Grace

Grace is a virtue name, which comes from the Latin gratia. Virtue names were very popular with the Puritans of the 17th century, and they seem to have been the first to use Grace as a given name. Grace has long been popular in Scotland and in Northern England. In the U.S., Grace has also been popular almost always, although it did go through a popularity lull in the middle decades of the 20th century. Grace has currently regained all its former popularity and is a top 20 name in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. I find it very interesting that the name Grace went through a popularity slump in the U.S. with the worst decades for it being the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. Often, an extremely well-known celebrity will cause a name to spike in popularity, and Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco, was more than "well-known." The expectation would have been for the popularity of the name to have gone up, rather than down, with her celebrity. It could be that in this case the name was simply due for a slump, due to overuse--it certainly was not a case of her bringing the name to the public consciousness; Grace had been a top 50 name until the 1930's anyway. Still though, I would have predicted that it would have remained more popular than it did, simply through new mothers naming their daughters for a real live Princess. It just goes to show that you can never tell what people will name their kids.

Drake

Drake is a surname that is also used as a given name. The surname itself comes from two possible sources; an old given name, and an old nickname. The given name was Draca, (meaning "snake" or "dragon,") which was used into the Middle Ages, and spawned some instances of the surname Drake. Drake was also a nickname which meant "duck," and of course Drake is still used as a word for a male duck today. Drake has been gaining popularity with new parents in the U.S. since the early 1990's, and is currently a top 300 name for new baby boys.

Dominic

Dominic comes from the Late Latin Dominicus which is itself derived from dominus, which means "lord." Dominic is therefore taken to mean "of the lord." Saint Dominic was the founder of the Dominican order of monks, inspiring some Roman Catholic parents to name thier sons Dominic in his honor. Dominic, because of its meaning, has also been traditionally used to name a child born on Sunday. Dominic is currently enjoying a popularity spike in many English speaking countries, including the U.S. and Australia. Nicknames for Dominic include Dom and Nick, and the alternate spelling Dominick is sometimes used. The Dominic most in the popular public consciousness presently is Dominic Monaghan, who played "Merry" in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, and who also appears on television's "Lost."

Esteban

Esteban is a Spanish version of Stephen which has gained some popularity in the United States since the 1950's.

Demetrius

Demetrius comes from Demeter. Demeter was the Greek goddess of agriculture, and her name translates to "earth mother." There were several early saints named Demetrius, Shakespeare wrote of a Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and John Dryden's translation of Plutarch's Demetrius can be found here. Demetrius has been given to baby boys often enough in the U.S. since the 1950's to remain consistently in the top 1000 names, but has never been what could be called "popular." It will probably remain so; as a classical name and a saint's name, it will likely continue to be used, but it would probably require a super-celebrity with the name Demetrius to push it into a popularity spike. The lack of good nicknames for this name also works against it. Although I can't recommend it as a baby name for anyone but the most adventurous of parents, Demetrius is an excellent name for a dog or cat.

Alexa

Alexa can be considered a shorter version of Alexandra, which is itself a feminine version of Alexander, or it can be considered an alternate version of Alexis, which itself comes from the Greek name Alexius. In any case, Alexander and Alexius both mean "to defend." Alexa is currently enjoying a popularity spike, and is a top 100 name in the U.S. for baby girls. Nevertheless, if you are considering this name for your baby girl, I'd recommend going with the full version, Alexandra, simply because it is so much more versatile, and you can still call her Alexa.

Mia

Mia is a nickname or short form of Maria used in Denmark and Sweden. It is also now used occasionally as a first name in its own right in English speaking countries, mostly due to the fame of actress Mia Farrow.

Samuel

Samuel is a Biblical name, which comes from the Hebrew Shemuel, and means "God has heard." Samuel was a judge and a prophet of the Old Testament, and he anointed both Saul and David king. Samuel was popular with the Puritans of the 17th century, and with the Prostestant Noncomformists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Samuel remained popular throughout the 20th century, rarely falling out of the top 50 names for baby boys in the United States. Samuel remains just as popular today, not just in the U.S. and England, but through nearly all of the English speaking world, as well as in France, Spain, and Sweden. Samuel brings with it the nicknames Sam and Sammy. Famous Samuels include Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Samuel Morse. The Samuel most in-the-news lately has been Samuel Alito, whose confirmation hearings may have caused many people to feel a strong need for a Sam Adams.

Donovan

Donovan is a surname which is also used as a given name for boys. The surname comes from the Irish surname, the Gaelic Ó Donndubháin, which means "descendant of Donndubhán." Donndubhán comes from the combination of donn ("brown") and dubh ("dark" or "black".) Probably the most well known Donovan is the singer Donovan Leitch, famous for such songs as "Mellow Yellow," and "Sunshine Superman." Donovan's music has recently been in the American consciousness once again through the use of his song "Catch the Wind" in a Volvo television commercial, though many people probably don't realize who the singer is, or the signifcance of the song (it was Donvan's first record.) In recent years there has been a strong trend of using surnames (such as Ashley, Reagan, and Kendall,) as given names for girls. Donovan hasn't turned up in this trend so far, and I am vaguely surprised by that; to me, at least, this seems at least as good a choice as Kendall or Reagan. In any case, if you are in search of an Irish or Gaelic derived surname to use as a first name for your new daughter, and you want one that hasn't yet been overused, Donovan is certainly worth consideration.

Victoria

Victoria can be thought of and used as a feminine form of Victor; really both names simply come from the Latin word for "victory." The most well-known Victoria was Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901.) Her namesakes include not only people, but cities, regions, an attitude, styles for everything from clothes to architecture, and the entire Victorian Era. Victoria is currently enjoying a popularity spike in the United States, having been a consistently top 20 or top 30 name since the early 1990's, which in unsurprising, since many names popular during the Victorian era have also been enjoying a popularity spike (though Victoria itself wasn't a particularly popular name during the same era.) Interestingly, during the same time period in England and Wales, Victoria has declined in popularity and dropped out of the top 100 names for girls. Victoria is a versatile name. A girl named Victoria can choose to be Vicki, Vicky, Vic, or Tori.

Julia

Julia is a feminine form of Julius. A woman named Julia is mentioned in Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and several saints were also named Julia. Shakespeare used the name Julia in The Two Gentlemen Gentlemen of Verona. A fashion for "classical" names occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Julia's popularity benefited greatly from this trend. Julia is still a name popular today, generally appearing in the top 50 for girls in the U.S., as well as being quite popular in Sweden, Spain, and France. Famous Julia's include actress Julia Roberts, and chef Julia Child, who died in 2004 at the age of 91.

Lexi, Lexie

Originally a nickname for feminine names containing "lex," such as Alexis, Alexandra, etc., Lexi is now given as a name in its own right. Lexi appeared on the U.S. Social Security Administration's list of 1000 most popular names in the early 1990's, and has been gaining in popularity ever since. The alternative spelling Lexie is also used, but of the two, Lexi is the more popular form. Personally, I like the name Lexi, but if you are considering this name for a new baby I'd definitely recommend giving one of the long forms of the name, such as Alexandra, and using Lexi as the child's nickname. This gives the child a choice later in life as to whether she wants to be a cute and trendy Lexi or a something a little more sophisticated or businesslike. It also gives her other names to choose from, such as Alex or Allie, or even Andi, if you choose Alexandra for her name.