Trends and Insights - 2014 Victorian Top 100

Photo by Karen Wiltshire

The Australian state of Victoria has already released it's top 100 results for 2014!

Since it's the state I live in, I'm particularly interested in what is happening in Victoria. So I thought I'd share some of the insights I got from this years results.

For The Girls...

We're falling in love with vintage nicknames - Particularly if they're boyish! Charlie and Billie have returned to our top 100, while Frankie debuted at #95 and Sadie and Elsie also entered the top 100. Sadie is actually the hottest new entry and fastest rising girl name overall, entering at #64! Evie and Ellie also rose, while Millie held her ground.

We think "EL" is a hot sound - Elsie entered the top 100 at position #84, Ella, Ellie and Eloise are all on the rise and Eliza and Elizabeth are also still in the top 100. Other names featuring the "EL" sound that rose in 2014 were Evelyn, Isabel, Annabelle, Isabelle and Madeleine. Hazel and Penelope both entered the top 100. And Isabella, Stella and Bella can also be found in the top 100.

We prefer Sophie over Sophia. And Sofia. - In 2013 in Australia the combined spellings of Sophia and Sofia put the name at number 8, two places ahead of Sophie. She was also the winner in the U.S. But in 2014 in Victoria? Combining Sophia and Sofia would put her at #15, still 8 places behind our 7th favourite name, Sophie.

We made different pop culture choices - All the punters have been tipping Elsa to rise dramatically thanks to Frozen. But it seems our hearts are actually with her sister, Anna. Elsa is noticeably missing from our top 100, whereas Anna was one of our fastest rising names, up 23 places! We also shunned 'Game of Thrones' character Khaleesi/Daenerys but gave the nod to the actress who plays her, with Emilia entering the top 100 at #68.

But we agree with some predictions - Violet, Penelope, Hazel, Ariana and Piper are hot picks to rise in 2015, but we've gotten an early start on that! Violet is up 35 places and Piper 18. Penelope, Hazel and Ariana were all new entries.


For The Boys...

We're heavily debating nicknames vs full names - Over a quarter of the names in the top 100 are nicknames and their full names. In some cases the nickname is tops, in other cases it's the full name. So it seems there are some sounds that we simply love, in any of its' forms. The most popular options are highlighted below:

	Full Name	Position		Nickname	Position
	Alexander	11		Alex	83
	Archer	40		Archie	34
	Charles	92		Charlie	12
	Elijah	39		Eli	70
	Harrison	22		Harry	23
	Jackson	35		Jack	2
	Jaxon	42
	Jacob	25		Jake	55
	Lucas	7		Luke	63
	Maxwell	87		Max	17
	Nathaniel	97		Nate	53
	Nathan	64
	William	3		Liam	14
	Zachary	51		Zac	95
	Isaac	21

But overall, full names are winners - We seem to predominantly like a formal name on the birth certificate. For those names where only the full name or the nickname appears in our top 100, there are three times as many full names as nicknames. For example, we love Benjamin but not Ben, Samuel but not Sam, Nicholas but not Nick. Theodore and Anthony also entered the top 100 in 2014, with no Theo or Tony to be seen. Nicknames that buck the trend? That would be Leo, Toby and surprising new entry, Lenny.

We're pretty conservative when naming boys - We love the old fashioned staples, particularly if they can be found in the Bible or on a Royal family tree. This isn't anything particularly new, but shows few signs of changing. The next hot Biblical pick looks to be Caleb, which rose 20 places in 2014. The fastest rising Royal pick of 2014 was George - thanks to William and Kate's first born. Hot on his heels though is Edward, already placed ahead of George and also rising. If William and Kate's second child - due in April - happens to be a boy and they name him Edward, we could see Edward shoot into the top 10 very soon.

Kai bucks the norm - It seems that the winning formula for a boys name in Victoria is a two syllable name (71% of the top 100) with Biblical or Royal (preferably British) roots. So why is it that one-syllable Kai was super hot in 2014? Kai is a new entry to the top 100 and the fastest rising name for boys or girls in 2014, entering at position #61! We are admittedly a little behind the other states though as Kai has been a top 100 Australian name for the past couple of years already.


For Both...

It's Charlie all the way - Charlie is the only name that appears in both the girls top 100 (at position #91) and boys top 100 (rising 9 places to #12 in 2014). Longer version Charlotte is #2 for girls, while Charles is #92 for boys.


