Names from my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge
- Azalea
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"azalea, a flower"Description:
Azalea is one of the fresher flower names, along with Zinnia and Lilac, that are new to the name bouquet — in fact, it entered the Social Security list for the first time in 2012. So if Lily and Rose are too tame for you, consider this brilliant pink springtime blossom with a touch of the unusual that has been growing in popularity.
- Amalthea
- Attean
- Aurnia
- Balin
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"mighty sword"Description:
Unusual Asian option, and also the name of the Dwarf Lord from Lord of the Rings.
- Barbara
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"foreign woman"Description:
Barbara is back! Among the fastest-rising names of 2023, Barbara came back from oblivion at the very bottom of the Top 1000, gaining nearly 100 places on the popularity list.
- Bard
Origin:
Irish variation of Baird, ScottishMeaning:
"minstrel, poet"Description:
Great Irish middle name choice for Shakespeare lovers.
- Barry
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"spear"Description:
This Anglicized form of Bearach or short form of Finbarr was in the Top 200 in the USA for 50 years until the early 80s when it rapidly fell out of favor. Barry has not yet found popularity in the modern era - but that may well change as people rediscover their love of classic figures like musician Barry White, baseballer Barry Bonds or even Barack Obama, whose nickname as a young man was Barry.
- Benjy
- Bill
Origin:
English, diminutive of WilliamMeaning:
"resolute protection"Description:
Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.
- Bob
Origin:
English, diminutive of RobertMeaning:
"bright fame"Description:
Kids love Bob the Builder, but do they want to be Bob the Builder? Bob and Bobby have been out of style since the 1960s, but as vintage nickname-names -- Fred, Archie -- come back into vogue, Bob may tag along. Charlie Sheen used it for one of his twin sons.
- Boo
Origin:
Word name or nicknameDescription:
Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.
- Bradley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"wide meadow"Description:
An English surname name, Bradley has a long history, dating way back to at least 1086, but as a first name it actually succeeded in the US before it reached England--though Dickens used it in his novel Our Mutual Friend. Bradley Cooper is one namesake.
- Beorn
- Bilbo
- Boutros
- Bramble
- Briar
- Camille
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"young ceremonial attendant"Description:
At one time just the sound of the name Camille could start people coughing, recalling the tragic Lady of the Camellias, the heroine played by Greta Garbo in the vintage film based on a Dumas story, but that image has faded, replaced by a sleek, chic, highly attractive one.
- Carmen
Origin:
Spanish variation of CarmelMeaning:
"garden"Description:
Carmen has long been associated with the sensuous, tragic heroine of Bizet's opera, based on a novel by Prosper Merimee; more recently it has called to mind two other bombshells: Carmen Miranda (born Maria) and Carmen Electra (born Tara), as well as the great jazz singer Carmen McRae. In the celebrity baby name world, this classic Spanish name for girls was used by Hilaria and Alec Baldwin for their daughter.