Boy Names - New Entries & Comebacks

Below I talk about the names that have debuted for the first time in 2015, and some of the names that have returned to the rank for the first time - some were there 2 years ago, others have made it after a long absence.

Overall, it's an eclectic bunch of names. Which names are you most pleased with their return or debut? Let me know.

Name In Trend: Oakley

Oakley is a name of old English origin that means "meadow of oak trees", pretty straight forward right? So its meaning puts it in the nature name camp, but its also a city in California, therefore it's a place name too. This name has so many great things going for it, starting with its grand O initial which are rarely used for boys these days, the trendy -ley ending, the fabulous nickname Oak, plus the meaning is pleasant and evokes an image of nature and beauty.

Names In Spotlight: The "No Doubt" Family

Pretty much everyone who is at least 15 years old has heard of the band No Doubt. Formed in the late 80s, they've had a remarkable career selling millions of albums and releasing iconic hit songs such as "Don't Speak", "Just A Girl" or "Hey Baby". Not only that, but lead singer Gwen Stefani also went on to have a successful solo career in the mid 2000s, as I'm sure you all remember hearing "Hollaback Girl" on the radio, or at least hear your kids playing the song out loud.

No Doubt is formed by frontwoman Gwen Stefani, drummer Adrian Young, guitarist Tom Dumont, and bassist Tony Kanal. All of them have went on to have families of their own, and I'm here to break it down for you. Most of these names are quite unique, so if this is your scene, I'm sure you're gonna love this post.

Name In Trend: Luna

Luna is a name of latin origin that means "moon". In Roman mythology, Luna was the goddess of the moon, and is frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky. A lot of people ask, why doesn't the moon have a name? Well, she does. It's Luna. This is why we say "lunar eclipse" or "lunar effect" for example.

It is well known that the moon isn't just a randon satellite sitting in our sky. As well as being the only satellite orbiting our planet, it has quite an effect over certain things that happen here. The sea tides are strongly associated with the position of the moon, and even fertility and reproductive behavior have been connected to it. There are scientific studies that link a woman's menstrual period of 28 days to the lunar cycle, and some species like the California Grunion fish lay their eggs on the first full moon.

Name In Trend: Paisley

The unisex name Paisley is of scottish origin and it means "church". Paisley is actually a place name, of a scottish town near Glasgow. The paisley pattern, which involves a persian inspired design, originated in that town, famous for its weaving industry in the 19th century. Now of course everyone will immediately think of the fabric, rather than the town, but I guess it's not a terrible association. The name in recent years has been embraced by parents of little girls, maybe because the design is quite girly, and it has even been used by celebs like Jennie Finch.

Name In Spotlight: Jaxley

So I got asked by my best friend to do a search on a family name of his: Jaxley. I thought, wow, that is quite a cool name. But as I was trying to find info on this name, I realized this wasn't just a rare name, but almost non-existant. There are no records of it on any baby name sites, and there are only a few people that have it as a surname (and even less as a first name). Determined not to let my best friend down, I had to find at least something I could tell him about the name, and I did. A very likely source is that this name is related to or a variant of the place name Yaxley, which is also a Harry Potter name. Yaxley means "cuckoo wood", and during the 19th century, the county of Yaxley in Suffolk, England, was written as Jacheslea. It is very likely that from Jacheslea, people eventually arrived at the more pronounceable Jaxley.

Name In Trend: Hudson

Hudson is a name of Old English origin, and it means "son of Hugh". It is a rising star amongst the many -son names trending upwards in recent years. As well as that meaning, Hudson can also be used as a place name, thanks to the Hudson River in New York and the Hudson Bay in Canada - both were named after the explorer Henry Hudson. This gives Hudson an adventurous feel, and a strong association to water, which could give it the "nature name" tag.


Let's take a look at it's performance in the SSA ranking:

Name In Spolight: Raleigh

So I recently watched the movie Pacific Rim, which reminded me of how much I love the name Raleigh. That movie featured some pretty cool names, for example Raleigh's brother is named Yancy, which also caught my eye, so if you enjoy action flicks mixed with a dose of unique names, check the movie out.

Raleigh is of old english origin and it has two different meanings that I found: "roe deer's meadow" and "from the red field". There is definitely a nature connection in both, so if you like nature names this one is a great choice. It can also be a place name, because it's the capital of North Carolina, and it could definitely fit in with the place name trend going on lately with names like Princeton, Camden, Brooklyn, etc.

