College Baby Names

Even if you'd like your daughter to attend the venerable women's college, don't saddle her with this pretentious British surname.

The island home of Odysseus, and city site of Cornell University, sounds soft and pleasant enough to make it a candidate for babynamehood.

Baylor is a possible occupational alternative to the tired Taylor, especially for a horse lover.

With Yale and Brown in the mainstream, why not this upscale college name and surname as well.

While it may sound a little dated, Lamar is a name that has never been outside the US Top 1000, but it is in danger of falling off the list.

Even if you're a loyal alumnus, consider something less ultraupright, like Yale or Cal.

Kenyon is a very engaging British surname name, the middle y giving it a kind of southwestern canyonesque undertone.

Webster is one of several W-starting surname names back on the drawing board, now that it has recovered from its childlike eighties sitcom identity.

One instance where a phonetic spelling might be better.

Despite the strong association with the University of California, Berkeley, the more common version of this name omits the second E, Berkley.

With its rich aural relation to names like Aubrey and Audrey, this color name could be the next Amber, or Scarlett.

This name of the goddess of peace creates a lovely ideal.

This name has not one but two impressive cultural connections: collage artist Joseph Cornell and photographer Cornell Capa--not to mention Cornell University.

A grassy place with trees is a nice image to attach to a name.

The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she was played by Claire Danes.

Columbia is a rarely used name with many associations. From the eighteenth century it has been used as a female personification of the United States, often appearing as a flag-draped patriotic figure. And as such it's inspired a plethora of place and company names, from the District of Columbia to Columbia University to Columbia Records, and songs like "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." A character called Columbia appears in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Brooke variation – or is the other way around? – that makes it more a nature name, less an eighties-style androgynous name.

Bates is a fresh version of Bartholomew, and feels more wearable than Bart. Bates could be considered a patriotic choice for American parents - Katharine Lee Bates was an author and professor best known for penning the words to "America the Beautiful".

Carleton has a great meaning behind it, and should really have more popularity than it has found to date. You can shorten it to Carl or keep it upscale and formal in the longer form. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk lends the name some sporty credentials, while American artist Carleton Wiggins confirms this name's Victorian earnestness.