Inspiring Names - "Hart of Dixie"

Stuck for a Name?

"Hart of Dixie" has to be my favourite show of 2011- it's so uplifting and quirky. I guess I also like to think that there are towns like that out there, and I'm still a fan of Rachel Bilson from her days on "The O.C.". But one of the other things I love so much about this show are the refreshing names many of the characters have.

The main character Dr Zoe Hart alone offers some great naming possibilities. Zoe - meaning life - has long been a favourite of mine. Unfortunately I'd hesitate to use it now because it is so popular. Last year Zoe was ranked 16th most popular girls name in both my state and for the whole of Australia.

However Hart.....well that throws up a few new, fresher possibilities! Hart is an English boys name, meaning stag. I like that this is technically an animal/nature name, without obviously being so. It's also a strong, short name which I find I prefer for boys names. But there is no denying that it obviously sounds like 'heart', which most people associate with girly things like flowers and rainbows. Makes Hart sound a little (O.K., a lot) less masculine,  so if you're stuck on this name for a boy I think it'd be strictly middle name material. Even as a girls name it doesn't quite work, as people would likely always spell it incorrectly and think you were trying to use a word name (a huge trend at the moment).

I feel that the winning choice here is Hartley. This is also an established English name, meaning stag meadow, and fits right in with the other unisex -ley names such as Riley and Bailey. Hartley was chosen by Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath for his daughter Hartley Grace in 2010, most likely inspired by the name of the town where he was born, Hartford. I think if I was to use this name it would also most likely be for a girl, although I'd opt for the variant Hartlee (as my husband's middle name is Lee). Other usable versions include Hartleigh, Hartlea and Hartlie, depending on your personal style.

Some other great "Hart of Dixie" names to inspire you are:

Girls
Addy
Annabeth
Clora
Delia
Didi
Dixie
Emmeline
Joelle
Lemon (short for Clementine - love this!!)
Magnolia
Rose
Shelley
Shula
Tancy (pron. Tansy)

Boys
Brick
Dash
Earl
Ethan
George
Judson (first time I had heard this handsome one)
Lavon
Tom
Wade
Wilson (actually one of the actors, not a character, but I thought it fits right in)