The data is compiled by the German Language Association. If you don’t read German (like me!) a good English language summary of the report is provided by The Local, a site that reports German news in English.

The top baby names in Germany reflect parental fondness (and government mandate) for home-grown names. Most of the names on this list are recognizably Germanic in origin, with the possible exception of Elias. I would not have associated that biblical name with Germany. The name Jonas, by contrast, does have longstanding popularity there.

Germany is one of a number of countries that have restrictions on what parents can name their children. Specifically, German law prohibits names that don’t clearly convey gender (forget the unisex baby names!); names with weird spellings, and names that can lead to future humiliation for the child (I’m with them on this last point).

Despite the naming laws, it seems a few oddballs got past the censors in 2010.

Kix, Nox, and Laperla (boys? girls?) should be sitting up properly now somewhere in Germany, along with Kantorka, Belana, and Segesta. (That last one sounds like a new drug to treat indigestion). None of these names have much in the way of traditional Germanic roots.

Apparently a few local registrars around Germany still believe in enforcing the name laws. The parents of would-be Pfefferminza, Gihanna, and Menez all had to go back to the drawing board, as did the couple who wanted to name their daughter “Laslo.” If only she had been a boy, Laslo would have been just fine.

Maybe the restrictions are a bit harsh. No, I’m not saying Pfefferminza had his/her civil rights violated by getting turned down. I’m not a fan of names that sound like pharmaceutical companies. But on the other hand, variations of Marie and Sofie are taking up the top 4 slots out of the top ten names for girls, and Luka, Luca, Lukas, and Lukas do seem to be overly-represented on the boys’ side of the fence.

Perhaps German parents ought to scan the top names in the U. S. for some ideas. After all, we have 53 different ways to spell Mikayla. We can certainly spare a few variations for parents in Germany.

Meet Wenlock and Mandeville, the mascots of Britain’s 2012 summer Olympics.

The one on the left, with the triangle on his head, is Wenlock. The other, naturally, is Mandeville.

I won’t bore you with the meaning behind their design. Britain’s Daily Telegraph explained the thinking behind the pair. Suffice it to say that Wenlock and Mandeville, so far, have met with a lukewarm reception from the British public.

What I was curious about, naturally, was the origin of those names. Where the heck did they come up with Wenlock and Mandeville? Here’s where.

Wenlock is named after a Shropshire village named Much Wenlock, near Wales. (Apparently it is named Much Wenlock to distinguish it from nearby Little Wenlock).  Much Wenlock’s claim to fame, and its Olympic connection, is that it was the site of an annual sporting event which proved inspirational to the modern Olympic pioneers, Dr. William Penny Brookes and Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee.

Wenlock, according to Wikipedia, is a name of Welsh origin, meaning “white place,” although what exactly is “white” about Much Wenlock I have not been able to determine.

Mandeville, whose three-colored helmet features the red, blue and green Paralympics colors, is likewise an adapted placename, related to the Paralympics event being held in conjunction with the London, 2012 Olympics. Mandeville is named for the village of Stoke Mandeville, in Buckinghamshire (not far from Much Wenlock).

Stoke Mandeville was the site of a sports competition for injured soldiers, starting in 1948, which, though no longer held there, became a forerunner of the modern Paralympic Games. Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a renowned facility for paraplegic and spinal injuries.

The name Stoke Mandeville has its roots in Old English and Norman French. Stoke is derived from the Old English word “stoc,” meaning outlying farm or hamlet. Mandeville, not surprisingly, is of French origin. It comes from the Norman French de Mandeville family, who appeared in England around the time of the Norman invasion in 1066, and who owned said “stoc” in Buckinghamshire in the 13th century.  Sources attribute the Mandeville name to a place in Normandy, although the precise location seems to be lost in the fog of history.

Now the big question — will we be seeing a surge of little Wenlocks and Mandevilles in British schoolyards a few years from now? Well, maybe a few, I’m guessing. But I don’t think they will take the world by storm. Both names are rather stuffy, and old-fashioned.

Then again, I didn’t think Alfie and Archie would be making a comeback either, and look where they are now.

I was happy to see that Today’s Parent of Canada has put together a new list of top baby names from north of the border. Apparently, the central Canadian government is not on top of its national baby names results in the same way that the U. S. Social Security Administration is, so it’s nice to see Today’s Parent step into the gap and pull all this Canadian data together. According to Today’s Parent, the information on birth registrations and baby names had to be pulled from provincial and territorial agencies around Canada.

I like how Today’s Parent lumped together the variant spellings of single names into one listing (eg, Sara & Sarah). Although this is not the practice in the U.S.,  nor of the corresponding U.K. registrar, the practice is, in fact, a more accurate method for measuring popularity.

On the Canadian chart, for example, there 9 variants of Abigail! If these variants were not lumped together, it’s quite possible that no example of that name would show up in the Top 25. Yet when they are lumped together, you can see the enormous popularity of Abigail — along with the creative name-coining talent of Canadian parents!

In some instances, the chart ishows the English and French versions of a name (Emilie, for example, is the French form of the feminine name Emily). But interestingly, when the French and English versions do not match up very closely (William & Guillaume, for example) then the author of the chart did not lump the names together.

