Name of the day: Ida

Ida, f.

Meaning: 'industrious one'

When I got my oldest daughter's class list for September, I was immediately scanning it for interesting names. One name which caught my attention was Ida. It is oh-so-similar to the extremely trendy Isla, but has that granny edge to it which makes it a little different.

Ida has an interesting and positive meaning; 'industrious' is not a quality I'd immediately wish for my child but could come in handy in the teenage years! The name has links to opera, the Hindu religion and also Greek mythology (Mount Ida), so definitely a mixed heritage.

I think Ida could be on the rise, as a 'smoosh' of Isla and Ada.

Changes in trends - comparison with 2000

I find it interesting that most people who name their children do not give much thought to baby name trends; but still they exist and very noticeable changes can be seen from decade to decade. Somehow the influence of naming trends does affect baby-namers but it's not always obvious how! I've been looking at name statistics from the turn of the millennium and how names have fallen out fashion in the years since. These names are all on a downward trend. If you are bothered about how 'fashionable' a name is then maybe not a good choice for you. But if you are looking or a name which isn't going to be everywhere then these could appeal. Below is a list of some names which were popular in 2000 but which have noticeably declined since then. The girls are far more drastic; boys' names are far steadier, with the classics moving slightly downwards but still used frequently (except for one!). Spot the F.R.I.E.N.D.S influence!

Chloe - from no.1 to 16

Megan - from no.3 to 41

Hannah - from no.9 to 42

Lauren - from no.6 to 103

Bethany - from no.13 to 73

Amy - from no.14 to 62

Courtney - from no.22 to 261

Luke - from no.11 to 45

Joseph - from no.7 to 22

Daniel - from no.5 to 16

Matthew - from no.9 to 47

Adam - from no.16 to 39

Connor - from no.23 to 58

Jordan - from no.18 to 210

Name of the day: Darcy

Darcy, m. / f.

(Alternative spellings: Darcey, D'Arcy)

Meaning: from Arcy (in France)

The name I've picked today is Darcy, which is technically unisex but more and more just used for girls. This name used to have a very preppy, almost snobbish image but I feel that it has moved much more into mainstream naming culture recently. I work in a school and there are at least three Darcy's in the school which tells you something!

This name will be associated mainly with either Mr Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (of course!) or the ballerina Darcey Bussell. I actually would love his name for a boy because of the Mr Darcy link, but would never use it now because it has become so feminine. These connections give a feeling of culture and sophistication to the name. Definitely not an airy fairy, girly name.

I can imagine this name on a high flier, someone with influence and probably a little pretentious, despite it's growing use. The long -aah sound in the middle oozes middle-class-ness doesn't it?! 

If you like Darcy, you may like:

Eliza, Honor, Ruby, Rafferty, Hugo, Sebastian

Zander

Zander, m.

Meaning: defender of men (diminutive of Alexander).

Ok so this is cheating a little for a Z name, as Zander is usually a nickname for Alexander and can be spelt Xander. However it is gaining popularity as a name in its own right; it was #230 in the US in 2013 (admittedly, it is still down in the 800's in the UK). I have a particular fondness for Zander (it was our top boy's name for a while).

All Z names have an energetic quality to then with the zippy Z sound. Zander also has that sophisticated air about it with the long -a- sound, at least with the British pronunciation. It also has the popular -er sound at the end of this name, which features in some of my favourite boys' names. I'll list some names with this ending below:

Casper

Evander

Sawyer

Asher

Thatcher

Jasper

Dexter

Booker

Kiefer

We've come to the end of my alphabet series! A few people have asked what I've been planning to do next. I think I'll probably switch to 'name of the day' and then carry on doing themes and other general baby naming posts.

Thanks for reading :)

Some tips on choosing a name

Today I thought I'd share with you some tips that I have come up with for choosing a baby name. It's obviously not rocket science - choose a name you like! Anyone can do that. But if you are struggling to choose, then perhaps some of the following may help a little.

1. Style. Think about the baby name style that you and your partner want to go for. As I've said in a previous post, you will probably want any future children's names to 'go' with a first child's name. It's good to think about the type of name you are choosing and whether other names you like would go well with it. For example, you may love the name Sybil (Downton Abbey fan, perhaps?!), but not be keen on other old-fashioned names. I have a similar problem, as I love granny-chic names but we went for quite a modern sounding name for our first daughter which ruled them out.

