Priscilla

Priscilla is a Biblical name; it appears in Acts in the New Testament. Priscilla is a Latin name which comes from the Roman family name Priscus, which means "ancient." Because Priscilla appeared in the New Testament, the 17th century Puritans liked it. Priscilla was popular again in the 19th century, probably largely because of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish. Throughout the 20th century, Priscilla was quietly in use, though not really popular, remaining in the top 200 or 300 names for girls, with no apparent effect from the fame of Priscilla Presley. In the years since the turn of the century, Priscilla has begun to slide a bit farther down in popularity, into the top 400.

James

James is the English version of the name Iacomus, which is a Latin version of the Greek Iakobus. (The name Jacob ultimately comes from the same source, via the Hebrew name version of Iakobus, which is Yaakov.) James is a saint name; in the New Testament, two of Christ's disciples were named James. Several Kings of Scotland were named James. James is a perennial favorite in all English-speaking countries. It is normally a masculine name, but has on occasion been given to girls, as well. (Naming a girl James just isn't recommended. It's not like names for girls are rare.) Because James comes from the same source as Jacob, it also means "supplanter" or "holder of the heel." One reason for James' continued popularity is its versatility. Nicknames for James include Jim, Jimmy, and Jamie. The name is considered by many to be overused, and it probably is, but that overuse is not likely to stop--and there is a big difference between an overused "trendy" name that comes out of nowhere and is overused for a few years, and classic names like James, John, Anne, Mary, etc. James is likely to remain popular, and will also remain a good name choice for boys.

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.

Tabitha

Tabitha is of Aramaic origin, and means "roe," or "doe," or "gazelle." The name Tabitha appears in the New Testament--she was restored to life by St. Peter. Consequently, this was a very popular name with the Puritans from the 17th to the 19th centuries. After the age of the Puritans, Tabitha became a very rarely-used name, until the 1960's, when it came back into use, inspired mostly, if not 100%, by the birth of the character Tabitha on television's Bewitched in 1966. Currently the use of the name is slowly declining once again, but it remains in the top 500. All the sources I check make a point of saying that the Greek version of this name is Dorcas, so I guess I'll mention it too, even though I can't think of how this information might be useful. It would be difficult to find a more versatile name than Tabitha in terms of what it can be used for. It's a good choice for a baby girl--actually a better choice than it was at the height of its popularity, since Bewitched isn't so popular as it was. But it also works well for a wide range of fictional characters, from authentically-named Puritan to fantasy rpg characters. In addition, it's a fine name for a cat, particularly since the obvious nickname is Tabby.

Matthew

Matthew comes ultimately from the Hebrew name Mattathia,which means "gift of God." The apostle Matthew was author of the first gospel of the New Testament. According to Ask Oxford's name dictionary, the name Jonathan comes from the same root, only reversed, so Matthew and Jonathan might be perfect names for a pair of twin boys. The name was used in the Middle Ages, and several surnames, including the obvious "Matthews" are derived from it. Matthew is currently going through a popularity spike; it has been a top 10 name since the 1970's. For this reason it might be a little too popular to be a good choice right now--then again, if you don't mind that your child might be in school with several other Matthews, there's no reason not to use the name anyway. Pair it with a somewhat less common middle name, and you're good to go. Matt is the common nickname for Matthew, but since it's also a short from of Matthias, and also has been given as a name in its own right at times, I'll deal with Matt as a seperate name at some point.

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.

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.

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.

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.