Want to check out the full lists for yourself? Check out Anna's post at Waltzing More Than Matilda.

Andie

Model Andi Muise

She's cute and peppy, a tomboy nickname that still manages to feel feminine and intelligent. Andie seems to blend in almost effortlessly. You possibly know a few and haven't given it much thought as a name. But if you take a step back and consider it for a moment, you appreciate just how pretty and stylish it is in it's simplicity.

When I think of Andie, my mind immediately goes to Molly Ringwald in 'Pretty In Pink', or the sweet popular cheerleader in 80's favourite 'The Goonies' (OK, the second is actually Andy, but the sound is still there). That leaves me feeling that Andie and her variants are 80's names, but this isn't actually true.

In the U.S, Andi "peaked" recently in 2012 at #1436; Andie in 1995 at #1330; Andee in 1995 at #3423; and Andy in 1959 at #2345. In comparison, for boys Andee has never charted; and Andi and Andie have regularly charted for boys but not as highly as it does for girls. And then of course Andy remains super popular for boys - it hasn't ranked less than #381 since the SSA started reporting on names in 1880.

Let's chalk her popularity in 1995 up to actress Andie MacDowell. Born Rosalie Anderson MacDowell, she was extremely busy in the mid 90's. Perhaps her most memorable role was as Hugh Grants' enchanting love interest in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. You don't have to look very far to find plenty more examples since then. On TV we saw character Andie McPhee on 'Dawson's Creek' from 1998 to 2003, played by Meredith Monroe; and from 2007 to 2009 Missy Peregrim played Andi Prendergast on 'Reaper'. In movies Kate Hudson played main character Andie Anderson in 2003's 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'; 2008 saw Briana Evigan play lead Andie in 'Step Up 2: The Streets'; and Emma Roberts starred as Andi in the family movie 'Hotel for Dogs' in 2009. Real life examples include Phillipine actress Andi Eigenmann, model Andie Arthur, and Victoria Secret model Andi Muise. And the latest Andi to make headlines is Andi Dorfman, current star of 'The Bachelorette' who famously walked out on 'The Bachelor' Juan Pablo Galavis for being selfish, sexist and boring.

Coming from the Greek word Andros, Andie means 'strong, man, manly or warrior'. But really, this could possibly change if you are using Andie as a nickname for a different longer name. So in case you love Andie (or my personal preference, Andi) but want something a little more "substantial" to fall back on, here are some options for you to consider:


The Familiar
Addison
Adrienne
Alexandra/Alessandra/Alexandria
Amanda
Andrea
Brandy
Candace
Candy
Cassandra
Chandler
Chandra
Fernanda
Mandy
Miranda
Randi
Sandra

The Path Less Traveled
Alandra
Amandine

Andie MacDowell

Andelyn
Andina
Andorra
Andra
Andretta
Andromeda
Briandra
Calandra
Celandine
Corisande
Deandra
England
Garland
Holland
Iolande
Ireland
Jacaranda
Jolanda / Yolanda
Landrey
Lavender
Leandra
Liliandil
Lysandra
Mandala
Melisande
Nanda
Orlanda
Pandora
Randa
Ruxandra
Sandira
Scotland
Shanandoah
Thandie
Xandie


What do you think - is Andie able to stand on her own, or would you use a longer name? What impressions do you have of Andie? Or even Andi?

Indie

Photo Courtesy of Work of Heart Photography

It feels like not too long ago, we were talking about how vintage flavoured nickname names ending in "ie" are making a comeback. Ellie, Sadie, Gracie and Allie were all in the U.S top 200 in 2012, while current Nameberry favourites include Maisie, Elsie, Millie, Evie, Hattie and Edie. Names such as this were so popular in the early 1900's that it might have felt like all the good "ie" names had been used. But it seems this wasn't necessarily the case. Meet Indie - one of the freshest "ie" nickname names to appear in recent years.

As the top names for the different Australian states were being released recently, I was following Anna's analysis posts at Waltzing More Than Matilda. At first, I was intrigued to note that Indigo is rising as a girls name in multiple states. But then I noticed Indie. Also quietly moving up the charts, and possibly indicative of a future trend for girls names containing "ind".

In 2013 Indie entered the Australian top 100 for the first time at #94. In the U.S it first charted in 1959, but the highest it has ever climbed there (so far) is #3017 in 2011. For girls, Indie is the most popular spelling, ahead of Indi and Indy, while for boys Indy is by far the most popular variant.

