Movie Name Quote

I was watching some girly rom-coms today and one of them was 'When in Rome'. It stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, but also featured Dax Shepard (pictured above) as one of Beths (Kristen Bell's character) "suitors". Dax plays a narcissistic model named Gale who is magically attracted to Beth when she takes his coin out of a love/wishing fountain. He comes on quite strong when they first meet....

Gale: I'm Gale. Like a gale force wind. I took on that name because it's the most powerful force in the natural world. For shaping and eroding the earth. It's ahhh.....You can feel it
Beth: Actually I think that's water...
Gale: Mmmm....
Beth: ....eroding the earth.....
Gale: I don't think it's water, I think it's wind.
Beth: ...like the Grand Canyon
Gale: I'm gonna look that up

So lesson to us all - always double check if you are choosing a name for it's meaning or symbolism ☺

Many people deride Gale as a girls name, and a dated one at that. The latter is understandable as Gale and Gail peaked in the 1950's, however both Gale and Gail have been used for both genders for a long time, so is not just a girls name. Gale had recently been flagging in the US but returned to the charts for both boys and girls in 2013. This was likely inspired by the character Gale Hawthorne from 'The Hunger Games' movies, played by Aussie Liam Hemsworth.

There's a few explanations for the meaning of Gale. Possibly it comes from the Middle English 'gaile', meaning jovial. Or it comes from the Gaelic word Gael, meaning 'a Celt' or 'foreigner'. The most popular opinion though is that it comes from Abigail, a Hebrew name meaning 'my father is joyful'. And of course it is also a nature word meaning 'a very strong wind'. All things considered, this makes Gale a positive, strong name.

The other cute thing about this movie scene is that it is between Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, who are now married with two beautifully named daughters - Lincoln Bell and Delta Bell.

Korben

You may remember a 1997 movie that featured Bruce Willis in an orange singlet, Milla Jovovich with orange hair, and a man named Ruby. 'The Fifth Element' is a futuristic sci-fi action adventure in which Willis plays Korben Dallas, an ex-taxi driver who finds himself tasked with saving the universe.Willis is great in this, and the movie itself is fun and funky, filled with snappy dialogue and somewhat bizarre characters.

Korben is a variation of another name, although there is some debate as to whether it stems from the Latin Corbin or the Hebrew Korban. They all sound alike (pronounced KOR-bin) and are so intertwined though that it's probably a bit of both.

The Latin Corbin meaning 'crow, raven' or 'raven-haired' is name that was once used by the Anglo-Normans in Old French and Old English times. It's thought it may have started as a shorter form for the longer and less wieldy Corbinian - a seventh century Frankish saint. Possibly it was just used a nickname for people with dark hair. It also saw use as a last name.

The Hebrew Korban (or Corban) is a biblical name, meaning 'gift or consecrated to God'. It wasn't used as a person given name though, it seems if was more another term for a gift, the purpose of which was to bring one closer to God. Many theorise that this is more like a sacrifice or sacrificial offering than a gift, and hence feel it can have negative undertones, but your viewpoint may depend on your religion.

What we do see here though is a myriad of spellings. With C and K spelling both having "legitimate" origins, this is one name where spelling it with a K isn't necessarily a case or Kardashian syndrome, or trying to create a "trendier" spelling. Variations that charted in the U.S in 2012 (in order of popularity) were Corbin (#221), Korbin (#559), Korbyn (#1052), Corban (#1069), Corbyn (#1166), Korben (#1422), Corben (#1992), Korban (#3932). Spellings Korbyn, Corbyn, Corbin and Korbin also chart for girls, but at a distant #4875, #7848, #11414 and #18167 respectively.

What I do like about this particular spelling - other than the sci-fi action hero reference - is that it lends itself to the nickname Ben, which is a great friendly and familiar nickname. Especially for a more distinguished, somewhat formal sounding name such as Korben. These contrasting feels makes this a very wearable name - a man with this name could be Ben when out drinking with the guys, but the respectable Korben when in the boardroom.  And I feel that in this particular case the K does make it a more powerful, masculine feeling name.

It's easy to pronounce, not super popular but still easily recognisable. It may look invented, but it has some very respectable origins And it doesn't hurt to tell your son that his name was inspired by an action hero who saved the universe.

Zaria

Photo Courtesy of Unposed Kids Photography

Today's nature name Zaria was plucked from Waltzing More Than Matilda's debut book 'International Baby Names for Australian Parents', which is full of good ideas even if you're not in Australia.

