Why I Divide Name Lists by Boys and Girls

It's the sometimes-spoken question of the hour: Why all the naming division? After all, dividing names by sex can cause controversy, hurt feelings, and seem like it supports gender stereotyping. 

Those are things I'd rather not do. Yet, I persist. When I'm talking about a big group of names, I usually create two lists, one of boys' names, and one of girls' names. WHY, you ask? (Or, sometimes, it's more like, "WHyyyyyyyyyYYYYYYYyyyy??!")

Fletcher

Fletcher ~ Arrow Maker ~ Origin

Modern parents in search of perfect names are clamoring for the sought-after “it” names from the mid-to-late 1800s. What we think of as quintessential Victorian names like Owen, Ella, Grace, and Isaac have been devoured by today’s parents looking for appealing vintage sounds. But if you're looking for a boys' name off the beaten path, Fletcher is a Victorian name still flying under the modern-day radar. It's a tasteful antique that just might make an appearance on your list of favorites soon. 

 

Brooklyn

Brooklyn ~ the city, broken land ~ American

The most popular girls' name starting with a B, Brooklyn is a top choice that speaks to an affinity for the sounds in Brooke and Lynn, even more than a love of the city. It's a fashionable mashup name that's also got loads of big city style.

Laughing All the Way: Cheerful Baby Names

It's time for the last in my series on names inspired by the lyrics of Jingle Bells, and it's the perfect happy ending, one brought to us by the phrase "laughing all the way." Here are a few charming names with a joyful spirit that are sure to have you smiling all year long.

O'er the Fields We Go: Baby Names Inspired by Wide Open Spaces

The third part in my series based on the opening lyrics of Jingle Bells offers an impressive variety of names. They are beautiful choices inspired by the countryside, and while some feel like a laid-back nature name, others have a distinguished prim and proper flair. That's because lots of these names come from Old English, where the hills and valleys of the country became surnames that are proving to be an on-trend choice in given names today.