Hadley

A few years ago, I came across this name when watching 'True Blood'. Hadley Hale is main character Sookie's cousin and is also a fairy herself. The name felt so cute and bubbly, yet so intelligent at the same time, I was hooked. I could see her as the introverted bookworm, an outgoing peppy popular girl, a sporty tomboy or a preppy socialite. Is it just me, or does that sound like a description for characters for a new CW show in the vein of 'Pretty Little Liars'?

Hadley is a nature name meaning 'heather field', yet feels quite far removed from 80's darling Heather or even popular 90's girl Hayley.

For some strange, unexplainable reason I always associate Hadley with Harper. And I honestly feel surprised that Harper is the more popular of the two (not that Harper doesn't have it's own brand of fresh, perkiness). Both however appeal to a lot of people - in 2012 Harper was ranked #24 in the U.S and Hadley a not-too-shabby #130. This puts Hadley in a good position of being well liked and popular without feeling over-used.

For some Hadley feels more like a surname or boys name, and they're not wrong. It is Ernest Hemingway's wife Hadley Richardson (born Elizabeth Hadley Richardson) that first put this name on the radar for women. In 1964 Hemingway's memoir 'A Moveable Feast' - capturing his and Hadley's time together in Paris in the 1920's - was published. That was the first year that Hadley appeared on the U.S charts for girls. Prior to that it had only been charting as a boys name, since the early 1900's. Today it still sees use for both genders, but it is overwhelmingly more popular for girls, with only 49 boys receiving this name in the U.S in 2012. This all just adds to the chameleon like versatility of Hadley.

Whether you're inspired by a Heather you want to honour, Hemingway's first wife, a bubbly fairy, or another Hadley (maybe Tony Hadley from 80's New Romantic group Spandau Ballet?), it's hard to go wrong with the charming Hadley. Or maybe you just straight out love the sound of it. I know I do.