Apocalyptic Names
- Aster
Origin:
English; AmharicMeaning:
"star"Description:
This is a fresh new addition to the botanical list; comedian Gilbert Gottfried made it a real bouquet when he named his daughter Lily Aster. And the name of the little girl on television's Dexter sounds like Aster, but is actually spelled Astor, which brings it more high society name. Aster relates to the Greek word for star. In Ethiopia, Aster is pronounced "ah-STAIR", and is the Amharic variation of Biblical Esther.
- Avalon
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"island of apples"Description:
Avalon, an island paradise of Celtic myth and Arthurian legend--it was where King Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds-- and also the colorful capital of the California island of Catalina-- makes a heavenly first name. Actress Rena Sofer and British musician Julian Cope used it for their daughters.
- Avi
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"father"Description:
The rise of trendy Arianna has led to unisex Ari gaining speed for girls in recent years as well. Now as Avianna climbs the charts, it may be time to start considering Hebrew Avi for a girl as well.
- Aviva
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"springlike, fresh, dewy"Description:
Aviva is vivacious and memorable, a fresh spin on the Vivian and Vivienne names that have been getting more popular since Angelina and Brad chose one for their twin daughter. Another A-beginning palindrome name: Aziza.
- Azariah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"helped by God"Description:
Though this is a popular name for men in the Bible, today it's used with this spelling for nearly equal numbers of girls and boys. The Azaria variation is much more often given to girls.
- Azra
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"virgin"Description:
Azra is a perennial favorite Arabic name for girls in Turkey, Bosnia and Croatia. In the West, Azra could become a fresher take on Virginia or a more feminine spin on Ezra.
- Bandit
Origin:
Word or occupational nameDescription:
We hesitate to call Bandit an occupational name, any more than Rogue or Vandal are occupational names, yet its use by one of the bandmembers of My Chemical Romance (for his daughter: we're not even going to go there) undoubtedly owes a debt to occupational cousins from Pilot to Parker. Recommended for use by rock stars with full-time nannies only.
- Beck
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"small stream"Description:
The popular single-named alternative singer (born Bek) has given this cool nature-meets-surname name a new lease of life. Another notable bearer is Beck Weathers, a Texan pathologist who survived the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which was covered in the book and film Into Thin Air.
- Beckett
Origin:
English and IrishMeaning:
"bee hive, little brook or bee cottage"Description:
Beckett is one of the big baby name hits of the decade.
- Beckham
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"homestead by the stream"Description:
Who knew there were so many soccer fans in the U.S.? Beckham -- as in British sensation David -- has exploded onto the baby name scene in the past decade.
- Bellamy
Origin:
English and Irish from FrenchMeaning:
"fine friend"Description:
Bellamy is emerging as an up-and-coming girls' name, an Irish surname-y riff on the super-popular Bella series of names. While the Bella connection makes Bellamy sound a little trendier and more popular than it really is, we see the name possibly rising through the ranks for both genders in the coming years.
- Berenger
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"warrior fighting with a spear"Description:
Last-name-first-name with a romantic but dangerous edge.
- Berke
- Beverly
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller near the beaver stream"Description:
The remarkable success of the girls' name Everly makes a revival of the name Beverly seem possible. More commonly a masculine name in the 19th century, it began to be used for girls in the early 1900s, reaching #14 ion the popular names list in 1937. Inspirations: Beverly Johnson was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Vogue, Beverly Sills was a major American soprano, Beverly Cleary authored the beloved 'Ramona' books, and Beverly Goldberg is the beloved TV matriarch of 'The Goldbergs'.
- Blakesleigh
Origin:
Modern inventionDescription:
This contemporary combo name was chosen by reality stars Tristan and Ryan Sutter for their daughter and has been picked up by others.
- Blanche
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"white"Description:
Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to fight the stereotype of faded Southern belle, a la Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche Devereaux in TV's Golden Girls. Now all three of the Golden Girls--Blanche, Rose and Dorothy--could be ready for revival, with Blanche sounding like a stronger, simpler alternative to Bianca.
- Blythe
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"happy, carefree"Description:
Blythe originated as a nickname for an upbeat person, coming from the Old English word bliðe, meaning "merry" or "cheerful." Today the homophone blithe shares the same meaning. Blythe was eventually adapted to a surname before it became a feminine given name.
- Boheme
Origin:
French word nameDescription:
"Girls Gone Child" blogger Rebecca Woolf made Boheme a first name when she gave it to one of her twin daughters (the other one's name is Reverie). La Boheme -- "The Bohemian" -- is a Puccini opera that was transmogrified into the modern play Rent. Boheme means a literary or artistic person who lives outside conventional society.
- Braeden
Origin:
Spelling variation of BraydonDescription:
Braeden was one of the many -aiden names that we heard everywhere just a few years ago. Now it's fading, along with Aiden, Jayden, and company.
- Brandt
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"dweller on burnt land"Description:
Less commercial-sounding than Brand.