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?

Model Names

I quite often have a bit of a trawl through the Internet looking for photos to use here on Baby Name Pondering. Usually I end up at a lot of baby photographers blogs. And may I say there are plenty of gorgeous ones out there! But the other day for a bit of a change I was having a look at the website for Women Management, an agency that has offices in New York, Paris and Milan and has had models such as Kate Moss on their books.

Any time I get a chance to see a lot of girls of different nationalities together (such as with the Miss Universe pageant), it's always interesting to look at the vast variety of names you end up with. Names that may be quite common in their country of origin often sound exotic and mysterious when heard in another part of the world. And this was definitely the case with the names of the models currently represented by Women Management, which I have listed below (first names only). Which ones strike your fancy?

Addison

Agnete

Alek
Alex (x2)
Alexa
Alina (x2)
Aline (x2)
Alla
Alyona
Amanda (x2)
Amra
Amy (x2)
Ana
Anais
Anastasia (x2)
Andreea
Angela
Anja
Ann (x2)
Anna (x6)
Annabelle
Annaleise
Anne (x2)
Anne Marie

Anu
Anzhela
Auguste
Auste
Ava
Aygul
Aymeline
Azul
Barbara (x2)
Barbora
Beegee
Behati
Belen
Bregje
Britt
Brittany
Brooke
Bruna
Camilla
Carla
Carmen
Caroline (x2)
Charlotte (x3)
Chelsey
Chiara
Chiharu
Chloe
Chrishell
Clara
Coco
Corinna
Daiane
Dana (x2)
Daphne
Daria
Dasha
Deimante
Denija
Dewi
Diana (x2)
Dioni
Dolores
Donata
Dorte
Doutzen
Edda
Edit
Eeke
Ekaterina
Elcee
Eleanor
Elena (x3)
Eline
Elise
Eliza (x2)
Emely
Emma'Eve
Ewelina
Fabiana
Fei Fei
Felien
Feline
Feruza
Flavia

Fleurance
Frida
Friederike
Gabriela
Geiza
Georgia
Georgina (x2)
Giedre (x2)
Ginta
Guinevere
Hanna
Hannah
Hartje
Heather
Helena
Heloise
Herieth
Hermione
Hirschy
Hristina
Hyun Yi
Ida

Iekeliene
Ieva
Ilda
Ilva
Inga Marie
Inguna
Irina (x4)
Iris (x3)
Isa
Isabel
Isabeli
Isabella (x2)
Isabelle
Iselin
Izabel
Jana
Janneke
Jefimija
Jenna
Jess
Jessica
Jiang Xiao
Jing
Joanna

Johanne
Jordan
Josefien
Jourdan
Julia (x6)
Julie (x2)
Julier
Kadri
Kadriana
Karina
Karolin
Karolina (x2)
Karoline
Kasia
Katarina
Kate
Katharina (x2)
Kati
Katie
Katja
Katrin
Katya (x3)
Kel
Kely

Kika
Kirsi
Klaudia (x2)
Kristina
Kristine (x2)
Kristy
Ksenia
Laia
Lais (x2)
Lakshmi
Lara
Laura (x2)
Lauren
Lea
Leila
Lela
Lian
Liisi
Lina
Line
Lisa
Liwia
Liza (x2)
Lourdes

Luca
Lucie
Lucija
Maaike
Maartje
Maja (x4)
Malaika
Malu
Marcela Boaventura
Mari
Maria (x3)
Mariacarla
Marieke
Marina (x2)
Marique
Marpessa
Marta
Maryana
Masha (x2)
Maxine
Megan
Melissa

Melodie
Merethe
Merie
Michelle
Milagros
Milana
Milica
Milly
Mina
Mirte
Nastya (x3)
Natalia (x4)
Nataliya
Natalya
Natasa
Natasha
Naty
Nikola
Nina
Nyok
Oktawia
Olga
Olja
Paulina (x2)

Pernille
Qiwen
Rachel (x2)
Raniely
Regina
Rezi
Rianne
Ronja
Rosa
Rozanne
Sabina
Sabine
Sabrina
Sam
Sand
Sara (x2)
Sarah (x2)
Sarka
Sasha (x2)
Sheila
Simone
Snejana
Solange

