Gloria

Gloria ~ Glory ~ Latin

I secretly (or...apparently...not-so-secretly) love this name. Are you surprised? I am. What I love about it has everything to do with its sound, even more than its connection to Americana and the holidays, and definitely more than its history of success in the middle of the 20th century. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Only a few years ago I'd say this name was at least one generation away from being cool again, but now I'm not so sure. In my eyes, Gloria is ready.

If you doubt that, I don't blame you at all. You are in the majority. But go with me down a little rabbit trail of sounds for a sec.

Do you like:
Amelia...Aria...Aurelia...Aurora...Julia...Laurel...Rory...Victoria?

That group of names, each in their own way, feels like a jumping off point to loving Gloria. The middle of the name has a sound we're really familiar with, and the -ia ending is pure contemporary perfection. So, I admit it, it's the Gl- beginning that may be throwing us off right now, as other names like Glenda and Gladys have gone by the wayside in favor of less consonant-heavy sounds.

But hang in there with me. And keep repeating Aria, Aurora, Julia, Laurel, Gloria, Rory, and Victoria. See what I did there?

History
It may sound like a name that has been around forever, but Gloria was written into existence by a playwright in the late 1800s. George Bernard Shaw created the name for You Never Can Tell, a comedy of errors that delighted audiences, and Gloria has been with us ever since.

The word gloria is Latin, and it's been around for much longer than the use of the word as a name. In the Christmas tradition, the angels shout, "Glory to God in the highest," and the famed Latin translation is, Gloria in excelsis Deo. This heavenly phrase has lived on in classical music, Christmas carols, prayers, and psalms over centuries.

Gloria has a lovely sound and a not-so-secret meaning—glory. It brings to mind Old Glory, a 19th century flag that became a symbol of patriotism during the civil war, and eventually, a nickname for all American flags. That's just one reason why the name Gloria soared after WWI. (We can also thank starlet Gloria Swanson for keeping this name ultra glamorous through the years.) It became a classic, staying in the top 100s for nearly four more decades.

Two Holidays in One
In my eyes, Gloria feels like it could be seasonal, but unlike almost every other seasonal name, it works in opposite times of the year—July, for its sense of patriotism, and December, for the famous angelic declaration. (Another name with the same July/December seasonal trick? Star.) Even though Gloria could be used for a baby born any time of the year, I think it has a bit of an extra edge for a darling choice in either July or December.

Popularity
Gloria isn't doing so well right now. It's ranked in the mid-500s and is falling in popularity with each year. Statistically, Gloria is likely to continue the downward trend, only returning to fashion over the course of a few more decades. But that doesn't mean it's off-limits, of course.

Today, Gloria feels like a vintage throwback name that is half elegant, half cute as a button, but it isn’t quite ready for a return to its former (ahem) glory. That being said, I give you permission to be ahead of the curve and choose Gloria now for its surprisingly contemporary style and charming associations.

Spinoffs and Creative Nicknames
Some parents are getting creative with this name, inventing a few modern spin-offs:

• Glory
• Gloriana (also a country music band) or Glorianna
• Glorianne
• Glorious

They may just strike you as more appealing than Gloria, even though they are much more unique.

Less-than-expected nicknames for Gloria:

• Glory
• Lori
• Loria
• Ria

Famous Namesakes
This list kind of makes a point, generationally. It's hard to find a young Gloria these days!

• Gloria Estefan, singer
• Gloria Gaynor, singer
• Gloria Steinem, feminist and activist
• Gloria Swanson, actress

Celebrity Babies Named Gloria
Actors Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal named their daughter Gloria Ray in 2012. Hooray!

George

George ~ Farmer ~ Greek

His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge
After waiting two days for the Duke and Duchess to decide on a name and make an announcement, many of us are delighted, but not surprised, to hear of the Prince's given names. Here's why George is so perfect for the little prince.

George is a royal name with a rich history. It has strong familial ties to the House of Windsor, as King George V founded it in 1917. It is one of the middle names of Prince Charles, and the chosen name of the Queen's father, King George VI. At the time of Prince George's birth, there were no living royal relatives with his first name, creating the perfect opportunity. This will make the little prince the seventh English king to be called George if he choses to keep his name upon ascending the throne someday.

Did the Duke and Duchess Choose Wisely?
I had to laugh when I saw the headline from TMZ calling the name "A BIG MISS". While some Americans will likely think that George isn't as fashionable as some of the other traditional choices, it's classy, elegant, royal, and exceedingly British. My answer is a resounding yes!

