Photo by One Eleven Photography
I have been waiting my entire blogging career for this moment.
B-A-B-Y N-A-M-E-S!!!!!!!!!
For as long as I can remember my favorite topic OF ALL TIME is baby names. Lauren (my BFF) and I have discussed baby names weekly for the entirety of our relationship and often take guesses (read: place bets) on what we think other people will name their babies. I’ve had a list on my phone since I was in high school. #oops
But now that a baby could come at any time for us can you imagine the floodgates that have opened!? Imagine it. And then times that by 1,000. I think if I text Jeff one more baby name he’s going to back out of the whole deal. Haha!
We are trying to be prepared with a shortlist of girls names and boys names so that we at least have that prepared. I’ve basically been living my life on Nameberry but I know there are one zillion names we haven’t thought of. So who wants to help a girl out!?!?
Here’s the dealio on what we like:
1. We like names that are not too common but not super out there/unusual either. I love a classic that could be re-invented, either for a different gender or with a different spelling or iteration or modern twist. Also love names that sound really kind or sweet.
2. We love nicknames. Really really want good nickname opportunities!
3. Don’t forget the Mindell factor. It’s a tough name to pair things with.
4. My favorite thing to think about when talking baby names is this trick, that I read a million years ago: Picture your friend is setting you up on a blind date and only told you their name. What would you think of them? (So good, right!?)
Now wanna give us some baby name suggestions!?!? Help!! We especially need boy names (can’t seem to agree at all on those) but you can hit me with both boys + girls! Seriously I can’t WAIT WAIT WAIT to hear your suggestions!! Leave ’em below!!!
p.s. Fun fact: If you haven’t noticed, if there is ever a printable/place card/place for a name on the blog where a name is needed, Emma is almost always included. It’s always been one of my faves. 😉
Ashton says
I love that blind date trick!! How about Emory Mindell for a girl…Rory for her nickname!
Caroline says
So cute!!
Natalie says
Ooh, that’s a really good one! Too bad I’m having a boy! We were gonna name our girl Dylan. Natsnextadventure.com
Kristina B says
This must be REAL interesting with Jeff and his weird name association uh…talent.
You also have to consider a middle name for when Mini Mindell gets into the glitter…like,
SYLVIA JANE MINDELL GET BACK HERE WITH MUMMY’S FRY COSTUME!!!
or
NICOLAS RYAN MINDELL PUT DOWN THAT DISCO BALL OR SO HELP ME…
Things to consider. And just as an FYI…I heard Calliope is an up and coming baby name. Just sayin’!
Kelly says
You are so right on Calliope! It’s been all OVER the baby name blogs. Way to be ahead of the game!! 😉
p.s. I LOVE Sylvia.
Darci says
Girl: Darci (my name) no one ever uses it! Or Demi my sisters name! Hollis my nieces name!
Boy: my three sons names are Jensen, James and Jude. So obviously those are my fave! Also love McCoy and Preston!
Jennie says
My daughter is Rebecca-lynn
Loved Rebecca but my gran had a heart transplant when i was 5months pregnant. She is lynda aka lynn. So rebecca-lynn it was …
Amanda says
I have a friend who named her daughter Reverie (the state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts). They call her Rev for short. While a little different, I think it’s really sweet and not too out there.
Kelly says
I looooooove that!!
Caroline says
So pretty!
Des reyna says
That is soooooo good.
Tesni says
This is probably super weird bc I’m suggesting my own name, but it fits all your criteria! It’s Tesni (pronounced Tess-knee) but my friends call me Tess for short, and it’s Welsh for “Our Little Sunshine” which totally fits you guys! It’s unusual but not crazy 😂
Kelly says
I love your name!! Also love it’s meaning. So sweet!! My name apparently means war… not nearly as sweet. Haha!
Kelly Golightly says
I’ve always read our name means warrior woman! Which I think is much better than war.
Hope about Kelly Jr.? 😉
Chloe says
I was going to suggest my name too! 😂 Only because I don’t know many people with it and people come up with a TON of nicknames! They will start with Chlo and just add on 😂
Gizelle says
I guess I’m not the only one to suggest my own name. Lol if you don’t mind the rhyming Gizelle Mindell has a ring to it. Gizelle means honest or promise. Its not as common as Gisele (French) like the ballet. My son’s name is Dante Luca meaning Enduring Light.
Sarah says
Have you hear of the app babyname? It’s like tinder for picking baby names! Both parents get the app and then you swipe left/right for no/yes. When you both like the same name you get a “match!”
We gave our toddler a traditional name, Joslyn, but we call her Jossi. There is a professional (male) skier that goes by Jossi as well – he was the first person we’d heard of with that nickname. I just think it’s a fun, unique name!
Caroline says
How cool! Like tender for baby names!
Shayla says
That’s how we found our baby name! That baby tinder app is the best!!!
Amanda says
This is a genius idea!! Shayla, what name did you decide on?
Courtney says
I love baby names! My fav girl names are:
Jessa
Jade
Anistyn
Averie
Aftyn
Skylar
Veda
Monroe
Maisie
Rilynn
Raelynn
Jolie
Josie
Jaycie
Boys:
Boone
McCoy (nn Mic, Mac or Coy)
Quincy (nn Quince)
Quade
Harrison
Hudson
Dawson
Boyd
Briggs
Brooks
Blaine
Barnes
Banes
Melissa Lawrence says
Naming children and naming nail polish colours, two if the best things in the world.
Boys Names:
Jacob
Sullivan
Grayson
Theodore
Bradley
Spencer
Jackson
Girls Names:
Reese
Alexa
Kelly says
AGREE! Haha naming nail polishes is my dream career.
Melissa Lawrence says
A girl can dream right? 🙂
Janel A says
I love Grayson! Great name!!
Carolines says
Yes I love REESE!!
Kelly says
Wren for a girl (Wrennie as the nickname, you could also call her Birdie).
It’s an older name commonly used as a middle (for instance, Jenny Wren). We have a Wren Elizabeth.
Leslie says
I love baby names! We named our son Calvin last year and I LOVE saying it everyday! He also has endless nicknames at the moment: Calpal, calzone, cal capone, calcatraz, california, etc.
Mia says
My cousin named her son Calvin! Of course, he has a tiger named Hobbs 🙂
CAelee says
WE have a Calvin too! Calpal, Calzone, Calvinator, Calvinasaurus Rex… you name it and we call our kid that. He also has a stuffed Hobbs which I just love.
Jesea says
We have a Calvin too! Calpal, Calzone, Calamander, Vinny. I’m so happy we went with Calvin!
Eleanor says
My parents took the 1st date thing one step further– the “presidential test.” Could you hear someone saying “President Jeffrey David Mindell” (spitballing idk his name, obviously)– but yes for that name you could. Anything that’s too rhymey or cutesy it doesn’t work, like Lulu Belle Mindell (strongly not presidential). Nicknames are ok– like Louise Mindell, nickname Lulu is still presidential. It’s always what I think of when I think of names for my future kid
Kerri says
We named our daughter Eleanor for a very similar reason 😉 I love your name!!!
Lila says
Girls: Emma, Mimi, Sophie/Sophia, Katie/Katherine (maybe that’s too much like Kelly)
Boys: Leo, Jack
Jessica says
I’m partial to my kids’ names.
Our boys are:
Liam Joseph
Kai Emerson
Kingston Jude
Desmond Reese
And my girls are:
Evangeline Skye (Eva, Evie)
Clementine Eloise (Clem, Clemmie)
It takes us forever to pick out a name and we wait to announce it until after the baby is born to avoid any unwanted feedback. I can’t wait to hear what you pick and to see him/her whenever you introuduce us to your son or daughter for the first time! Congratulations! I’ve been rooting for you guys for years!
Kelly says
You win for awesome first + middle pairings. OBSESSED with Clementine Eloise!
Amy says
I am obsessed with baby names too! Here are the ones I have picked out for all the children I will probably never have:
Natalie (classic)
Margot
Winslet
Olive
Elsie
Emory
Elliot
Fynn
Sebastian
Silas
Emerson
Maddie says
I absolutely LOVE the name Olive! So cute. And Josie and Violet.
Laura says
I LOVE talking baby names! I’m a fan of old-fashioned-turned-modern names especially.
I may also have a list on my computer that’s been there for years. lol Some of my faves:
GIRLS: Leila, Cora, Haven, Quinn, Polly, Claire, Rosalie, Charlotte (Charlie), Katherine (Kate), Violet, Camilla
BOYS: Collier, Frazier, Foster(<– all family names), August, Harrison, Forrest, Charles(Charlie), Beckett, Deacon, Everett
Nicole says
Ooooh! These are all so good!!
Kelly says
I love love Cora!! And Rosalie! So pretty.
Jen says
I have a 5 year old Cora! We call her Cora Cat 🙂 Just saw that it is on the list for top baby names in 2017.
Nole says
Our 2nd place name for Alice was Cora. We ultimately decided it was too close to the name of one of our nieces (Clara), but I still love that name. I always like to look back in our family trees for names – Cora and Sophie were two of my great-great-grandmothers on my dad’s side of the family. If you look back to the late 1800s/early 1900s on your family trees you might find some gems!
Simona Avallone says
Boys names I rrrrrreally like:
Blake
Marco
Ace
Travis
And for a girl I always liked Nicola, that also reminds me of Nico from the Velvet Underground 😘
Kat says
Love presidential names…raegan…Lincoln…probably wouldn’t do Donald, but you get the hint;)
Kelly says
Hahaha! 😉 I absolutely love Lincoln! Has great nickname potential too.
Cyd says
My nephew is Lincoln! We mostly call him the full-on Lincoln or Link. His big brother is Levi, also a cute one!
Elizabeth Luis says
OMG!! Well I always think more about boys names cause hopefully one day I want two boys 😀
So, boys:
Damien
Liam
Ethan
Matthew
Joseph
Girls:
Natalie
Aria
Valerie
Summer (I loooove this one)
Shannon says
Soooo glad I’m not the only one who has had a list of names in their phone for years! When I hear one I like I jot it down to make sure I don’t forget! The list just keeps growing! Some of my favorites are:
Girls:
Charlotte (call her Charlie!)
Mae
Penelope (could call her Ellie!)
