Alma

Alma comes from Latin and means "nurturing, kind." Alma was a title of several Roman goddesses, but its use as a given name is relatively quite modern. It was very rarely used until after the 1854 Battle of Alma was fought. The Alma in this case was a river in the Crimea, but Alma's use as a name became established after that point and was fairly popular in all English-speaking countries from 1870 through 1920. Other sources list Alma as being a Spanish name meaning "soul." This comes from dialogue in Tennessee Williams's play Summer and Smoke, and from the use of the name in Spenser's 16th century poem Faerie Queen, in which the name is apparently interpreted as Italian, meaning "soul." Although Alma has not appeared in the top 100 names for girls in the U.S. since the 1920's, it is still in the top 1000. It is possibly being used at this point mostly in honor of older or deceased relatives, but also could be due for a revival in the relatively near future.

Ashley

Ashley comes from the Old English aescleah, meaning "ash wood." This was a common place name--for obvious reasons--which became a surname. Ashley began to be used as a given name in the 1860's, possibly inspired by Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who was a well known 19th century social reformer. It is also more than possible that the use of Ashley as a given name came from the common practice of giving a child the mother's maiden name as a middle or second middle name. "Ashley Wilkes" was a major character in Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone With The Wind, which provided a popularity boost to the name. Until the 1960's Ashley was mainly used for baby boys, but once it began to be used for girls, it caught on quickly. Ashley entered the top 10 names for baby girls in the 1980's and it remains there today. As the use of the name for girls rose, baby boys named Ashley became fewer and fewer, and the name disappeared from their top 1000 list after 1994. Alternate spellings of the name will be listed seperately at some point, but include Ashlee, Ashleigh, and Ashlie.

Olivia

The first known use of the name Olivia is in Shakespeare's Twefth Night. It was later used by Oliver Goldsmith in The Vicar of Wakefield in 1766, and again in 1768 in The Good-Natured Man. It was probably Goldsmith's use of the name Olivia that made it popular in the 18th century. It was given a much later boost by actress Olivia de Havilland, and still later, by pop singer Olivia Newton-John. Olivia is enjoying a revival in the U.S., and has been a top 10 name since 2001. It may be becoming too common for this generation of babies, so unless you really can't choose another name for your new daughter, I'd recommend against it.

Faye, Fay

The name was once nearly always spelled Fay, but now is nearly always spelled Faye. Pronunciation is the same, either way. There are several origins for Fay as a given name. Some sources say that it probably derives from Faith. An oath in Middle English was "by my fay," meaning "by my faith." Other sources say it comes from Old French, and means "fairy" or "elf." This is the "fae" version. Yet another source for the name Fay is Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. Any and all of these sources can be correct or incorrect in any given case, and most likely they are all tied together and influenced by one another anyway. The use of Fay as a name began in the late 19th century. The name began to be used more partly due to the fame of actress Fay Wray, and later, Faye Dunaway. Fay dropped out of the top 1000 after the 1960's, while Faye has not been in the top 1000 since the 1970's.

Connie

Connie is a nickname of Constance, but has been used as a name in its own right since the 1880's. It was fairly popular in the U.S. from the 1940's through the 1960's, but declined after that and has disappeared from the top 1000 since 1998. Famous Connies include Connie Francis and Connie Chung.

Jillbette

Jillbette is an extremely rare compound name; from Jill and Bette. It is pronounced as if it were Jillbet--in other words, the trailing t and e are ignored when pronouncing the name.

Cynthia

Cynthia comes from the Greek Kynthia, and was a title of the goddess Artemis. It means "woman (or goddess) of Kynthus." Kynthus was the mountain on which Artemis was supposedly born. The name wasn't used in the Middle Ages, but reappeared in the 17th and 18th centuries to some extent. Because Artemis was a virgin goddess, and Queen Elizabeth I was the virgin queen, Raleigh, Spenser and others used "Cynthia" to refer to the queen. Many wives of U.S. plantation owners gave the name Cynthia to slaves in the 19th century; many slaves of that time were given names from classic literature. Cynthia has been used steadily if not overwhelmingly since then. It had a brief surge of popularity in the U.S. in the mid 1900's, making it to #10 in the 1960's. Currently it remains comfortably in the top 300; used but not overused. Cynthia is a somewhat versatile name, bringing with it the nickname Cindy, which as a name in its own right has become nearly as much used as Cynthia.