History
Here's why George is so worthy of an English king. It's the name of the patron saint of England (since the 14th century). This is the saint who is said to have slain a dragon to rescue a maiden, and it still carries a very heroic and romantic air because of that. St. George is appropriately the patron saint of knights, which is why English knights used to cry "By George!" as they were charging into battle. It's an ancient name, a very British name, and a very royal name. In fact, the list of monarchs named George throughout history is so long, I prefer not to list them here.

Popularity
In the US, the popularity of the name has been waning. It's at an all-time low, sitting at #166 out of the top 1,000 names in the country. It was a top-10 name until 1938 and has been steadily but slowly dropping in use. Today's American parents may associate George with people who are one generation older than they are. This makes George feel more like a name our dad may have instead of a fashionably antique name. (And those antique names are more fashionable if they took a dive in popularity in the past 50-100 years. George remained pretty popular during that time.) However, I could see parents in the US reconsidering in light of the royal baby. I do expect George to see a bump in use for babies born in the year 2013.

In the UK, George is very popular. In England and Wales, it was in the top 10 names until 2011, but it only fell to #12. George will definitely gain favor once again as many British parents seek to emulate royalty and honor the new prince by naming their sons after him. Duchess Catherine has definitely proven her ability to influence trends, and her taste in names will be no exception.

Famous Namesakes in Recent Years

• George Clooney
• George Straight
• George Lucas
• George Lopez
• George Eads
• George Takei
• George Michael
• George Hamilton
• George Harrison
• George W. Bush
• George H.W. Bush

Gabrielle and Gabriella

updated Sept 2015

Gabrielle ~ Woman of God ~ Hebrew, French form

A Versatile Beauty
Gabrielle (Gab-ree-ELL) is a gorgeous name. Its sound is full of French elegance, yet it also comes with some pretty variants that are more down-to-earth. For example, when your little girl wants to play princess, she can assume the title Princess Gabrielle. When she's playing on the basketball team in middle school, she can go by Gabi. Or, when she feels like turning over a new leaf at college, she might try out Brielle. There are plenty of possibilities with this name, and all of them are lovely.

The name Gabriella, which is the Latinate form, is experiencing more popularity than Gabrielle, thanks to its embellished style and ultra feminine ending. Not only does it capitalize on the fresh sound of Bree nicknames, but it gives parents the chance to use Ella as a nickname as well.

History & Popularity
As feminine forms of Gabriel, these stylish choices embody an angelic spirit. Gabriel is only one of two named angels in the Bible. The name is Hebrew and simply means "man of God".

Gabriella and Gabrielle don't have the same classic feel as Gabriel. Gabrielle has only been on the U.S. charts since 1957, when French names first started to take off. Since then, it's become a popular choice for parents and what I'd consider a new classic, remaining in the top 100 girls' names for almost 20 years now.

• Gabrielle is at #173 in U.S. rankings (2014 stats)
• Gabriella is more popular at #48

Variations of Gabrielle and Gabriella

• Abbie/Abby
• Elle
• Ella
• Bri
• Bria
• Brielle
• Briella
• Gabi/Gaby
• Gavi
• Gavrina

Celebrities

• Gabrielle Union - actress
• Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, fashion designer
• Gabrielle Reese - pro volleyball player
• Gabrielle Anwar - actress

Graham

Graham ~ Gray House ~ English

There's something sweet about a boy who shares a name with the cracker of kid-dom. And though that's one of our first associations with the name, Graham is also an English surname with an extensive history. Americans have taken note of it as early as 1880, and it's always been in the top 1,000 names. The sound is appealing and unpretentious. To put it simply: it’s cute!

Celebrities with the Surname Graham
Because it's a fairly common surname, there have been lots of celebrities, authors, politicians, and other recognized people named Graham. Among many others, they include

• Billy Graham
• Frank Porter Graham
• Kenneth Grahame
• Heather Graham
• Lauren Graham

But perhaps the most famous figure with this name is the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922). His well-known middle name was actually a gift for his eleventh birthday! It was chosen to honor a friend of the family whose surname was Graham.

More about Graham

• Graham is gaining popularity and is ranked at #199 for the year 2014.
• Graham is the name of a Scottish clan as well as a group of hills in Scotland.
• There are several small towns named Graham across the country; located in Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington.
• Graham can also be spelled Graeham, Graeme and Grahame
• Celebs to use Graham for their son include Michael Landon and Heather Payne.

