Back to the Alphabet

I am going to pick up my alphabetical analysis of the top 1000 names, but I am going to start using 2010's data.  So, the next post, I'll start with the I's.

Your Choice (Again)!

I did this post back in December, but, like so many things, opinions and tastes change.  So, currently, this is what I would name a child should I have another right now.  OK, there's really multiple names, but that's because there are so many wonderful names that I love and won't be able to use for one reason or another.

Boy:
Ezra Tobias
Leander Noah
Theodore Everett

Girl:
Calliope Freya
Eleanora Artemis
Lyra Hermione (yes, still)
Ginevra Carys

Go Greek (Girls edition part 2)

This list contains my favorite of all the Greek names.  More Greek ladies coming at you.

Eudora – Name of a nymph.

Gaia – Mother Earth!  Great name for those who love nature.

Helena – A version of Helen.  She caused a war. 

Hermione – Daughter of Helen of Troy.  Then there’s Harry Potter’s Hermione…swoon.

Hero – The lover of Leander.  Tragic story but it’s such a cool name!

Ione – A sea nymph.

Irene – Goddess of Peace.  Not a bad association at all.

Iris – Pretty flower AND goddess of the rainbow.  Pretty awesome!

Ismene – So her mom is her mom AND her grandma.  It’s still a pretty name.

Maia – Mother of Hermes and one of the stars in the constellation Taurus.

Melissa – A nymph who cared for Zeus in his youth, but also very tied to the 1970s and 1980s.

Nephele – Created from a cloud by Zeus, she went on to mother the centaurs.

Pandora – She is the Greek version of Eve.  Not the best namesake.

Penelope – She stayed true to Odysseus in the worst of times.  Great woman, great name.

Persephone – Yeah, I know.  Wife of Hades who was held against her will.  Tragic.  However, this is a really cool name!

Pheobe – Titan associated with the moon.  Grandmother of Artemis.  And there’s also the funny character from Friends.

Rhea – Mother of Zeus.  That alone makes her pretty awesome.

Selene – Again, another name for Artemis.  I quite like this one.

Thalia – A muse, of comedy to be specific.

Xanthe – The name of a few minor characters in Greek mythology.  I want to like it, but it just reminds me of xanthan gum.

Hermione rocks my world.  I would absolutely use it!  I also wish that Persephone and Ismene didn't have such depressing stories attached to them.  They would make fantastic names for a little girl.

Go Greek (Girls edition part 1)

There are quite a few more girls names to take from Greek mythology, so I'm breaking it up into two different reads.  Here's the first set.

Althea – This name has a great sound, but the myth behind it makes it not such a great namesake.

Andromeda – It’s the name of a galaxy.  If that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is.

Antigone – Very tragic story, but a cool name nonetheless.

Aphrodite – Born to be a sexpot?

Ariadne – Abandoned by Theseus but married a god later.  Not too bad. 

Artemis – As goddess of the moon, I think this is a great alternative to Luna.

Athena – She is the goddess of wisdom.  I think this is one of the ultimate namesakes.

Calliope – A muse would make for a nice namesake and the name is just too cool.  Not sure how well it would go over in modern times though.

Callisto – Heh, Hera turned her into a bear.  Callie is a sweet nickname, though.

Calypso – Well, she’s a maneater.  Cool name, not such a cool namesake.

Cassandra – Greek prophet who no one believed.  Popular in recent times, though.

Cassiopeia – A unique alternative to Cassandra.  Mother of Andromeda.

Chloe – Another name for Demeter.  Very popular today.

Circe – She’s a witch.  I could see this name working, if you really wanted it to.

Clio – Another muse and it’s rumored that she introduced the alphabet to Greece.  Thanks girl!

Cynthia – Another name for Artemis.  Artemis is way cooler.

Daphne – Escaped Apollo’s advances by turning into a laurel tree.  Great name otherwise!

Delia – Yet another name for Artemis.  Artemis is still cooler.

Demeter – The goddess of agriculture.  Great way to get the nickname Demi.

Doris – A sea nymph in Greek mythology.

Echo – Neat word name.  She was a sea nymph who fell in love with Narcissus but her love was never returned.  She remained in love and waited for him until all that was left was her voice.  Tragic.

If I were super brave, I'd totally name a little girl Calliope!  I think I might be brave enough to use Artemis, though.  Such a great name!

Go Greek (Boys edition)

I have grown a certain obsession for Greek mythology over the years.  I have fun learning about the mythos and seeing the many incarnations of these stories.  But probably the most fun I have with the subject is the names.  There are SO many cool names that hardly get used but have so much potential.  

First, let's talk boys:

Alexander - Love it.  Used it.

Apollo

Ares

Atlas

Damon

Evander - Evan works, so why not Evander.

Hector

Hermes

Hero - This is cool for the obvious reasons.

Jason

Leander - There is something about this name that has such a great vibe.  Perhaps its likeness to Xander?

Leto

Linus - Great name that has been jilted by Peanuts.

Morpheus

Odysseus

Orion - One of the coolest constellation names.

Orpheus

Paris
Perseus - I love this one because of Percy Jackson.  Can't lie.

Prometheus

Zeus

There are some neat namesakes in this group and some names that would make wonderfully surprising middle name choices.  If you're brave enough, you might even be inspired to use one as a first name.  If I were brave enough to us one of the less common choices, I think I'd tell you I have my eye on Leander (although his story is quite tragic).