Wright

Wright is a surname (meaning "carpenter" or "joiner,") that has been used as a given name. It was used with some frequency in the 19th century, but mostly disppared after the beginning of the 20th century. What the name probably has going against it are the two words "right" and "write."

Daniel

Daniel is of Hebrew origin and means "God is my judge." The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament tells the story of the prophet Daniel. The story of Daniel in the lion's den was a favorite in the Middle Ages, and children in the Middle Ages were named for Daniel, which lead to the the use of "Daniel" and "Daniels" as surnames. Use of the name continued past the Middle Ages. Although not always at the very top in popularity, the name is always used enough to be considered familiar, if not common. Currently it is a top 10 name in the U.S., and has been so for some time. One good reason for the name's continued popularity is its versatility; a child named Daniel can choose whether to be Daniel, Dan, or Danny. Both of the nicknames have been used as given names in their own right. Famous Daniels have included author Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe,) and Daniel Boone.

Phillis

Phillis is a nearly unused variant spelling of the name Phyllis. The name is noteworthy for having belonged to Phillis Wheatley, who was the first African American, the first slave, AND the first woman, to publish a book of poems in the United States. You can read more (and you should!) about this amazing lady here. For still more information about her, simply do a search on Google or Teoma. This variant spelling of Phyllis appeared briefly in the top 1000 names for baby girls in the U.S. in the 1940's, but has not appeared since.

Donna

Donna is Italian for "lady," and its use as a name in English-speaking countries only began in the 1920's. According to some sources it has been used as a feminine form of Donald--I'm guessing that this basically means daughters of men named Donald who wanted to name their children for themselves. Donna was a very popular name from the 1930's through the 1960's, making it as high as #8 in the 1960's. In fact, it was used so much that even though it is a relatively late addition to the name game, it now sounds rather common, and so has dropped in popularity, all the way into the 700's.

Leigh

Leigh is a case of surnames that become first names, and means "meadow." The rise in popularity of Leigh as a feminine given name coincides with the rise in fame of actress Vivien Leigh. It has also been used occasionally as a given name for boys, though the variant spelling "Lee" has been more used for boys. Even at the height of its popularity Leigh never made it into the top 200 names for girls, and was much less popular for boys. It has not appeared in the top 1000 since 1996, although Lee for boys remains in the top 1000. (I was somewhat surprised that it wasn't ever more popular, since it seems to be used a lot as a middle name, but I guess the statistics don't lie.)

Karen

Karen is a Danish form of Katherine. Exactly where Katherine comes from or what it means is so widely disagreed on that I've come to the conclusion that no one has anything worthy of being called a clue. Karen was brought to America by Scandinavian settlers, according to Ask Oxford, and appeared in the U.S. top 1000 in the 1930's, and rose all the way to the #4 position in the 1960's. Its use has declined somewhat since then, but Karen is still one of the top 200 names in the U.S. In Britain the name Karen wasn't used until the 1950's. Karen doesn't offer much in the way of nickname versatility, and it doesn't hold the appeal of "new and original" that it once did, but it's still a quite pretty name with no obvious bad associations, so if you really like the name there are no good reasons not to use it for your baby. Karen has also very occasionally been used as a boy's name, actually making it into the top 1000 in the 1950's and 1960's. In this case it is probably considered to be a short form of the Armenian male name Karekin, (and probably should have been spelt Karin.)

John

From John the Baptist to King John to John Lennon to John Kerry, if I need to tell you how popular this name has been through the ages, you just haven't been paying attention. Everyone from saints to kings to popes to pop singers have been named John. Actually, the Hebrew name was more like "Johanan," but since John is the version used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament, and is the English form, that is the name we know best. Due to its extreme popularity over so many centuries, "john" has picked up at least two seperate meanings as a word rather than just being a name. "John" is a recognized synonym for a toilet, and, probably because of the habit of calling anonymous men "John Doe," prostitutes commonly refer to their customers as johns. Despite these bad associations, the name is still a reasonably good choice for a boy's name. One common nickname for John is Johnny, or its alternate spelling Johnnie, both of which are also used as names in their own right.