Zaria has a few possible pronunciations, which include ZAHR-ee-ah (my favourite), ZAHR-yah; or zah-RY-uh. And just as she has multiple pronunciations, she also has multiple origins in Russian/Slavic, Arabic, Swahili and Hebrew.

In Russian Zaria (or Zarya) means 'dawn' or 'sunrise'. It may also have links to the Zorya, who in Slavic mythology are two (or three) guardian goddesses known as the Auroras. They represent the Morning Star and the Evening Star, the third one being the Midnight Star, who is sometimes omitted. They watch over the doomsday hound who would bring on the end of the world if his chain were to break.

This is not the only link Zaria has to Slavic mythology, either. Zaria (separate to the Zorya) is the goddess of beauty, who was known as "the heavenly bride" and associated with the morning. According to Wikipedia, people prayed to her at dawn and thought her to be "the brightest maiden, pure, sublime, honourable". She was also known as a water priestess who protected warriors and was invoked to protect against death in battle.

Another popular belief is that Zaria comes from the Arabic name Zahrah, meaning 'blooming flower'. Similarly, the Swahili name Zahra also means 'flower', giving this name a lovely floral connection that is far less literal than options like Flora or Fleur or the wide range of floral word names like Rose and Lily.

It's also possible that Zaria is a variant of Sarah, a Hebrew name meaning 'princess'; or perhaps Zara, meaning 'radiance'. Which brings us full circle back to the Russian association with sunrise.

Zaria fits in well with todays' namescape - a little less popular than Zara (who feels quite popular in Australia) but without the "dingoes took my baby" association we Australians have with the name Azaria. In the U.S she was positioned at #857 on the charts in 2012, putting her in company with names such as Lara, Sky, Alyvia and Elliot; all of which seem comparatively much more recognised and/or "trendy" at the moment. So she's popular enough to be liked by many, but not so commonly discussed that she feels like she's much more commonly used than she actually is. Anecdotally, much of it's American popularity seems to be amongst African Americans, as a nod to their African heritage via the Nigerian city of Zaria.

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that Zaria has a beautiful, lovely exotic sound and feel. I love the rich history and varied associations - it even has dual nature meanings! Zaria seems to me to be an understated name that nevertheless makes a statement, and a stylish one at that.

Alaya

"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six geese-a-laying"

The reason why I've picked Alaya would possibly be a source of teasing for this name too. I can just imagine  taunts of "hey Alaya, what 'cha layin'?" But I hate to look at potential problems before properly considering the beauty in a name first.

Alaya (pronounced ah-LAY-ah) is one of those names that when I first heard it a couple of years ago, I couldn't understand why I hadn't heard of it before that. It's very reminiscent of names like Layla and Ayla - it's soft and lilting and feminine. It's pronounced pretty much how it appears, which makes it easy for people to say and is a good choice if you yourself disliked having to explain how to say your name and want to avoid this for your child. And I do so like girl's names that start and end in A.

Some sources say that Alaya is a modern American invented name. But this doesn't seem to be the case, instead it is apparent that it it a variant of either Alaia or Aliya, or perhaps both. From these, Alaya has a few different origins and meanings. In Basque it means 'joyful', in Hebrew it means 'to ascend', in Arabic it means 'lofty, sublime' and in Swahili it means 'exalted'. Alaya has a similar meaning for Buddhists, as one of the eight consciousnesses. The alaya-vijnana is the base consciousness that the other seven evolve from. Taken together, it seems that if you are looking for a name relating to a higher point or power - as Kim Kardashian and Kanye reportedly were thinking when they chose North - Alaya would be a strong contender.

Alaya first appeared on the SSA charts in 1979, and made it's way into the U.S top 1000 in 2009. In 2012 it was #813, which puts it in that comfortable middle ground of not super obscure but not super common.

Alaya is a pretty, underused choice with some pretty inspirational meanings. It would make a lovely name for a girl, no matter the time of year.

Jemima

Actress Jemima Rooper

I was watching an episode of 'Atlantis' today, which features actress Jemima Rooper. I really like Jemima Rooper. I first saw her in the supernaturally themed series 'Hex', but if you're a Jane Austen fan you must check out a mini series called 'Lost in Austen', where she plays a current day avid Jane Austen reader who gets transported into a Jane Austen novel. Seeing her in 'Atlantis' today reminded me just how much I like the name Jemima.