Mazie
Rosie
Finley
Amelia
Boys:
Levi
Noah
Can’t wait to hear the names you like!! xoxo, Shannon | www.prepavenue.com
Mikyla says
I have always looooved the name Raelle, with Rae or elle, or Ellie for short!
And for I love Jacob with jake or jakey for short. Also love the name Eli! Could be Elijah and Eli for short.
Kerri says
We have an Eleanor (Ellie) and an Elijah (Eli) haha
Karlijn says
One of my favorite topics too! But I think I can’t help you with names. I’m from the Netherlands and a lot of names won’t gonna do it in the US. Not because they are stupid, but we pronounce them different 😉 Example, my name is Karlijn (first) Merle (middle) and my sisters Marlot (first) Maartje (middle) and Merel (first) Julia (middle). But I love to read through all the comments here, it’s so hard to choose! Can’t wait to hear/see your future baby 🙂 X
Kelly says
I LOVE these names! I’m curious, is Marlot pronounced “mar-low”? I absolutely love that one!
Karlijn says
Funny that you pronounce it like that! Because everyone outside the Netherlands does 🙂 But here it’s more pronounced like, ugh I don’t know how to explain it. Hmm let me think, you pronounce it like it with a -w on the end and that makes it longer (you get what I mean?), here we pronounce it more final. The -t is the end of the name, I think more how you pronounce Robert? You say the -t out loud right? Really don’t know if I explain it right, but I hope so 😉
But I must say that I love how you pronounce it, a name for my list 😉 XXXX
Maira says
I think Google Translator does a good job with the pronunciation, click on the little speaker:
https://translate.google.com/#nl/en/marlot
Wilhelmina says
Dutch name over here– Wilhelmina! Seemingly endless nicknames with Mina, Wil, Willie, Meens, Willa. I’ve heard them all through the years.
Hester says
Another Dutch one here! Although Hester is a very old English name I haven’t met many Hester’s in the US or the U.K. where I live. Not great for nickname potential, my mum calls me happy Hester (happy for short) as I was a super smiley baby apperently 🙂
Hester means star although it’s also the Norwegian word for horse 🙃
For boys love Floris, Sebastian and Tristan.
I also really like ‘boy names’ for girls like Stevie, Avery, Chris, Frankie and Quinn.
Maira says
Love your name, the Spanish version is Guillermina 🙂
Carlijn says
Hi Karlijn, I’m Carlijn! 😀 Fellow-Dutchie. Love my name but it’s a mess when I need to explain it to English-speaking folk. I usually stick to Caroline when I’m in the States.
Dorothy W says
Congrats 🙂 So excited for your new chapter!!!
Here are the names that were on my list:
Helena (Husband Vetoed)
Clara
Aurore (Husband Vetoed)
Milena (Husband Vetoed.. I wanted my little Millie)
Caleb
Max
Husbands List:
Laura
Philip
We chose Max for either sex.
He is almost 5 months old!
He is Max Edward. If he was a girl he would have been Max Elisa.
We loved the name (just Max, nothing more) because it’s a fun name that everybody knows how to spell. I’m a graphic designer, so I’m the creative one. My husband is a super fun and hilarious guy, so we didn’t want a super serious name for our son.
I come from a family of nick-namers (I am “Doe”… for Dorothy), so we wanted an easily nicknamable name as well, but we loved Max so much. We call him Maxy as a nickname. So, it’s longer. But he seems to like it.
Good luck in your baby name search!!! I just texted my husband one day… “Max?” and he said “boy or girl?” I said “both” he said “yes.” and that was that!
I wish you all the best and I am looking forward to seeing your family grow!! <3
Laura says
So funny that your husband’s picks were Laura and Philip because that’s mine and my brothers named. I also know two other sets of Laura & Philips! Weird huh? I wonder why people choose those together so often. Also my last name is literally Maxcy. Haha
Dorothy W says
That’s so cool!!! Funny how that happens. My husband has loved Philip as a baby name for a while and Laura was the first girl name I suggested that he loved!!
L says
I’ve been obsessed with this name for a while now..
Kitson
Kitkat for a nickname
I was thinking it would be my first girl’s name! I love the androgyny of it.
Aimee says
I don’t know why but I kind of love the name aurora and then call her Rory for short
Ashley says
My brother named his 2 dogs after constellations. He’s got Cassie after Cassiopeia, and Rora (short for Aurora). I’ve never heard “Rora” before, and I love it! He nicknamed her Goat because she eats anything.
Indie Chester says
I love the names
Skydee Jade
Ever Rain
Aimee says
For a boy I like the name teddy
Katie says
We have a Graham Everett — we wanted something strong and classic. We have been super happy with that choice!
For boys we also like Welles and Ames.
Girls are harder for me! We love Posey, Alice and Iris
Baby names are so fun!! So happy and excited for you guys!!
April says
I love Graham and chose between that and Sam on the boys names 🙂
Can you imagine Sam and Graham as the twins? Ha!
I’m terrible at naming my friend @lilless on IG has Rowdy and he’s the Sweetest! Normally I’d say you’re asking for it with that name but in her case, it worked out.
Sally from Little Hiccups says
Ha! I had to think about how those names go together for a while and then I remembered how Americans pronounce Graham! The rhyme wouldn’t work outside of the US, as in other English speaking countries it’s pronounced like “grey-em”.
Dorothy W says
Im named after my grandmother and now I call her Gram. I had Graham on my list for our boy to name him after her too 😉
We ended up with Max and love it.
Graham is a great name!
Sarah says
Kelly,
Can I just say… this post gives me so much life because like you I’ve obsessed my entire life around baby names! I have a list on my phone, pages upon pages from my middle school/teen years, and am constantly adding! My mom even whipped them out at my recent wedding reception and shared with everyone. 😂 Anyways based on your post here’s some I thought match your criteria!
Girls:
Evan (Evie)
Emma Louise (Emmy Lou)
Emmeline (Emmy or Emma)
Carter
Lennon (Lennie)
Boys:
Bradford (Ford)
Jackson (Jack)
Henry.. just because I love this name and Henry Mindell sounds pretty sweet!
Love your blog, so excited for you both!!
Sarah
Kelly says
OMG haha I love your mom for doing that!! Emma Louise!!! MY HEART!!! Love Bradford with the nickname Ford too!
Gabriela says
OMG Henry Mindell, I want him to be my friend.
My first language is Spanish so I always think of names that can be pronunced in both languages, my favorites for girls are Julia and Marisa, for boys I only have Daniel, I love it and I hope to name my, maybe, baby boy Daniel one day.
Stacy Saathoff says
So much fun! I love the name Finn for a boy, and for a girl Margo and (no lie) I would call her Gogo because I think it’s really cute!
Avery Shaw says
Ahhh this is so exciting!! I absolutely love the name Adelaide and a good middle name would be grace. Her nickname could be Addy grace and that would be. So. Adorable. I also love the name Ezra for a boy. It’s unique but not super crazy and it sounds interesting. My aunt named my cousin Crew Everett and I love it. His nickname is crewton(or crouton😂). It’s different and unique.
Heidi says
My daughter’s name is Adelaide Meriwether Grace!
Avery says
Ahhh that’s such a beautiful name! I LOVE it! What are your nicknames for her?
Heidi says
I actually love the full name so we just call her Adelaide or nicknames that have nothing to do with her name. Lol. Kook is one of them. 😉 I’m sure as she gets older her friends will start shortening her name though.
Alexandra says
Congratulations you guys! This is such an exciting time.
I have 2 older brothers and my parents were convinced that I was going to be a boy, so they wanted to name me after my grandad who had passed away, his name was Alex (or Alec as they called him) so when I popped out and my dad noticed I was missing a piece he fainted (literally hit the floor in the hospital) and they ended up calling me Alexandra so it all worked out the same in the end, minus the boy bits.
So I kind of like the idea of a name that can suit either a boy or a girl too. Im sure names here in Ireland are very different to America so if you want something that won’t be heard that often then check out some Irish names maybe! =D
Emily says
I’ve always loved the name Penelope for a girl, so you could call her Penny!
For a boy, what about Quentin? You could call him Quin…or Charles for Charlie 🙂 I guess i’m sticking to classics though that you’ve already thought of…i’ll try to think of more inventive ones!
Karissa says
Done with babes here but absolutely love the name Dempsey for either a boy or a girl. Enjoy the journey and giving your new little person! <3
Avi says
My second daughter is named Dempsey ava, it means proud life, I absolutely adore her name best decision I ever made
Christi Johnstone says
We had a few ideas, but when we met our birth parents, we found our name inspiration in their family, with their enthusiastic blessing. It felt right and I know one day the story of our daughter’s first and middle names will have a lot of meaning for her.
Karen Martinez says
I love love love baby names! I always wanted to name a boy Martin. That’s until I met and married a Martinez. 😛 Martin Martinez, maybe not…. but Martin Mindell? not bad 🙂
I also love unusual names, but once again, the last name is a tricky factor for me. I would love to call my kid something unique and ethereal… like “River” or “Sage”… but then when you pair it with Martinez it just kinda clashes… or at least that’s my opinion…
We are expecting our first baby girl in a few short weeks. for her, we chose Valerie. Valerie Martinez … <3 i just love it! and of course her nickname will be Val 🙂
good luck with everything and please do keep us posted! I cannot wait to see your sweet baby pics!!!
xoxo
Karen Martinez
Kristin Martinez says
My last name is also now Martinez LOL so I totally understand. We are 4 months in and dying for middle names and Martinez totally can make or break the name lol
I giggled at the Martin Martinez 😉
Mikyla says
Love the name nikayla, sounds like mikaela, but a little different! You could call her Nikki for short!
ritzie says
My little girl’s name is Esme (Ez-May) and her middle name is Penelope. We call her Emmy Pepper or Essie. I’ve loved that name since the first I read JD Salinger’s For Esme– With Love and Squalor. I also love Rosie and Clementine.
For boys: Elliot, Theo, Leo, Emille
Baby naming is so fun!
Kelly says
Esme is one of my all-time favorite names! Emmy Pepper!!!!!! I literally cannot handle it. OMG SO DARN CUTE!!
javaria says
hi kelly! you also have good name kelly. kelly is the most popular and my favorite name and its a unisex name which I got from nameberry. you can check in my url the good middle unisex names.