Winter Names

So December is upon us, and during this month arrives the season of winter. Now I must admit I cannot stand winter because I hate the freezing temperatures, but I do like it during the brief period between Christmas and New Years. Although I'm not a fan of the season, it does have several interesting names that could be used on a child.

I've divided the names into boy/girl categories. Although any of these names could be used on either sex if you want to, I decided to split them into the sex I feel would wear the name best. A few of them do pop up in both lists:

Boys

Name In Spotlight: Tennessee

So the latest celeb baby name making waves across the internet today is Reese Witherspoon's newborn son, named Tennessee James. With such a bold first name, people are either gonna love it or hate it. I'm actually on board with it, sounds like a fun strong name. State names have been used as human names for a very long time, we don't bat an eyelid anymore whenever we hear about someone named Montana or Dakota. However, most state names haven't transformed into popular human names, and when we hear about them being used, we are usually surprised.

Name In Spotlight: Scotland

So a new Kardashian baby is born, and of course everyone is talking about it. The name, of course, is the focus of this conversation. While Penelope is a perfectly normal and well used name, and is sure to have a boost in popularity next year, I decided to focus on the middle name, Scotland. Now usually middle names don't get a boost of popularity because they're often neglected whenever we discuss a baby's name, whether on TV or magazines. Therefore, people in general don't get enough exposure to it, hence it doesn't affect the name's popularity. However, I wouldn't underestimate the Kardashian effect. Could the name Scotland get a boost of popularity?

Name In Trend: Easton

The name Easton is of Old English origin, and means "east settlement". Other possible meanings are: "island of stones", "magical power", "noble power".

The name has been getting a lot of buzz lately, mostly due to country singer Easton Corbin, who has given the name a certain appeal to parents that are fans of the genre. Also, actress Jenna Elfman also welcomed a son named Easton Quinn Monroe in 2010, boosting the name's popularity across name blogs. The name can also have a religious connotation, for those parents that associate the name with Easter, and Christ.


So let's see how Easton has performed in the popularity ranking:

Name In Coffin: Madison

This name, like it's ending suggests, means "son of" - in this particular case, "son of Maud or son of Matthew". Any name that ends in "son" has a masculine meaning, but it seems these days that isn't important when naming a daughter. Madison has become the iconic "son" name for girls, and made the "son" ending a trend that seems to be getting more and more popular these days.

So what started this trend on girls? A movie. In 1984, a film starting Tom Hanks called "Splash" starred a mermaid who happened to adopt this name when walking through Madison Avenue in New York. It just goes to show you anything can change your perception on a name, and even make it skyrocket in popularity out of the blue. But sadly, just like with most male names that get adopted by girls, this name started to sink for boys and exited the chart soon after.

So let's see how Madison performed for boys:

Names In Spotlight: The Phoenix Family

Out of inspiration? Well hopefully this will cheer you up and make you feel inspired by these quirky choices.

It all started when John-Lee Bottom and his wife Arlyn married in 1969. They changed their last names to Phoenix to symbolise a new beginning, rising from the ashes, after being disillusioned with a religious cult they were part of.

With their newly inspired last name Phoenix, they would give birth to five children, two of them who eventually get a lot of recognition in the acting world. They are:

son River
daughter Rain
son Joaquin (Leaf)
daughter Summer
daughter Liberty

River Phoenix and his brother Joaquin would be the ones getting attention from Hollywood, becoming the first brother duo to be nominated for an oscar.

Name In Spotlight: Egypt

There are many country/state/city names that have become popular over time: Israel, Zaire, Jordan, Dakota, Montana, Paris, London, Milan... however never has the country Egypt become a popular choice for baby boys.

This might be about to change: the newest celebrity baby out there has been named Egypt Daoud, the son of superstar singer Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz, a well known music producer. Now a first look at the name Egypt is bound to make question it. It looks funny, it's very uncommon, doesn't really remind you of a kid. However the more I looked at it, the more I liked it, and I began to imagine it on a boy. There's always the advantage that everyone knows how to pronounce it, and spell it (hopefully!).

Egypt has never dented the top1000 before, but there have been testimonials by other people that have met other kids named Egypt over the years. If there was any moment it could finally break through: this is it! I give Egypt my blessing! Plus it's one of my favourite countries, I'd say Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have good taste in their travelling preferences.