Zachary

By request, we now have Zachary. Zachary means "God has remembered." It started out as the Hebrew name Zechariah, which became Zachariah in the New Testament (the Greek form.) Probably the most famous Zachary was Zachary Taylor, who was the 12th president of the United States. Interestingly, in the case of this name, Ask Oxford seems to be more than a little wrong, because they state that Zachary is "out of fashion" currently, and is simply "familiar" in the U.S. because of Zachary Taylor. In fact, Zachary has been a top 100 name for boys in the U.S. since 1976, and was in the top 20 from 1992 through 2002. It might be out of fashion elsewhere, but in the U.S., at least, it seems to be right in style. Zachary is a fairly versatile name, insofar as it brings with it the short form Zack or Zach, both of which have been used as given names in their own right to some extent. It seems to be dropping just slightly in popularity, which makes it still a good choice as a name for a new baby--it's not terribly over-used and doesn't look like it will become so, if the current trend continues. Zachary's biblical connection, historical connection, versatility, along with the fact that it sounds good, and looks good on paper, should all contribute to keeping this name in use, if not in fashion.

Dean

Dean is (yet another) surname that gets used as a given name. The surname means "valley," describing someone who lived in a valley. Dean is also borrowed from the occupational title "dean," as in College Dean. That word comes from the Latin decanus. Famous Deans include Dean Martin, and author Dean Koontz, with James Dean and Howard Dean representing bearers of the surname. Dean has remained in consistent use in the United States for at least the last 100 years, but used just enough to keep it from being "rare." Dean is a considerably more popular name in Ireland and Scotland, so if you're looking for a name for a modern Irish or Scots fictional character, there's one now. I really like this name. I like it enough that if I were about to have a baby, Dean would definitely be on the "possible" list for a boy. One added note: Dean has very occasionally been used a name for baby girls in the U.S. (I don't know about anywhere else.)

Samantha

No one knows for sure where the name Samantha came from, so we don't know for sure what it means, either. Behind the Name mentions that some people think it means "listener" in Aramaic, but Ask Oxford doesn't mention that, and simply says Samantha is "Of problematic and much debated origin." In nine out of ten cases, this would make Samantha an excellent name for a cat. Samantha Stevens was, of course, the well-known main character on the television show Bewitched, and it was that television show that really brought the name into prominence. (Also see Tabitha.) Samantha has been a top ten name for baby girls in the U.S. since 1990, so at this point it just might be getting a bit over-used. Nevertheless, it's a pretty name, and I like it so much I can't really recommend against it. It also has the added benefit of nicknames--Sammie (or Sammy,) and Sam. A current popular Samantha is Sex and the City's Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall.

Ryan

Ryan is yet another first name that comes from a surname. In this case the surname is Ó Riain, which is Gaelic, and itself means "descendant of Rian." So a first name that came from a surname that came from a first name. Isn't it great how names recycle themselves like that? Ryan is an extremely popular name among new parents in the United States these days. Ryan has been a top twenty baby name for boys every year since 1990. This means there are a lot of young Ryans out there. If you are expecting a baby boy and looking for the perfect name, I'd hesitate before naming him Ryan for that reason. Parents of baby girls apparently haven't wanted to be left out of the Ryan-frenzy entirely--the name has been given to new baby girls since the 1970's, but the popularity of Ryan as a girl's name does not seem to be rising. However, it seems that a given number of parents do name their daughters Riane or Rianne or some other variation of Ryan. This is fine but in a lot of these cases they want to use these as variant spellings and keep the pronunciation of Ryan. If you really want to do this, it's your kid, but consider the fact that not many people are going to see Rianne and automatically assume it's pronounced like Ryan. So your daughter will spend a lot of her life correcting people who mispronounce her name. I do know of one couple who chose Ryane as their feminine version of Ryan and so far that's worked out just fine. Worth consideration.