Dj Hacker says
😛 GSA Blast
javaria says
ok sure unisex names
Amy Cluck-McAlister says
I love the name Mason for a boy and Olive for a girl (or Olivia with Olive as a nickname). I named my daughter Jamie Marie after a special set of grandparents, James & Marie. My husband had a family name picked out if we had a boy.
Hayley Linette says
Hey Kelly! It’s very ironic that you posted about baby names because it’s something my husband and I have been thinking about as well and I am actually new to your blog and brand. I literally just started a blog myself and you have definitely been an inspiration for me to do so! I mentioned you in my first blog post! Also! I think you would love my brand! Go check it out! HayleyLinette.com Many of my prints remind me of your awesome clutches!
Back to the baby names!
Mason has always been my go-to for a boy but I think it could be a girl’s name as well! Kinda different but still really sweet.
I also love Violet, Emma, Bailey and Louise for a girl! Bailey is way too close to my name which would not work for me! And Louise is my middle name…it’s very old school but I think
you could bring it back!
Good luck with everything! I wish you nothing but the best 🙂
😉 Hayley
Lise says
Hi Kelly and Jeff
I am so happy for you !!!!!! and very excited to help you for your Baby-perfect-name-research
😊
Boys : Hadrian, Duncan, // French touch : Arthur, Igor, Théo, Victor, Lucas (pronounced Looka), Rafaël
girls : Olivia ( nickname : livia), Luana (pronounced looana) // French touch : Juliette , Eva, Gabrielle, Alix, Joséphine (Jo)
Lots of love from Paris 🙂
Lise (Liz)
Kelly says
Duncan is adorable!!
Jordan says
I’ve also always been kind of obsessed with baby names!!!! I’m due any day with our first and we’re naming her Rosalie – Rosie for short. Our boy names were Silas, Will and Jack. Will and Jack are family names but I’ve always loved loved loved Will. I have two young cousins names Elyanna (Ellie for short) and Marin (pronounced Mare-in… and really cute with Mindell!!!). We have a friend naming their baby boy Levi, cousin brothers named Ari, Sam and Oliver and another cousin named Parker whose sister’s name is Emelia and I think they’re all super cute…… I mean I could go on haha
Pennie says
See you have the suggestion Penelope nicknamed Ellie – well I’m Pennie but somebody once, long ago, nicknamed me Nell and I just love it! My eldest granddaughter was named Ivy so it couldn’t be shortened or made into a nickname. We call her IvyBoo! And the next one was Mia for the same reasons and we can her Mimi!
Nell says
I’m a Nell, too! I’ve always loved the uniqueness of it. My full name is Danielle but have always been Nell or Nellie 🙂 I think Penelope is such a great name! For boys I love Sebastian but I have a feeling that’ll be more popular after La La Land. Oliver has also been a favorite of mine
Athena says
I lover unique names, growing up I was always the only Athena. I actually enjoyed it, it made it easier for me when I was called on lol
So my kids had to have unique names, Aurora Allen and our baby on the way Bodhi Maverick.
My daughter was named after the Northern Lights and her middle name, after my father.
I also love names that can have nicknames,
Charlotte (charlie )
Evelyn (evie)
Sarah says
I’ve always said that if I had kids I would name them (regardless of sex) either Skylar (Sky for short), or (my favorite) Beckett (Beck for short). Hopefully this gives you some more boy names to think about! 🙂
Virginia says
I love talking about baby names!!
I also like to consider how the child could be made fun of when thinking about names. Obviously you want your child to be strong and blow off any bullies, but kids are harsh and use anything they can think of to make fun of others.
I have recently seen a baby be named Maxi, and all I can think of are Maxi pads 🙈 I like the name, but that would make me not want to use it.
I’m sure y’all will pick a great name and I can’t wait to see!!
Christine says
I have always loved names! Especially Irish names. Since you are called the very Irish name Kelly. I think a good old fashion Irish name would match nicely.
Girls: Sorcha, Aislinn or Roisin
Boys: Declan, Desmond, Aidan, Lorcan
(All of these names have beautiful meanings and pronunciations if you look them up)
My God children’s names are:
Eleri Rose
Finn Michael Edison
Eleanor Grace
My nieces are:
Jazzmyne Grace
Sage Willow
Nephews:
Nicanor
William Taj
Emmett Alexander
Thomas Joseph
My Siblings: (Dad was a hippie) 😉
Shani Lee Serene
Amanda Helena
Tisra Til Amrit
Atheana Mirabai Joy
Diva Divine
Alexander Zen
Hope that helps. Good luck and cannot wait to see what you name your baby!!
Kirsten says
I have a little girl named Elliott which could totally go for boy or girl!:)
Jen says
I also have a 6 year old daughter named Elliot. At first we thought we’d call her Ellie, but it never sounded right, so she’s our Elliot 🙂 Sometimes we call her Ellie-Bear.
sarah! says
i also have a running list of names i love; i also love sharing it with anyone who needs inspiration!
boys (boys names are hard!)!
loring
aubrey
girls!
(these may be too ‘wacky’, but i’m sharing anyway!)
milla
enid
edith
mabel
clemintine
clara
elsie
olive
James
ebba
maeve
Kelly says
You and I are VERY much on the same page. Love every single one of these!
Amanda says
I have an Edith! She was born on my grandma Edith’s birthday. ❤ We call her Edie and it suits her so well!
Soph says
Ok ok ok I’ll join the fun! How about something super special like the name of the street you had your first home on?
I’d totally name my kid after that.
Obviously only fun if you guys live on a street that’s not a Highway but even “Main” would be cute and unisex. And would totes work with Mindell. Main Mindell.
Love it.
Alisha says
I love Theodore for a boy, I mean it has two wonderful great nicknames Theo or Teddy.
And I love August for a girl. I know it was pretty trendy for boys recently. But it just makes me think of the sunshine happiest girl.
Other great names:
Girl: Willa, Goldie, Pippa
Boy: Llwellwyn (Lou), Ford, Olson (Ollie)
My own kids’ names
Crew Madison
Rosie Blake
Myki says
Kelly,
This is super exciting! I’m going to go along with Tesni and suggesting my own name. My full name is Mykleanne (Michael-Anne), it’s a fun spelling and different. My nickname is Myki (Mikey) which is shorter. My parents wanted something elegant and different with a cute nickname.
Good luck with your name search!
Myki
Laura french says
Want a British perspective? For boys names I love Ben, James, Connor, Callum, Teddy. Girls names I go for are Eve, Kitty, Carrie, Isabel, Olivia, Primrose. Have you read a series of kids books called The Mice of Brambly Hedge? It’s really cute and the mice are all called things like Dusty Dogwood and Poppy Eyebright – maybe it would inspire you xx
Kelly says
Looooove these! I’ve never heard of those books. Will have to check them out!
Summer says
I like Julia, Ellerie (Elle), and Penny for a girl.
James, Harrison, and Davis for a boy.
Justine Preventis says
Definitely like:
Everley, Anastasia or Poppy Mindell
Rafael, Gordon or Isaac Mindell
Nicknames for the above:
Leigh, Ever, Stacie, Opy, RAF, Raef, Gord and Zac
Bonus:
Howie Mindell 🙂
Mindy says
Oh, man! You can’t beat Howie Mindell!!!!!! 😂
Justine Preventis says
And Ellika or Octavia
Laura says
I recently fell in love with the baby girl name Alena. It means “light” and it’s pretty fitting at this stage in your journey. 🙂
Other girl names that I love:
Sydney
Dakota
Gwen
Sadie
Adelyn
Elyse
Georgia
Boy names that I love:
Mason
Henry
..I don’t have many! lol
Best of luck! XO
Victoria says
Boys names are tough! Most feel really classic (but common) or too trendy. Here’s a few that I’ve liked lately:
Beau
Holden
Evan (I think Evan Mindell sounds really good!)
Girls:
Winifred/Winnie
Ruth
Clara (someone said that already, and I really like it!)
LAURYN says
So at the risk of my daughter’s name being a little less special….what about Ambrielle? I used the same criteria. I actually heard about it from my teacher whose husband used it in a story he wrote about a Princess named Ambrielle. I always joked about calling her “Bambi”, but you could always use Bri,Brielle, or Elle, Ellie.
Marisa says
In Judaism, babies are named in memory of a loved one who has passed, and whose traits you want your child to exude. (My name Marisa is after my grandfather Martin who was a kind, warm man and incredibly loving father/husband.) Not only is this tradition highly meaningful, it also provides a jumping off point to help narrow down the infinite name possibilities out there. Between you and me, I’m hoping to first have a girl and name her Sofia Bea, after my mom, Susan Faith, and my fiancé’s grandpa Barney, both of whom we’ve lost in recent years. While this idea is rooted in Jewish heritage, it’s an incredibly special tradition that can be used by almost anyone. 🙂 (PS Congrats again!!!!!!)
Ellie says
My nephew is named Rowan Alexander but I’ve heard Rowan as a girl’s name as well.
Also in the family is a little boy named Gillis and I love that name so much.
Other girl’s names: Phoenix and Greta
Kelly says
Obsessed with Greta!!
Kassidy says
My name is Kassidy (I was named after Kathy Lee’s daughter… My mom loved the name and loved it even more with a K)! I get compliments on it all the time.
I also have a friend who is named Hayden… He’s a boy and I actually love it. Super not out there, but adds a very sweet touch to a boy.
Marisa says
I am so excited for you!! Here are some of my ideas:
Boys:
Oliver
Elliot
Brooks
Justin
Grayson
Braeden
Camden
Cooper
Trent
Cole
Hunter
Hudson
Josh
Brody
Alex
Girls:
Anistyn (nickname Ani)
Tessa
Layla
Jane
Willow
Courtney
Caroline
Ellis (nickname could be EL)
Marisa
Hannah
Pearl
Lily
Presley
Sophie Carter says
When me and my partner were expecting we had tons of girls name but couldn’t agree on any boys… then turns out we were having a boy. Cue panic! Anyway we ended up with 2 we liked on the day I was getting induced, hello short notice haha! They were Archer and Harvey. We went with archer in the end, and his nickname is arch 🙂 but here are a few names I love x
Florence (nickname flossi)
Fleur
Ada
Theodore (Theo or teddy for short)
Benjamin (benji as a nickname)
Good luck such an exciting time for you guys xx
Avery says
My parents name my little brother Benjamin and his nicknames are endless. The obvious, Ben, benji, we also called him benjiboy(when he was little)and now benjiman(because he thought boy was too little😂). I love that name but it is very common.