Jemima - pronounced jeh-MYE-mah - is one of those underused names that most people recognise but few people know one. She's a biblical name, the eldest daughter of Job, sister to Keziah and Keren, and considered to be very beautiful. Jemima (or Jemimah) is a Hebrew name meaning 'dove'. I've read online that it technically means warm or affectionate and also accepted to mean dove because the Hebrew word for dove comes from the same origins, but as I'm not Hebrew myself I can't honestly say just how accurate that is.

It is however a very pretty sounding name, with a dash little "olde worlde" charm and a certain warmth to it. It also fits into a nice middle ground between vintage and current - nickname possibilities such as Jem, Jemma, Mima or Mimi certainly help to give it a fun and popular feel. I can't help but feel that she would be a great sister to a Tess, Arabella, Bethany or Abigail; Max, Wesley, Charles or Thaddeus.

Unfortunately though many people consider the name unusable. It's rarely heard here in Australia and languishes at the lower end of the SSA charts in the US, positioned at #3850 in 2012. It fares much better in England, where it rose to position #196 last year. It seems to depend heavily on the most common pop culture association each country has with Jemima:

• In Australia, Jemima is entrenched in many people's hearts as a rag doll from children's TV show 'Play School', which has been essential viewing for Australian children since 1966. When I Googled Jemima, she was the number one result I received. She's beloved, yes, but it's kind of like naming your child Elmo. 
• In the U.S. the immediate association is with Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup. The products debuted in 1889 and the trademark character derives from a stereotypical African American character that was often used in minstrel shows at the time, usually portrayed by black face performers. It's synonymous with Mammy type characters and considered to be a racist, derogatory and therefore offensive character. Hence why parents aren't flocking towards using it.
• In England, Jemima was popular during the Puritan era (16th and 17th century). They favoured biblical and virtuous names, and Jemima with her biblical connections and symbolical meaning of 'dove' fit the bill well. Since then the best known Jemima is arguably Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddle-Duck. While a Puddle-Duck may not be considered an exciting image to be associated with, it's not as immediately off-putting and in many ways is an endearing image. 

If after knowing about these you're still keen, keep in mind that there are also positive associations with this name. Besides the beautiful biblical Jemima, there are the real life examples of the before mentioned Jemima Rooper, writer and campaigner Jemima Khan and HBO's 'Girls' star Jemima Kirke, all London born. She's an innocent kitten character in the musical 'Cats' (interesting fact - the character was renamed Syllabub when the show went from London the Broadway to avoid the Aunt Jemima association) and a sweetly innocent Victorian era girl in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. Authors such as Dickens, Trollope and Thackeray have all used the name for characters, giving it some literary cred, too. It's generally considered to be a more upper-class name.

Like many names, Jemima has it's positive and negative connotations. It's just a shame that the one negative one is so strong that it makes it unusable for a large portion of people. Jemima is a gem (pardon the pun) that deserves to be rescued, but I can understand why parents would be reluctant to try that with their child. Otherwise it's a pretty, charming name with a great balance of fun and elegance.

Raimi

A younger Sam Raimi at work on set

If you like action, superhero and horror movies and TV shows, I'd be pretty shocked if you haven't heard of Sam Raimi. He's a producer, writer, director and actor, has worked on TV shows such as 'Hercules', 'Xena: Warrior Princess', 'Spartacus' and 'American Gothic'; and has directed big blockbusters such as the 'Spider-Man' trilogy (the Tobey Maguire versions) and 'Oz: The Great And Powerful'.

But it was the cult horror film 'The Evil Dead' that first brought him attention, back in 1981. Since then he has continued to make great horror movies. He's been involved in the follow ups to 'The Evil Dead', 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness' and other horror movies 'The Grudge', 'Boogeyman', 'The Messengers', '30 Days of Night', 'Drag Me To Hell', and 'The Possession'. 2013 saw him involved in the production of the remake of 'The Evil Dead', 'Evil Dead' and he's currently working as a producer on the remake of classic horror favourite 'Poltergeist', expected to be released in 2014.

There's no doubt that Raimi is a big name when it comes to horror. And this makes Raimi a prime candidate for a good Halloween inspired name.

If you want to know the meaning of the name Raimi, you'll come across some mixed messages. Some say it is a Native American/Quechua name meaning 'sun celebration'. Others say it's an African name meaning 'compassion'. And others agree that it's meaning is 'compassion', but that it is instead a Hebrew name derived from the Arabic/Persian boys name Rahim. It's likely that it has origins in each. I personally like that both meanings are positive and inspiring.

