Stephylou's list of names
- 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.
- Bellamy
Origin:
English and Irish from FrenchMeaning:
"fine friend"Description:
Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby.
- Berry
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
With the recent arrival of fruit names like Apple and Plum, this more traditional example, symbolic of fertility, might rise in popularity. Photographer Berry Berenson was born Berinthia.
- Bertie
Origin:
Diminutive of Albert, Bertram etcDescription:
Long a royal nickname in England, it's coming back there along with Archie and Alfie. British singer Kate Bush calls her little boy Bertie.
- Birdie
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"bird"Description:
Birdie was until recently a middle-aged Ladies' Club member wearing a bird-decorated hat --but now it's just the kind of vintage nickname (think Hattie, Josie, Mamie, Millie) that's coming back into style in a big way. Actress Busy Philipps named her baby Birdie (inspired by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson), as did soap star Maura West.
- Bluebell
Origin:
Flower name from EnglishMeaning:
"blue bell"Description:
Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous — some might say outlandish — choice. Andie MacDowell has a granddaughter named Bluebell Coyote through her daughter Rainey Qualley.
- Blythe
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"happy, carefree"Description:
Blythe is Nameberry gem — one of those names that visitors to the site are often searching for, despite the fact it's never ranked in the US charts as a given name.
- Bobby
Origin:
Diminutive of RobertMeaning:
"bright fame"Description:
Bobby is the quintessential mid-century nickname, the name of the son on Mad Men and overused to the point of cliche. Though Robert is still a highly popular choice, most Roberts today are called by their full name or Rob or Robbie rather than Bob or Bobby.
- Bodhi
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"awakening, enlightenment"Description:
Bodhi is a Sanskrit name translated as "enlightenment" or "awakening" which relates to a Buddhist concept, wherein Bodhi is synonymous with the state of nirvana, being freed from hate, greed and ego. The Bodhi tree is a large fig tree under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment. Spelling variations include Bodie and Bode.
- Bodhi
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"awakening; enlightenment"Description:
Bodhi relates to the Buddhist concept of enlightenment and has been a hot baby name in recent years.
- Bonnie
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"beautiful, cheerful"Description:
Bonnie is an adorable nickname name, heading back up the popularity list after a 50-year nap. A Top 100 girls' name throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Americans are later to jump on the Bonnie bandwagon but now it's trending here too.
- Bowie
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"blond, yellow"Description:
Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn put this name in play as a first name, but David Bowie (born with the considerably less marketable moniker of David Robert Jones) gave it charisma. He changed his surname in 1965 to avoid confusion with the then popular Davy Jones of The Monkees, borrowing it from the American hero of Alamo, Jim Bowie.
- Briggs
Origin:
English variation of BridgesDescription:
Having only entered the US Top 1000 in 2012, Briggs is yet another ends-in-s surname name for boys currently on the rise, along the lines of Brooks and Hayes.
- Bronte
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"thunder"Description:
This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth.
- Caleb
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"dog; whole heart"Description:
Caleb is an attractive Old Testament name that has been in the US Top 100 for nearly three decades now. Consistently popular but never too popular, Caleb feels more like a classic than a momentary trend.
- Caoimhe
Origin:
Irish, ScottishMeaning:
"beautiful"Description:
Caoimhe, pronounced (more properly) kwee-va or kee-va, is a pretty and distinctive Gaelic name but one that could well lead to no end of confusion outside the Irish community. Even in its native habitat, it is sometimes spelled Keeva.
- Carter
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"transporter of goods by cart"Description:
Carter has ranked in the Top 100 since the the turn of the millennium, but despite its recent popularity, it's not a trendy new name. In fact, Carter is one of those names that just misses ranking in the US Top 1000 for its entire 140+ year history.
- Chester
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"fortress, walled town,"Description:
Chester is a comfortable, little-used teddy-bear of a name that suddenly sounds both quirky and cuddly.
- Claude
Origin:
French from LatinMeaning:
"lame; enclosure"Description:
Claude is a soft-spoken French name that conjures up the pastel colors of Monet and harmonies of Debussy. In France, it is used for girls as well, in fact in the Tracy Chevalier novel Lady and the Unicorn, the protagonist is a female Claude.
- Clover
Origin:
Flower name, from Old EnglishMeaning:
"key"Description:
Clover is a charming, perky choice if you want to move beyond hothouse blooms like Rose and Lily, and it's recently become a new celeb favorite, chosen by both Neal McDonough and Natasha Gregson Wagner, who used it to honor her mother, Natalie Wood, one of whose most iconic films was Inside Daisy Clover.