recently by celebrities. For this blog, I have compiled an index of underused I names that would work well in the United States and other English-speaking regions. Many other languages utilize the letter "I" for the J/ Y sound in English, spawning such variants as Iulia for Julia, Ioanna for Joanna. These names I omitted for the sake of keeping my list to names that are *usually* only spelled with an I. Without further ado, here are the inspired I names:

From a Century Ago:

Irene

Ida

Inez

Irma

Iva

Ina

Iris

Ila

Imogene

Iola

Ione

Isabella

Iona

Ivy

Idella

Ima

Ilene

Ira 

Imelda

Ingrid

Ivory

Icie (can't say I'd recommend this one)

From 2012:

Isabella

Ivy

Isla

Iris

Imani

Itzel

Isis

Irene

Ivanna

Iliana

Ingrid

I found it interesting that Isabella, Ivy, Iris, Irene, and Ingrid all endured 100 years in the SSA Top 1000! And in 2012, there were no less than 6 variants of Isabella/Isabelle in the Top 1000...it's truly an epidemic, people. Also a much more international influence apparent in today's popular I names.

And the other I names worth consideration:

Ilaria

Idony

Ianthe

Iolanthe

Indra

Indira

India

Indigo

Isannah- (this neat historical appellation was the name of one of Paul Revere's daughters and is one of my personal favorites)

Isabeau- character in 80s film, Ladyhawke

Imogen- one of my personal all-time favorites, it's Shakespearean and lovely.

Ibolya

Ibtisam-"smile"

Idonea

Idoya

Idril (this means "sparkle brilliance" in Sindarin, Tolkien's made-up language...the nerd in me loves it)

Idriya

Ismene

Igraine

Isolde

Ilithyia

Ilsa (of Casablanca fame)

Immaculata (yes, it's a mouthful, but I also think it would be cool with a super-short first name, like Tess...Tess Immaculata )

Io

Irena

Iphigenia

Isadora

Isaura

Iskra

Isotta

Isra

Idina (familiar today mostly through Idina Menzel)

Ixchel (means "rainbow lady" in Mayan, which is awesome)

Inara (what kind of self-respecting geek would I be if I left out one of Firefly's central characters?)

What are your favorite I-names?

Old Hollywood baby names: Direct from the directors

As far as classic Hollywood cinema goes, it’s superstars like Grace Kelly (Grace is currently at Number 21) and Ava (Number 5) Gardner, and leading men like Errol Flynn (Flynn was used by celebri-couple Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, and in the past two years has leapt from obscurity to Number 692) and Gary Cooper(Cooper’s at 83 in the U.S. and  Number 11 in Australia!) whose names have most begun to influence current naming trends–and deservedly so. Hollywood’s Golden Era was chockful of enticingly simple, yet feminine girls’ names and strong, capable boys’ monikers; it’s no wonder they’ve recently been in the spotlight.

But the age of shoulder pads and pin curls and chinchilla coats was not only about the glamorous actors and actresses.  Behind the scenes were the directors who helped make those stars into legends, and they happen to have had some very interesting names as well.  In addition to vintage standards like Alfred(Hitchcock) and Frank (Capra), there were also such contemporary sounding appellations as King and Zion! Although I would have liked to include more female names, the truth is that before such modern icons asSofia Coppola and Nora Ephron, women directors in the American film industry were a rare breed. I did, however, manage to find a couple of talented ladies, and their names are listed here as well.

In the following compilation of directors, you’ll notice that there are quite a few European-influenced names: Anatole and Elia, Emeric and Ernst, Vincente and Zoltan. Many filmmakers fled Europe during the Second World War for the United States in order to have more autonomy over their films; Ernst Lubitsch andFritz Lang both escaped Nazi Germany to maintain that freedom. During the 1920′s, an influx of mostly Jewish immigrants from central Europe came into Hollywood, and because they weren’t part of the typical Victorian thought processes of the time, were able to experiment more with “controversial” themes and give audiences what they wanted. Consequently, these foreign-born filmmakers became highly influential, and soon came to dominate the film industry.

Preston Sturges, right

Below, my picks for the best names of prominent film directors in the 1930′s and 40s. Lights, camera, action!

Alfred Hitchcock (nicknamed Hitch)

Alice Guy-Blaché

Anatole Litvak

Archie Mayo

Busby Berkeley

William Beaudine (Could be a cute name for a girl, with the nickname Beau!)