2. How popular? What are your feelings on popular names? Would it bother you if your child's name was in the top 1000? Top 100? Top 10? Or do you love a name so much that it doesn't matter to you that there may be other children with the same name in their class? Look up the Office of National Statistics baby name documents for current popularity lists (in the UK).

3. Meaning. Does the meaning of a name matter to you? It's always worth checking the meaning; some fairly common names have awful meanings! It probably won't matter in the long run if you really love a name but it's still good to know! A couple of my favourite examples are: 

Claudia - lame

Cameron  - crooked nose

Gideon - club foot

Lola - sorrowful woman

Some people find meanings really important and this could even be their number one consideration so make sure you are both on the same page!

4. Surname and initials. Think about how the name sounds with your surname . Try to avoid rhyming combinations eg - Noah Taylor, which sound a bit awkward. Also some sounds can sound awkward together; for example our surname begins with a Ph- and this stopped us considering Th- names like Theo. They ended up sounding like tongue-twisters! Make sure you consider what the initials will spell out (Thomas Ian Taylor probably won't thank you when he is older!).

5. Friends and family. Some people won't be concerned about anyone else's thoughts on their name, as long as both of the couple like the name. But for lots of baby-namers, they will consider their nearest and dearest. Do any of your friends and family have a name that is special to them that you probably shouldn't use? Do you want to honour someone important by using their name as a first or as a middle? Will your grandparents be able to pronounce an unusual name?! It may be worth thinking if any of these questions apply to you.

I don't think any of these tips are ground-breaking or anything new but hopefully they give you a place to start. As a mum who *may* be finished with having babies, I am very envious of anyone in that deciding on names stage! If you need any help... 😉

Yara

Yara, f.

Meaning: small butterfly, Arabic

As easy as it was for me to talk about X names, Y presented much more of a challenge! Many Y names still seem very exotic to us; it is not a letter often used for names with English routes. However I did find one I really liked and had previously overlooked.

Have a go at saying Yara. I think it has a beautiful sound. It is so similar to Tara or Lara but has that lovely, Arabian feel with the Y sound at the start. I can definitely imagine this on a glamorous woman with long, dark hair. I am not completely convinced it is ready to be adopted as a mainstream name in this country but I would love meet a little girl with this name.

It has a wonderful meaning too - 'small butterfly'. I imagine a nursery decorated with lots of butterfly murals! As a rule, Arabic names often have really great meanings, so if you're into meanings then maybe have a look at a list of Arabic names.

Sib-sets

Today I wanted to explain what is meant by the term 'sib-sets'. People who like baby names often talk about sib-sets to describe the names given to brothers and sisters in one family. A sib-set displays the parents' naming style much better than just a single name. Most parents will go with a certain type of name for all their children. There is more to think about when naming second, third etc children because they have to sound 'right' with the other names already picked.

So, for example, if you were to choose the name Hudson for your first child, it would seem rather mismatched to name a second son Benedict. Hudson is trendy and modern, Benedict is old-fashioned and distinguished. It's not always as obvious as this but it's something to bear in mind. 

You also might want to think about going for similar popularity. You may not want to name a daughter Aurora and then your son, Stephen. Perhaps Soren would make a better choice?

Another consideration is number of syllables and sounds within names. This is less important, although it can be nice to have similar lengths to names. An example of this working well would be: Annabelle, Violet and Oliver. However, I think Isla, Amelia and Nate also sound lovely together because of similar sounds and similar styles. I guess you may want to avoid any really obvious differences, such as Sebastian, Isabella and Jay. 

I find sib-sets fascinating and I love trying to work out connections between siblings' names. I love it when parents add in hidden connections, such as similar meanings in all their names, or the use of a theme (word names, nature names, virtue names - perhaps this is more appropriate for middle names?). 

There is a lot to think about when naming subsequent children but, then again, the very most important factor is always whether you, as parents, like the names you have chosen. I don't agree at all with forcing a theme on all your names (eg - same letter for all names) or discarding a long-loved name because 'it wouldn't go'. Where would be the fun in that?