Madison

Madison is a very popular name for baby girls in the United States at the moment. How'd that happen? We'll start with the beginning, and the beginning was Madeline, and/or Maud. Madeline and Maud have something in common other than starting with the letter M, and that is that they both have Maddie (or Maddy) as a nickname. When surnames were being invented, Madison came from Maddie--it may have originally designated a boy who was Maddie's son. Later, a baby's given name--particularly the middle name--was often the surname of a close relative, such as the mother's maiden name, or sometimes just to honor someone with that surname. In this case, Madison was sometimes given to babies to honor President James Madison. Many such surnames became popular names in particular for baby boys, but at some point in the 1900's, apparently people became bored with the "normal" names for girls, and started giving their daughters surnames as their given names. Madison, which had previously been sporadically given to boys, started becoming more popular as a name for baby girls in the U.S. in the 1980's, and has climbed steadily on the name charts since then, and is currently in the top 10 names for girls. Interestingly, it has also reappeared in the top 1000 names for baby boys, but whether it will make any headway there at this time is doubtful. Madison may be well on its way to being thought of as a "girl's name," at least for the next generation or so. Later, when all the Madisons of this era are gone, it might come back into use for boys, or it might become a classic name for girls, or it might just go back to being a surname. Who knows? In any case, this is one transferred surname for girls that I actually do like a lot--mainly because it still has the nickname Maddie. However, Madison is a bit overused at the moment, so you might take a second look at the original form, Madeline. It might be a better choice.

Audrey

Audrey is a much more interesting name than you might think. First, if you've spent any time reading name dictionaries, you've probably run across the Old English name Etheldreda, which means "noble strength." Audrey is, according to Ask Oxford derived from Etheldreda, so the meaning is the same. The Old English version is Ædhelþrydh, and Etheldreda is the Latin version of that. Anyone who has read a biography of actress Audrey Hepburn will almost certainly agree that this is one case where the meaning of a name matched the person perfectly--Audrey Hepburn was truly a Great Lady, and one whose life required a lot of that noble strength. Saint Audrey (known as Etheldreda in her own time, apparently,) lived in the sixth century. She was apparently something of a religious fanatic from the word "go," because she took a vow of perpetual chastity, but was married twice anyway. Her first husband knew about her chastity vow (men do love a challenge.) Later in life Audrey developed a large and unsightly tumor on her neck. She considered this a just punishment for the fact that she'd worn so many necklaces in her younger days. In the Middle Ages she was a popular saint, and Saint Audrey's Fair was held on her feast day (October 17th.) The fair naturally sold many necklaces and neckerchiefs, and they became famous for their cheapness and low quality. From this we now have the word tawdry, a shortening of "Saint Audrey." Because of this, by the end of the Middle Ages the name became much less popular. Shakespeare's use of the name in As You Like It, plus its status as a saint's name, guaranteed that Audrey would not become an obsolete name, and eventually it came back into use--most people no longer even aware that Audrey and tawdry were anything more than a convenient rhyme. The name Audrey has remained in constant but not overwhelming use in the U.S. for at least the last 100 years. In the early 1900's it was occasionally given to boys, but is now nearly exclusively a girl's name. Audrey is also apparently a popular name in France. Most people probably think of Audrey Hepburn first when they hear the name Audrey, but some might also think of Audrey Hardy a character from the television soap opera General Hospital.

Payton

Payton is a surname that's now being used as a given name. Sometimes it's spelled Peyton, but this is a simple variation. Peyton is a place in Sussex, and according to Ask Oxford, the original name was probably " 'Paega's settlement'. This makes it related to surnames such as Paignton and Packington. This name, in both spellings, has been creeping up the rankings of top names for babies in the U.S. since the early 1990's. The thing here is that it's being used for both boys and girls, so even though it's hanging out between the top 250 and the top 175, it's doing it for both genders simultaneously. If this continues there are going to be a lot of Paytons, and probably at least a few Paytons who marry other Paytons, and folks, this would just get confusing. So stop it. Now. At least agree on something reasonable; for instance, let's give Payton to boys and Peyton to girls. Or something. Payton is a great name for a dog, and a so-so name for a cat. I don't know why, but it's true. Test it for yourself. Let me know how it goes.