So why the higher popularity in Australia? It's likely that in 2013 Indie benefited from the 'Home and Away' effect, in much the same way that Brax and Braxton did in 2012. This time the character was Indigo "Indi" Walker, played by Samara Weaving. The character had been on the show for a few years, leaving in November 2013, so perhaps the news of her departure brought her name to the forefront of people's minds. Or maybe people admired Aussie action hero Chris Hemsworths' choice of India Rose for his daughter in 2012.

This assumes though that Indie has to be "inspired" by a different, longer name, when it's actually a perfectly spunky name in its own right. And that assumption probably isn't too far wrong. Most baby naming sources say it is a form of India, a place name likely meaning 'river' or 'from the river Indus'. Some say it's from Indigo, an Greek colour/word name meaning 'Indian dye'. Or maybe Indiana, meaning 'land of the Indians'. Or even Indira, a Sanskrit name meaning 'beauty'. The allure of simply using Indie is that it could possibly mean any - or all - of these things.

My first thoughts are of Indiana Jones and "indie" movies, songs and artists, so Indie feels like a confident, free spirited, adventurous and smart person to me. Others may think of  the colour Indigo, and think of an Indie as a spiritual, intuitive and relaxed personality. With so many different possible sources and associations, an Indie could be many things. Plus it's a great compromise if you love the sound but can't decide between two great, similar choices, or don't feel quite confident using Indigo or India.

But then again, maybe you think Indie is super cute - but suitable only as a nickname. Good news is there are plenty of options for a formal name. So as a final note, here's a list of "formal" names that all lend themselves to Indie as a nickname.

	Adelind		Corinda		Indianna		Josalind		Lucinda
	Aurinda		Delinda		Indiara		Kalindi		Marindi
	Belinda		Dorinda		Indica		Kindall		Melinda
	Brindley		Elinda		Indigo		Laurinda		Mindy
	Callinda		Florinda		Indira		Linda		Olinda
	Cherlindrea		Giacinda		Indra		Lindy		Rosalind
	Cinda		Glinda		Ingrid		Linden		Tindra
	Cindy		India		Jacinda		Lindezza		Windsor
	Clarinda		Indiana		Kaitlind		Lindsay		Yasminda

Inspiring Names - 'Nashville'

The Cast of 'Nashville'

I'm starting to think I have a real thing for these southern shows. The first for me was 'True Blood', sultry, sassy and the supernatural in Louisiana. Then I fell in love with 'Hart of Dixie', loaded with sweet charm and quirkiness and set in a small town called Bluebell in Alabama. And now it's 'Nashville', a portrayal of the drama and politics it takes to rise to the top and stay there in the competitive country music capital, in Tennessee.

'Nashville' didn't pull me in as immediately as the other two, but I'm addicted now none the less. And like any good scripted TV show, there is a multitude of great character names to mull over in this one. My favourites (and I'll admit up front that I may be strongly influenced by how much I also like the characters here) are:

Nash
The title and city gives us the cool cowboy name possibility of Nash. The city was founded and named for Francis Nash, but his surname has now become a hot given name. It entered the American charts for boys in 1910, but not the top 1000 until 1997, when the show 'Nash Bridges' firmly cemented Nash in our minds as a first name possibility. Fast forward to 2011, and Nash is positioned at #519. Ash and Ash names have long been hugely popular. The addition of the N gives it a fresh sound, and fits right in with other current favourites Dash and Cash. Plus short, "manly" names are looking hot for 2013.

Rayna
Rayna Jaymes (played by Connie Britton) is a superstar on the 'Nashville' country music circuit, and one of the leading ladies of the show. Whoever named this character did a good job - in Hebrew Rayna means 'song of the lord' and in Latin or Russian Rayna means 'queen', both of which fit this character. Rayna has been present in the American charts since the 1930's, but only became a regular in the top #1000 in the late 90's. It peaked at #756 in 2008, so is a familiar but not common name. Alternative spelling Raina is only slightly more popular. I feel like the Rayna spelling looks more "namey", whereas Raina looks more like rain and less regal. But then again Rayna could be mistaken for a feminine version of Ray, which might not appeal to some. Either way, I quite like the sound of Rayna, and think the name was well chosen for the show.

Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) and Rayna (Connie Britton)

Juliette
While Rayna is the veteran of the industry, Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) is the new comer to the scene. I think she's meant to have a Taylor Swift-esque career, but with more of a nasty, jaded attitude behind the scenes (and it's great to see Hayden playing a darker character than her cheerleader days). Juliette comes from Juliet, a Latin name meaning 'youthful'. The "ette" makes it feel even younger, as it is generally used to mean 'smaller'. Since one of the main themes of the show is that Juliette's youth makes her both a inexperienced in the industry (and prone to making some unwise career decisions), her youth and quick success is also a threat to Rayna. And just like Shakespeare's Juliet, this Juliette is somewhat of a tragic but vulnerable character, who also flirts with a marriage into a family who deem her "unsuitable" due to her own family background. This makes it another successfully chosen name.

Deacon
Deacon Claybourne (played by Charles Esten) is Rayna's long term guitar player, ex-flame and ex-alcoholic. He is almost as legendary in the country music world as Rayna is. Deacon has Greek origins, and means 'dusty one, servant, messenger'. It's also a title for a church officer or cleric. Again, these things could be said to apply to 'Nashville's Deacon. He's been around a long time, backing up Rayna, and now helps other reformed alcoholics as well as occasionally providing some wise, much needed advice to others in the show. Like Nash, Deacon has that cowboy feel to it, but also feels almost Irish/Scottish, possibly due to it's similarity to names such as Declan and Duncan. Deacon has charted in America since the late 60's/early 70's,  but really started leaping up the charts since the year 2000. In 2011 is was #66, and possibly still rising. I think the cowboy/ honest church official associations makes for a wholesome sounding name with just a touch of bad boy to it.

Scarlett
Scarlett is a name that that has been shooting up the American charts in the past decade, entering the top 100 at position #80 in 2011. Scarlett O'Connor is played by young Aussie actress Clare Bowen, and her wide eyed innocence and modesty makes for a great contrast against the similar age Juliette. Scarlett is Deacon's niece, and her O'Connor surname further hints at an Irish/Scottish connection for this family. Or maybe the writers were just aiming for some similarity to famous southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara. Like O'Hara, this Scarlett is passionate about her man, before realising she is naive. It takes a different man who really believes in her to give her the strength to assert herself and realise there is more potential to her than supporting a man.

While these are my favourites, the show is full of other great names, many or which are currently gaining in popularity. As an aside, looks like "ie"/y endings are quite popular in 'Nashville'!

Boys

Gunnar, played by Brit actor
Sam Palladio

Albert
Avery
Bo
Brock
Bucky
Coleman
Cy
Dominic
Glenn
Gunnar
JT
Kent
Lamar
Liam
Marshall
Mitch
Randy
Sean
Steve
Teddy

Watty

Girls
Audrey
Carmen
Daphne
Deb
Emily
Hailey
Jeanne
Jolene
Maddie
Makena
Marilyn
Peggy
Tandy

Carrie

Chloe Grace Moretz as telekinetic teen Carrie in the 2013 remake of Stephen Kings 'Carrie'

The posters for the new 'Carrie' movie sport the tagline "You Will Know Her Name". And indeed they are right. 2013 will likely be a big year for Carrie, with two of the most famous fictional Carries returning to the screen.

This week saw the first episode of 'The Carrie Diaries' air on CW. For those unaware, this show is the prequel to the much loved 'Sex and The City'. It follows the life of a teenage Carrie Bradshaw (played by Anna-Sophia Robb) as she deals with the death of her mother, the perils of high school and becoming....well....Carrie Bradshaw.

And then in October this year Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore star in the remake of Stephen King's 'Carrie', the chilling tale of a mousy teen whose telekinetic powers take on a hellish turn when high school bullying and her oppressive mother become too much for her.

Despite the well recognised "scary" Carrie - first portrayed by Sissy Spacek in 1976 - the popularity of Carrie does not seem to have suffered. When America started keeping SSA records in 1880, Carrie sat at a high #20 on the charts. In 1915 she slipped out of the top 100, and slowly declined for a number of years before re-entering the top 100 in 1968.

In 1976 when the original 'Carrie' came out, she was at a peak for that decade of #28, a position that remained steady in 1977 when Carrie Fisher made Princess Leia a cult figure in the first (now technically the fourth) Star Wars movie, 'Star Wars:A New Hope'. Her popularity waned again after that, and in 2009 fell out of the top #1000 for the first time.

