Maeve

updated Sept 2015

Maeve ~ Intoxicating; She who intoxicates ~ Irish

statue of Queen Medb, Dublin, Ireland

Pronunciation
Maeve is a one-syllable name and is pronounced MAYV. Just to be clear, it rhymes with save and cave. I personally love the look of the spelling. Even though it may be confusing for some people on the first encounter, the "ae" softens this name for me quite a bit. (If you thought Maeve looked tough to pronounce, try the original Gaelic: Méadhbh.)

History
Maeve is a spirited Irish folklore name coming from the Gaelic Méadhbh and Medb, meaning "she who intoxicates". Queen Medb is a character from Irish mythology who is jealous of her husband's wealth, wages war in order to gain a stud bull that will rival her husband's, and has an array of lovers. (Those are just the highlights, you can read the longer story here.)

Medb is also referred to as a Fairy Queen. And some say that Shakespeare's Queen Mab, a fairy from Romeo & Juliet, gets her name from Queen Medb.

Maeve is an ancient name that is held dear to many because of its Irish roots and powerful personality. To the Irish in particular, Maeve will sound like a strong warrior. Any way you look at it, this name has a story to tell.

Popularity
Maeve is having a moment here in the US. Take a look at the line graph from the Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager tool, which depicts popularity over time:

Maeve is steadily rising. It sits at #482 (updated from 2014 stats) out of the top 1,000 names in the US. That's not a popular name, but I do imagine that Maeve will continue to go up the charts for a few more years. Maeve first got my attention years ago while browsing baby naming boards online—it seems especially popular among name lovers.

Variations

• Mab
• Maeva
• Maive
• Mayve
• Meabh
• Meav
• Meibh

Famous Namesakes & Celebrity Babies

• Actor Chris O'Donell's daughter
• Actress Lili Taylor's daughter
• Actress Maeve Quinlan
• Irish author Maeve Brennan

Magnolia

updated Sept 2015

Magnolia ~ flowering tree ~ French

Magnolia is a lilting floral name that seems especially appropriate this time of year. Its feminine sound drips with charm and evokes a southern garden scene. It's what I would call a statement name, and while it's very unique it's also familiar and accessible.

History & Use
Magnolia is the name of a species of flowering trees, with varieties growing in Asia, Africa, and North and Central America. The magnolia tree is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol. The genus name magnolia was first used in the early 1700s. In the US, magnolia trees are found primarily in the East, with the most popular tree being the southern magnolia, found in the Southeast.

Americans used the name Magnolia with the most enthusiasm in the years 1902-1912. After that, statistics show that parents chose the name less and less until it fell out of the top 1,000 in the year 1941. But that gives this name a fantastic bit of vintage appeal.

The play Steel Magnolias, which debuted in 1987 and later became a blockbuster movie, brought to life a group of Southern women who were both strong and delicate. The popularity of the movie strengthened the public's association with magnolias, women, and the South.

(Potential) Popularity
When I first wrote this post, I was surprised to find that Magnolia hadn't yet returned to the top 1,000 names in America. Here's what I wrote right before that happened...

I do expect it to soon, in part due to the recent appearance of the character in Hart of Dixie. But perhaps a stronger reason why this name is due to rise in popularity is the growing trend of floral names as well as multiple-syllable names ending in -ia (think Olivia, Sophia, Amelia).

Magnolia is undeniably ready for its five minutes of fame and hopefully more! It's brimming with potential and Southern charm, and while people may be surprised to encounter it, they will probably wonder why they haven't heard the name more often.

Name Rank: 831 for 2014

Potential Nicknames

• Maggie
• Lia

Celeb Babies

• No Doubt drummer Adrian Young and wife named their daughter Magnolia, born June, 2011.

Millicent

Millicent ~ Industrious ~ German

I have a thing for three-syllable names that begin with M, and Millicent is no exception. Its sweet sound captures some of the flavor of its more popular counterparts like Madeline, Matilda, Michaela, or Melody. But Millicent is more unique and packed with charm. The similarity between the name and the word innocent also adds to our perception of the name, making it on par with a virtue name.


Popularity
Millicent may sound like an "old lady name" at first, because it hasn't seen much popularity in the U.S. since the 1950s. It has even dropped out of the top 1,000 names altogether for the past 45 years. But it's been more popular in Great Britain and Australia, and I think it has lots of potential to appear on the U.S. charts again soon.

