Victor

Victor means exactly what it seems to mean. That's "winner" or "victorious" for the less perceptive amongst you. The word is Latin, the name is Roman. When we hear the name Victor we might think of one of the saints who were named Victor, we might think of record company RCA Victor or we might think of author Victor Hugo. Fans of banjo genius Bela Fleck might even think of Victor Wooten. Classic movie fans will more likely think of actor Victor Mature. Early Christians liked this name quite a bit, and we evidently still like it a lot today. For more than 100 years now, this name has hovered just at the top 100 mark. This makes it a good name, simply because it's common enough not to be thought "odd," but not so common as to be overused. The usual nickname for Victor is Vic--a name that really grows on you once you know someone called Vic. Victor is an especially good name for a German Shepherd. Seriously.

Luna

Luna means "moon," or can mean "moon goddess." In Roman mythology, Luna was the goddess of the moon. Her Greek counterpart was Selene. Luna as a given name for girls has a certain current trendiness. It's not exactly popular, but has been used enough in the past 2 or 3 years to earn itself a place in the U.S. top 1000. Interestingly, the name is also currently very popular, as in top 10, in Belgium--or so says Behind the Name. I was mildly surprised to find that Luna was in use as a given name in the early 1900's, but I haven't yet found information about its history as a name before that--still looking. What was more surprising to me is that it didn't fade back into the top 1000 during the 1960's through the 1980's. I'd have thought that Luna would be a prime candidate for trendy popularity during those years. Go figure. I have mixed feelings about this name. On the one hand, I love the sound of it, and the meaning is good. On the other hand, as cruel as kids are, any little girl named Luna is going to be at serious risk of being called "Looney Luna." The fact that it rhymes with "tuna" probably doesn't help. So I think that even as much as I like the name, I'd have to recommend against it for a new baby. Luna is a great name for a fictional character, and I might use my newfound knowledge that the name was in use in the early 20th century myself one of these days-I love things that seem "wrong" until you find out that they aren't. I also think that Luna is a great name for a dog, but this is probably because I play The Sims and when the Unleashed expansion pack was released, it included as a character a cute little dog named Luna. That dog is now the first thing I think of when I hear or see the name. The second thing I think of is a character from the soap opera One Life To Live who was named Luna. She was cool, but she was definitely quite looney.

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.

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.

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.