But I don't think this is because Carrie has lost any of it's charm. Maybe we have just become a little Carrie-wary. Carrie Bradshaw graced our screens for 6 seasons (over 7 years), to be followed by 2 movies. Stephen King's 'Carrie' remains a Halloween favourite, and Carrie Fisher has become an almost legendary figure for Star Wars fans. In addition to that, we also have:

• American Idol winner Carrie Underwood
• Carrie Brownstein, singer, writer and actor in 'Portlandia'
• 'The Matrix' actress Carrie-Anne Moss
• American dancer, choreographer and 'Dancing With The Stars' judge Carrie Ann Inaba
• 'King of Queens' main character Carrie, played by Leah Rimini
• Actress Carrie Preston, who plays Arlene on 'True Blood'
• Lead character of 'Homeland', Carrie Mathison, portrayed by Claire Danes
• plus many, many more notable Carries!

So many Carries could mean we feel it's overused, but a big positive is that it also means that society doesn't have a particular stereotype for this name. You could be a fashionista, a writer, a dancer, a musician, a political activist and a powerful force to be reckoned with. People wouldn't necessarily see Carrie on a resume and think "dumb blonde", "sound's like a snob" or "that's a stripper name". Carrie is familiar, but by no means boring.

Carrie - like so many names ending in "ie" - started as a pet name, most notably for Caroline (Stephen Kings Carrie was actually short for Carietta, which has never appeared in the US charts). This gives it an Old German origin, and a meaning of 'free man'. Many names with this "ie" ending are being polished off and are making an appearance on today's birth certificates.

Carrie may be one of the few that was too recently popular to fall into the "vintage charm" category that characterises most of these re-discovered names. But with two fresh, beautiful young women playing teenage Carries this year, we are once again reminded that Carrie can be youthful, vibrant and strong. And that can be a powerful combination. One way or another, we'll be seeing a lot of Carrie in 2013.

Anna Sophia Robb as a youthful Carrie Bradshaw in 'The Carrie Diaries'

Sadie

Molly Tarlov, looking much more angelic than Sadie Saxton, the character she portrays on 'Awkward'

If you asked me ten years ago what I thought about the name Sadie, I probably would have screwed my nose up. My main Sadie experiences were an elderly (and very lovely) neighbour, a girl I wouldn't say I was friends with in primary school named Sadie-Rose, and the cleaning lady from the John Farnham song. In fact, I'm sure Farnsys breakout 60's song 'Sadie The Cleaning Lady' single-handedly caused a drop in the use of the name Sadie in Australia.

However lately she's been popping up all over the place, and my perceptions of Sadie have been changing. Today she was the eldest daughter in the new movie 'This Is 40'. Over the past year, she's been high school mean girl Sadie Saxton from MTV's 'Awkward' (I know we're not meant to like the bully's but there's something so cool about her snide "You're Welcome" after she delivers her zingers). Suddenly Sadie has spunk and attitude. She also has celeb baby cred, as Christina Applegate used it for her daughter Sadie Grace, born early 2011. And with the vintage revival trend going strong, Sadie is emerging as one of my favourite gems from the past.

Sadie (pronounced SAY-dee) started out as a pet form of the Hebrew name Sarah, meaning 'princess', but became commonly used as a name on it's own. In America she's actually quite a bit more popular than you might think. Sadie was positioned at #124 in the US in 2011, and was #78 on Nameberry's most popular girls names list for 2012, so likely to remain fairly steady when the SSA figures for 2012 are released in May. It's also popular in Canada and Scotland.

Sadie is a pretty, graceful, but fresh and spunky sounding name. Name aficionado Laura Wattenburg of Baby Name Wizard has been quoted as saying that Sadie is a "Quadruple bulls-eye" name, "perfectly combining Jewish heritage, period feel, informal style and modern appeal".

Sadie also offers some interesting options for parents who can't agree on whether they want a vintage, traditional name, or a more modern option. If you still can't agree on Sadie itself, I've heard of one couple settling for Mercedes, nickname Sadie as an unusual compromise. Zadie is another option - same sound, but the "Z" gives it a "cooler" look and feel if that's an important factor for you (as a side note, the only Zadie's I've known were short for Scheherazade, but it's also a fantastic name in itself and much much less popular than Sadie).