The accessible nickname Millie is a major reason for my prediction. Millie was popular in America in the late 1800s, when it shared the spotlight with names like Callie and Nellie. Today, these pioneer names have made a comeback and Millie fits right in. Millie is already making an appearance in the top 1,000 names, and I think it will continue to gain popularity.

While Millicent may be a bit off-beat, it has a sound that's full of frills and charisma. It's a unique choice that is still familiar to most of us. Between that and its irresistible nickname, I think Millicent is a lovely choice.

Meaning
If you look online or through baby name books, you'll find several different interpretations of what Millicent means. The name actually comes from two Germanic words that mean "work" and "strength." I've found the following meanings for the name from 5 different sources:

• highborn power
• noble
• industrious
• ambitious
• mild strength
• brave strength
• strong work
• strong

Whatever interpretation you choose, Millicent has a meaning that conveys strength and diligence. For this feature, I chose the meaning that I felt most aptly describes its roots.

Famous Namesakes
Millicent Rogers, heiress and fashionista
Millicent Martin, English actress and singer
Millicent Fenwick, fashion editor and politician

Characters
Millicent Bulstrode and Millicent Bagnold from Harry Potter
Millicent Huxtable from One Tree Hill
Millicent Bystander from Flushed Away 

Marissa, Marisa, and Maris

updated Sept 2015

Maris ~ Star of the Sea ~ Latin

Marissa was the name of a childhood friend of mine. Together we had picnics in the backyard, played games with the neighborhood kids, and made forts in the livingroom. She had pretty dark hair and eyes, and a particularly fashionable mother. I have always loved her name.

I think Marissa's mother was a little ahead of the times by choosing a name that didn't hit its peak until 1995. It's a nice alternative to the more common Melissa, and it has a beautiful meaning. Derived from Maris, the name comes from an epithet for the Virgin Mary, who is a guiding star to the "sea" or the Isrealites. The Latin is Stella Maris, meaning Star of the Sea. Gorgeous!

Popularity

This name and its variants are all over the map. Maris is not in the top 1,000 names at all. It sounds perhaps a bit less flowing and modern, and it doesn't help that Maris was the name of a (never-seen) neurotic character on the t.v. show Frasier.

Marissa, the most popular form, is in the middle of the top 1,000 and falling a bit in popularity since the mid-nineties. The spelling Marisa is substantially less popular. That doesn't make any of these names a bad choice, of course.

Marissa is still a well-liked name with a nice sound and meaning. It will always have a soft spot in my heart.

Facts and Stats

• Variations of Maris include: 
• Marisa
• Marise
• Marish
• Marisha
• Marissa
• Marisse
• For 2014, Marissa has fallen to 473, and Marisa is no longer in the top 1,000.
• Marissa is the name of a character on the O.C.
• Marisa is a character from The Golden Compass

Madeline

updated Sept 2015

Madeline ~ of Madgala ~ French

Many of us know Madeline as the name of an endearing French girl who stood out from her 11 schoolmates in the famous Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. In these stories, the precocious girl tours Paris and has many adventures with her class, showing bravery and spirit every step of the way. The beautiful Parisian illustrations combined with charming rhymed verse have made Madeline a star since the stories were first published in 1939.

I give a lot of credit for the love affair we have with the name Madeline to these wonderful books. They made a French name more accessible for Americans and created a soft spot in our hearts for the name.

Popularity
The name Madeline has also taken off in the past decade due to its cultured air and flowing sound. If you choose this name you must be willing to share it with many other girls across America, and probably at least one in your daughter's school. Since Madison is also a popular name, the nickname Maddie is heard even more commonly. It's something to keep in mind, but it shouldn't deter you if you're looking for a beautiful and well-liked name.

How to pronounce Madeline
The most popular pronunciation is MAD-ah-linn. Only a few will use this name intending it to be pronounced mad-ah-LINE (long i). It's interesting that the Madeline series of books rhymes Madeline with words like "shine" "fine" and "time," leading me to believe Bemelmans meant it to be pronounced this way. In Europe, you may hear mad-LEEN or Mad-ah-LEEN.

Variations

• Mada
• Madalyn
• Maddi or Maddie
• Madelaine
• Madeleine
• Madelene
• Madelyn
• Madalina
• Madge
• Madilyn
• Madga

More on Madeline

• Rated #89 in the US for 2014 (still popular, but beginning to drop in popularity just a bit)
• Celeb babies with this name:
• David Duchovny & Tea Leoni's daughter
• Lea Thompson's daughter
• Doug Savant's daughter
• Adam Sandler's daughter, Sunny Madeline
• Jamie Lynn Spears named her daughter Maddie, a variation of Madeline that was inspired by Bemelmans' books
• Characters named Madeline include
• Madeline Fitzpatrick, a character in Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
• Madeline Hayes, a character in the 80s TV series Moonlighting played by Cybil Shepherd
• Madeline Ferguson, a character in the 90s TV series Twin Peaks

Maxwell

updated: Sept 2015

Maxwell ~ from Mack's spring ~ Scottish

There is something about this name that hits our buttons in America. Maybe it's the fashionable "x" or the Scottish roots, or maybe it's simply the fact that it's a common surname. My reasons for liking it are the x and a personal connection—my relatives named Maxwell immigrated from Scotland in the 1700s. For whatever reason, Maxwell and its nickname, Max, are doing pretty well these days.

When I first mentioned this week's pick for a boy's name, my husband said right away, "You have to talk about Maxwell Smart." The star of Get Smart, Maxwell is a loveable but klutzy secret agent who manages to get the bad guy in spite of his ineptitude. Even though the character first hit television screens across America in 1965, the name didn't catch on much until after the show was off the air.

Popularity

But it did catch on, and it climbed the charts significantly over the past 30 years. It's well-liked today and it sits at 107 for 2014. Maxwell is offering parents a more formal version of Max, and it's great for parents who love nicknames and longer-but-versatile names. Both are growing in popularity, but Max has shown steadier use throughout America's history, never dipping below #400 as long as we have records.

Maxwell is ranked at 107, and Max is at 112 (2014 stats).

Celebrity Babies

• Maxwell, son of Ryan and Trista Sutter, of The Bachelorette
• Maxwell Edward, son of Lance Armstrong
• Maxwell Drew, daughter of Eric Maxwell Johnson and Jessica Simpson
• Maxwell Lue, daughter of Lindsay Sloane

Micah

Micah ~ Who is Like God? ~ Hebrew

Origins and History
The other day, a new employee was introduced to the company I work for in an email. My coworker called over our cube wall, "Hey, that must be a hippie name, huh?" I thought, truly perplexed. Then it dawned on me: the new guy, Micah, has a name that also sounds like mica, the mineral. And that is something entirely different.

Micah has Hebrew origins. It's a book of the Old Testament, named for a prophet, or a man chosen by God to speak to people. Micah calls the people to change their sinful ways, reminding them of the blessing that would follow. He speaks of mercy and compassion from God.

Micah is very similar to the more classic name Michael, but it's not considered a short form of that name. Micah stands on its own as a full name. And like Noah, this name is proving itself to be quite on-trend.

It's a lovely name with rich Biblical history, but I also like it for the odd-yet-obvious connection my coworker made: mica, the mineral. I used to admire it on vacation in the Black Hills, where it covered the forest floor, making the ground sparkle.

A Name For Boys or Girls?
I have known one person with this name—a woman who was a friend of my older sister's. Though it's traditionally a male name, some use it for girls too, and I can see the charm it has either way.

• For 2014, Micah is nationally ranked at 109 for boys and 994 for girls. This name is leaning blue, so to speak.
• Micah was the name of a character in Heroes, a child prodigy who has special abilities with electronics.
• Not many celebs are named Micah, but here's one: Micah Alberti

Myla

Myla ~ Merciful ~ American

Sept 2015 Update: Myla has taken a huge leap in popularity since this post was originally written in 2008. It is currently ranked at #371 and I do expect it to climb a bit more over the next couple of years, particularly as parents look for an alternative to Miley.

When I came across this name in my baby name book, I was immediately drawn to it. Its meaning is lovely and the sound is really appealing. It hits the same buttons as names like Maya, Mia, or even Kayla, but Myla is much more unique. And statistics prove it, as Myla is just beginning to be used. In 2006, it was number 912 in the U.S., and barely on the map; while Maya, for example, was number 57 that same year.

Even before I found it jumping out at me from the pages of my name book, I saw one reference to this name that I was barely aware of. Myla Goldberg is author of Bee Season, a book I happen to own. Her novel became a best-seller when it was published in 2001, and four years later it was made into a movie staring Richard Gere and Juliet Binoche. The author could be the reason Myla has been used with any frequency in the past two years.

But maybe a more convincing reason is that Miley Cyrus’ show, Hannah Montana, debuted in 2006, and the sound of her name was starting to catch on.

It’s clear that this name has some potential to become more popular, whether parents are motivated by pop culture, similar names, the sound, or the meaning. I love its simplicity and I expect others will love it too.