Pronounced RAY-mee, there's also something very likable about the sound of Raimi. It sounds similar enough to Amy to work for girls, similar enough to Ray and Remy to work for boys. Just as there's a little confusion surrounding it's origins, reports are mixed as to whether it is "traditionally" considered to be a boy or girl name. In the U.S. it has only ever charted (rarely) as a girls name. But if used as a tribute to a surname, there's no reason it couldn't work for either gender. I'd originally pictured it as a boys name. mainly because the person I was inspired by is a male, but the more I think about it the more I realise what potential it has as a girls name too.

Personally, I'm a little surprised more people haven't used Raimi, considering the cult-like following that Sam Raimi has and a rising trend for "modern hero" names. With names such as Monroe, Presley, Lennon, Bowie and Jagger on our radars, maybe Raimi won't be far behind.

Reuven

Photo by Elena Karneeva

A few months ago I featured the name Zared, which I first came across in a fantasy novel. Today's name reminds me quite a bit of Zared. By that I means at first glance it looks like a well known name - i.e. Reuben - that has been "jazzed up" a bit with the addition of a lesser used, futuristic sounding letter. But just like Zared, this is not the case with Reuven, and it is actually an old Hebrew name with Biblical connections.

Pronounced ROO-ven, it is actually a variant of Reuben (or Ruben) and like Reuben means 'behold! a son'. He appears in the Old Testament as the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, making him the grandson of Isaac. He was the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This puts him in the company of other sons of Jacob  Asher and Levi, both of which are fairly popular currently.

Unlike Asher (positioned #108 for boys in America in 2012) and Levi (number #55) though, Reuven is very rarely used, positioned at just #4321 in 2012 in America. The better known Reuben is also nowhere near as popular as Asher and Levi, hovering around the bottom end of the top 1000 at #973 in 2012. Reuven is also the only one of these four names that has never charted for girls.

Reuven is also a suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa, but I first came across Reuven in a discussion about favourite literary characters. One poster wrote that their top two picks are Atticus (from Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird') and Reuven Malter from Chaim Potok's 'The Chosen'. Having not read 'The Chosen' myself it's hard to comment on the character, except to say that being mentioned in the same breath as Atticus is fairly high praise for most literary fans.

There are two main arguments (that I've seen) against using Reuven as a name. One is that it may seem out of place on a child without any Jewish heritage, although the common feeling is that it isn't too much different from using any Biblical name. The second is one is that you would be constantly correcting people that it's like Reuben, but with a V. However, this slight spelling difference does also come with some advantages.

For many, Reuven is a great alternative to Reuben because it avoids the "rube" nickname. Admittedly, this may only be a concern in America, as I saw this point made in a forum discussion, but being Australian I was not aware of the association. If you're just as in the dark as I was, it's a term for a country bumpkin. You also avoid associations with the sandwich. Again not a huge problem in Australia anyway. And you also avoid your son being given the nickname Ruby, which is currently #106 in America for girls and the #2 girls name in Australia.

I do really like the nickname possibility of Ven, which I feel has a kind of chilled out and zen vibe. I also really like that it is a futuristic/fantasy sounding name that is actually an old, rarely heard name. It's surprising how many names used in fantasy are just that. And it could be a surprisingly good fit with many other names, whether you want a sibset of biblical names or modern sounding names.

Layana

Layana Aguilar

I'm a little bit behind with 'Project Runway' this season - to be honest, I hadn't even realised that a new season was underway until I saw Kelly's post about the great names of the older models featured on episode  six over at NameFreak. It is a great bunch of names, but the one that caught my attention was one of the contestants - Layana Aguilar.

Layana was born and raised in Brazil, currently lives in New York, and has her own fashion line. Her site states that a woman who ears her designs is wearing pure confidence and delicateness. The same description could be applied to her name, which feels strong and confident, but soft at the same time.

The Layana on 'Project Runway' pronounces her name Ley-AH-na, but you could probably get away with pronouncing it Lay-AH-na if you prefer because it's uncommon enough that most people wouldn't really know what the correct pronunciation should be. Because it's so uncommon, there's very little background information to be found about this name. It doesn't seem to be a super popular Brazilian name, as it didn't appear in their top 100 girls names in 2011. Besides, I'm guessing that if it is popular in Brazil I probably would have heard the name before now.