If you don't mind the plethora of different songs composed in her name, or that in America there's a custom of girls inviting boys to the Sadie Hawkins dance, Sadie (or even Zadie) is a gorgeous name that could tick a lot of boxes. Or dare I say it, hit multiple bullseyes for you.

Pixel & Other Technology Inspired Names

Pixel a.k.a. Pixie

A couple of months ago my brother and his wife bought a gorgeous new pet cat, who they named Pixel and nicknamed Pixie. It struck me as such a cute idea - my brother's a bit of a computer geek so Pixel was obviously his idea, but then they have a the cutesy name Pixie to use too. Plus, kittens and cats can often be mischievous little imps, just as pixies can be.

Then I turned on the TV today and lo and behold, what should I see but a cartoon called 'Pixel Pinkie'. It's an Australian show about two girls, one of who has a phone with a character called Pixel Pinkie in it that grants the girls wishes that then go terribly wrong. So chances are that this name would not seem to weird to children in today's world.

Considering 'Pixel Pinkie' this morning (which I took as a kind of sign) and the events in the past couple of weeks,  I figured today was the right time to profile Pixel as a name for a person. One of the events I refer to is the recent uproar created when it became known to the world that a baby girl was named Hashtag. The second is the report that the name Apple is also on the rise (for boys). When viewed together, many are once again claiming that "technology" names are an up-and-coming a trend. And if  the below stories and the comments they have attracted are any indication, this trend is not for everyone:

• Parents name baby 'Hashtag' & set her up for a lifetime of misery
• 'Hashtag' is just the beginning of ridiculous technology-inspired baby name trend
• Hello Hashtag? Parents give baby girl a Twitter-inspired name 

While I'm not personally a fan of Hashtag as a name (or Facebook, Like or Google, which have also been given to actual children), I'm not sure I see a massive problem here. People have often been inspired by famous figures, movies, books, characters, TV shows, current events etc when looking for names. If it's reasonable to think that Hurricane Sandy will spark a spate of Sandy related names, why couldn't the technology that we use every single day also provide inspiration for people?

The trick is to be a little more selective in how you do it - which means subtle and creative sounding. Hashtag and Google are too in-your-face. The reference is obvious, and they don't "sound" like names. They're not even creative variations on the names we already know and like. One of the reasons I love Pixel is because it is so closely related to Pixie, and sounds similar to several other established names such as Nyx, Nixie, Dixie and Trixie. It's cute for a girl, and could also work for a guy, especially if used with tougher sounding nickname Pix.

There are many other technology inspired names that could easily (or even at a stretch) meet this "subtle and creative" criteria. If you are intrigued by the idea of a technology age baby name but aren't sure where to start, here are my favourite ideas. Some are brands or companies, some are programs, some are languages, and some are just common terms. But all are names that aren't already well known "normal" ones that I think could pass with raised eyebrows rather than rolled eyes from your friends and family.

Acer
Adenine
Alef
Argus
Asus
Averest
Axum
Batch
Bing
Camino
Cel
Chrome

Poster for 'Pixel Pinkie'

Dart
Delphi
Esterel

Explorer
Euphoria
Fantom
Fortran
Haskell
Haxe
Jako
Java
Limnor
Linux
Lynx
Magma
Maple
Maquette
Matrix
Maxima
Mesa
Mirah
Neko
Nexus
Oriel
Perl
Pico
Quanta
Raster
Reia
Scala
Timber
Torrent
Unix
Vector
Vuze
Wistron
Zeno

Zimbra

Great Sibsets - Archie & Harry

Prince Harry......with a puppy! Too cute!

Today's sibset is inspired by an old workmate of mine. Anita and her husband Fraser moved here to Australia a few years ago from Scotland in the U.K. One of the reasons for the move was because they thought Australia would be a great place to raise a family (which I totally agree with, of course!), and they are now the proud parents of two beautiful boys. Big brother Archie is now 2 years old (almost 3), and Harry was born at the start of this year.

Archie and Harry are both such charming names, and complement each other extremely well. They're popular both here and in the U.K. While the names are firm favourites in the UK, and quite popular here in Australia, they are still to be embraced in America. In 2011 Archie was #24 on the England and Wales charts, while Harry took the number 1 position. In Australia Archie was #39 and Harry #40, and in America Archie was #1910 and Harry was #709 in 2011.  So if you live in the US and are a fan of British-sounding names, here are two great options you can get behind before everyone else discovers how great they are too.