Emily

Emily comes from the old Roman clan name "Aemilius," which may or may not have meant "rival," although some say that it comes from German and means "eager." Since neither of these meanings are for sure, and since neither of them are really relevant to the image that most of us have of "Emily," they can probably be safely ignored. Emily is currently the most popular name in the English speaking world. The name had been reasonbly popular since the 19th century, but really started to take off in the 1970's. In the U.S., the name has been in the #1 spot since 1996, making it the "Jennifer" of the newest generation. For this reason, new parents would be advised to find another name for their baby girl--it has to be annoying to share the same name with half your classmates. The relatively sudden rise to popularity of this name is interesting; previous Emily's that come immediately to mind are Emily Dickenson, Emily Bronte, and the etiquette advice of Emily Post. The common mental image of an "Emily" is likely to be far different a few decades from now.

Laura

Laura comes from the Late Latin male name Laurus, which means "laurel," referring to the crown of laurel you always seen on the heads of important Romans. Laura is a saint name; Saint Laura was a Spanish nun who met a grisly death in a vat of molten lead. The Italian poet Petrarch wrote love poetry to "Laura" in the 1300's leading to a certain amount of popularity for the name in Italy. The name began to be popular in English-speaking countries in the 19th century. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote books that most people are aware of if not familiar with, and many women (and maybe some men, who knows?)are fans of Laura Ashley. Current well-known Laura's include Laura Bush and "Dr. Laura." Laura has been hugely popular in the U.S. in the past century, only falling out of the top 1000 since the year 2000. A note: the pronunciation of Laura can vary depending on who you are and where you are. Some people rhyme it, or almost, with "Norah," while others say the "au" with a sound closer to "ah." Some have made their pronunciation intent more obvious by simply spelling it "Lora," though this can also be a name in its own right.

Malinda

Malinda is Melinda in disguise. This variant spelling has been used often enough to have appeared consistently in the top 1000 names for girls from the beginning of the 20th century through the 1980's. Since then it's been more rare. People may be turned off the name by the association with the "mal" prefix, meaning "bad, badly." (Malady, malfunction, malice, malpractice, etc.) Since Malinda is a variant spelling of Melinda, I'll mention that Melinda itself has no real meaning; it's an invented name, possibly a combination of the "mel" prefix, as in Melissa, and the popular "inda" ending, or it could be just a re-spelling of Belinda.

Lela

Lela is often considered a variant spelling of Leila, which comes from Arabic and means "dark," or "night," or even "dark as the night." You get the idea. Considering that "Leila" is often pronounced as "lay-la", how does Lela get to be considered a variant spelling of Leila? Here is one way that this can happen. Let's say you write a book and you name your main character "Leila." Someone reads the book, and even though in your head the pronunciation for the name was "lay-la," the reader hears it in her head as "lee-la." She likes the name, and she names her daughter "Leila," pronounced "lee-la." Years later, another lady has a baby, and must choose a name. She was once introduced to Leila (lee-la), and loved the sound of the name. She never saw how the bearer spelled it, and does not care; she simply likes the sound. She names her baby "Lela." And there you go. Some sources also describe Lela as a Spanish name meaning "lofty." Lela was used as a given name fairly often in the U.S. in the 1800's, and was still in use in the early 1900's, but disappeared from the top 1000 after the 1960's. This is a name that currently still sounds at least somewhat old-fashioned, and it was crowded out by all the "new" names that were drafted into the name pool over the past decades. It could easily enough return to popularity with the right catalyst such as a famous actress, model, or fictional character. Lela is an extremely good name for a dog or cat.

Patricia

Patricia comes from Latin. To be Patrician in ancient Rome meant to be a member of the noble class, so Patricia means "noble." Patricia was an extremely popular name in the U.S. from the 1930's until the 1970's, when it began to decline. The name remains in the top 400 names for baby girls in the U.S., and will probably remain in use. At the moment it has that vaguely old-fashioned sound to most of us; this comes from the fact that many of us know or have known at least one older lady named "Patricia," which simply makes it out of vogue. The name will most likely regain some popularity in future generations. Patricia is a versatile name, bringing with it nicknames such as Pat, Pattie, Patsy, and the more recently in-vogue Tricia--all of which are also used as given names in their own right.

Gardner

Gardner is one of those surnames that has occasionally been used as a given name, most often as the middle or second middle name in honor of the mother's maiden name. (Did you get all that?) The meaning of the name is probably, unsurprisingly, "gardener," and denoted the occupation of the bearer. Another possible meaning and origin of the surname however, is that it is derived from the Saxon words "gar," meaning weapon, and "dyn," meaning "sound" or "alarm," but where the "er" on the end came from in that case remains a mystery. In any case, its use as a given name has been rare in the past. With the rise in the use of surnames as first names though, and the continuing search for something that sounds original yet trendy, Gardner is probably a name just waiting to be discovered.