Chahrazad says
For a boy I love Adam! It’s famous in every language and culture. Another favorite boy name is Sami which means eloquent/elegant in Arabic
For girls
Lia
Lily
Sofiya
Sophie
Cataleya (it’s a flower) nickname of course Leah
Sienna
Also! My name is Chahrazad or maybe you would know it as Shehrazad from the old story 1001 nights!
Kelly says
I love Sami!
Alma R Acosta says
My daughter is thinking of naming her baby girl Cataleya! I love this!! Didn’t think of Leah as a nickname, but love it!!
Molly says
Awww exciting times for you both!
My favourite baby names are: Sebastian and Penelope
but I also love:
Girls: Erin, Eslie, Esme, Myra and Winnie
Boys: Alexander, Pierre, Zachary and Zayn.
Kate says
I have four kiddos….and loved picking out the their names. I have 3 girls and 1 boy.
My girls are:
Adelaide Sommer (nickname: Ada)
Lakelyn Claire (nicknames: Lake, Lakes, Lakers)
Georgia Rae (nickname: Georgie or George)
My boy is:
Jackson Field (nickname: Jacks)
I also love the name
Millie for a girl and Ford for a boy
Best of luck!
Kelly says
Georgia Rae is sooooo beautiful!!!
Jennifer says
I also have an Adelaide(nn Ada), a son named Lake and a son named Jack!!!! My others are River(boy), Juna and Hannah.
Sara says
Baby names are so fun!! I have two boys: Winston Ace and Truman Ayr. Their initials are WAC and TAC. If you say it fast enough it sounds like “whack attack” which is not far off from our crazy days! 😂 We picked names that we liked and had good meanings. Winston means joyful stone and Truman means faithful one. Best wishes in name picking!
Kerri says
I have an Elijah who we call Eli and an Eleanor who we call a plethora of names (Ellie, Ella, Elle, Ellie-belly, stinker bottom 😜). I wanted names that would sound sweet as babies but would also grow with them. I’ve been stopped on the street countless times by strangers who hear me talking to my daughter just so they could tell me what a “lovely” name she has. I kind of love it haha We are currently trying to decide on a baby name for #3 due in May. We like Vivienne for a girl and have yet to decide on a boy name. Isaiah, micah and Ezra are all on the table so we will for where we end up ☺
Kristin says
BABY NAMES AAAAAH!!!! Also my favorite topic EVER! Over the past 2 1/2 years, my sister and I have had 3 baby boys collectively and we have some pretty awesome names. I mean, we think they’re awesome. Here they be!
1. Gregory (Gregory means “watcher”)
2. Shepherd (Ya know, like a Shepherd)
3. Casper (Casper meaning “Treasurer” and thought to be one of the 3 Kings who brought a gift to Jesus)
We also loved the name Lachlan, but a friend stole it :p
Good luuuuuuuuuck!
Joni says
My kids names are:
Zinho
Zarah
Faye
My friends called there firstborn Ando
Madé
Amale
Dalí
Geza
Nola
Lots of luck, xx from Holland
Laura says
So exciting!! I’ve been following your story for a while, and could not be happier for you and Jeff!
Emma has always been one of my favorites, too! I always named my baby dolls Emma, Ella, and Emily when I was little, and it has always stuck with me.
I also love the name Emelia (a variation of Amelia), and figured the shortened nickname for Emelia could be Emma. I also love the names Olivia and Luna (Lulu).
For boys, I’ve always loved Oliver (similar to the girl name Olivia, but I love the nickname ‘Ollie’) and Jack.
Sending you love as you wait on baby Mindell!
Eleni says
Emmeleia (pronounced as em-eh-lee-ah) is an old greek name meaning the one Who has armony and melody. Emilia is a different name pronounced as eh-mee-lee-ah.
Laura says
Lola or Matilda for girls, Bruno or Lucas for boys! <3
Kelly says
Matilda!!! So cute. Also pretty obsessed with Bruno!
Shelby says
For a girl: Ripley Mindell. Like Ripley from the movie Alien who was one of the pioneering sting female characters in sci fi movies. Nicknames could be Rip and Lee.
Also Dakota Mindell. Nicknames could be Kota or Koko
For a boy: Gunner Mindell because it’s so cute and manly at the same time:))
Shelby says
* sci fi (not sting)
Shelby says
Wait no ****strong (not sting)😅
Mindy says
I love thinking up good names too! The ones with the * before the name are my personal favorites 🙂
Boys:
*Kevin (Kev, Kevi)
*Skyler (Sky)
*Rider
Kylen
*Bennett – meaning blessed <3 (Ben, Benni, Benny, Nett)
Blake
*Emerson
Harper
Girls:
*Saige
Maggie – meaning pearl
Lea/Leah – if you do this it would be my name backwards (My name is Mindel Leah!)
*Emily (Em, Meeli – pronounced Mee-Lee)
*Belle (you can also do other versions like Annabelle)
Sydney/Sidney
Avery
Chloe
Have fun choosing! All the best,
Mindy
Brittany says
I really like:
Ynez/ Inez “Nessie”
Emmerich (any gender), could go by Emmy, Emery
Paulina “Polly”
Clio/ Cleo (muse of history!)
Roxanna
Prescott
Georgiana “Georgie”
Maverick
Justina says
It might seem a little conceited, but whenever people ask for baby names, I suggest my own! Justina (jus-teen-ah) Mindell has a nice ring to it I think. My nickname growing up was Justi, but the traditions Tina is also an option. My great aunt (who I was named after) went by Stine (stein-ah), which I don’t particularly like, but I guess works for some people!
I’m horrible with thinking of boys names, but it looks like you are getting some good suggestions.
Leenepeene says
I always loved the name Amélie/Amelia
(From the french movie: Le fabuleux destin d’ Amélie Poulain)
Nicknames: Millie, Lia, Mia
Boys names are more difficult 🙃
MlleG says
Even Lili would work as a nickname for Amélie!
Whitney says
Here are some I LOVE! I think Poppy fits you because you are so bubbly and happy and that name reminds me of someone just happy!
Girls:
Poppy
Rue
Lucy
Boys:
Sam
Jack
Rachele says
We had similar criteria to yours and picked Landon for our son’s name.
We call him Lando sometimes – which is a cheeky Star Wars reference to my husband (I’ve never seen it!) but it’s a cute nickname. Of course, his other nicknames have nothing to do with his first name. Ha!
For girls I like Ellerie, Emery and Maya.
Other boys names I liked were Quinn (maybe not with Mindell) and Austin.
Brie says
I have always been obsessed with names. One of my coworkers recently had her baby (girl named Emerson, nickname Emme) and I seriously bothered her with names all the time when she was pregnant. I am sure it was very annoying. My brother and sister in law just announced their pregnancy and I was kind of bummed when they already had a top 3 list of boys and girl names cause that means they probably don’t want any name input haha.
For some reason I have been into Northern Europe sounding boy names
-Hugo
-Jonas
-Oskar(or Oscar but they spell it with a K in Europe so it must be cool)
-Emil
-Otis (nickname Otto OR real name just Otto)
-Parker
-Archie
-Calder
Girly names I am more on the vintage side
-Lulu
-Mabel(too similar to your last name?)
-Mazie
-Willow
-Poppy
-Ophelia
-Angie
-Roxanne
Good luck, can’t wait for the name reveal!
Kelly says
Hahaha! None of my brothers ever wanted my input and I was always bummed! Love all of these!!
Courtney says
I really have only a girl name to suggest (my daughter’s name): Vivienne (has several alternative spellings). We call her Vivi, but she has also been called V, Vi, and Viv
If I had to suggest a boy name off the top of my head: Patrick
Kelly says
Vivi is one of my favorite nicknames of all time!
Revel and Glitter says
I love the idea of using names that are similar to ours, keeping it in the family, aka Will and Jada Smith with Jaden and Willow. My husband and I, Jason and Dawn, have Jawan and Jaden (no, just a coinky dink) so something like Kellen or Keller, Jeri or Freya??
Alex says
Girls:
> Vada (like from the movie “My Girl”, old fashioned and unique)
> Zelda (unique)
Boys:
> Archie
> Finn
> Xavier
No matter their name, they are so lucky to have you both as parents, and I am sure it will only be when you meet them that you will know exactly what name to give them xx
Rachel says
We named our son Corbin and love that it’s both unique and classic (shows up in Regency era).
Marie says
I know you want a name with potential nicknames but my husband nixed Clarence (too rhymey with our last name) so I need to put it out there because it’s one of my favorites. I agree that boy names are much harder to agree on. Love Lincoln as well
Lindsey says
My fam isn’t known for its naming (my uncles are named Larry, Terry, and Jerry, not even short for anything) but their parents have awesome names:
Marlene (Marlie or Lena for short) – my counsin spun it to Marlena which is a little more modern
Nolan (Al for short – don’t ask me why, I don’t have an answer)
Also highly recommend looking in to children’s books. They always have cutely named kids or animals (Arthur, Eloise, Crysanthemum, Olivia)! Plus then you have a bonus of already having a book with their name in it!
Kelly says
I’ve been trying to sell Jeff on Eloise for awhile now. It’s so darn cute!!!
Alice says
My friend has an Eloise nicknamed Lola which seems right up your alley!
Anne says
I suggest Webber, Patrick or Peter for a boy and Theodora for a girl 🙂
Jalee says
YAY, baby names!! One of my favorite topics when it comes to babies! Of course I’m partial to my daughter’s name Olivia (Livi for short). Love that it’s elegant and classic. Rozlyn and Lumen are both unique and sound so pretty. A few of my faves for boys is definitely Asher, Silas, and Elias. Just my two sense, haha! Good luck picking out a name for your little one, I’m sure it will be perfect!
Monse says
Every since I heard the name “Skyler” I fell inlove with it. It’s super unique, you definitely don’t come across many Skylers often & it is for girls/boys.
Michelle Yip says
We used Dylan for our daughter’s name. Its being used more often for girls these days, but isn’t overused.