Archie comes from the Teutonic name Archibald, and means 'bold, noble'. It could be a great alternative to Archer, a top #500 name in the US and number #12 in Australia. Anita tells me that Fraser suggested  Archie's name for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he was inspired by the soccer player (yes, I realise it's football to almost every other country in the world, but we have something here called Aussie Rules Football) Archie Gemmill. Archie Gemmill had a great career, but is best remembered for scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA world cup. The goal made him a national hero in Scotland, and was even mentioned in the cult film 'Trainspotting'. Which brings us to their second reason for choosing Archie - as Scots, it struck them as a great name to honour their Scottish roots.

Harry was also inspired by a famous figure - Prince Harry. Anita tells me he was a bit of a last minute pick (which is an understatement to say the least - she was still looking at baby naming books while she was in labour), but just seemed right as she is a bit of a royalist at heart and has always had a soft spot for Harry and his older brother William. Harry was traditionally a nickname for Henry, a German name meaning 'estate ruler'. Henry has been the name of many Kings of England, and is actually the birth name of Prince Harry. But somehow Harry seems to suit his cheeky but charming personality so much better. Of course there is also that incredibly famous Harry Potter, and the irrepressibly cute Harry Styles from British boy band sensation 'One Direction'. So the great thing is that with so many great Harry's to look up to people won't necessarily assume that you had the boy wizard in mind if you should choose to use Harry.

I love that both are nicknames that have become accepted as great names in their own right. They give off a warm, friendly and approachable vibe that makes them great picks that work extremely well together. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. I realised the other day that the celebrant who married me and my husband also has boys name Archie and Harry. It's definitely a winning combination.

Percy

Logan Lerman plays Percy (Perseus) Jackson

Since the release of the Percy Jackson books and then the movie 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (released in 2010) Percy has started to become a more attractive option to modern day parents. Admittedly, I have an extra reason to like Percy, as it was the middle name of one of my great grandfathers.

Back in the 1890's, Percy was hot stuff. It peaked at #111 in America, much more popular than the longer Percival that people often assume the name is derived from. Since that time, Percy has slowly slid into almost non-existence, not even mentioning a rating on the American charts in the 1990's.

There is some debate as to the origins of the name Percy. The main theories are:

1. It is a short form of the French name Percival, which means 'valley piercer'
2. It was an aristocratic Norman surname, which started as a place name from Perci-en-Auge
3. The name is from the Greek Perseus, which is derived from pērtho (to destroy).

It is the third alternative that is used in the Percy Jackson series, helping to give Percy the tougher image that it sorely needs. For some reason, over the past hundred years Percy gained a reputation as being a wimpy name. The negative comments I've seen about this name are:

• It has been used as a name for men's genitalia (I had never heard this - oh the joys of the Internet)
• And unfortunately also sounds similar to a slang word for a females genitalia
• "for some reason Percy Filth was used at college as a euphemism about having it off" (I assume this is related to the first point?)
• It reminds people of Percy Pig (I think this is a confectionery brand?)
• People think of the wimpy Percy character in 'The Black Adder' TV series
• Percy is the name of a train in 'Thomas the Tank Engine'
• The Harry Potter character Percy Weasley was a nasty, supercilious traitor
• The most famous Percy was Percy Bysshe Shelley, an English romantic poet
• Percy is an effeminate, "sissy" name

This conclusion is quite surprising when you consider the earliest examples of Perseus and Percival. Percival was one of King Arthur's Legendary Knights. He was the only knight virtuous enough to be able to retrieve the highly coveted Holy Grail, making him a hero. Likewise, Perseus was a great hero in Greek mythology, credited with killing the famous snake-haired Medusa. Perseus has recently been depicted not only in the Percy Jackson series, but also by the very easy to look at Australian Actor Sam Worthington, in the movies "Clash of the Titans" (2010) and "Wrath of the Titans" (2012).

I'm sure that it is due to these dual Perseus depictions that the shorter Percy is suddenly back on the radar. It now has a tough image longer form, and a lot of people are really love Greek mythological names. Perseus is one that has flown under the radar for a long time, so it has a certain cool and unique factor about it. And as with many names, it will soon lose a lot of it's negative tarnish and be considered cool again. People have already started comparing it to Archie, Alfie, Perry, Freddie, Artie and Charlie. Could Percy possibly be the next big thing in the nickname-as-name trend? I think it could.