Stephen

Stephen comes from the Greek Stephanos, which means "crown," or "garland." Stephen is a saint's name (Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr; the story is told in Acts in the New Testament.) Stephen was a very popular name with the early Christians, and has been reasonbly popular in English speaking countries since at least the 12th century. In the United States, Stephen has remained steadily in use at least the top 150 names for baby boys, sometimes rising into the top 50. The name would probably be more popular if not for its sound-alike variant spelling, Steven; the two have to share their popularity, and the short form for both of them, Steve, is often given as a name in its own right. Stephen is a classic old name that is always a good solid choice for a baby boy.

Albert

Like William (see below,) Albert is a name that is an Old French form of name derived from Germanic, and like William, Albert was introduced to England by the Norman Conquest. Also like William, Albert is derived from two parts, adal which means "noble," and berht, which means "bright," or "famous." Albert has not had the immense popularity in English-speaking countries that William has, but then, few names have. Albert was extremely popular, especially in England from 1840 through the 1920's, in honor of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria. The name was also well-used in the United States through the first half of the 1900's, finally falling out of the top 100 in the tradition-rejecting 1960's. The name has declined slowly yet steadily in popularity since then, but still remains in the top 400 names for baby boys in the U.S. Albert is definitely in a popularity lull, and to many ears it now sounds hopelessly old-fashioned. Still, as a middle name, particularly given in honor of an older relative, it's a fine name. Its use as a first "main" name is not really recommended at this point however, simply because even its common nicknames, (Al, Bert, Bertie) have a definite out-of-style sound to them. Albert remains a great name for a cat with a certain aloof and dignified manner.

William

William is one of the most popular names of all time, in English speaking countries. The name is Old French, and is derived from the Germanic Wilhelm. The meaning translates to "will" or "desire" (from "wil") plus "helmet" or "protection," (from "helm".) From this combination one could come up with "I'd like a strong helmet, please," as a meaning for the name, but the intended meaning is probably more meant to indicate someone whose will, or desire, was so strong that it was a form of protection itself. William the Conqueror himself brought this name to England, and was the most common name given to boys in England up until the Middle Ages. It remained extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages. In the 20th century it became only slightly less popular, no longer automatically appearing as the first or second most popular name for boys, but has never once dropped out of the top 20 names in the U.S. It still retains huge popularity all over the world, and there is no reason for that to change in the foreseeable future. William is a wonderful name for a baby boy in part because of its versatility. Someone named William may choose whether to be William, Will, Willie or Willy, Bill, or Billy. Famous Williams throughout history are too numerous to count, but include William Shakespeare, William Faulkner, William Shatner, William J. Clinton--known to most of us as Bill Clinton, William Penn, and Prince William of England.

Benjamin

Benjamin is of Hebrew origin. In the Old Testament Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son. There is no definite meaning for the name Benjamin, but rather several possible meanings. It may mean "son of the right hand." Or, it may mean "son of the south," referring to the fact that Benjamin was the only one of Jacob's sons born in Canaan rather than Mesopotamia, which is farther north. Another possible meaning is "son of my old age," referring to Benjamin having been Jacob's last son. Benjamin's original name was Benoni, given to him by his mother Rachel, who died shortly after, but Jacob renamed him the more pleasant Benjamin. Because of this, the name Benjamin in the Middle Ages was sometimes given to boys whose mothers had died in childbirth. The most famous Benjamin in more modern times was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States. Today the name is still quite popular, not just in the United States, but around the world. Benjamin is a true classic name, and is always a good choice for a baby boy. The cute Benjy for a little boy, and Ben once he's old enough to protest being called Benjy, are nicknames that add to the appeal of this name, though it must be noted that the most famous recent use of the "Benjy" was for a very smart and resourceful dog in the movie of the same name, and its sequels.

Charles

Charles comes from Germanic and means "man," or "free man." Charlemagne, ("Charles the Great,") was the earliest famous Charles, and the name spread with his fame. The name has since been borne by kings, holy roman emperors, and other famous or notable persons such as Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, and unfortunately for the name, Charles Manson. On a nicer note, Charles Schultz is another famous Charles, who created another more famous Charles, Charlie Brown. Charles is one of those classic names that is always popular, and although it doesn't currently have the top 10 status that it had in the early 1900's, it is still comfortably in the top 50. One reason for its continued popularity is its versatility: a child name Charles can be Charles, Chaz, Chuck, or Charlie. Incidentally, I once knew a great dane named Charles and the name fit him perfectly.