Carina says
Girl: Josephine — Jo for short or
June (June bug or Junie would be her nickname when she’s little)
Boy: Wolfgang — Wolf or Wolfie for short
That one is a little crazy but it’s cute. Also Samuel (Sam or Sammy for short) or Drakeson.
Heidi says
My daughter’s middle name is Meriwether which would sound amazing with Mindell as a middle name. I have an Otto and an Adelaide so of course I love those. Our backups were Atticus and Clementine. I can’t remember the rest! I love the idea of a super cutesy nontraditional middle name for a girl like Pumpkin or Sweetpea, but didn’t go that route. I think it’s so fun when middle names are surprising. Mine is Jo and I’ve always loved it! And Wolfgang is a rad boy’s name. Wolf or Wolfie for short.
Lu Rothrock says
Posy is a cute name for a girl
Amy of Cozy Reverie says
OMG so many great suggestions!
I have never been great at picking names because I love so many, but my husband had 10 baby-naming rules when we named our second kid. It’s ridiculous but it might help! http://bit.ly/2mmK8ap
Anna Brown says
We could not agree on boys names fortunately we had two girls. However contenders were Gabriel shortened to Gabe and Reuben. I live looking into the meanings and one of our daughters ended up with Happy as her middle name so the other had Lowen as it is Cornish (where we live) for joy or Happy.
I’m loving the fun you are having with this process.
Veronica says
For my non-exhistant children I like having acronym so I picked SOS. Aka my little helpers:
Boys:
Seamus Otis
Sebastian Oliver
Spencer Odin
Girls:
Sabine Olive
Summer Olivia
Jess says
Loove love love the name Nora with or without the h on the end. And Amelia is a great one for nicknames: Mia, Amy, Ames, Mel, Mellie.😍
Also Conrad for a boy is such a sweet name.
Brittany says
As a teacher/professor I will give you what I think is the best advice- remember you are not just naming a child, but a person who will one day be an adult and be applying for jobs. Think of it like this: If my kid was running for president, would they keep their given name? Trendy names are cute on babies, but will not be so cute anymore once that kid reaches adulthood.
Chloe says
One of my best friends has the cutest name for a girl, it is Ellianna (also can be spelled Eliana) her middle name is Kay. For short we call her Ellie and Ellie Mindell sounds so cute! Then when she is older Ellianna Kay is a beautiful double name.
Victoria says
For Girls: Alexia, goes well with Mindell, has many nicknames(Alex, Lexa, Allie)! And it’s not so common but yet not so Odd. Also, its an international name! Because, (just like mine) it’s spelled the same in many languages (like in Spanish, my native language) For boys: I suggest Gabriel! I looove the nickname Gabe! Plus it also goes really well with Mindell and it’s international as well!
Good Luck 😊
Victoria says
Also I love the sound of Martina Mindell! ❤️
Victoria says
Ohhh and Max (sorry for adding so many comments😂)
Bibi King says
Hi Kelly,
Congratulation! I also love picking names. That’s the only reason I always dreamed about writing novels. Haha! I have some german names from you that easily work in english. Some are traditionel german names and other are currently popular in Germany.
Boys: Edgar, Robin, Leon, Luis, Felix, Niklas, Anton, Adrian, Julius, Benedikt, Ferdinand (my grandpas name), Konrad (my all time favorite), Marius, Hendrik, Benno, Leander, Viktor, Rudi, Leopold (I would consider Bazon, Basil and Nolan if I would live in the US)
Girls: Leonie, Ida, Mathilda, Frida, Greta, Alina, Nora, Jana, Pauline/Palina, Annika, Elena, Romy, Lou, Karla/Karlotta, Fabienne, Marla, Madita, Thea,Eleonor, Florentine, Lola, Madlen, Hedda, Sonja, Wilma (I would consider Romney and Vinnie if I would live in the US )
Greetings from Berlin/Germany,
Sabine (nickname Bibi ;))
Kenli says
I absolutely LOVE Parker for a girl, but unfortunately that’s going to be my last name in a few short months so that’s out of the question. May I also suggest Kenli? 😉 As long as you promise not to spell it Kenleigh!
Christen says
I love the name Olive for a girl. It was my grandmother’s name and Ollie is such a sweet nickname.
My good friends recently had a little boy and named him Eli. Short and sweet.
Sydney says
Hi Kelly my name is sydney I’m 11 and I have been loving your blog and YouTube channel. I was so excited when you asked us to give you baby names!!
For girls I love my own name Sydney. I was named after Sydney Australia. My nickname is Syd.
For boys I have always loved Flynn, Ryder, and Lincoln! Hope you love my suggestions!
P.S. So excited for you and Jeff on adopting!!😀😍👶🏻👶🏼👶🏽👶🏾👶🏿
Liza says
I like Oakley or Adelaide for a girl.
I like Killian or Maverick for a boy!
Hope that helps 🙂
Maíra says
What a happy-full-of-life moment! Congrats 😉😊
Girls: Alice (classic, but love It and it’s my mother’s name)
Isabella, Bella for short (love It since I was a kid… It’s not about Twilight) Boy: Enzo (italian version for Heinz)
Megan says
Love how excited you are for this post. Your insta-story had me LOLing.
My husband likes really non traditional names (names with a lot of x,y&z in them- ha!) and I am a traditionalist all the way so this topic is ongoing in our house. We can barely agree. Love the nickname criteria! One of my favorite things is alliterations. When I married my name became MM (Megan Madrigal) and I really adore the ring of that. Our boy name choice will create that same alliteration. Also, I was surprisingly sad when I gave up my maiden name (I come from two girls, no boys) and I found out in the Mexican culture that often times the woman’s maiden name is the middle name for all of their kids so we will be doing that! All kids will have the same middle name, my maiden name 🙂
My favorite boy names:
Dylan
Caleb
Will
James
Oliver (Ollie!)
Our top name that we came to agree on: Max
My favorite girl names:
Amelia (all time favorite which was vetoed but one of my BFF’s named her daughter that and it made my heart very happy)
Pearl (my husband is Mexican and I like the way it is said in Spanish, Perla)
Charlotte (love the idea of calling her Charlie!)
Our top name that we came to agree on: Isla
Someone above mentioned Esme and I really, really like that! Added it to my list. Hahaha
I cannot wait to hear what you guys pick. So exciting!!!!!!!!!!
Laura says
I’d have to say Stella for a girl and Rishi for a boy! 🙂
Cassidy says
I LOVE talking about baby names!
For girl names I like Edith (Edie for short) and Marlowe! Edie Mindell sounds like a really cute name 😉
For boys I’ve always loooovveed Elliott but there aren’t too many good nicknames for Elliott.
Congrats on adopting!! Can’t wait to find out what name you guys pick!!
Tina says
Oliver (Ollie) or Theodore (teddy/theo) for a boy and Poppy or Clementine for a girl!! Classics!!!
Katie says
I’ve a Cozy or Cozette Coylynn fourteen year old daughter. Wanted to give her an option other than Cozy as an adult. Middle name is both grandmother’s names together. And I’ve a Freyja Haze six month old daughter. Freyja is a Norse goddess whom my fourteen year old studied in the fourth grade. They changed Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon to Freyja and I’ve been in love ever since. Haze is her paternal grandmother’s nickname from Hazel. I considered Aleph as well. Our dear friends just named their boy Hendrik which we love. Best to you both!
Kfisch520 says
After years of waiting I finally got my little Riley Myles. Different but not weird. My niece is Ara Jo and I’m not sure where my sis found it but it’s pretty perfect
Kelsey says
I LOVE baby names. I will happily share some that I have on my phone 😉 I feel like I have nearly the same criteria!
Boys:
Burke
Nolan
Jansen
Thayne (my boyfriends name :))
Pierce (new nephews name :))
Girls:
Cecily
Marlow
Aislyn (As-Lynn)
Rayna or Jayna (I love both)
Helena (Huh-layna)
Stephanie says
Our boys are Noah Jose, Lucah Oliver, and Nico Alexander. We chose names based on their meanings as well as honoring family members. Picking 3 first and middle names for boys seemed nearly impossible. But we somehow agreed! My sisters kids are Finley Olive (girl) and Archer Monroe (boy). Baby names are so so fun to talk about and come up with! One of my favorite things too❤
Congrats and have so much fun!
Giu says
These are some of my friends’baby names which I find cute and unique:
Imogen
Nora
Kyrie
Naya
Gabriel
Samuel
Preston
Etienne
Congrats again!
Lindsey says
We named our son Teagan Thomas but before we knew the sex, we had Teagan Faith lined up for a girl. Teagan means “little poet” and I think it really fits him. 🙂
Elsie Larson says
Names are SO FUN!
For boys I have always liked old man names. Hugh is my favorite! I think trendy names are harder for boys than girls because they can feel very young.
Girl names! SO MUCH EASIER. Here’s a bunch of girl names we love, but aren’t using- Hunter, June, Lula, Luna, Goldie and Jordan. Also, if I hadn’t named my dog Dolly I would have seriously considered it for my daughter.
We’re still working on our middle names- those are hard too!
xx- Elsie
Emily says
Having a name that is SUPER common, I totally agree with the “different but not weird” philosophy. My hubby’s name is Clayton, which I think is the most perfect balance between being uncommon, but not odd. I prefer to call him Clayton, but his family calls him Clay and some of my fam actually calls him C.W. because his middle name is Wayne. Don’t forget about the opportunities with middle names and fun initials! Other boy names (that are on my list) are Miles and Marshall. For girl names I really like Poppy, Pearl, and Clementine (a little more out there but SO CUTE)!
To go along with your blind date example, I also think about job interviews/resumes. Do you really want your child to submit a professional document with “Hashtag Stapler Candy Corn Mindell” across the top? 🙂
Katie says
I really love the name Harper (which could be for a girl or boy but I really love it for a girl!)
I also saw a comment by a professor about beware of trendy names but my name is Kathryn (I go by Katie) and there is a Katie everywhere I go! There were times there would be 3 Katie’s in my class! So there are definitely downfalls to “common names” too!
Ana P. says
I’m obsessed with the name Agatha for girls and Logan for boys (eve thought that’s become a bit more common recently)! Also, I’m so happy for you guys 💘
Paige says
Girl names, Lucy, Zoe, Charli
Iris says
Do you read Laney Gossip!? You should email Duana for name suggestions (if you’re not familiar, just google Duana Names–you’ll love it!)
jessie says
Picking future baby names is so much fun 🙂
boys: Samuel (Sam)
Elija (Eli)
Jeremiah
Girls: Jocelyn
Congrats again<3
Kassy says
My top girl names are:
Theodore/Theadore (call Thea for short!!!)
Jasper or Jasmine (umm hello… super great nickname alert, I would so call my kid Jazz for short!!!)
The only boy name I have as a suggestion is Clark. But I also really like the name Spencer, it’s my husbands name and he’s pretty awesome.
Katie L says
CONGRATS! I am so excited for you guys! I have a five month old and I just cannot wait for you guys to experience parenthood- so much fun! Anyways, my little boy is named Wyatt! I feel like that would be so cute and quirky since you guys aren’t down here in the south! I cannot wait for y’all to get your new blessing bc I just know you are going to be my #momgoals!!!
Jen says
Oh picking out baby names is so stressful (and so much fun)! I wanted my daughter to be Ramona (nickname Mona) so bad, but my husband vetoed it. She’s Amelia (Milla, Millie) instead and is so much more an Amelia than a Ramona! Our son is Oliver, but I also loved Wesley and Elijah. I also love Gemma for a girl 😍
Arkie says
Well I’m going to leave you with my boy baby name I have picked out – Corin. Can go by Cory for short. Also my name is Arkie – named after my grandmother – and I have a TON of nicknames – Arkimo, Arkzilla, Arkesaurus Rex, Ark Night Rises, Archaeologist, Aardvark…I love the uniqueness of it. 😁🌈
Emma says
I get such pleasure from naming things that I name inanimate objects and rename friends’ pets. It’s a sickness (that I’m happy to live with).
That said, I always think about flow. How does it feel in the mouth? Seems racy, but it helps. I like mellifluous names, with assymetric syllables.
That said, one of my favorite boys names is West. And one of my favorite girl names is Everly (I love you 4-eva Eva= magic). I named my daughter Emery, which is similar and she also goes by Emmy.
Good luck. Have fun! And congratulations!
Isabelle says
Congratulations! I can’t think at any name right now! Love the blind date example!
Sarah O says
Girls:
Lillian James (Lilly Bean, Lills, LJ)
Marleigh Grae
Zoe Jane (Sweet Zoe Jane, Staind song.. always loved that name)
Emily Grace
Emma Grae
Emma James
Emma Cameron
Emma Hayes
Mia Hayes
Alexandra Rae
Sydney Rae
Vivian Grace (Vivi, Viv, V)
Boys: (horrible with boy names)
Hunter
Callan
Cameron
Parker
James
Sarah M says
Moana Mindell has a nice ring to it…just sayin’! 😉
Melody says
Boy names were always easy for my hubby & I to pick. We have a Titus and a Truett. If baby #3 is a boy we have no idea for a name. If baby is a girl we love Etta.
Melody is always a great pick 😉
Jillian says
I love alliteration! We have Maxwell Matlock and Marley Matlock here… but other contenders were: Miles, Milo, Margaux, Ruby and Elliette.
Megan says
Lincoln has always been my go to boy name. I love the nickname Linc or adding a J middle name for LJ. It also comes from my favorite show PrisoBreak! lol I also love the name Kyle for a girl!
Madison says
I LOVE picking baby names. Seriously keep a list of my favorites for when I get married and have a family but here are some unique ones:
Boy:
Layton
Keaton
Weston
Finley
Bradly
Girl:
Laurel
Hadley
Blythe
-Madison
Alexus with a U says
Well… ever since watching where the heart is… I was really feeling the names Brownie & praline (snack foods) but others I have loved include….
• Pemberly
• Penelope
• Story
• Jane
• Claus
• Mason
• John
Shiri says
I am so stinkin excited for you guys. We named our kids Libby and Benjamin (we call him Benny). No shortage of nicknames for either of them -Liberoony and Beninja are my faves. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!! ❤
Nely says
Hi Kelly!!
I am so happy for you and Jeff!
The name I would like to suggest is my own, Nely. I’ve always loved my name since it’s very simple and unique, and I’ve always loved the idea of naming my kids with some type of variation me and my husbands so since your name is Kelly, NELY would be perfect 😀 I’ve also really loved the name Eliza.
Kaley says
Oh my gosh first things first I have to say how awesome it is to see such kind people becoming parents! That is what this world needs!!
So I have totally been keeping a list of names too! I hear a cute name and don’t want to forget it and so the list began! Some cute boys names you may like are
Theordore
Fynn
Elliott
Kaleb
Cooper
You’ll find the perfect name 🙂 congrats guys!! Xx
Alex says
Kelly,
Since you seem to really be attracted to old, southern girls names, I did you a solid and searched for old, southern boys names. Here are my favorites and some stand outs from that list:
Ashby
August
Barton
Benson
Braxton
Clark
Dylan
Easton
Felton
Finley
Hudson
Lane
Mercer
Miles
Owen
Reed
Stanley
Tucker
Wade
Wyatt
Wylie
Alex says
Kelly,
Since you seem to really be attracted to old, southern girls names, I did you a solid and searched for old, southern boys names. Here are my favorites and some stand outs from that list:
Ashby
August
Barton
Benson
Braxton
Clark
Dylan
Easton
Felton
Finley
Hudson
Lane
Mercer
Miles
Milo
Otis
Owen
Reed
Stanley
Tucker
Wade
Wyatt
Wylie
Cedar says
I’m going to also suggest my own name! I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have my name. I just love it.
Cedar Marie – its not classic but when paired with a class middle name it’s just great! My nicknames ended up being ced (pronounced seed) and CC.
Sally from Little Hiccups says
I have three girls:
Ava Sophie
Lola Emilie
Mathilde Elise
My husband has always liked the name Vera so if we ever have another girl that will probably be her name. Or maybe Edie, as that was almost Mathilde’s name.
I quite like the name Adelaide, but it’s also the name of my home city in Australia so that one’s out. Then again, I do know of someone who lived here in Berkeley and had a little girl called Berkeley! I actually think Berkeley is a super sweet name for a little girl, just kind of weird to have a kid with the same name as their city.
My boy names that I’ve never had a chance to use are Louie and Felix. For a moment there I though “hey, Felix Mindell has a great ring to it” and then I realized it’s because it sounds like the composer Felix Mendelssohn!
Cece says
Hi Kelly! My mom was absolutely adamant that we not have nicknamable names, but we still got them anyway, so I love that this is something you are considering!
I am a Chelsea, but I go by Cece, which is what my little brother called me because ‘Ch’ is a hard sound for a little kid. But it stuck!
I love Sophie, Charlotte (Lottie! Chuck!), and Louise for girls.
Boys are harder… My husband is Timothy and I love it. It is classic and surprisingly uncommon. There are the obvious Tim and Timmy, but I call him by his Russian diminutive, Tyoma. He suggests Felix for a boy.
Maybe:
Levi
Wil
Grant
Ryan
Benjamin
Milo
Good luck!
Samantha Turnage says
Congratulations!!! What a wonderfully blessed baby this will be! You are Awesome! And Fun! And this post is also Awesome and Fun!!
Names:
I love names after places that I fell in love with,
*Sedona
*York
*Utah
*Bixby (Bixby Bridge)
I love colors for names, great middle names
*Blue
*Violet
*Red
*Indigo
And then I just love the classics
*Oliver
*James
*Charlie
*Sam
*Warren
Good Luck and happy baby naming!!!
Kiki says
My baby niece is Jovi Ana (we call her Jovi or just Jo for short)! She was named after Zooey Deschanel’s character in Elf but Bon Jovi fans love it too! It’s short and sweet and she gets compliments on it all the time! BONUS: “jovial” means “cheerful and friendly” which fits her so well and I definitely think it fits you too 💕 Baby names are the best, thank you for this fun post!
Samantha Turnage says
Micah Monroe Mindell has a ring to it!
Erica says
I love girl names that can have the nickname Ella:
Eleanor
Eleanora
Eloise
Penelope, that ones a stretch
Stella
Luna
Clara
Elise
Lilian
Boys:
Lucca
Lucas
Cruz
Jack
James
Leo
Jake Ryan, I’m obsessed with 16 Candles
Elise says
I’m going to join in and suggest my own name too- Elise is classic, not too common, but normal enough that people can pronounce it on the first go! My middle name is Virginia which I also love, and can be shortened to Ginny (Ginny Weasley association is a major bonus).
Congrats you two!
Lexie says
My family’s favourite names all piled together.
Girls
Emerald (can shorten to maybe Emily or Em)
Kennedy
Autumn
Annelyse (Anneliese)
Charlotte (Lottie)
Mckenna
Boys
Ryan
Blake
Blair
Seamus (pronounced Shay mos)
Bert
Naomi Ruth says
So exciting!!! We named our little boy Oliver Finn with the same hopes as you for a timeless yet unique name, but then it became the most popular name of 2015 for boys in Washington and top in the country too . . . So yeah, we failed. Lol I can’t wait to hear what you pick, such a lucky babe your baby will be!!! 💖💖💖💙💙💙
Kristen says
We considered Oliver. It’s still my husbands top choice, but I was so surprised when I saw where it was rated! Have you been seeing it a lot in real life? Also loved the name Finn or Finnley!
ashley spence says
girls:
mei (like may)
meera
ruthie
meredith
greyson (grey, g for short)
madeline
aisland (pronounced eyes-lnd)
boys:
jack
james
roan
graham
andrew (drew for short)
nathan
Beth says
This is so fun. I’ve been baby names obsessed well since forever. It was hard for us to agree on names.
Girl:
Rosa Claire (Rosie)
Esther (Essie)
Hazel June
Marni
Sloan Elise
Genevieve (Vivi) Grace (Gigi)
Spencer Cathryn (Spencer Cate)
Eliza Quinn
Boy:
Miles Gray
Wynn
Rhodes
Elias
Rowan
Tate says
I LOVE reading through all of these comments! Cannot wait to see what you choose- and to one day name my own kid haha
Tan of Squirrelly Minds says
I was going to suggest Kendall, but Kendall Mindell would just be mean
Rachel Fine says
I love the names Dusty, Phoebe (bee for short), Rosie and Clementine for a girl. My favorite boy names are Noah, Leo, and James.