Sophia
Stefanie
Stephanie
Sterling
Stina
Tacie
Talis
Taya
Teresa
Tessa
Thea
Thelma
Timea
Tine Fremo
Toni
Trine
Unni
Vala
Valentina
Valeria (x3)
Valerie (x3)
Valerija
Vanessa

Vendela
Vera
Veranika
Veroni
Veronika
Viivi
Vika (x2)
Viktoria
Viktoriya
Vita
Vlada
Yaya
Ymre
Yulia (x3)
Zamfira
Zhenya
Zo
Zuzanna

Giselle

Jewelled Headband available at Etsy

Giselle is a name that oozes femininity in my eyes. Like the gazelle that it sounds so similar to, it seems sleek, elegant, yet quite exotic. And the fact that there is a gorgeous Brazilian model with this name does nothing to distract from that image!

Although quite a French sounding name, Giselle (pronounced jiz-ELLE) actually has Old German roots, coming from the word "gisil". It means 'hostage or pledge'. This may not sound overly appealing, but needs to be considered in it's original context. In the middle ages, warring parties would sometimes offer a person (often a child) to the other party as a symbol of their pledge of peace. This helps to dispel some of the negativity around the 'hostage' connotation, when you think of it in terms of being a promise of a better way of living.

Giselle entered the US top 1000 in 1983, peaking just short of the top 100. It's easy to see why, especially when you consider some of the great nicknames it conjures up, such as Gigi, Zelle or the ever popular Ella. Just be aware that Jiz is also a possible nickname, one that could be the cause of much teasing if you live in a country like Australia where it's a slang term for - well, um - male ejaculation, to put it nicely.

Besides Victorian Secret model Gisele Bundchen, you may also recognise Giselle as the name of a ballet. The ballet 'Giselle' was inspired by a poem by Heinrich Heine and is the story of a peasant girl (Giselle) who loves dancing. She falls in love with nobleman who is disguised as a peasant, only to die of a broken heart when she discovers he is already engaged to a noblewoman. She later rises from the grave to protect him from a nasty death, forgiving him in the process.

The story and the name Giselle are also familiar to little girls through the Barbie movie 'Barbie in the Pink Shoes', where Barbie is transported into the magical "Ballet World". Further adding to the magical princess vibe of this name is the character  Princess Giselle, played by Amy Adams in the 2007 movie 'Enchanted'.

Giselle is a beautiful name. If you want something similar but a little rarer, Gisella or Gisette are other possibilities. But I personally prefer Giselle for it's balance and grace. Or maybe this could be the next Grace - evoking the impression of Grace without being an actual virtue name. It all adds up to one gorgeously feminine name.

Florinda

I saw this name - Florinda - in the paper today as the name of a French model. Having never heard it before, I was intrigued. It sounded like a great smoosh of Florence (which is so hot right now) and Linda. Exotic yet familiar at the same time, and different enough to stand out in a crowd.

So I have to admit I was surprised when a quick Google showed me that this is far from a new, invented name. Florinda is a Latin/French name, a variant of Flora, who was the Roman Goddess of Flowers. Like Flora, it means flower, flowering or in bloom. It has been used more years than not in the US but never given to more than a couple of dozen girls in any one year. When used used in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands it is pronounced flo-RIN-dah (which is how I automatically thought of it), when used in Spain and Portugal it is said flo-REEN-dah.

Florinda could be a great, little used alternative for popular favourites Flora and Florence, and better yet, another way to get to the cute nicknames Flo and Florrie. It's also a subtle nature name, for those like myself who like names with nature meanings. Still not quite convinced? Here are a few other similar choices and their meanings to get you thinking:

Florine (flower)

Florina (flower)

Florissa (flower-like)

Florencia (blooming flower)

Florentina (blooming flower)

Floressa (flower)

Floretta (flower)

Floria (blooming flower)

Floriana (flower)

Florinia (blooming flower)

Florita (flower)

Fleur (flower)

Fleurette (little flower)

section of the painting 'Florinda' (1852) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter