
A person's name does indeed say something about them as an individual. Actually, what one's name says is what their parents' state of mind was at their birth! Or it can also reflect the state of the world, of our culture, our religion, our personal beliefs, when the child came into the world. Be thoughtful and considerate, however, when selecting your child's name. It is a really, really big and lasting legacy. This is the second installment of an ongoing series of offering up new, unusual or clever names for your new child. Throughout one's travels in life, I have come across on individual names that I thought were so unique and exciting that it seemed fitting to share them with you. If you are African-American, there is a wealth of beautiful, meaningful names from which to choose. If you'd like help selecting or searching out culturally significant names, go to your local library or Google online "names of African descent". A local or regional African American historical society can be of great help, also, as well as your church. Draw within your own ethnic and/or religious backgrounds to consider names that may be somewhat unusual but have lasting, significant and often historical importance. In naming my own daughters, I went on a somewhat 'safe' route. Our last name is of Eastern European descent, has three syllables, and ends with a vowel. We named our first daughter 'Julie' after her maternal grandmother. (I did go a bit on the wild side, though: her middle name is Kristine. I just loved the sound and spelling of the name.) Our youngest daughter is named Karen: we really loved the good, strong sound of the name, as well as how it looks in print. We did give her the middle name of "Bennett", since that is a family surname from our family tree.
For us, at least, it was the best of both worlds: names that we really liked, that went well with a somewhat difficult last name, and names that held special meaning to us and our immediate families. Some boys' names that you might want to consider include:1. Colton. Hugely popular in Texas, California, and most of the western states of the U.S. Often abbreviated as "Colt". Connotes an athletic, intelligent person, perhaps because of at least two current college quarterbacks with a similar name (including Colt Brennan) Other fairly new and popular 'Southern' names include Houston, Dallas, and Austin. If you're a Maryland native, I would hesitate to go with "Annapolis" or "Baltimore", however! 2. Davies. A variation on the popular name "David", but a bit more formal and mysterious. Appears to be almost a surname being used as a first name. 3. Thompson - best used if you have a short, one-syllable last name. A variation on the more common and popular "Thomas", but a bit more dignified. Again, appears to be a surname being used as a first name. A thoughtful choice for a Hunter S. Thompson fan as well. May his ashes continue to flow throughout space! Another take on the name 'Thomas' is used by mens' fashion designer Thom Brown, whose eponyous New York City shop bears his name. 4. Wil - Not "Will", and not "William". An interesting short name, especially if you have a longer, multisyllabled last name. Has a Scandanavian sound to it as well. May be difficult as the child grows up to constantly have spelled correctly, but a jazzy, unusual name nonetheless. 5. Geoffrey - The English (and correct) spelling of the name Jeffrey. A good-sounding name, which can be abbreviated to "Geoff". Again, may require correction in spelling as the child grows, but English and literature teachers will love it! (Shades of the Canterbury Tales!) 6. Lorenzo - The true Italianate spelling of the name "Lawrence". Quite exotic, a name with more than a hint of character behind it. Quite old-fashioned, and certaintly not many other guys will be named Lorenzo! 7. Brien - An updated European spelling of the more commonly known name "Brian", with French connotation. 8. Cornelius - A name of Irish/Anglo heritage. A strong name full of character (and your son will certainly have plenty of that as he 'grows into' the name. Unusual, making somewhat of a 'comeback' - look for a neat nickname as well! 9. Padraig - the 'official' spelling of the Celtic name Patrick. Top pro golfer Padraig Harrington is giving the name a lot of press lately. You can always use "Pat" or "Paddy" as your child's nickname, if you choose. 10. Harrison - name your child after an American president! Jeffrey Sebelia, the winner of last season's "Project Runway", named his son Harrison Detroit. There are some other pretty cool and interesting names derived from American presidents: Clinton (Clint), Reagan, William, Jackson, Henry, Abraham, Ford (used as a first name), and of course, there will always be George! The name 'Lincoln' is also quite a character-driven name, and can be shortened to 'Linc', which is a pretty cool nickname for a young man (unless you fear he'll be confused with Philadelphia's sports arena, the Lincoln Financial Arena, commonly referred to as "The Linc". 11. Theo and Thad - Thhhat's right, the "Th" names are very popular right now. We're not necessarily suggesting Theodore or Thaddeus, but the shortened version of these names as the first name itself. ("Thad" would be pronounced as "Tad" - and "Theo" has worked quite well, thank you, for the Red Sox' Theo Epstein.) 12. Keaghan - an unusual name, one in which a surname is used as a given name. This works best with short, one syllable last names, giving some emphasis on maybe more 'common' last names like Jones, Smith, Bark, Ash, Brown, etc. 13. Wylie - Nope, you're not naming your child after Wil E. Coyote, again this is a variation of a surname used as a first name. Again, this works well with one or two syllable last names, but it is certain, in either event, to be a one of a kind name for your child. 14. Chase - Popularized by MLB pitcher Chase Utley. There are actually two students in my daugher's high school who are named Chase. Works well with one or two syllable last names. Certainly adds a bit of intrigue for a first name, although frankly it's not one that I'm particularly enamoured with. I envision two or three little "Chase's" entering first grade within the next five years! 15. Mickey - Yes, Mickey, not Michael, not Mikey, not Mouse. It has sort of a tough-guy image for a name; one thinks of writer Mickey Spillane or baseball great Mickey Mantle. Some may consider it to be a bit of a 'lowbrow' name, but it certainly worked well enough for Mantle and Spillane, and it's doubtful you'll have a class full of kindergarten students answering to Mickey. Other names I might suggest for your new son include Macklin (of Irish or Scotch derivation, I believe), McKinstrie (used as a last name most often, but a very cool first name!), Tucker, Leif (a beautiful Scandinavian name), Sweeney, Hector, Sebastian, Sanders, Creighton, and Len (not Leonard, but its abbreviation used as a first name). Lem is another interesting 'nickname' that can be used from the given name of Lemuel as well. Stay away from Homer! While it has wonderful references in both literature and Greek culture, it still rings of "Homer Simpson". Avoid it if you can. By ivylily
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