Freja says
Okey, so I’m from Sweden but these are my baby names (big babies now, 7 and 9 yrs old!).
Girl: Vega Ida Aliénor. Vega is a star and that felt nice and cool, Ida is a family name – my moms grandma fled the russians in ww2 and came to Finland – without her we would be farmers in Russia! And of course Aliénor, after Aliénor d’aquatine (spelling?) just a cool woman that once was the most powerful woman in Europe!
Boy: Marley Nilo Altair. So, Marley coz it’s cute. Nilo is Ida’s son – my grandpa, and Altair is also a star. There is a legend about the two stars (vega and Altair). The meet in the summer, and Marley was born in the summer so it was a great fit.
We did: 1) name we like 2) Russian family names to know where you came from 3) stars. I like names with a meaning!
You can google “vega and Altair story”, it’s cute. Good luck with the baby names! Can’t wait for you guys to have a baby!
Freja says
Oh, and I’ve always liked florian for a boy. Florian Finn maybe. I also like Nicolai, many Nico for short. Girls names are harder.. but Luna is nice.
Michelle says
We named our daughter Faye Catherine. Faye is classic, glamorous and not common, but not so uncommon that it’s weird. Though I love a good nickname, I actually love that her name is just Faye. Though we do call her Faye-Bee (she’s 6 months) or Fabe. Catherine is my mother’s name.
I love Beatrice (Bea) and Ella (Elle)
I also love Bernadette (Birdie, Bernie, B, Etta)
Frances (Frannie, Frankie, Fran, Fancy)
I think if we have another girl, she’ll be Ella Jean
For Boys we liked
Fitzgerald (Fitz)
Anderson (Anders) this is my maiden name
Arlo
Lyle
Congrats!!!!
Kailey says
I love the names: Olive and Navy for girls!!
Anita says
Girls: Solana (little sunshine in Spanish), Felicity, Summer, Jade, Alice, Luna, Zora
Boys: Carter, Forest, Dylan, Knox, Felix, Roman, Amos (call him Moose for short!)
Good luck! You have many great suggestions.
Gigi says
Congrats!!! Such an exciting time. I also like names that aren’t too common.
Girls:
Luella (Lula)
Rio
Phoebe
Boys:
Leighton
Layne
Milan
Marion says
Such great names have been suggested so far!
I have a list too, although I’m from France, so some of these might be hard to pronounce:
BOYS
Vahé
Arsène
Oscar
Calixte
Milo
Auguste
Duncan
GIRLS
Esmée (absolute favorite)
Lyra
Aveline (Ava for short)
Elenora (Nora for short)
Emilie (call her Millie or Mia or Emma)
Thea
…and might I suggest my own name, which I think can be found in English-speaking countries, even though I never met another Marion there! My middle names are Anaïlld (pronounced ANA-EED) and Aude, my sister is Inès Clémence Gayané and my mother is Karine Sonia Valérie!
And above all, congrats!!
Susan says
Love this topic!
I love very traditional names. Our kids are Jonathan Xavier, Andrew James, Eleanor Anne, Juliana Marie, Guinevere Christiana, Theodore Mark, and Nathaniel Nicholas. They all have certain names for particular reasons. The boys are all named after their daddy in one way or another. It’s complicated but true. Our daughters first names are simply names that we loved/still love, but their middle names are Anne (my middle name, but also the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary), then Marie (for Mary), then Christiana (for Christ). We’re Catholic. Enough said. 😋
We generally call them by their proper names, but they all have multiple nick names, like bunny, little queen, Mr. Cutches, and so on.
I still regret not naming our second son Andrew Danger Deane. He’s our wildest wild thing, and it would have suited him ridiculously… and how cool would it be to be able to say, “Danger’s my middle name!” Lol. I really wish I hadn’t chickened out and worried about what people would think/say.
Part of the reason I strayed from it was that I didn’t want his initials to be ADD. When I was dating my husband, my mom told me one day, “If you marry Jonathan you’ll be sad.” I was upset with her immediately, then she said, “You know? Your initials will be SAD.” Which they now are. I just countered with, “Well, that’s better than SAC!” (Cline was my maiden name). The initial factor has been important to me ever since! Our last son we have the initials NND, and we joke that he, as number 7, makes for our perfect end (nnnnnnnnd). Kind of silly, but hey.
Songs with their names in them are also pluses!
Girl names I always wanted to use:
Charlotte
Louise
Lucille
Alice
Vivienne
Scarlett
Gwendolyn
Venus
Boy names:
Wesley (I love the Princess Bride)
Matteo
Julian (though I don’t like this now that I’ve read “Wonder”)
Manolo
Have fun! So excited to hear the real name of your baby!
Hayley says
Harrison/Harris/Harry
Joseph/Sef/Joe/Joey
Joy
Teresa/Tess/Tessa
Francine/Frankie/Annie
I like Elizabeth because it has so many nickname possibilities but it’s a classic. Betty, Liz, Izzy, Elle, Ellie, Elsie etc etc etc
Pauline says
I love this topic too!
So excited for you to choose baby names!
Girls:
Billie (my favorite)
Eden
Erin
Suzanne (old french name i love it)
Jeanne
Louise
Boys:
Camille
Milo
Neil
Marius
Jessica says
Oh I LOVE reading through all of these!! My hubby and I are a few years away from starting to try for baby #1 but I’m definitely dog earring This for the future! Aaaand also saving it for when we get a dog haha!
I’m all about names with meaning – whether they’re family names or there’s an actual meaning of the name that resonates with us!
My favorite name for a boy that I reeeally want to name our first born son if we have one is Keaton James. Keaton is my husband’s middle name and James is my brother’s middle name, so I thought it was a sweet way to bring our two families together! And KJ would be a fun nickname 🙂
Zack thinks it might sound a little too pretentious so we still need to chat about it and think through other options, but it’s still a favorite of mine!
My middle name is Marie, and it’s also my mom and grandma’s middle names – so I definitely need to think of something that goes with a middle name Marie if we have a girl!
I know that was a long recommendation for only a few names, but I hope it helps!!
Xoxo
Victoria Hall says
I have had a running list of favorite baby names on my phone for forever! It’s mostly girls names, but some might be able to work for boys too! Here they are:
Ellie (Could also be Elliana and just Ellie for short!)
Ava
Rixende (pronounced ricks-ind – Rix for short. Not sure why, but I’ve always looooved this name!)
Everleigh
Ellis Grey (This may or may not be from Grey’s anatomy…but I love both names together or separate! Also, could work for a boy or girl!)
Harlee/Harley/Harlea/Harleigh (different spellings for an adventurous name!)
Hennessy (I’ve always thought of Harlee and Hennessy as cute twin names)
Leighton
Hartley
Elsie
Audrey
Kristen says
Oh my goodness, so many comments! I’ve been waiting for this post from you as we’re naming our second boy. Boy names are so hard!!! Our first is Henry…and I think we’ve decided on Otto for the baby on the way!
Carlijn says
I read this interior blog, she had a baby girl. Called her Elliott, Ellie for short. I absolutely love that idea. (I love the name Ellie, it’s the name for characters in some of my favorite movies). I’m a huge fan of gender neutral names: Sam, Max, Chris, Elliott, Harry. You can use them for boys and girls!
Loesie says
Yes! Emily Henderson! Like it too!
Nicole says
I am a big proponent of unisex names for girls:
Charlie
Frankie
Ryan
James (shout out to Blake Lively!)
Also Blake (ha!)
Someone said Marco for a boy upthread. Yesss! I love little Italian sounding kids. Gino, Franco, etc.
Bree says
What about midcentury furniture names for boys??? Like eames!!!! Oh my gosh I woul d die I love it so much! I also love for boysSteele,Cohen,Finn,Anderson,Fletcher(callhimfletchie)Crew,Grey,Parks,Jagur,Bronx,Tag,Tate,Blaze,Finnigan(call him figgy) Ford Ace,Girls:Willow,Cedar,Cora,Coco,Faith,Vera,London,Liberty,Piper,Quinn,Tenley,Zurie,Zanna,Navy,Goldie,Blair,Breezy,Iridesa,Iris,Penny,LuLu,Lola,Luna,Clementine,Summer,Sunny,Ruby Ivy. So exciting Good Luck!!!
Morgan says
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on adopting!!! My husband and I plan on adopting through foster care and I always love hearing other people’s adoption stories. I used to work as a foster parent recruiter and so to have you use your platform to share your story and inspire others to potentially grow their families through adoption makes me so happy 🙂 go you! That said, I have always been partial to the names Amelia, Eloise (nickname Ellie! Love it) and Rosalie. My middle name is Rae (based on my mom’s middle name Ray, based on her father’s name Raymond) so I would love to pass Rae along. How cute is Amelia Rae?!! Do you and Jeff have a family name to pass on? Maybe you could start with that as a middle name and work your way from there!
ZOË says
Hi! I have always been in so excited in the baby name picking topic! Here are some suggestions!
GIRLS: Ondine (means-element of water), Sydney (nicknames- syd, sydie, syd the squid), Felecity (nicknames- lecie, fifi), Lexee (nicknames- lex, lexlex)
BOYS: Brady (means-spirited and broad), Xander (nicknames- xand, xandie), Oliver (means- the olive tree), Leonardo (nicknames- leo)
Hope these helped! I was going to put Melrose as a girls name but I didn’t know if it was to ryhmey!
Sarah says
Boys:
Kyran (Nickname: I don’t know, maybe Ky..)
Maven (NIchname probably Mavie)
Vincent (Nickname: Vince)
Girls:
Emery (Em, ry,…)
Mare
Loretta (Lori like from Gilmore Girls;))
Kahlen (Kah)
What do you think?
I hope I can help!
Tiffany says
For girls:
Price
Parker
Tatum (Tate or Tae)
Maxwell
..but also could be for boys
Tiffany says
For girls:
Price
Parker
Tatum (Tate or Tae)
Maxwell
..but could also be for boys
Loesie says
Betty! After Betty White, my favorite old lady on tv. Such a fun, warm, caring personality! XO
Alexandria says
My mom has five kids and got a little more creative with each of us:
I’m Alexandria Nicole
My brother is Chance (we call him Chuck or Chuckie), and my 3 youngest sisters are
Kazlyn Magnin Trinity
Izabella Bleu (Bella Bleu)
Elianna Lucia- (We call her Ellie Lu or LuLu) I think Lucia is so cute. We pronounce it the Italian way (Loo-chia). It means light and is a different twist on Lucy.