Gideon

Gideon ~ Warrior, Feller of Trees ~ Hebrew

Gideon has been around for, well, a very long time. In the Bible, Gideon was a humble, average man chosen by God to be a warrior. He is known for requesting a sign from God on several occasions. As the name suggests, he had great success in battle.

The name Gideon became popular in colonial America during the early formation of the country, and it was used in the mid 1800s as well. You may have heard of the Gideons International, a group famous for distributing complimentary copies of the Bible in hotel rooms.

Popularity
This name had completely fallen out of use in America until the year 2000. For 2014, it's ranked at 349. Not too shabby for a name that hasn't been in the top 1,000 for a century! It's gaining popularity because it's Biblical, ends with an "n" (think Aiden) and fits in with other pioneer names but is still unique. I personally like it because it has a strong meaning and hits all my "cute" buttons.

• Nicknames: If it seems too odd to shorten this name to what sounds like "giddy," try Gid on for size. Kind of cute, but it sounds almost exactly like "kid". In the end, it might be best to go with the full name on this one.
• Celebrity: Ziggy Marley—yes, Bob Marley's son—had a son with his wife in January of 2007. They named their 5th child Gideon.

Gavin

Gavin ~ White Hawk ~ English

I used to think I was the only one who loved this name. I was drawn to boy's names starting with G, and this one was hitting a major sweet spot for me. It's cute, simple, and a little trendy sounding. I put it on my list of favorites and thought maybe I'd use it someday and surprise the world with my unexpected but tasteful choice.

If you haven't already guessed, Gavin doesn't exactly spark surprise today. It has been popular for awhile now, and it was #32 last year. My perfect little name secret was no secret at all. But that's as it should be. Gavin is a great name.

English in origin, but Scottish at its heart, Gavin has been used with the most frequency in the past 100 years. Its roots can be traced to medieval times, when Gawain was a common given name in Europe.

Celebrities with this name include Gavin DeGraw (singer), Gavin Griffin (poker player), Gavin Newsom (mayor of San Francisco), and Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson.

Grant

Grant ~ Great ~ English, Scottish origins                                                               updated: 2015

Grant is one of those classic names that will probably never fall out of use, but it has become particularly in vogue in the past decade. Celebrities like Cary Grant, Hugh Grant, Grant Wood and Grant Hill have done nothing to hurt the name, and have probably given it artistic, and romantic flavor. I also think it's an appealing choice to new parents because it fits in a trend of using surnames as first names.

Grant is also the famed surname of the US President and Commanding General who led the Union Army to victory during the Civil War. His strength and leadership give Grant a patriotic, presidential quality to this day.

Popularity
Grant may have hit a peak in 1997, when statistics show it was the most popular it's been in America's history at 115. Today it's ranked at 155 (for 2014), which is a great testimony to Grant's likability and stability as a gentlemanly classic. Grant strikes me as classy but down-to-earth, and familiar but not yet overused.

Meaning
Though the meaning of the name is "great," I would argue that a secondary meaning could be "to bestow or to give," which is how we use this word in our everyday lives. Combine the two, and you have a great gift, which is what every baby is.

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Graham ~ James ~ Theodore ~ Pioneer Baby Names

Giselle

Giselle ~ Oath, Pledge ~ French, English origins

It's not your imagination. Names that carry a sort of ballerina-fairy-princess association are popping up everywhere. Blame it on Disney, if you will, for creating beautiful animated songbirds that always manage to snag the prince. Jasmine, Ariel, Belle, Ella, Fiona, Aurora, and now Giselle are among dazzling characters portrayed on the big screen who have single-handedly inspired a naming trend.

Giselle (from Disney's Enchanted) is guaranteed to spark the imaginations of soon-to-be parents everywhere. But for some, the idea of Giselle being newly exposed to an audience of millions will take away the uniqueness of this feminine name*.

And speaking of feminine, this name was already dripping with femininity due to the likes of supermodel Giselle Bündchen and the ballet entitled Giselle. The ballet is so famous that Giselle is perhaps the most iconic ballerina name in existence.

To add to its grace, this name is very similar to the word gazelle, nature's most fluid leaper.

Popularity
Giselle is ranked at 215 for 2014 and has fallen a bit in popularity since the original publishing date of this post.

*Alternatives to Giselle could include Gianna or Gabriella.