Earl

The use of Earl as a first name comes from two related sources which both come from the same source themselves--the noble title Earl, as in the Earl of Sandwich. First, several titles were used, mainly in the U.S., as nicknames: Earl, Duke, King, Prince, Princess, Queen, etc., and then the nicknames migrated to become used as given names. The other source is the common practice of using a surname, such as the mother's maiden name, as part of a child's given name. Earl is a surname which also began as a nickname or descriptive term given to someone who worked in the household of an Earl. Although Earl held a place in the top 30 names for boys in the early 1900's, its use has declined steadily, and it had nearly dropped out of the top 1000 by 2004. The name has been returned to popular consciousness recently by the television show "My Name Is Earl," but I'm doubting that many new parents will be naming their sons after the lead character in that show. One well-known Earl is banjo player Earl Scruggs, who helped to define a sound with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys that would eventually become the musical genre bluegrass.

Eddie

Eddie is a short version of any name starting with "Ed," usually Edward, or, less often, Edmund. You could name a baby boy Eddie, but don't do it. Go ahead and write out the entire long E-d-w-a-r-d, or other "ed" name, and let him choose whether he'd prefer to be a casual Eddie, or a business-like professional Edward, or simply an Ed. Of course, enough parents, at least in the U.S., do name thier sons Eddie to keep it in the top 500 names for boys, and several decades have seen it crack the top 100. Its use as a first name in its own right has declined over past decades though, possibly in direct proportion to a general rise in literacy. Eddie is, however, a lovely name for a dog or cat, unless said pet plans to pursue a career as a lawyer or politician.

Gloria

Gloria, unsurprisingly, comes from the Latin word for "Glory." The first known use of the word as a name was in E.D.E.N. Southworth's novel, Gloria, a Novel, published in 1891. It appeared again as a name in George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell, in 1898. Once introduced, the name took wing, and has been very popular in the U.S., especially from the 1920's thru the 1950's. Famous Glorias include Gloria Swanson, Gloria Estefan, and Gloria Steinem. Although the name doesn't have the popularity it did in earlier decades, it never has falled out of the top 500, and it looks like this late entry to the name arena might have real staying power, unlike so many of the shooting star names.

Mark

Mark comes from the Latin name Marcus, which probably derives from the Roman god of war, Mars. We are familiar with the name Mark from the New Testament, as well as American writer Mark Twain. There was also King Mark in Arthurian legend, and according to the Ask Oxford Concise Dictionary of Names, King Mark's name was probably of Celtic origin, from a word that meant "horse." Although it has recently fallen out of the top 100 names for boys in the U.S., Mark has been quite popular in the U.S. for over a century. Its status as a saint name and important biblical figure, and its simplicity, probably guarantee its continued popularity. You won't win any points for originality if you name your baby boy Mark, but its still a fine choice.

Suzanne

Suzanne is a French form of Susannah, which means "lily." For more information on that name you'll either have to look it up yourself (try Behind the Name, the link is right over there on the side of your screen,) or you can wait til I add it here. Suzanne was a reasonably popular name in the U.S. for some time, appearing in the top 100 in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's, but it hasn't appeared in the top 1000 since 1999. The name could make a comeback with the right trigger--famous super-model or fictional character, for instance. Personally I think Suzanne is a just "okay" name--because it has some versatility, but that same versatility is working against it; the obvious nicknames for Suzanne are Suzie, Sue, or (less likely) Anne. Sue and Suzie are not very high in public favor at the moment, and there are many other ways to wind up with "Anne," including simply naming a girl "Anne."

Ruth

Ruth comes from Hebrew and means "friend" or "companion." We know Ruth from the Old Testament, but some of us also think of Babe Ruth when we hear the name (or Baby Ruth, if we happen to be hungry at the time.) Ruth was a popular name with the 17th century Puritans, and was extremely popular from about 1890 through the 1920's in the U.S. It started to lose popularity, slipping out of the top 100 in the 1960's. I was fairly surprised to find that it is still ranks in the top 400 in the U.S. It may owe much of its continued level of use to the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. The meaning of Ruth makes it an ideal name for a dog, cat, or other pet.

