How can anyone know, at birth, what name will fit a baby girl’s personality? One way around this is to give the baby a name that has several cool nicknames from which to choose. Also, it’s nice for a girl to have choices later on if she takes her husband's name after marriage. Consider Caroline Oakey versus Carrie Oakey (think of people singing on stage). Carrie is a cute nickname but a girl named Caroline has so many more choices.
Names for Baby Girls & Nicknames
One important thing when deciding upon a girl’s name is to think of all possible nicknames, and how those nicknames will affect her direction in life or will adapt to her changing personality. Consider these Catholic saint’s names:
Alexandra: If this little girl is growing into a tomboy soccer star, call her Alex. If she is a prissy girly-girl, call her Lexi, Sandra, or Sandy. If she dyes her hair green and writes poetry, call her Xandra.
Anastasia: If this 2-year-old girl will only wear dresses, call her Ana. If she plays in the mud, call her Stacey. If she wants to be a rock star, call her Stasia or Asia.
Celestina: If this baby girl seems to be growing willowy and graceful, call her Celeste. If she is a cute little ball of energy, call her Tina. If she appears to be artistic and dramatic, call her Stina. If she marries into European royalty, call her Princess Celestina.
Unique Names, Not "Tryndy Names"
"Tryndy" names are usually normal names that look misspelled. Maybe the pop star Cyndi Lauper started this, but using a strangely spelled name will doom a child to a life of constantly repeating “C-Y-N-D-I” for all eternity. If Cynthia wants to change her name to Cyndi when she’s nine, let her take the initiative, but she might just want to shorten her name to Tia. Let every little girl have some say in her own nickname.
When a new mom is still reeling from 20 hours of labor, try to talk her into spelling her little girl’s name Madison not Madysin, or Emily not Emilleigh. It's not the end of the world to give a child an alternative spelling, but sometimes it is worth changing. (Look online. It's easy in most states.)
Best Unique Names
The best unique and truly trendy names are usually “real names” that haven’t been used in a while, but have been rediscovered. However, some retro names are no longer unique. Emma, Isabella, Emily, Ava, Olivia, Sophia, Abigail, Elizabeth, and Chloe are all in the top ten girls' names of 2009.
While all of those names are beautiful, parents looking for something different, unique, and cool should consider other retro girls' names.
Old-Fashioned Names for Girls
Back in the 1800s and early 1900s, female babies were often given names of flowers or virtues. Some names of this genre are making their way towards being hip once again:
Flower Names for Girls: Most flower names were popular in the Victorian era. Here are some that have cute nickname variations.
- Alyssa (Ally, Lyssa, Azalea, Azie, Aza, Lea)
- Bryony (Pronounced Brian-ee in UK or Bree-ony elsewhere, nickname Bree or Bryn)
- Camelia (Cammie, Lia), Camille or Camilla (Millie, Calla)
- Liliana (nickname Lily is in the top 50), Lilibeth, Lila (like lilac) Laurel (Laurie, Elle)
- Marguerite (Rita, Greta), Marigold (Mari, Goldie), Magnolia (Maggie, Lia)
- Rosemary, Rose (cute as first or middle name)
- Shoshana and Susan (Both mean lily and Susan is overdue for a comeback.)
- Violet, Violetta (Lettie, Letta, Viola)
Virtue Names for Girls: Faith, Hope, and Charity are obvious names, but also:
- Felicity or Grace (#21 for 2009)
- Joy, Jolie (French for pretty)
- Liberty (Libby)
- Merit (Merry)
- Serenity
- Trinity (Trini)
Family Names for Baby
Look through genealogy trees or ask grandma what her aunts and grandmothers were called. There might be a name that would satisfy a girl’s need to be different, and also make one's family members jump for joy.
Here are some less common, but still popular, old-fashioned names from the 2009 top-100 list: Audrey, Amelia, Andrea, Charlotte, Julia, Mary (nicknames Molly, Polly), Vanessa (Nessa, Nessie).
Here are less common girl names that were popular in previous centuries: Alice (Allie), Annabel, Amanda (Mandy), Bethany, Cassandra (Cassie, Sandra), Eleanor (Elle, Ellie, Nelly), Evangeline (Eve, Evie, Lina), Georgia, Jane/Janet, Lucy/Lucille, Lydia, Margaret (Peggy, Maggie, Molly), Melinda (Mel, Linda, Lindy).
It's nice to find a name that has stood the test of time, but it can be overwhelming to find a baby girl's name that all (or most) of the family will adore. However, if there is any family member who has offered to babysit, make sure that she likes the name, too.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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