Layana has been seen on the American charts though. It first appeared on 6 girls in 1978, then faded to pop up again in 2002. Since then it has charted every year since 2004, so far peaking at #5155 in 2009.

So should I speculate as to where this name comes from and what it means? One theory I've seen (and probably the best one) is that it comes from the Arabic name Layan, meaning 'soft, gentle'. It's also quite similar to:

• Lalana, a Sanskrit name meaning 'playing'; 
• Liana, a Hebrew name meaning 'god has answered' or a French name;  
• Lulana, reportedly a Zulu name meaning 'the winner'; 
• Ayanna, an African name meaning 'flower blossom' or Hindi name meaning 'innocent'; 
• or even Aiyana, a Native American name meaning 'forever flowering'.

I quite like the sound of Layana, although find myself saying Layani more often. I guess it just rolls off my tongue more easily. Either one is very pretty. Both were already recent newcomers to the US charts, and I can only imagine that the exposure the name Layana will now get through 'Project Runway' will boost its use. But as I'm only one episode into the season so far, I guess that's assuming that this Layana doesn't turn out to be the hated villain of the season. Although let's face it - unless the person is really, really heinous, a little villainy doesn't necessarily hurt a name whose star is on the rise.

The Cast of 'Project Runway' Season 11

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

Minty Fresh Names

Sugar sweet names worked (well, kind of) in 'Wreck It Ralph' - why not some minty fresh names?

When you think of mint, you think of fresh. That's why mint is such a popular flavour and smell for breath fresheners, toothpastes and mouthwashes. They also do a fantastic job as an after dinner chocolate dessert - a la chocolate dinner mints, and the tradition of leaving mints on your pillow for when you turn in for the night at hotels.

Fresh is a term that is often bandied about in the name world too. It's used when parents are looking for a rarely heard, "fresh" new name, when we are "tweaking" a popular favourite to give it a "fresh" feel, or forgotten gems that are being polished off and given a "fresh" lease on life.

So I thought if a name is connected to mint and all thing's minty, that could be a good thing right? Maybe not, but here's some mint related names to get you thinking.

Araminta - my first thought for a "mint" girls name. Love Arabella, but not the inevitable nickname Bella, which would be shared with all those Isabella's out there? Then how about Araminta? Different but not too different, and bursting with new old fashioned charm.

Eminta/Aminta - Araminta is thought to come from Aminta, a Greek name meaning 'defender, vindicator'. It's sleeker than Araminta, and a little more modern looking. I personally prefer the Eminta spelling. Not because I don't like "A" names, it's just....well....there's so many of them. Plus it helps steer people away from "want a mint, eh?" jokes. I could also see Eminta fitting in quite well as a regal name in a sci fi setting if you're looking for a character name for a book. Just saying.

Reminton - You may recognise him better as Remington, but then he wouldn't have "mint" in his name, would he? Reminton is an English name meaning 'place on the riverbank'. He's all Bond-like sophistication. Remington was ranked #479 for boys in America in 2011 (and was also given to 120 girls) while Reminton has never charted.

Minty/Mintie - Super cute, could be used as name by itself or nickname for any of the above. The Mintie spelling is on trend with other "ie" ending nickname names such as Evie or Ellie. However minties are a very popular lolly here in Australia, so if you also have them in your country you may want to stick with the Minty spelling.

Spear - As in Spearmint. Fits right in with both weapon like names like Arrow, Hunter and Gunner, and the current popularity of short, sharp strong names for boys. Yet so far it has gone undiscovered. Possibly a little too primal sounding to sit comfortably with most people.

Pepper - As in Peppermint. Pepper is a spunky little name that while more popular for girls, also works well for boys. Again, I could see it being a great character name in a book or movie. One often heard argument against Pepper is that it's not a name you could see on a Chief Justice (i.e. doesn't work well on grown ups). But I look at it this way 1 - not all adults have high profile prestigious jobs (and a "normal" middle name gives them another option if that turns out to be their path in life) and 2 - seems to work OK for Pepper Potts. Sure, as she's Iron Man's uber smart secretary and paramour, she's a fictional character. But she's taken seriously, and many people in today's society have grown up accepting that a Pepper can be smart too. So possibly not the big handicap you might first assume.

Patty - Peppermint Patty is one of Charlie Brown's friends in the famous 'Peanuts' cartoons. Her full name is actually Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt, and story is that creator Charles M. Schulz named her for a dish of peppermint candies he had on his writing desk. Patricia (and Patty) is from the Latin word for 'noble, patrician'. Popular from the 30's to the 50's, Patty is very rarely found these days. Personally, I'd probably stick with the elegant Patricia.

Cane - Because candy canes are made of peppermint :). Cane comes in many different spelling variations - Cain, Kane, Kain, Kayne - all of which comes from Cain. Cain is a Hebrew name meaning 'possessed'. It's various spellings are quite popular as video game characters, possibly because they sound strong. The biblical tale of Cain and Abel also lends the name an aura of treachery and danger. The various spelling most likely arose as a way to get the sound without the biblical image, and Kane is currently the most popular spelling, sitting at #505 for American boys in 2011.

Aero - while we're talking about peppermint flavoured candy associations, I thought I'd include Aero. In case you haven't heard of it, the Aero bar is a chocolate bar filled with bubbles. The mint Aero (my favourite) has mint flavoured chocolate bubbles and is covered in milk chocolate. Sounds kind of like Arrow, but with more of a nature association it's a much softer choice. Reminds me of  Neo from 'The Matrix', or 'Aeon Flux', so feels a little futuristic. Cool and interesting choice for a boy or a girl.

Franklin - To get away from candy, The Franklin Mint is a famous producer of coins, jewellery, sculptures and other collectibles. Franklin is an English name meaning 'free landholder'. It's quite distinguished sounding, but inexplicably tied to president Benjamin Franklin.

Tulip - This "friendlier" version of Mint Julep was the name of one of Strawberry Shortcake's pals in the 80's. Very sweet, underused flower name, but does have the drawback of sounding more like a pet name than other flower names such as Rose and Lily. But I can just imagine a little girl called Tulip with the nickname Minty.

Dublin or Ireland - Maybe you think I included this because mint is green, and the colour green is associated with Ireland. Not so. The Mint was once a very famous Michelin star restaurant in Dublin, Ireland, that closed in 2009. Both Dublin and Ireland have been used as place names for boys and girls. Ireland has a little more name fame, as Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin named their first daughter Ireland (nickname Addie) in 1995. I personally prefer Ireland to Dublin, simply because I'm not a fan of the "dub" sound.

Vegas - And to another famous Mint establishment, The Mint Las Vegas hotel and casino. Although it closed down in 1988, The Mint was famous for its sponsorship of The Mint 400, one of the biggest off road car races. Hunter S Thompson stayed there and immortalised it in his novel 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', and a digital replication of the casino appears in the movie of the same name. The actual casino also appeared in a Bond movie and a U2 video clip. Vegas probably works better as a name outside of America, unless you want people to think of wild times and showgirls when they meet your child. Or drop the "s" and you have Vega, an Arabic name meaning 'swooping eagle' and the name of an actual star.

By now I guess it's hard to remember that today's post was first inspired by the new pot of mint sitting on my kitchen bench :)

Well that wraps up my ideas for fresh names inspired by Mint. What names do you think of when you think of Mint? Would you use any of these?

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.

Zared

By panyangitz at deviant art

As you may have been able to tell from some of my previous posts, I'm a bit of a fan of fantasy novels. One of my favourites is Sara Douglass. By a happy coincidence I found out that she was actually born in the same small country town as I was, which I thought was pretty special considering the town had a population of just 1,317 people at the time of the 2006 census. Sara sadly passed away last year of ovarian cancer at the age of 54, but hopefully her books will remain fantasy favourites for generations to come.

I love some of the names she has used in the novels of hers that I have read. I'll no doubt feature more of these in future posts, but today's name is one from The Wayfarer Redemption trilogy. This trilogy contains three books - 'Sinner', 'Pilgrim' and 'Crusader' - and follows on from the The Axis Trilogy. The character of Zared appears in this as an uncle of the hero of our story, although they are roughly the same age. One of the things I found appealing about this character is that the reader is often left questioning whether he is a "good" or "bad" man. Like several of the characters in this book, when a chapter is told from their perspective we see that he honestly believes that his actions are for the best, whereas when shown from another characters perspective we come to question his motives and personality. This adds an extra layer of dimension to a character, and makes them feel more like real people with real weaknesses to the reader.

Zared's name immediately caught my attention as a very cool name. To be honest I was convinced that this was a case of a fantasy writer taking a somewhat common name - in this case Jared - and jazzing it up with a Z to make it sound more fantasy like. Kind of the way I'm semi-convinced some futuristic/fantasy writers add an unnecessary Y, V or X to make names more "interesting".

So I was surprised to find that Zared is actually an old Hebrew name. There is a little contention as to what the name means. Most sources state that it means 'trap' or 'ambush', but I've also seen 'verdant, of strange descent', or that it means 'brook', as there is a brook called Zared (or sometimes Zered) in the Torah. As my name is Brooke, I can't help but be inspired to think that this would be an interesting way to honour any Brook's (or it's variants) in your family. Just a thought.

If you want to name your son Zared (or daughter, if you're feeling super adventurous) I have a feeling that you'd probably get similar reactions to my first ones. Although in my case the end result was "I love it", and if more people thought that there would be more Zared's in the world that there currently are. In the U.S. it first appeared on the charts - i.e. was given to five or more boys - in 1991. It has never been given to more than 9 boys in any one year. Jared meanwhile has been in the top 1000 every year since 1950, and was a top 100 name from 1975 to 2002. Another similar name is Zarek, which has also been a quiet presence since 1991, but each year has been given to about four times as many babies as Zared has been.

Zared has a lot of cool qualities which could potentially make it a very appealing name. It starts with a Z, which is often seen as a trendy "alternative" letter (think Zander rather than Alexander, Zeke rather than Ezekiel). It sounds like the long popular Jared, which is now falling as people look for a fresher alternative. But belying it's modern look and sound, Zared is a name with history and biblical connections. It may take a while, but I like to think we may see more of this name in years to come as more people "discover" it.

McKaley

McKaley Miller as Rose in 'Hart of Dixie'

I spotted this gem in the credits of 'Hart of Dixie'. McKaley Miller is the young actress who plays Rose Hattenburger on CW's 'Hart of Dixie'. Although only 16, she is already building an impressive body of work, having done 5 movies (with another one coming out next year) and playing recurring characters in 3 TV shows - 'Wizards of Waverly Place', 'The Gates' and of course 'Hart of Dixie'.

I'm almost surprised that more people haven't caught onto this name. It shares elements with several other names that are very hot right now, such as:

• McK-anything. McKenna/MacKenna and McKenzie/MacKenzie are pretty hot in the US right now. In 2011 they charted at #239 and #135/#68.
• Kaylee. This original spelling was #36 in America in 2011, but with plenty of alternate spellings out there such as Kayley, Kaylie, Kayleigh and Kailee the popularity of this name is potentially much higher than that.
• Michaela. OK, at #409 in the US in 2011, it may not be everyone's idea of a hot name. But it is in the top 1000, and this feminine variation of Michael has spawned Mackayla (#56) and Mckayla (#734), so it is a sound liked my many people.

It stands to reasoning then that McKaley could be poised to take off for people who love any of the above options (or even all of them) but are looking for the next fresh alternative. It's perky, cool sounding; and is different but not too different in today's naming landscape.

As an invented name, there isn't really an accepted meaning for McKaley. Kaley comes from Kaylee, which comes from Kayla. Kayla is an Arabic/Hebrew name meaning 'laurel/crown', while Michaela means 'who is like God', so either could be considered as a possible meaning for McKaley. But then again maybe you fall in love with a name for the sound, not it's meaning. If you fall into that camp, McKaley has a lot going for it. It certainly caught my attention.

Imogen

Imogen Poots

Imogen is a recent crush for me. I think one of the things that pushed it from being a slight interest to being a major interest was my husband. We were watching a movie one night ('Chatroom', to be exact), when my husband turned to me and asked "who is that actress?". He recognised her from 'Fright Night' and '28 Weeks Later', and when I replied that it was Imogen Poots, he surprised me by saying "Imogen. That's a nice name". Which was cool because it was one of the first names he showed a genuine interest in within the first couple of months of me starting this blog.

I like to pronounce Imogen as 'IM-oh-jen', which is it's original spelling and pronunciation. However in America it is just as often spelled Imogene and/or pronounced  'im-oh-GENE'. There is also a bit of debate as to the origins of Imogen. Most agree that it is a form of Innogen, mistakenly changed to Imogen due to a printer's error when printing William Shakespeare's play 'Cymbelline'. Or it could have been a deliberate choice by Shakespeare to change it, as possibly he thought it looked and sounded softer and prettier.  The theories as to where Innogen comes from is where opinions differ. One theory is that it is a Greek name from the Greek words 'inno' for beloved and 'gen' meaning child, giving us the meaning of 'beloved child'. Another is that Innogen is a Celtic name from the word 'inghean' meaning maiden, and 'maiden' is the most commonly quoted meaning for Imogen. I've also seen it said that in Hebrew Innogen means 'image of her mother'. Quite possibly it's all three, as names sometimes spring up in a few different places at once. All are great meanings, so why be restricted to just one?

People who haven't heard it before think Imogen is exotic and modern, even though it has been in use for a long time. Other descriptions I've seen of Imogen include strong, independent, intelligent, lovely, refined, classy, original, and that it sounds like "imagine". A lot of these impressions are based on some of the famous bearers of this name, such as Imogen Cunningham. Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer whose portraits, botanicals and industrial landscapes were widely acclaimed. Her work was sometimes considered controversial, but she is considered to be one of the greatest figures in American photography with a career spanning more than seven decades.

Imogen has been fast gaining in popularity in Australia, reaching position #20 in 2011. It's also popular in England and Scotland, but has never entered the top 1000 in America. In fact, most years fewer than five girls were given the name, but since 1995 the name has slowly been climbing. It will likely remain slow to climb, as many Americans feel it is a hard one to use as accents in some areas make the name sound a lot less attractive than it does in England or Australia. But consider the plethora of cute nickname options you could turn to. There's Immy, Im, Imo, Imio, Gen, Genny, Ginny, Midge, Mo, Imza, Imsky, Imzi, Mog, Idgie, Em, Emmy, and Emzy - plenty of easy to say options to suit whatever personality your Imogen might have.

Imogen is a gorgeous name that I'm sure we'll see a lot more of in the future. Would you consider using it where you live?

Bram

Cutie Bram - gorgeous photograph by Glow Foto

It's hard to do a month of Halloween baby names and not mention Bram. Firstly, Bram (Stoker) was the famous author of 'Dracula', the most widely recognised (and perhaps the first) fictionalised record of vampires. Second, it's just an uber cool name, and one of my favourites.

Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is a tale of the infamous Count Dracula. It is written in diary form, from the perspectives of young Johnathan Harker, who first visits the Count at his home in Transylvania, Johnathon's fiancee Mina  (short for Wilhelmina - another great name!) and Doctor Jack Seward. Stoker's version of Dracula has become the traditional, almost standard ideal of the vampire, and many of the ideas we now read about in vampire stories or see in vampire movies are based on concepts from this story. Note that there is no mention of vampire skin sparkling like diamonds in this book. If those are the kind of vampires you like, this original tale is not for you :) I first got around to reading the book earlier this year, and became smitten with the name Bram, thinking how cool it would be on a little boy.

Bram originated as a nickname for the name Abraham, and Bram Stoker himself was indeed an Abraham. Abraham or Abram is a biblical Hebrew name, meaning 'father of multitudes', and hence Bram is thought to have the same meaning. However Bram does actually have a history of being a name itself used by the Dutch and the Gaelic. Reportedly, the Dutch associate it with Bramble, and accordingly the meaning in that part of the world is 'a thicket of wild gorse'. On a different but also nature themed note, Bram apparently means 'raven' in Gaelic, a bird that is traditionally seen as a harbinger of death and also commonly associated with Halloween.

As you can see, Bram can be quite the chameleon. If you prefer it as a nickname and want a longer option for the birth certificate, there are several choices besides Abraham or Abram. These include Bairam, Braham, Bramley, Brampton, Bramwell (with another spooky connection via actor Bramwell Fletcher who appeared the 1932 horror 'The Mummy'), Brigham, Bertram, and Byram.

Bram has slowly risen in popularity over the past 40 years in America, but is still by far a popular name. In the last four years it has been given to just 37-38 boys, which in 2011 ranked it at position #3037. It is however a very popular name in the Netherlands, where it was the 16th most popular boys name in 2011. Other notable Bram's besides Stoker are Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent file sharing software, and Bram Fischer, the South African lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela.

With some great namesakes, Bram is one of those names that almost no-one uses, but everyone knows. It's short, strong, and has a Gothic feel to it. It's a versatile name, with both biblical and nature origins. Bram would definitely be a great option, especially if you're looking for a name that stands out but fits in.

Bram Stoker and a modern cover of his tale 'Dracula'