Dorothy

Dorothy is closely related--or maybe derived from--Dorothea, and also is considered a feminine form of Theodore, of which Dorothea is essentially the dyslexic feminine version. They all mean "gift from God," and their origin is ultimately Greek. But who thinks of Theodore when they hear Dorothy? What we do think of when we hear the name Dorothy is "The Wizard of Oz," and most of us probably mentally picture Judy Garland. I do, and I know a real-life Dorothy who (trust me) is nothing like Dorothy Gale. Dorothy was a very popular name with British parents from the 15th century through the 18th century. Dorothy was also very popular in the U.S., consistently appearing in the top 10 baby names for girls from the 1900's through the 1930's. It started to lose popularity after that, and is still in a slump: Dorothy remains in the top 1000, but not in the top 500. The name lost popularity due to over-use, and parents in the U.S. became more concerned with trendiness than tradition. At this moment it still sounds a bit old-fashioned, but considering the re-emergence of the old classic Emily, Dorothy may soon be due for a comeback of sorts. In any case, it's a classic name and probably isn't going to go away entirely.

Conan

According to most sources, Conan means "wolf" or "hound." (So would Conan-Conan mean wolfhound? Hmm.) The origin is Celtic. We are aware of the name because of Conan O'Brien, as well as Conan the Barbarian, and of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I find it interesting that the Social Security Administration's baby names site says that Conan hasn't been in the top 1000 names for any year. Considering that none of the instant associations with the name are bad (well, the barbarian one, but that's not bad, just odd,)and considering that parents recently have seemed to have an obsession with Celtic and Gaelic names, and considering that the sound of Conan is pretty agreeable...well, I'm surprised. Well, if parents aren't going to use this name, someone should. Conan is a great name for a big dog such as a doberman or rottweiler...or if you're feeling silly, name your chihuahua Conan. Or your cat, that'll work really well also. In most fantasy-based RPG's, I'd guess that Conan is probably already taken as a character name, but if the game is new, give it a try, one never knows. For fictional characters--Conan has been used at least in Ireland since the Norman Conquest, but since the name is already so heavily associated with that barbarian guy, I'd be careful.

Rhonda

I knew a Rhonda in elementary school. I didn't like her. Rhonda, if you're out there, I just want you to know that if you wouldn't have mispronounced words when I was forced against my will to do spelling drills with you, I wouldn't have misspelled them. And I wonder to this day if you still say "ofent" when you see the word "often." Had to get that off my chest. Sorry. Alrighty then. Rhonda is a Celtic name and means "good spear," so if you are you looking for a name for your favorite weapon before you take it into battle, look no further. It's not exactly "Excalibur," but then you're not King Arthur, are you? For practical naming purposes, Rhonda appeared on the U.S. top 1000 list in the 1940's, made it all the way to 44th most popular in the 1960's, and has been falling out of favor ever since. 1994 was the last year it was even in the top 1000. So what happened to Rhonda? It may be that it's just one of those shooting star names, here today, gone tomorrow. There is also the little matter of a well-known song--"Help Me Rhonda" casts Rhonda as a girl expected to be a substitute for the girl the singer really wants. Not an image most parents want for their newborn daughters.

Ransom

I'll bet you didn't even know this was a name. Or maybe you did. It's another of those odd names that appears in the history of my family, where it appears multiple times. It's obviously not a common name, because of the common meaning of "ransom" simply as a word. When you investigate the word itself, though, and the origin of it, it's easy enough to see how "Ransom" has been used as a name. Ransom comes from Old French "rançon", which comes from Latin "redemptio," which of course became "redemption" in English. "Redemption" is a pretty big deal in Christianity, and, particularly in America, due to many of our Puritan roots, names that refer in some way way to the bible or biblical principles have been quite popular--as with Faith, Hope, and Charity. So, Ransom is listed in some cases (when its used as a name,) as meaning "redeemer," or "redeemed," or just plain "redemption." I'm also seeing listings on the 'net that say that Ransom is an Old English name meaning "son of the shield," so (note to self)I'll have to see if I can find more information/confirmation on that, and what relation, if any, to the "redeemer" meaning it might have. Interesting (to me at least) fact about the name Ransom. The Oldsmobile gets its name from Ransom Eli Olds. He also founded another car company, REO. One of REO's products was the REO Speedwagon...and most of us who remember the 1970's and 1980's can hum at least part of at least one REO Speedwagon song.

Marsha

Marsha is technically a variant spelling of "Marcia," but thanks to Marsha Brady, I think it deserves name status of its own. "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!" When you really stop and think about it, Marsha is just the word "marsh" with an "A" stuck onto the end of it, so it could be taken to mean "swamp." Which points out how completely irrelevant the meanings of names really are when it comes to naming a baby--and how important they can be when it comes to naming a fictional character.