As far as traditional Canadian baby names are concerned, the list shows that our northern neighbors, for the most part, are following the typical trends across the English-speaking world.

The usual suspects are all there at the top: Emily and Ethan, Emma and Jacob, Olivia and Alexander. But the list is not completely in lockstep with the U.S.   A few names fairly high on the list, including Lucas, Nathan, Samuel, Hannah, and Liam, are more prominent in Canada than  in the U.S. currently. Still, it is pretty much a homogenized list, one that seems barely distinguishable from their southern neighbors, or from the U.K. Even the various creative spellings of names like Madison and Hailey, for example, seem to follow a well-worn groove.

We live, it seems, in a totally-wired global village. When Emma and Ethan are hot, they’re hot everywhere that English is spoken.

Well, not yet they don’t. But in the meantime, I’d like to honor the memory of our 19th century Vice Presidents by assembling what may be the first ever list of names featuring only Vice Presidents, and only from the 19th century. (I chose the 19th century to make the list a bit more manageable — maybe next year I’ll do the 20th century guys!).

Naturally, it’s a boys’ names list. But what a cool list! Who knew that many of those bewhiskered, stern-looking vice patriarchs had such cool names! Elbridge? I don’t believe I’ve seen that one before anywhere. And I certainly never knew that we’d had a veep named Hannibal Hamlin. (Probably should have known — he was Lincoln’s vice president! And he’s the one in the little picture at the top of this post).

So — in celebration of President’s Day, but in honor of the Presidents’ unsung junior partners, here is the list of first names of Vice Presidents of the 19th century:

Aaron

George

Elbridge

Daniel

John

Martin

Richard

George

Millard

William

Hannibal

Andrew

Schuyler

Henry

Chester

Thomas

Levi

Adlai

Garret

Today, Isabella is the most popular girl’s name in the United States. But where does this regal name come from, and what does it mean?

The story begins with the name Isabel, which, in the early Middle Ages, was the Spanish version of the name Elizabeth. The first syllable of Elizabeth has been dropped, and the final syllable changed to ‘bel’, to form the name Isabel. It simply made the name Elizabeth more pronounceable in the Spanish language.

The meaning of Elizabeth, which is a name of Hebrew origin, is “God’s Promise,” so  this meaning can be transferred to Isabel also.

As with many names, different variations (also known as “cognates”) sprang up in different countries. The French form, now common in many languages, is Isabelle. The most popular form in England and the United States, along with Italy, Germany, Holland, and Scandinavia, is Isabella, although this form is now found in many other languages also.

The name Isabella has become enormously popular in recent years. It is a traditional name — another royal Isabella was the famous Queen Isabella of France, who was also the wife of King Edward II of England, from 1308 to about 1325. And yet here we are in the 21st century, some 700 years later, and Isabella sounds as fresh and clear today as it undoubtedly did at the court of Edward II.

Exactly how or why the name Isabella has stayed with us — with such enormous popularity — while so many other names have fallen by the wayside, is one of the mysteries and fascinations belonging to the world of names. Perhaps it is mostly due to the fact that so many royals have carried this name, and it was transmitted by that exposure from generation to generation, until it reached the present day. In that respect, it resembles some other beloved, traditional names, like William, James, Elizabeth, and so on.

Perhaps also it is due to the soft, lyrical syllables in the name itself. Whatever the reason for Isabella’s endurance, it is without doubt one of the most-famous and classic names of all time. The Isabellas of today not only carry a beautiful, contemporary name, but also a rich, centuries-old tradition.

Visitors to our site frequently suggest baby names that aren’t in the database (yet). Usually  these names fall into the category of “unique baby names.” I think from time to time it’s fun to share some of these suggestions. Maybe one of these names will be just the inspiration that you’re looking for!

I’ve split the most recent batch into two groups — those where I know the name is currently in use (because the person suggesting it told us so) and those where I don’t know whether the name belongs to the writer, or whether it’s still just an idea. The letter after the name denotes whether it’s a boy’s name or a girl’s name. Sometimes there is no indication.

One of the interesting features of these suggested names is that they seem to be primarily girls’ names. This correlates with the fact that girls’ names, as a group, tend to be more diverse, and more prone to following the latest naming fashions.

Actual Names

Heavenly Heavenleigh (g)
Graten (b)
Tirynn (b)
Tilette (g)
Dilara (g)
Eseriah (b)
Kambriea (g)
Sashabelle (g)
Arrit
Telisa (g)
Taleighia (g)
Jeselle (g)
Aston  (b)
Kashka (g)

Maybe Just Ideas!

Cadrean
Khaliyah
Preslie
Kason
Takeita
Soyer
Adelyn
Cayson
ShyAnne (g)
Izaiack
Sadie-Rose (g)
Zella
Maleika (g)

My thoughts on the above?

I’m not a fan of most of the “actual” names (no offense!) — some of them seem “forced.” I don’t mind the last three in that group: Jeselle, Ashton, and Kashka.

In the group that may or may not be actual names right now — I actually like a few of these! I think Cadrean sounds Gaelic, Preslie is very cute, and Kason very “now.” Soyer is pretty funny, Zella and Maleika are both unique and contemporary.  I love Sadie-Rose. But please — don’t name your baby girl ShyAnne. Some puns just aren’t meant to be!