Randall

Randall comes from the name Randolf, a Norman given name which means "shield wolf" or possibly "raven wolf." Randall is the vernacular form of Randolf that was used in medieval times--which simply means that the spelling "Randall" represents how "Randolf" was pronounced. The surname Randall comes from the use of Randolf as a given name in medieval times, and more modern use as Randall as a given name in its own right is a result of the surname. Randall enjoyed some real popularity in the middle decades of the 20th century, but has been steadily falling in popularity since the 1960's. It is still used often enough to almost make the top 500 list in the U.S., however, and could eventually regain some popularity. The main drawback to the name is the fact that its most obvious nickname, Randy, is a slang term in England meaning "horny."

Jade

Jade is a gem name, and is simply the word for the precious stone used as a given name. Gem names, such as Ruby, were quite popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jade was not part of this trend, because "jade" was also a slang term used as a synonym for a floozy or hussy, and also a slang term used for a worn out horse--a nag. Jade only really began to be used popularly as a given name after Mick Jagger's daughter, Jade, was so named, in the early 1970's. Since then, Jade has been a fairly popular name in the U.S., mostly given to girls, but given to boys often enough to have made the top 1000 occasionally since the 1970's. Jade (for girls) has been even more popular other English speaking countries in recent years, and has become especially popular in France and Belgium, as well. Jada and Jayda are both names derived from Jade that have lately been gaining popularity.

Colleen

Colleen comes from the Gaelic word cailín, which means "girl" or "wench." Although Colleen is often though of as an Irish name, it is apparently not used as a given name in Ireland. Using it as a name there would be about the same as naming a girl "Gal" in the U.S. What is interesting, however, is the number of girls of Irish descent in the U.S. who were given the name Colleen, because it "sounds Irish" and went well with their Irish surnames. Colleen has enjoyed some popularity as a given name in the U.S., however, peaking in the 1960's. It currently is still used often enough to be a top 1000 name, but is far from common.

Missy (Missie)

Missy (occasionally spelled Missie) has two sources. First, it is a simple transfer of the word missy, which comes from miss, the traditional form of address for an unmarried girl or woman in English. Second, Missy is sometimes used as a nickname or pet form of Melissa. Missy is very rare as a name in its own right. It has been used since the 1950's at least, and nearly made the top 500 in the U.S. during several years in the 1960's, but that was the peak of its popularity. Although Missy has never been a very popular name for people, it has been used quite a bit for cats and small white dogs.

Jane

Jane is ultimately considered a feminine form of John, and is related to Jean and Joan. The main problem with Jane as a name is the fact that it rhymes with "plain," which has caused "plain jane" to be a phrase many people think of automatically when they hear the name. In reality, Jane is no more "plain" than any other one-syllable name. Jane has been a regularly used name since at least the 16th century, and was extremely popular in Britain thoughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and enjoyed a peak in popularity in the U.S. in the early 1900's as well. Jane has been somewhat less popular in more recent decades, for various reasons. There seems to be a trend recently of parents looking to traditional names for their children. Jane has that traditional quality, and it has simplicty, and at least a small amount of versatility (nickname Janie) going for it. I would expect to see at least a small rise in popularity for the name in the next decade, either for Jane as a first given name, or a resurgence in the use of it as the second name in combination names like Sarah Jane.

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.

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.