Frank Capra (Although I like Frank, I think Capra could be a cool, inspired choice for a girl–especially one born under Capricorn)

Cecil B. DeMille

Jack Conway

Lloyd Corrigan (Corrigan could be a creative choice for either a boy or a girl)

Dorothy Arzner

Edgar Selwyn 

Edmund Goulding

Elia Kazan (Although Kazan was a male, I think Elia could also work well for a girl in the United States)

Elliott Nugent

Emeric Pressburger

Ernst Lubitsch

John Farrow (Farrow, father of actress Mia, could work for either a boy or a girl)

Ford Beebe

Fritz Lang

Garson Kanin

George Cukor

Hamilton MacFadden

Howard Hawks

John Huston

Ida Lupino

William Keighley (Keighley could be a cute substitute for Keagan)

King Vidor

Leo McCarey

Lewis Milestone

Lois Weber

Lowell Sherman

Edwin L. Marin (Pronounced either Mare-in or Ma-RIN, this makes a pretty girls’ name)

Orson Welles

Preston Sturges

Ralph Murphy

Raoul Walsh

Rouben Mamoulian

Rowland V. Lee

Russell Mack

Tay Garnett–born William Taylor (Either Tay or Garnett/Garnet would make adorable girls’ names, although both could technically also work for a boy)

Thornton Freeland (Nickname Thorn makes this name an intriguing possibility)

Vincente Minnelli (While I love the vibrant Vincente, I also feel that Minnelli, nn Minnie or Ellie, could be a sweet choice for a girl)

William A. Wellman

Wesley Ruggles

Billy Wilder

William Wyler

Zion Myers (Zion sounds masculine to me, but due to its uniqueness, I think it would also work well on a girl)

Note: I originally published this article on nameberry.com, a fantastic website whom I also write for. :)

Which of these names do you like best? Any other classic film lovers out there? My personal favorite directors are Alfred Hitchcock, Preston Sturges, George Cukor, Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, and Frank Capra...

British Names Americans Aren't Using (But Should Be)

I've never been to England, Scotland, Ireland, or Wales. But I desperately want to visit. Maybe it's the McBurney in me, or my great-great-grandmother who came from Ireland's County Clare, but whatever the reason, I just really like British things. Music, (Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time); T.V. shows (Downton Abbey, anyone?); literature (Wuthering Heights); and, of course, the Brits' naming style. One of my favorite hobbies is surfing the London Telegraph's birth announcements section, because the names are just so quirky/vintage/sophisticated/unexpected/ awesome. Just to prove my point, here's a sampling of names for girls and boys born in the past two weeks:

Boys:

Caspar Richard
Theodore David
Oliver John Gareth
Robin Willoughby
Otto Frederick Thomas
Orlando Hugh
Digby George Francis

Girls:

Evelyn Patricia Rosalind
Marni Sky Lucia
Poppy Jane Audrey
Bay Diana Dorothy
Angelina Astara
Rosie Antonia
Sophie Kitty Freya

While some Brits will tell you that the names published in the London Telegraph aren't exactly the norm (most are children of upper-class families); they're still cool, and quintessentially British. Multiple middle names, a general disregard for syllable flow, vintage paired with nouveau...and I love it.

Some of the more popular British names that are not as far out there as, say, Digby or Bay, are just dying to be used by Americans, however--and I'm so surprised they haven't caught on here yet. I compiled a list of ten girls' names and ten boys' names in the British Top 100, and compared their popularity in the U.K. to their popularity here in the United States. The first set of parentheses is the British rank; second is the United States' rank:

Girls:


Imogen (26); (unranked)
Freya (19); (unranked)
Phoebe (28); (310)
Florence (54); (unranked)
Amelie (55); (695)
Esme (74); (981)
Niamh (78); (unranked)
Eliza (93); (255)
Matilda (53); (769)
Georgia (56); (305)

Boys:


Alfie (4); (unranked)
Oscar (19); (162)
Archie (24); (unranked)
Lewis (27); (633)
Callum (40); (847)
Harvey (47); (862)
Rhys (65); (486)
Reuben (71); (942)
Stanley (88); (674)
Kieran (89); (475)

Maybe it's just my style preference (I tend to like the vintage feel), but I feel like these names should definitely be ranked far higher here in the United States than they currently are. We've got some overlooked gems in our midst, here, guys! Use Matilda instead of Madison! Reuben instead of Aiden! Freya instead of Sophia; Harvey or Stanley instead of Anthony...you get my point. Take a style note from those Brits and be bold. :)

Because, frankly, I'm sick of meeting new little girls named Neveah and Mikayluh and little boys named Aidan or Jayden. Let's vary it up, people.