Frederick

Frederick comes from Old German and means "peaceful ruler." Frederick was a top 100 baby name for boys in the U.S. until the 1950's, but it's been used less and less since then--it seems decidedly old-fashioned at this point. Another thing that Frederick has going against it as a baby name at the moment is that the full form, Frederick, seems too formal and stiff, while the short form, Fred, generally makes us think of Fred Flintstone or Fred Mertz, and definitely sounds old-fashioned. Another common short form of Frederick is Freddy (or Freddie,) which brings to mind Freddy Krueger, so that's no help for the name, either. The name is an old classic though, and has been historically royal in Germany and Prussia. It's been abused by popular culture over the past few decades, but its chances of outliving the fame of television shows and movies are excellent, so I'm betting it will one day make a comeback. When you get past all the current connections, it's a very distinguished-sounding name. At the moment though, I'd definitely hesitate before naming a baby Frederick--at least give the kid a first or middle name with fewer interesting connections; he'll be glad you did. All that aside, Fred is a great name for a dog or cat, and we once had a fish named Fred. He was a very small bream that my brother caught in the lake and for some reason we decided to keep him and put him in an aquarium. He lived there for over a year, and seemed reasonbly happy, for a fish. Then one night someone had left the cover halfway off his tank and he made a leap for a passing fly (he loved flies,) landed on the floor, and was pretty dried out by the time we found him the next day--and obviously dead. Of course, we don't know for a fact that he was leaping for a fly, but that is probably what happened. None of that has anything at all to do with the name Frederick, but that's life.

Cora

The name Cora comes from the Greek "Kore," which means "maiden." It could also theoretically be used as a nickname or short form for any name that has "Cor" in it, but really most of those don't need short forms anyway. Cora was a quite popular name in the latter part of the 1800's and the early 1900's. It dropped steadily in popularity through the rest of the 1900's, hitting a low point in the 1990's. It never actually dropped out of the top 1000 names for baby girls, and has been climbing in popularity somewhat in the past few years, making it back into the top 500, barely. The popularity of the name in the early 1900's probably made it seem old-fashioned for the rest of the century, but apparently that effect is wearing off, which accounts for its being used more once again. Whether or not it will regain its old popularity remains to be seen. I have nothing to really back this up except my own experience with people I've met, but it seems like "Cora" gets used reasonbly often in conjunction with other names, i.e., "Cora Beth," which is just as often a single compound name, "Corabeth." I've only known one person who was just plain "Cora."

Thomas

I really like the name Thomas a lot. My mother had a cat named Thomas--we called him "Sir Thomas" most of the time. My boyfriend's first name is Thomas, so that's another reason to like the name a lot. Thomas is a wonderful name to give a baby boy--in my opinion, because it has that versatility thing going for it. The child you name Thomas can grow up to be a casual Tommy or Tom, or he can use the more formal Thomas. I love names that allow a person to choose who they'd like to be. According to Behind the Name, Thomas is derived from "Te'oma," meaning "twin." I find this pretty darn interesting because I've started to really like the search engine Teoma, and now I'm going to have to remember to look up how they got that name. Some sources say that Thomas is from Hebrew. Behind the Name says it's a Greek form of an Aramaic name. Aramaic was a language that was very similar to Hebrew, and was likely the language spoken by Jesus Christ, so that's reasonable. Thomas was one of the apostles, and gave us the phrase "doubting Thomas." Thomas is a saint name. This name is one of those classic names that might never go out of style. In the U.S. it's currently at a sort of "low point" in popularity--meaning, it fell out of the top 20. Not much of a "low" there. The name is popular in pretty much all countries with a high Catholic population, so that is part of the reason for its popularity. Again, a name I would definitely recommend.