Katherine says
A little girl was at the library story time this week with my son and she has the cutest name–Willa. I think that would pair nicely with Mindel.
JoJo says
I think you should go with a name that’s especially meaningful to you. Not just because you like it because “it’s so cute”, but you should be able to tell a story behind it, you know?
I want to name my son Bruce, here’s why:
The day I met my future husband I was wearing an Evil Dead shirt, and he started talking to me about it. Turned out we both loved horror movies and similar music. That shirt was a whole conversation starter and it just started so much history for us. And who was on the shirt? Bruce Campbell. He connected us. So yeah, that’s my story behind my baby name.
I hope you have your story too 😉
Lainey says
I’ve always lived the name Paisely! Paisley Mindel would work so well and it is such a sweet name!
Barbara says
I thought I would share my kids and grandkids names. My kids: Erica Robyn, Meredith Lynn (Meri), Hannah Elizabeth, Kathryn Marie (Kat), and Joel Edward (sometimes Joely).
Grandkids: Peter Grant (Pete), Benjamin Rutherford (Ben), Cameron James, Gabriel Jacob (Gabe), William James (he calls himself Sea Lion or SL), Travis Richard, Charlotte Elizabeth (Char), Clara Isabelle, Ellary Nicole (Ella), Perri Elena, and Celia Mae (2 year old who calls herself Sophia some days). LOL
One daughter who is pregnant is thinking about Theodore (Teddy), Rhys, Graeme, Remington (Remy). Several of the middle names above are family names.
Best wishes for a healthy baby!
Kimmie says
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Can’t wait for your baby to join you! I love my girls’ names- they are unusual but (I don’t think) too weird!?!? Avy Jane and Daley Louise. So fun!
Carter says
I’m completely biased but girls with names that are typically male are so cute and really popular right now! Like Ryan, Logan, Parker, Chandler, and my favorite Carter. I’m sure what ever you pick will be great and I’m so happy for you and your husband.
Audra says
I’m going to suggest my own name. My mom named me after the character Audra Barkley on the tv show “The Big Valley.” My middle name is Kaye after her best friend. Audra means noble strength and it’s safe to say, I can only count on one hand the number of Audra’s I’ve met in my 31 years of life! Obviously, Audra McDonald is a standout, and she is one of my favorite Broadway singers!
Good luck!
Claire says
I think about my future son or daughter being the only “______” in his/her class. That’s super important to me! Or, if he/she is ever a Bachelor contestant, I don’t ever want a last initial tacked on the end!
Girls:
– Kit
– Noelle/Noel
– Marlena (Marlie, Lena)
– Liesel
Boys:
– Pieter (I am Dutch)
– Wallace (Wally, Ace)
I can’t wait to see your top picks!
Julia says
My son’s name is Ransom (we took the word out of a Bible verse) and we call him Handsome Ransom all the time. The name was actually more popular in the 1800s.
Rachel says
I don’t know if you will read this, but when we were looking at baby names for our daughter someone told us to imagine: 1) Having their name read aloud at school – will the teacher know how to pronounce it? Will they constantly have to correct them? 2) Saying it out loud in a disciplinary way (“XXX! Don’t make me tell you again!”) and see what your reactions are. I guess you don’t want to be trying to discipline Giggly Sweetcheecks and have the name work against you. LOL.
I hope that helps!
Lisa says
SOOO excited for you & Jeff!! Me too love names & always kept a stash of baby names..so much fun and can’t wait to see what you both pick! xx
Boys
Hayes
Holden
Carter
Clay
Dean
Girls
Elinor – nickname Ellie
Evelin – nickname Evie
Esme
Margaret – nickname Maggie
Christine Wichman says
Okay let me try this again, as a Kindergarten Teacher I have seen plenty of cool names come through my classroom over twenty years…so here are some of my all time faves.
Girls:
Violet
Summer
Paige
Beckett
Evan
Riley
Sloan
Adele
Amelie
Bronwen
Brooklyn
Dagmar
Dahlia
Olive
Jessie
Romilly
Genevieve
Veronica
Chloe
Vivenne
Hazel
Willa
Corinne (Cory)
Theodora (Tedi)
Joslyn
Sawyer
Holland
India
Paris
Evangeline (Vangie)
Devon
Perry (I called her Periwinkle)
Piper
Acacia
Boys:
Tucker
Finn
Parker
Benn
Gage
Hollis
Tristan
Christian
Drake
Kai
Shane
Daniel
Vincent
Clay
Leigh
Kyler
Mac
Maverick
Dane
Emory
Talmadge
Theo
Roland
Jacy
Jax
Noah
Preston
Deacon
Ian
Damon
Drew
Austin
Connor
Jack
Jake
Jordan
jasper
Clare says
My daughter is Mahri (pronounced mah-ree)Grace MacKay and my son is Quinn Padraig MacKay. A bit of Irish influence to go with the Scottish last name.
Brittany D says
Picking baby names was so much fun for me! I read somewhere that you should try to match syllables so the name flows nicely. If you’re going to pick a three syllable first name, the middle name should be one and vice versa. And two with two. I don’t know where I read that. Our daughter’s name is Cecelia Leigh (middle name after my sister Ashley) and we call her Cece (pronounced see see). My biggest criteria for picking a name was lack of popularity because I was named Brittany in the 90s and I always hated that there were at least two other girls in my class with the same name.
Kelly Golightly says
Lula Mae Mindell!
Holly Golightly’s real name in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (I may be biased).
But it’s sweet and sounds good with Mindell.
Ally Ebdon says
Oh my god so many good names already! You guys are gonna have a hard time choosing.
My suggestions are all very posho englishy but *shrug*
I love names like Gulliver, Thaddeus and Theodore. They’re so posh but at the same time they shorten to great names like Gully, Thad and Teddy. Jacob and James are also a standard which fit well with a slightly more out there middle name.
My mum once gave this piece of advice which was the test she used. A name should be appropriate and adaptable to all and every profession; you need to be able to name professional boss high court judge but also the sassiest burlesque dancer who ever lived, with only one name. So she called me Alexandra so I could be Alexandra, Alexa, Lexi, Al, Ally, Albear (yup) depending on where I was at the time. I love that test. It gives so much respect and acceptance to the little human you don’t know yet and everything they will become.
Having said that, remember that names are adaptable. If they don’t like their name they’ll change it and nicknames flow. And it doesn’t have to be forever! One tradition I want in my family is one which my Mum started by accident. She loved the book Gormenghast and there was this little girl in it called Fuchsia and she really loved her character and so she wanted to name a daughter after her. My dad intervened and argued that naming someone after elements of character is a little risky so she didn’t name me it. Anyway fast forward 18 years and she tells me this story and you bet the first thing I did was research how to add a middle name. I frikken love that I got a brand new middle name for my 18th birthday which reflects how my Mum always imagined I’d be. So yeah… if you guys are considering names which are quite ‘loaded’ in terms of qualities keep them in mind for a couple of decades. 🙂
Phew I hope you like essays!
Emmy says
Hi Kelly! So happy for you + Jeff + perfect baby Arlo! Is there any way you can share what your runner-up boys names were?!
Lucinda says
Boy Girls
Charlie/Charles Maeve
Leonardo/Leo Clara
Theodore/Theo Florence
Ziggy Clementine
Fergus Beatrix/Beatrice
Hugo Idabelle
Phoenix Rosalie
Jett Harper
Zephyr Lottie
Owen Esme
Xavier Thea
Kai Maisie
Arlo Juliet
Seth Ivy
Ezra Meredith
Alfie
Jack
Fredrick
Paul Aspen
Sage
Bentley
Asha
Rita
Ada
Ava
Ester
Petra
Lucinda
Mabel
Joanna/ Joanne
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Jennifer says
We named our son Winston. It means joy stone. Happy and strong, it fit perfectly after years of infertility and loss. I knew my joy was coming one day, God’s timing is perfect. His nickname is Winn and that’s what most people call him. It’s short, cute, and a twist on a classic!
Lori R says
Sharni is a male or female name not popular in the US. It means plain filled with roses and is of Irish origin. It’s not popular in US, but is somewhat popular in Australia. Nickname could be Ree Ree.
I named my daughter. AnneVictoria (first name, all one word) Elizabeth Smith. Her cousins had trouble saying it, so created her nickname Anatoria.
Zoë says
Willamina Wilhelmina you could call her Willa
Or
Alexander Alex for short
Greyson grey for short
Aria ari for short
Roman
Reverie revie for short
Corabelle cora for short
Zoella Zoe for short
Asa ace for short
Orion rion for short
Dave Watski says
These are all the stupidest and whitest names ever. STOP NAMING YOUR KIDS WITH LAST NAMES INSTEAD OF FIRST NAMES! Don’t you see how stupid these all sound? What’s the point of having 7 Logans and 8 Coopers in every classroom? Jackson is just as bad.
ESGAl says
Ohhh “the whitest names ever”, says Dave 😉
Pisey CHING says
Could you help me, the name of my daughter?
Indie Chester says
Camila
Joana
Elsie
Cocolina
Demmy
Tanisha says
Girls names
Sienna rose
Elena
Shaylin
Leigha
Carlin
Leslie (my daughter)
Giordanna
Boys
Andrew
Aiden
Anthony ( my son)
Levi
Elijah
Lara FitzSimons says
u guys jut randomly stopped talking over two years ago???!!!! U talked for, like, 2 freaking days!!
Kris says
Verity Rose
Kace says
Navy for a boy
India for a girl
Olivia says
Wow so many good names, recently I worked in website british boy names who provides baby names, girl and boy names with meanings.
Indie Chester says
I am not the only one putting my name out their I see
My names Is Indiarla (indee ar la)
But I am Indie for short
Indie Chester says
Hey I don’t know what you guys think but I love the names Evelyn,Freya and Skye.
Ivy says
Hello!
Ivy says
Hi
Ava says
what about Erin?
Heather Jackson says
Boys names : Banks