Rozena

"Why," you ask, "is she listing a name like Rozena?" Eh, well, why not? Actually, in a branch of my family tree there is a Rozena, born in 1854, so I have my reasons, flimsy though they may be. Alright, Rozena. A couple of internet sources say that Rozena is a Native-American name and means "Rose Blossom." I think the chances are good that both those sources found that information in the same book, and since I don't know what book that might have been, I'm noting that here as "something to look up." Behind the Name doesn't list the name at all--and I'm going to stop in a moment and make a link to that site on the sidebar, so I don't have to constantly type the URL. A Google search shows that incidences of Rozena (that makes it sound like a medical condition, doesn't it?) have occurred in places like South Africa and Czechoslovakia (did I spell that even remotely correctly?) so I'm thinking that this may be a name with multiple origins. It struck me on first glance as being some form of Rose--so isn't it odd that the Native-American meaning is supposed to be rose blossom? What's going on here? Popularity-wise, this name just isn't widely used and never has been. I'd consider it useful as a name for an RPG character, or possibly a cat, but I don't believe I'd name my daughter Rozena...then again, now that I've looked at it every time I've typed it, it's sort of growing on me.

Cheryl

When I hear the name Cheryl I think of Cheryl Ladd, and that's probably a dead giveaway as to my general age group. Or, maybe not. According to one source that I have, Cheryl is an old diminutive form of the name Caroline. According to another source, Cheryl is a name that was invented in the 1920's. Behind the Name agrees that it was a 1920's invention, having possibly evolved from Cherie and stolen its spelling from Beryl. Since everyone seems to be guessing here, I'm going to suggest that it could just easily have been invented to rhyme with Carol--the Beryl spelling influence theory seems okay. According to a commenter on the Behind the Name site, though, at least one Cheryl was born in 1902. A few other internet sources--most of which I don't really trust--list the name as either English, or French. Those that say it's French give it the meaning "beloved," which suggests they're just tapping into the "Cherie" theory. I think we ought to just decide that "Cheryl" is derived from absolutely nothing and means "mystery." Popularity-wise, the name leaped out of nowhere in the 1930's, rose to a high point of 19th most popular name for girls in the 1950's, then started sinking steadily and very quickly in popularity, dropping out the top 1000 altogether after 1997. Sort of a shooting star of names, really. Will it make a comeback? On this one, your guess is as good as mine. It's not a classic, has no proven staying-power, and after all the Cheryls from the 1900's are gone and forgotten, the name could be forgotten as well. On the other hand, if a Cheryl became hugely famous, and in a good way, bringing good associations to the name that would last in public consciousness past the lifespan of that actual person, the name could see a resurgence in popularity. History shows us that it's even possible that a name like Cheryl could regain popularity through a fictional character (like Scarlett O'Hara,) or even a song (like Layla.) In any case, it's probable (or I think so anyway) that the name will be kept marginally alive for a while because of babies being named for their grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Only time will tell. Things I'd like to know for sure--or at least for probable: Where did Cheryl really come from? Why did it shoot to such popularity so fast, and why did it fall from favor so quickly afterwards (overuse, maybe.) This entire post (currently, at least) falls almost completely into the category of "notes to myself."

George

George (Washington, duh,) was the first President of the United States, and has belonged to less-distinguished presidents since then, so I guess George will do as the first name added here. The literal meaning of George is someone who works in the earth, so we take that to mean "farmer." The name is derived from Greek. Saint George is the patron saint of England, and a dreaded enemy of dragons everywhere. George has been a popular name among the royal set, and history is littered with kings and princes named George. The name is currently more popular in England than in the U.S. In the U.S., it's been dropping in popularity since the early 1900's, but is still in the top 200 names for boys. Interestingly (to me, at least,) George was among the top 1000 most popular names for girls in the U.S. until 1950. Since I don't know any women, old or otherwise, named George, I'm going to assume for the moment that the name must have been given as a middle name mostly--as a namesake of a male George father or other relative, as the mother's maiden name, or maybe occasionally because moms just admired the female writers who chose "George" as their male pseudonyms. Why the drop in (U.S.) popularity in recent decades? This is one thing you can't blame on a Bush. At least, not entirely. At this point in time when most people hear the name "George," they think of an old, or at least middle-aged man. Maybe George Bush (either of them.) Maybe George Jefferson (you know, from tv.) George of the Jungle? Maybe just Uncle George who tells bad jokes and has a nervous habit of adjusting his dentures with his tongue. In short, right now, the name seems kind of old-fashioned. People who are naming their babies George (in the U.S., that is,)are probably naming them after fathers, grandfathers, or rich old relatives who might kick off at any moment and don't have any children of their own. In a generation or two, when the memories of Georges past have faded, the name will probably regain popularity once again--it's an old standard, a classic, and it's not likely to go away entirely. Why is it still so popular in England? The simple answer is probably that the British are a little more tradition-oriented and less trend-oriented when it comes to naming their babies. For the bored: Where's George, a website that lets you track one dollar bills.